Hope 4 the Hurting

Prov. 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thy heart…and lean not to thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

I have read and quoted this verse probably hundreds of times, but lately I’ve been captivated by the last four words of that phrase.

What does it mean to Trust in the Lord “with all your heart”?

When you think about it, it’s easy to say, “I trust You Lord”; but, if you add “with all my heart”, it suddenly takes you to a whole new level of ponderance.

To trust God about something with ALL our heart means:

• We can no longer worry about the issue
• We must not continue to reason it out on our own
• We must let God have it and handle it – SURRENDER it to Him!
• We must stay out of it, unless God reveals something we need to do
• We must not continue to let that thing dominate our thoughts (it’s now God’s, remember?  HE’s taking care of it.)
• We must not continue to feel discouraged and down about it

When we have prayed it into God’s hands and given it into His care:

• We must get on with living and enjoying our lives
• Act and live like we believe it’s all taken care of
• Refuse to think about or carry that care anymore
• Expect, believe and look for good things to happen
• Trust His SUPERNATURAL intervention regarding the issue you’ve prayed about

I’ve heard it said, “When we work (trying to figure things out or fix our own problems) God rests; but when we rest (surrendering the issue to Him) then God works. (He goes to work on it when He sees us resting it in His care.)

The most important thing we can learn about having a victorious Christian walk is that “WE” are helpless to bring about any real change – all we CAN do is rely on Him!

Why? Because even if we COULD do something, He won’t allow us to live a life of partial dependence on Him. We must recognize our TOTAL dependence on Him – this is where He wants us to be and He will never bless our self-reliant efforts. Nor will He bless the solutions we may come up with in our own carnal wisdom. He wants us to become completely dependent on Him and He wants us to seek HIS wisdom, rather than trying to figure things out for ourselves (even if we could).

Notice that the second part of the verse in Proverbs 3 says, “and lean not to thine own understanding.”

God will never bless (or allow) our human reasonings to solve the problems that HE wants us to trust Him for.

He wants us to LIVE by faith… not by our own wisdom and understanding. And this means completely depending on Him and resting from our own works (reasonings, worrying, fretting, etc.).

So, give it up… and give it to God…and get back to living!

“Stop trying and start trusting!”

There is another “ALL” in these passages (besides the first one – “trust God with ALL your heart). Verse 6 says, “Acknowledge Him in ALL thy ways and He will direct your paths.”

There is NOTHING that He won’t help us with. Trust Him with ALL your troubles, heartaches, relationships – EVERYTHING!

There’s nothing too big or too small…He cares about it ALL!

But remember, He will only go to work on what You bring to Him, trusting Him with your ALL (not half-heartedly) – no back up plans, trusting Him with that issue in the SAME way that you trusted Him for salvation, knowing that He’s your only Hope.

Amen, God bless you!

127:1-2 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

We, on our own, may have a degree of success, but without the Lord’s guidance, we build a house of cards, a chaotic home, an unsuccessful career, a failed friendship, a tumultuous marriage, and a troubled family life, etc.

Unless we pray and ask the Lord to guide our efforts in whatever we are trying to build we labor in vain.

It is useless for us to rise up early and sit up late striving, worrying, and losing sleep over how to make things work out they way we want…WE can’t have real success without God’s supernatural intervention.

Our first hope for a happy home and family, friendships, careers, etc. is God’s blessing!

COMMITTING all these things to God is the only recipe for success. Don’t lift a finger until you’ve prayed and committed whatever it is you endeavor to do to God…then, do what you can, but place your hope for success in God FIRST!

Also, it’s useless to worry about your own safety or the safety of your home and loved ones; we must trust God to keep a watch over whatever we commit to Him! That’s not to say that we shouldn’t take precautions or install a burglar alarm. But if we DEPEND on what WE can do and leave God out of the equation, then it’s all in vain.

The burglar alarm in your home or the one with whom you trust the care of your children should NOT be where you place your hope for protection. Your FIRST HOPE should be in God’s watch care.

I turned the television on loud trying to drown out all those things that go bump in the night. I turned the lights on too and crawled back into bed.

Around midnight, I guess the sleeping aid finally exerted its power over my already tired eyes, previously wide-open and fixed on the ceiling. And I finally drifted off to sleep.

Exasperated after waking up several times during the night due to the sound of the television and the bright lights beaming through my bedroom door, I decided I’d had enough. I got up, turned everything off and got back into bed when Psalm 127, verse 1 came to mind:

Unless the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain!

