Wisdom For Life's Trials: Dr. Charles Stanley On What It Means To Count It All Joy

In this 30 minute message, Dr. Charles Stanley helps us to understand what God means when he tells us to count it all joy when we struggle and suffer in difficult times.

It really blessed me, especially when he said that God knows that we don't like him at all at certain times. When he said that we may as well tell God exactly how we feel because he knows anyway, that is a practice that I've developed.

When I pray and throughout the day as I talk to Our Heavenly Father, I share with him exactly how I feel about everything. It takes such a burden off of me. I'm still working on doing better.

We, in this world, have been so used to shouldering feelings and attitudes that it's automatic. Just like when we attempt to solve our issues ourselves, we just don't think about telling God. When we have bad feelings, we don't think about telling him.

I don't lift up any preacher, teacher, pastor, minister or anyone with a Christian title as being a model of perfection. I don't promote anyone who shares Christian knowledge as someone whom everyone should listen to and follow. I do enjoy sharing messages, and occasionally music, when I am blessed.  

Dr. Stanley has always had such a calm and comforting voice. He is a teacher who will help you ascend to the next level of your walk with Christ. I like to learn from his son also, Andy Stanley. This is an interesting story that defined his impression of his father.

His dad was the Associate Pastor of First Baptist in Atlanta when the senior pastor was asked to resign. Charles Stanley was asked to preach on Sundays until a suitable replacement could be found. As he preached, the pews began to fill, young couples started to return, the youth ministry started to grow and volunteerism grew to an all-time high. There was a new excitement in the church.

Yet some of the longtime members of the church resented Charles Stanley's growing influence and popularity. It didn't help that there was a grass roots movement started to elect him as pastor. The old guard thought he was too young, too evangelistic and too spiritual, emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus.

The powerbrokers started to politic to have Charles Stanley removed. People started to take sides. Two weeks before the vote to hire or fire Charles Stanley, Deacon Myers walked up to the pulpit as the Wednesday night service began. He started to talk about the growing controversy and as he did, horror upon horror, he used the word damn.

Charles Stanley calmly walked to the pulpit and said, Now you need to watch your language. With clinched fists the man responded, You need to watch yourself or you might get punched. Charles Stanley didn't back down or step away and then all of sudden Deacon Myers reared back and punched his dad.

His dad didn't retaliate. It was his dad's response to all this that marked Andy for life. He stepped right back up and stood by Deacon Myers. Andy Stanley said, In that moment I wanted to be that kind of man. From that moment on, it didn't matter what anybody said. Because actions speak louder than words.

That event revealed his dad's character. When we open the pages of scripture, we discover that character is defined by the very nature of Jesus Christ- a stumbling block for some but a rock solid foundation for others. Character is the will to do what is right, as defined by God, regardless of personal cost. Andy Stanley SermonCentral 

From Disappointment And Confusion To Triumph

In Psalm 44:1-26, we see that God's people endured disappointment and confusion just like we do, but they triumphed in God.

It's so important to read The Word everyday and not only start each day with prayer, but to talk to God throughout the day. Through these practices, we build strength to hold on and continue to believe through similar circumstances like what they endured. We should always stay close to God because nothing here in this earth is sure.

What we consider to be God's special blessings to us can turn at any time. What's here today can be changed or gone tomorrow. Does that mean it did not come from God? No.

I don't know about you, but I'm always thanking God for all good things. However, things change. God changes things at his will and he allows things to change. God is god of all and most of the time we are not able to understand why he allows or does certain things.

As David shared in the Psalms, one day we're on top and the next it seems like the whole world is against us. God allows things that are incomprehensible and mostly he doesn't tell us why. As we grow in him, we can sometimes discern a track that he has us on and that helps us to perceive that all is well.

Our job and best mental and emotional attitude is to cling to him, whether we are up or down, prosperous or lacking, successful or struggling. Whatever the circumstance, our faith is not to be placed in those day-to-day shiftings.

It is difficult sometimes, when we're struggling in various ways, but our hope and faith is to be in God himself. We can also ask him for relief at any point. David did that many times while professing his faith and devotion to Our Father.

