Lift Me from My Troubles – His Word, Our lives - Purity 559
Purity 559 10/26/2021 Purity 559 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s original artwork comes to us from our new friend, Philip Hand in
the UK, who shares his “views” from his transformed life through his creative writings
and his artwork. After sharing his poem, “Amazing Grace”, yesterday, he sent today’s
artwork along with another original poem that we will share today. But before
we do I wanted to share Philip’s testimony in his own words: Philip wrote:
“I would like to share a little of my
testimony if that’s okay. I am 52 years old. When I was 30, I was diagnosed
with chronic schizophrenia. I believe the Lord sometimes allows things to give
us a greater understanding of the world we live in. I am a better man having
gone through these situations and believe I'm alive because of the love of Jesus.
He never let me go even though I fall and fail. I write and draw to redirect my
thoughts, sometimes better than others lol. My heart’s desire is that if my
writing and art could distract and lift someone from their troubles just for
moment, that would be a good thing. God bless.”
Part of our walk as Christians is to be a light of hope in the darkness
of this world and I am pleased to have made the acquaintance of another light
bearer who has realized their purpose for God’s kingdom.
THE source for light and hope that is vastly underutilized today is God’s
Word, The Bible. Philip’s original poem speaks about THE BOOK that contains the
answers to life’s questions.
“The Bible
The most
mysterious book ever written, they don't want you to read.
It's a miracle
it's still here which makes the devil seethe.
Within these pages
of wisdom and truth
a photograph of
time, the written proof.
The son of man,
the pages cry
is our only
salvation from on high.
It shows the weak
how to be strong
who walk with God
their whole life long.
That we are in a
blistering battle for the hearts and soul of a lost mankind
that run around
like they’re deaf and blind.
The saints of old,
the prophets of truth
risked their lives
to bring it through
plagues and floods,
extreme oppression
to teach us all a
sacred lesson.
To give us meaning
to our lives.
That gives us hope
when our world subsides.
The living word,
God with us
read through the writings of this book with love."
-Philip Hand
So if you want your
troubles to be lifted for a moment, you can look to the beauty of the world around
you. But people like Philip and I would
tell you to look a little higher, to look a little deeper. There is a God who
created all that you see, who loves us, and who sent His Son, Jesus, to set us
free.
Seek the Lord and
you will find Him. He sent the Light of the World to lead us out of the
darkness and when you follow Him you will be lifted out of your troubles and
into a new and eternal life that is defined by peace, love, and joy.
Today’s Bible verses
are drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verses are:
Psalm 93:4-5 (NLT2)
4 But mightier than the
violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the LORD above is mightier than these!
5 Your royal laws cannot be
changed. Your reign, O LORD,
is holy forever and ever.
Today’s verses speak of the Lord’s
power, immutability, and sovereignty.
The natural forces of the world can put
the fear of life and death in us. Violent storms, hurricanes, tornados, and
tsunami’s show us the destructive power of nature and how these phenomena can tear
apart man’s creations in moments, leaving behind a path of destruction and
death. The natural flow of the oceans
due to the tides can astonish us with their regular crashing waves that can
erode the largest rock formations over time.
But as fearsome as nature can be, the psalmist reminds us that God as
the Creator is more powerful and mightier than these.
The psalmist also reminds us who is in
charge. God’s royal laws can not be
changed for He has always been and will always be and long after this
generation passes from the earth God will continue to rule and reign over His
creation.
His laws could refer to the physical or
scientific laws that govern the Lord’s handiwork that we observe, like gravity
and how it plays a role in the moving of waters on the earth, with the
movements of the moon affecting the tides.
But the psalmist also points out that
the Lord doesn’t just rule over His physical creation through the scientific
laws He put in place. The psalmist calls
the Lord “holy” which Webster’s dictionary defines as: “exalted or worthy of
complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.”
The Lord is worthy of our complete
devotion because of His perfect goodness and righteousness. The Lord’s Law, better understood as “His instruction”,
in the word of God teaches us to be holy as He is holy and describes the
attitudes and behaviors we are to adopt, or abstain from, to be more like
Him.
So marvel at the wonders of His power
and might. Stand in awe of God’s eternal nature and His immutability. But remember that He is holy, and He will
rule for ever and ever and He invites us to live with Him in eternity by placing
our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Placing our faith in Christ makes us holy,
set apart for God’s use, and gives us the power to be holy, to live a good and righteous
life.
When we come into harmony with God by
placing our faith in Christ and living according to His ways, we understand
that holiness isn’t about “doing everything right” it’s about being in a “right”
relationship with the One who shapes the history of the universe and asks us to
play a part in His purposes.
So keep walking and talking with God, if
you are walking in His direction He will guide you into a life that is good, righteous,
and full of purpose, peace, and joy.
As
always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from
prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with
their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Dating:
Secrets to Great Relating When Dating
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
E. What Is the Root Cause of Dating Disasters?
Sadly, many measure their worth by how much attention they garner. She
discovers the more provocative she dresses, the more glances she gets. He finds
the more whistles and compliments he gives, the more yeses he gets.
Yet, the world has been lying to them both. No one has ever bothered to tell
them the value of purity... that God values them, has a plan for their lives,
offers them hope and joy, and will meet all their needs. Finally they find the
Perfect Date—One willing to die for them....
"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as
Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
death—even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:3-8)
3
God-Given Inner Needs
In reality, we have all been created with three God-given inner needs: the
needs for love, significance, and security.
- Love—to
know that someone is unconditionally committed to our best interest
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12).
- Significance—to
know that our lives have meaning and purpose
"I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for
me" (Psalm
57:2 ESV).
- Security—to
feel accepted and a sense of belonging
"Whoever fears the Lord
has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge" (Proverbs 14:26).
The
Ultimate Need-Meeter
Why did God give
us these deep inner needs, knowing that people fail people and self-effort fails
us as well?
God gave us these inner needs so that we would come to know Him as our
Need-Meeter. Our needs are designed by God to draw us into a deeper dependence
on Christ. God did not create any person or position or any amount of power or
possessions to meet the deepest needs in our lives. If a person or thing could
meet all our needs, we wouldn't need God! The Lord will use circumstances and
bring positive people into our lives as an extension of His care and
compassion, but ultimately only God can satisfy all the needs of our hearts.
The Bible says...
"The Lord will guide you
always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen
your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters
never fail." (Isaiah
58:11)
The apostle Paul revealed this truth by first asking, "What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to
death?" and then by answering his own question in saying it is
"... Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25).
All along, the Lord planned to meet our deepest needs for...
- Love—"I
[the Lord] have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you
with unfailing kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).
- Significance—'"For
I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11).
- Security—"The
Lord himself goes before you
and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged" (Deuteronomy
31:8).
The truth is that our God-given needs for love, significance, and
security...can be legitimately met... in Christ Jesus! Philippians 4:19
makes it plain..."My God will meet all your needs according to the
riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
• Wrong Belief:
"My needs won't be met unless I'm involved in a romantic relationship
that leads to marriage."
Right Belief:
"I would like to date and ultimately marry, but I'm giving my future to
God. The Lord does not lead everyone to marry, but He will meet my deepest
inner needs for love, for significance, and for security. I will trust the Lord
to guide me and fulfill my deepest inner needs."
"The Lord will guide you
always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen
your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters
never fail" (Isaiah
58:11).
Biblical Counseling Keys: Dating: Secrets to Great Relating When Dating.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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