It was vain for me to lie awake jumping at every sound. It was then that I finally decided to TRUST GOD to watch over me and my home.

What’s keeping you up at night? (Family or relationship issues, money problems, your job, or FEAR?)

When we put God in charge of whatever it is that’s keeping us awake, then and ONLY then, sleep comes easy…for so He giveth His beloved sleep!  Rest in His care.

Matt. 1:1-3 cont. (A Bible Study)

I’d like to continue the previous Bible study about Judah’s family (vs. 3) in the lineage of Jesus. This passage of scripture from Matthew doesn’t give the background about the birth of their twin children Zerah and Perez, but you may read the full story in Genesis 38.

Tamar was pregnant with twins by Judah. When it was time for the twins to be born, it was actually Zerah who stuck his hand out first and would have been considered the firstborn, but he withdrew his hand and Perez was born first (the midwives knew this because when Zerah stuck his hand out, the nurse tied a scarlet thread around his wrist to signify that he was the firstborn).

Perez beat him to the draw and became King David’s and ultimately Jesus’ direct ancestor. Perez’s name means ‘breach or breakthrough’ and Zerah means ‘dawn or rising’. These baby boys seemed to be fighting with one another for the right to appear in the lineage of Israel’s greatest king (King David) and more importantly to become the ancestor of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Do you recall another set of twins who fought for the same honor of claiming the status of ‘firstborn’? Genesis 25 recounts the story of how Esau was born first, but Jacob then came out grasping Esau’s heel as though he were trying to pull him back into the womb so that he could be born first.

(Now, of course these babies would not have had the wherewithal to discern their lineage or anything else; however, God chose to add the facts surrounding their births in His Word. So, if these facts were significant enough that He added them to the canonized scriptures, then I believe, we ought to give them the credence due by pondering the possibilities of what God is trying to show us by doing so.)

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments section below.

Meanwhile, I want to share my thoughts. I believe these examples may reveal that God desires to use people who have a real passion to live significant lives. Jacob did not win the initial fight with Esau, for Esau was indeed born first and inherited the birthright. However, Jacob coveted that birthright so passionately that he finally conned his brother out of his inheritance. Not that that was a good or noble thing mind you, but it did reveal his passion to inherit the status of the first born.

The Bible says in Romans 9:13 that God loved Jacob, but hated (or rejected) Esau. I believe that God rejected Esau and loved Jacob because Esau thought so little of his birthright that he sold it for a bowl of stew (Gen. 25:30). He gave it away to satisfy a momentary, temporary desire. I wonder what he thought afterward, full-bellied, burping and wiping away the last drop of soup dribbling down his chin. “You idiot, what have you done???” comes to mind.

As Christians, the birthright is still significant for us today because we have inherited Jesus’s own birthright as the Son of God. We through Him have inherited the right to become sons and daughters of God.

Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…”

Perez broke through (as his name suggests) and won the right to become a descendant of Jesus Christ. And even though little Perez was none the wiser, perhaps God used his birth to reveal to us that He doesn’t always choose the first in line or even the most obvious choice, but the one who’s the most passionate about Him.

We, my friends, must fight that same fight every day to stay zealous about our birthright as God’s own adopted children. We must cherish it as our number one priority in this life and value it above all else that this world has to offer.

We are not struggling to be first in some pious competition with one another, but our battle is with Satan who would love nothing more than to steal the joy of our salvation and render us passionless and useless for the Kingdom.

If we will passionately pursue and value our relationship with Christ above all, then we too can begin to live the significant, God honoring, purposeful life that He wants for all of His children.

Matt. 1:1-3 (A Bible Study)

Matthew starts out with Jesus’ genealogy on Joseph’s side. I want to bring your attention to verse number three. Note that Jesus’ lineage comes through Perez, whose mother and father were Judah and Tamar.

There are several interesting and often overlooked facts about this less-than-ideal little family. When we take a closer look, it will make you scratch your head to realize that God chose to bring His sinless Son into the world through this particular lineage.

So, here’s the facts:

Tamar had married Judah’s son Er (he was killed by God for his wickedness).

So, then Tamar was passed down to Er’s younger brother, Onan. Well, Onan was also killed by God for refusing to raise up children for his brother. (You must read this let’s say colorful story in Genesis 38.)

Er and Onan had died and left Tamar a widow, twice-over, and the only brother left was Shelah, who was too young to marry. So, Judah told Tamar to live in her father’s house in Timnath until Shelah was old enough to take her to wife.