No matter what he was suffering, mental or emotional anguish or physical attack, he took his disappointment and confusion to his God. In the end, he triumphed because he never gave up on Our Heavenly Father. He stayed with God.

How To Accept Jesus Christ As Your Savior

Remembering Christ At All Meals

The food and drink that we consume daily are not the true life through which Christians survive, though we need them to keep our dying bodies alive for this short period on earth. When we allow any meal that we take to represent The Communion or The Eucharist, we are acknowledging that our daily, entire lives are found in Jesus Christ.

We are remembering that we live and have our nourishment through him whom God has appointed as the only Savior of mankind. As many times as we eat daily, it can be a sacred event where we take a moment to recognize Christ.

When we acknowledge Communion in this way, our daily meals become a representation of the eternal life of the soul, which each Believer has obtained through the shed blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It also gives us many more opportunities to remember God's beloved Son.

Choosing to remember Christ at all meals does not need to replace the formal ritual of taking Communion with our churches or ministries. It can be an additional, Holy way to submerge ourselves daily in Christ, to walk in the Spirit more often.

I believe that Jesus meant that whenever food and drink passes our lips, remember Him, until he comes back for us. How blessed it can be to remember Him that often!

I Corinthians 11:23 

Other names for The Communion or Eucharist are The Sacrament, The Lord's Supper, The Last Supper, Holy Communion, Blessed Sacrament and Sacrament of the Altar.

Proclaim The Lord's Death Till He Comes

Allowing each meal that we take to be a reminder to remember Christ Jesus, His sacrifice for us and that we live through Him.

How To Take Communion In Faith

Thoughts on the traditional, formal, infrequent taking of The Communion.

Faith That Crosses The Line: Bishop T. D. Jakes On When God Is Silent

Faith That Crosses The Line

What blessed me in this message by Bishop T. D. Jakes is when he talks about what do we do when we ask God and he does not answer. As you may know, it's very difficult and faith-threatening when we pray or talk to God and we don't get a word or indication from him about important issues.

The accompanying scriptures and Bible stories that Bishop Jakes shares are very good examples when this happened. It inspired me to be given concrete examples of when others obtained blessings from God despite his silence.

I don't lift up any preacher, teacher, pastor, minister or anyone with a Christian title as being a model of perfection. I don't promote anyone who shares Christian knowledge as someone whom everyone should listen to or follow. I do enjoy sharing messages, and occasionally music, when I am blessed.  

I did not like T. D. Jakes when I began to learn of him. Why? For no good reason. All I'd heard about him was that he held well-attended conventions in Atlanta called Woman Thou Art Loosed. You would think that with a title like I would have been inspired to pursue a blessing through the ministry. Unfortunately, I was not.

Some had criticized these Woman Thou Art Loosed gatherings as money-making events where he primarily pushed his books. I allowed that criticism to block my blessings. I'm sure this was because I already had a critical heart.

Even though I don't mind boisterous preachers, I unfairly judged him as being a bag of wind with nothing of significance blowing out. How wrong I was! 

One day not long ago, my mom, who is with the Lord now, was watching him on TV. I sat down with her for what I thought was a moment and said,

I don't really like TD Jakes.

She asked, Why?

I shrugged and said, I don't know. I just don't.

As I sat and listened to him, I found that his message was interesting and practical. When it was over, I had a completely different opinion of Bishop T. D. Jakes. From that point, I began to listen to him regularly. It's been years now that I've been blessed by so many of his anointed teachings.

Everything that comes out of his mouth is hard-hitting and useful. By hard-hitting, I mean that it's deeply truthful and hits the mark every time. He has a lot to say, always, but none of his words are lost. They are always a perfect combination of praising, preaching and teaching.

You may not like his style and that is okay. I am just so grateful that I was led to sit down that day to receive his impartation. I needed it and I still need his blessed words today. He's powerful and he makes it real so that I feel like I'm actually back there in Bible times.