Time marched on and Shelah became a man. Tamar had heard that Judah was coming to Timnath to shear his sheep. Well, Tamar was not happy that Judah had broken his promise to give her to his son to wife, or so it seemed to her. So, she concocted an evil, but effective plan. She dressed up as a harlot, covered her face with a veil and lured her father-in-law, Judah, into her trap.

She asked a pledge from him before inviting him into her cheating chambers (his signet ring, his bracelets and his staff).  To make a long story short, it became evident that there had been a bit more than sheepshearing going on in the tiny town of Timnath. Word got around that Tamar had played the harlot and was with child. Judah, in all his righteousness (ha), called for her to be brought forth and burned for her woefully wicked ways.

Well, Tamar may not have had much luck with husbands heretofore, but she did have a brain in that veil-bedecked little noggin of hers. As they dragged her wayward, wonton womanhood out of the house, she cleverly presented Judah’s own signet ring, bracelets and staff to him and said, “These belong to the baby daddy!” (Well, she may not have actually used those words, but you get the gist). 

I can just see Judah’s eyes widen and the lump in his throat bulging.

Other than the fact that you just can’t make this stuff up…what do you think God might have us learn from this too-juicy for primetime tale?

God doesn’t think like we think; His ways are much higher than our ways and His thoughts are much higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9) God will often choose those who have failed the most to work through. I believe He wanted to show the world that we are ALL fallible and unworthy at our best. I also want to note what Judah said when he had been shown up by Tamar.

Genesis 38:26 And Judah acknowledged them (the signet ring, bracelets and staff), and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son.”

Well, in all fairness, what could he say. He had been caught red-handed and red-faced with his hand in the cookie jar. However, if he’d been a man given to pride, he could have accused her of lying and even stealing his stuff and had her killed. But no, he owned up to his wrongs.

I think this speaks volumes about the type of characters that God chose to make up the lineage of His pure, sinless Son. God still chooses those who are willing to admit their wrongs and are not ashamed to own up to their failures.

It doesn’t matter what awful things we’ve done or how bad we’ve been, God is so loving and kind that He gladly forgives us when we swallow our pride and confess our sins. Don’t ever think that the things you have done disqualify you from being used by God. He has a special place for you too!

Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. (NLT version)

I was thinking and praying about this verse today. And as I pondered it, my first question was, “What exactly is the kingdom of God”?

Let’s think about that. (Please feel free to add your ideas to the comments section below).

The Kingdom of God is a place where God rules; a place where He is King and His will is always done. This was the case before sin came into the world in the Garden of Eden.

What was life like in the Garden before Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin?

It was a place where all of Adam and Eve’s needs were met. They lived in a beautiful garden home where everything was perfect. They lacked nothing. And perhaps, best of all, they walked and fellowshipped with God, their Creator and Father, everyday. It was a place of perfect peace. Can you imagine them never having an argument, never saying a harsh word to one another, never having a negative thought, never being depressed or bored, never having fear of any kind. There was no sickness. Nope, everything came up roses for them everyday. It was pure bliss!

Well, of course, we know that we do not live in that world today. Sin changed everything. However, our Father God, has been trying to get us back to that place ever since. (Not to the physical place of the Garden of Eden, but back to that place of perfect peace, love, and harmony.)

The Kingdom of God is Heaven, but it can also be a place in our hearts where His will is done and He reigns as King.

In the Garden, Adam and Eve had perfect fellowship with God. Once sin came in, they were removed from the Garden that had sustained their every physical need. But, the worst result of their sin was that God no longer walked with them.

Seeking the Kingdom means seeking that blessed relationship once more. And when we seek this relationship with Him first and most passionately, all these other things: physical needs, emotional stability, harmony in relationships, etc. are all met in Jesus. We must strive to regain what was lost in the garden – that intimate walk with Him.

Life on earth will never be perfect like it was before the Fall because of sin. But if we will choose to seek Him at all times, in all things and in all our ways, we can experience the joys of the Kingdom every day of our journey on earth. It doesn’t mean that we will have a perfect life, but it does mean that we can have and enjoy His fellowship, love and peace no matter what challenges we may face.

Mark 5:35-36 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

Word came to a father

His sick daughter was dead

But the Lord heard the news

And the things they said

Immediately He knew

How the father would fear

So, He quickly spoke up

To bring him good cheer

“Don’t be afraid,

But only believe!”

For He knew how fear blocks

Our ability to receive

Learn to control emotions

Just as Jesus said

Get rid of negativity

By speaking positively instead

Talk to yourself

Just as He would do

Just think and imagine

What He would say to you

Then take to heart

The advice He would give

Let His words encourage

And dictate how you live

Dear Lord…Thank You for Your example to Jairus, which teaches us that when we look at our circumstances or hear bad news, we must not allow our emotions to take over and steal our faith and trust in You. Help us to remember to follow Your example to by determining what You would say to us in such times so that we can stay in faith and see You at work in our lives. Teach us to use this principal in everyday life, not only trying times. Thank You Lord…in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

If you seek and desire

A life truly blessed

Free of worry and care

And never depressed

Then there is a secret

You simply must know

And from this knowledge

Your joy will grow

Our Father loves us

Beyond all comprehension

More than you can imagine

Or words can mention

But we must learn to live

In the light of His love

And each day anew

Draw it down from above

Wrap yourself in it

Like a cozy blanket of fluff

And draw it ever tighter

When living gets tough

Put it on like a favorite robe

Or fuzzy slippers well worn

And just rest in His love

Like a sleeping newborn

©2020 Sandra Briggs All Rights Reserved

Father, Teach me to live in the light and warmth of Your love today. And to remember that no matter what I face, Your love is a constant that will never fade away. Let me feel it around me like a warm blanket against the cold – and to know that Your affection for me will never grow old. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, “There is no God!”

If we live our lives and ignore God’s laws and His will, are we any better than a person who says, “There is no God?” If we believe, but live like He doesn’t exist by refusing to acknowledge Him and as though there’s no repercussions for our waywardness – in essence, we are saying, “I believe there’s a God, but I CHOOSE to ignore Him, His Word, and His will for my life!”

How can anyone say, “I believe in God” and defy His Word? We may confess that we believe in God and His Son, repeat the sinner’s prayer, and think that we’ve completed all requirements for Heaven. BUT, if we truly believed, we could not continue to live in sin – anyone who has the Spirit of God cannot be comfortable with their sin!

1 John 3:8-9   He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

So obviously, anyone who does this does not have the Spirit of God living in them, and no matter how much they confess their belief in God (but continue in sin), there is no REAL heart conversion.

Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

If a person knowingly lives in sin – the bottom line is, they either do not truly believe in God – OR – they have a false belief that they can live anyway they want to and go to Heaven because they’ve prayed the sinner’s prayer at some point in their lives. Simply saying the words does not mean that they MEANT them or that they TRULY believed and TRUSTED Jesus as Savior. And the devil has deceived them into thinking that God is a loving God and will not allow anyone to go to eternal damnation. He certainly IS a good God, but He’s given us the truth of His Word and that truth will stand forever, no matter what WE feel or reason in our own hearts. His Word is the absolute Truth and our feelings, our opinions, and our views really do not matter.  It is our responsibility to seek the truth of His Word and to follow His instructions for Eternal life.

God will never accept our sin no matter how much He loves us. He’s given us His precious Word to live by and if we reject the teachings of His Holy Word, we are rejecting HIM! If you are not using His Word as a road map for this life, Satan will lead you astray.

We cannot accept God’s love and reject His teachings. It is NOT His will for anyone to perish; that’s why He gave His own Son, Jesus, to die for us. Many people believe that fact, but they have not let that truth change their lives. It’s not enough just to believe in Him…after all, Satan believes in God. True repentance means believing in what Jesus did for you on the cross, trusting Him as your Savior and then living by His Word. Please don’t let Satan deceive you – only those who follow the Word of God will be saved.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Notice… these people prayed.)

I invite you to pray the sinner’s prayer:

A Simple Sinner’s Prayer

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in the bible that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now, I confess Jesus as my Lord. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. In Jesus’ name…Amen.

Courtesy of Praywithme.com

It is imperative to begin to read and study the Word to find out how to let Jesus truly be LORD in your life. Our walk with God is an ongoing daily journey with Jesus. That wonderful journey begins each morning when we get out of bed. We are called to seek Him and His will for our lives each day. Unless we are actively walking with Him and using His Road Map, the Bible, we will take wrong turns and soon become lost in our way; for it is not within man to choose his own way.

Jeremiah 10:23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Can you say that you are allowing God to lead you in all your decisions and even your thoughts? Rom. 8:14 says that only those who do this are the sons of God.