Bishop T. D. Jakes doesn't pull any punches but his punches are infused with God's love. He loves Jesus so much and is always giving deference to The Holy Spirit! He is a great man of God with a message for the hurting and anyone who wants to grow up in faith in and obedience to God. 

 

Stop Anxiety In Its Tracks!

An anxiety-ridden man asked this at a FBook group that I recently visited:

What should you do if you’ve divorced and currently remarried? How do you truly repent from this? Should you divorce a second time -the person that you’re currently with? And what about the children involved?

My advice to him was:

Simply ask God to forgive you for any wrong decisions that you have made. Believe that he has forgiven you through the Blood of Jesus and it is done. Ask him to lead you on how to proceed but stay where you are for now. Don't hurt any more people, including yourself, by making decisions and taking actions that you don't yet understand. Love your children. Stay where you are until you get direction otherwise from God. Accept where you are and continue to build yourself up in your most Holy faith. Blessings to you, your family, friends and to everyone in your circle.

I try to remember to take the advice that I am always giving to others, and it is this:

If you don't know what to do, pray and turn it over to God. Then, if you don't know what to do, do nothing. If you're not sure what to do, but you must make a decision, do what makes the best sense to you while waiting on God.

We are always to wait on God, but often a decision must be made immediately. We can't help that. God will give us an immediate answer, or he won't. One thing that he has already instilled in us is common sense. If we must make a decision and we don't yet have clear direction from God, we must use our common sense.

If we are afraid and must make a decision, we have to do it afraid if we don't have clear direction from God. An ideal situation would be for us to not have to make a decision yet. Whether we make a decision or not, whether we make a move or not, whether we choose one way or another, we are always dependent upon God. 

So, stop anxiety in its tracks! Pray and give it to God. Right now. Do nothing if you don't know what to do. Do what makes sense to you if you have to make a decision now.

Keep stopping anxiety in its tracks by reminding yourself often that it all is in the hands of Our Father. Remember that because we love and trust him and have a prayer session of giving the issue to him, we can't hurt his plan for us through any decision that we make.

  

Christian Products: Jesus The Christ Printable

Jesus Christ Artwork, Romans Scripture On Salvation

Jesus The Christ Was Delivered Up Because Of Our Offenses And Raised Because Of Our Justification Romans 4:25

I read so many beautiful scriptures during my daily Bible reading. I jot down the ones that I want to use in designs. This one from Romans has such a lovely flow and the message is so very poignant and striking. I love being reminded of just what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for us!

You Will Receive 5 (five) PDFs In A Zip Folder, 300 Dpi Image Files For Crisp Printing. Contact me if you need another file type/size. I'll make a reserved listing or email free of charge.

Print as often as needed. Always PERSONAL AND COMMERCIAL when used in your crafting projects.

Most text and designs are interchangeable. Just ask!

Jesus Christ Artwork, Romans Scripture On Salvation

 

 

 

Please do not resale the files that you receive nor the prints that you make. These products are for use by the purchaser only. Please send anyone interested to Draw Nigh To Hope Shop.

Angel Policy

My products are always PERSONAL AND COMMERCIAL when used in your crafting projects like digital designs, scrap-booking, paper-crafting, altered-art, book arts, gift-wrapping and other crafts.

 

 

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Fill your life with reminders of Jesus Christ. 

Spend your money on merchandise that glorifies God. 

Surround yourself with products that 

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  As a self-taught designer, crafter, writer and artist,

like Lydia in Acts 16, I design and make beautiful things.

 

My creative ability comes from God

and I worship the Lord

day in and day out. 

In order for God to bless us through our talents, skills and creativity,

we have to put our work out there.

 

 I want Christians, who may not otherwise know about them,

to have a chance to buy my products that lift up

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

and God, Our Father.

  
Proverbs 22:29 states:

 

Seest thou a man diligent in his business?

He shall stand before kings;

he shall not stand

before mean men.

 (KJV)

 
  Do you see a man who excels in his work?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before

unknown men.

 (NKJV)

 

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If you or anyone you know sells handmade products or designs merchandise that glorifies God, let me know so that I can take a look. I may do a feature here.