God created us to walk with Him; isn’t that a beautiful reality – the God of Heaven and Earth desires to walk with you each day…just as He came down in the Garden of Eden to walk with Adam and Eve. That is, until they chose their own way instead of His! Will you choose to walk God’s path? Will you trust Him today to lead you into a better life than you could ever choose for yourself? Truly, all He wants is your happiness, but when WE try to decide our own path to happiness, it’s fleeting and unsustainable. When we take His hand and choose His ways, only then contentment comes; for true joy is provided ONLY through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

All you have to do is “Come and follow Him today”!

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

It is not hard, but it does require seeking Him in His Word and in prayer every day of our journey. What a beautiful journey it is when the Lord Who created us and knows us best takes our hand and teaches how to enjoy the life He’s prepared especially for each one of us.

“GOD BLESS YOU!”

©2020 Sandra Briggs All Rights Reserved

Psalm 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.

What a blessing to know

That our Father above

Descends from heaven

On the wings of a dove

To make Himself at home

As we reach out to Him

Whether praying silently

Or simply singing a hymn

When we begin to praise

From hearts so pure

We can know it for certain

Of this we may be sure

We have His attention

And He’s always bending near

Listening intently for the sound

That He longs to hear

The praises of His child

Are coveted and sweet

He’s always available

Any time you’d like to meet

No need to send a memo

Or mail an invitation

Our heart-felt praises guarantee

A Heavenly visitation

©2020 Sandra Briggs All Rights Reserved

John 13:2, 26-27 ² And ^[a]supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

²⁷ Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 

In John 13:26, Jesus said that the one to whom He would give the piece of bread would betray Him. Judas was there at the table; he had heard Jesus say that. And the startling fact is that he (Judas) “took” that bread. I believe it was at that very moment that Judas accepted Satan’s temptation; no more swaying back and forth about what to do – he took it! And then it says in verse 27 that Satan entered him.

It was as though before this, Satan was just a whisper in his ear, but now he had taken over Judas’ mind and heart. Satan was now ‘in’ his head so to speak. He was no longer in control.

Of course, we know that this was God’s plan and it was going to happen this way…no matter what. But I believe that this teaches us a very important lesson about temptations in our own lives.

Satan cannot make us do anything, but if we don’t put a stop to the thoughts he tempts us with, sooner or later we’ll give in. And obviously, there is a point (with temptations/voices unchecked) that a person can become almost completely dominated by Satan.

In our relationship with Jesus, the more we listen to Him and do what He says, we are being led by Him. But, by the same measure, the more we listen to Satan, we are becoming dominated, led, and controlled by him.

I believe at the moment Judas accepted that piece of bread it was his first ACT of obedience to Satan.  He accepted Satan’s assignment and he lost his own conscience (at least for a time). He did not regain his senses or his conscience until he saw that the Counsel was planning to kill Jesus (Matthew 27:3-4); then he was genuinely sorry.   

Matthew 27:3-4 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

I believe that after Judas had accomplished Satan’s mission, Satan moved on and Judas’ eyes were opened to what he had done – it was as though he had been blind (for a season). Satan used him and left him depressed, full of guilt and suicidal (Matthew 27:5)!

Once Satan and sin are done with us, THIS is all we are left with!  

John 13:30 says, “Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”

Judas acted immediately to do what he’d determined in his heart to do. How might his story have been different if he’d acted immediately to dispel those thoughts in his mind when they first began? (Again, I know this was God’s plan for Judas and it was going to be that way, no matter what…but again, this teaches us a lesson about how to avoid his fate of diving headlong into Satan’s plan.)

IMMEDIATELY, stop the thoughts in your mind that you KNOW are wrong. Don’t toy with Satan; he’s a liar and he will deceive you every time. We don’t know what sort of picture he put in Judas’ mind of how this was supposed to turn out, but I can tell you that as he was wrapping a noose around the tree on that hillside, it was NOT the true one!

Notice how the very last phrase of John 13:30 says, “And it was night.” The moment we take the first action to obey Satan, the light of our understanding goes out and we move into spiritual darkness. And let me assure you, when you come to your senses, when you wake up (so to speak) you will be as surprised as Judas as to how you got so far off track.

Realize that you are no match for Satan by yourself – no matter how smart, enlightened or strong you think you are. The only way to stop Satan’s lies, deceit and darkness from blinding your mind is to stay in the Light of God’s Word. It will break the power of darkness!

©2020 Sandra Briggs All Rights Reserved