God Knows Your Needs

Matthew 6:7-8

⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  NIV Bible Gateway.com       

    I [Dr. Stanley] remember once watching a mother and marveling at her mastery in handling several energetic young children. It was an amazing sight. It the midst of a whirlwind of activity, this seasoned pro intuitively met the needs of her kids. A meal was served, spills were averted, noses were wiped, shoelaces were tied, hugs were distributed—all at the same time! Clearly, such a parent knows the needs of her family, even when the children cannot express them.
   Sometimes it is difficult for us to think of ourselves as children. When we see little ones running around, always needing something from us, we cannot imagine that we often look and act the same way, only in grown-up bodies. Fortunately, we also have a Parent who already knows our needs.And yet we frequently act as though we must explain every detail of our problems to the Lord so He can get a more accurate view of how to provide for us.
   Isn't it strange? If you asked most Christians whether they thought God was all-knowing, they would respond, "Of course!" However, if you could listen in when they pray, you would probably often discover long, complicated explanations of why they need His help.
   God does want you to talk with Him about what is on your heart. But at the same time, remember that "your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (Matt. 6:8). Therefore, do not spend all of your prayer time repeating yourself or explaining everything in unnecessary detail to God. For a change, simply ask Hi to speak to your listening heart. Remember, He's already got the answer. Give Him the opportunity to share it with you.
Stanley, Charles F. "God Knows Your Needs." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living November 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 19.

Meditation: A Key to Hearing God

Psalm 19:7-14

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  NIV Bible Gateway.com   

   Meditation means different things to different people. For some, it is a time of introspection and self-empowerment. To Christians, however, mediation has an altogether different meaning. And despite the various ways the word is used, it is something we believers must take seriously in our walk of faith.
   Simply put, meditation is the practice of thinking about God in all of His fullness, an asking questions such as:

• Who is God?
• How does He work in my life?
• What does Scripture say about Him?
• How has He shown faithfulness to me?
• How has He made Himself known?

    When we meditate on the Word of God, His Spirit directs our thinking as we seek earnestly to know Him better. Often, the discipline will include wrestling with spiritual principles, which the Lord used to build a firm foundation in our life. It may even involve a time of repentance, as he reveals truth and moves us to yearn for a Christ-centered mindset. Or, meditation could lead to healing if God shows us areas of our heart that need His touch. When we take time to set our mind on Him, the Lord will direct our thoughts.
   This week, reserve a half-hour to sit quietly or take a walk. Dedicate that time to focusing your attention on God and letting Him speak to you. You will find this pause in your routine rewarding and exciting as you give yourself over to His presence. 
Stanley, Charles F. "Meditation: A Key to Hearing God." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living November 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 18. 

The Burden of Sin

Romans 5:12-21

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.   NIV Bible Gateway.com

   The burdens we carry come in all shapes, sizes and varieties. Many are weighty, but there's one load that proves even heaver—and it can be traced back to the garden of Eden.
   Because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6), all people have been born with sinful hearts. Holiness and sin cannot mix. Therefore, in our natural state, none of us are able to fellowship with God.
   What is worse, we continue to do wrong.The Bible says that every one of us has gone astray, like a sheep wandering from his shepherd (Isa. 53:6). So on our own, we have no access to God. And there is nothing that we—fallen humans—can do to rectify the situation. That's why I see this as the heaviest burden of all.
  But our Creator loved us so much that He sent His own Son to live a perfect life on earth. Jesus deserved fellowship with God, yet He took our sin and its punishment by dying on the cross in our place. And then He conquered death by rising to life again.
   His atonement for our wrongs is a gift that is available to anyone who believes. The Savior longs for us to accept that He willingly paid the price to redeem us. He desires to relieve the burden of sin from our heart. Only then will we experience true life and freedom.
   Have you received God's free gift of salvation? Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life to have a relationship with you. If you believe in Him and accept His death as your undeserved atonement for sin, He will forgive you for all unrighteousness and welcome you onto the path of true life.
Stanley, Charles F. "The Burden of Sin." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living October 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 30. 

Neva Coyle writer of Christian books for everyone!

A few of Neva Coyle books 

My introduction to Neva Coyle's writing began with overeating behavior. Her Overeaters Victorious Christian weight management concept was nonjudgmental and easily understood. A versatile author of fiction and non-fiction, Mrs. Coyle is also a gifted motivational speaker/teacher. Her understanding and love for people translates into everything she writes.

 
A Door of Hope is a novel. Karissa Hill, class of '57, eloped with the boy of her dreams. In November 1998, I wrote a review titled What does the future promise? In the review, I admitted that fiction was not my interest. Yet, this novel held my attention from the first page. I almost stayed up all night tonight reading it again. The author has a way of drawing in the reader. This is more than fiction. This is life! A person on the outside appears to have it all together; what is happening behind closed doors? Many of the readers will be able to identify with the characters in this story. We can see the hope each character received in the person of Jesus Christ. This same hope is available to every reader, no matter what has happened or what is currently going on in life.

Living by Chance or by Choice: How to Respond to Circumstances and Make Decisions With Courage and Clear Thinking explains that many of moments in life are crossroads. Things will never be the same. In the beginning, the author asks the reader, "Do you always see your crossroads as a crisis or a new start?... no book can change you... change and growth will involve an interaction between you and God." page 16 The book is divided into four parts with about eight chapters each. Read the rest of the book slowly; answer the questions, think clearly!

A devotional day-book, Learning to Know God ...and to Love His Friends offers 30 readings. Each one is complete with suggested scripture, thoughts and ideas to consider. The section headings include:

• God Knows Me
• Being God's Friend
• People Who Know God Change

Again in 1998, I wrote a book review. My goal was to explain how Neva Coyle gently leads the reader to a relationship with God. For me, this book brought tears. After reading the following scripture, tears of sorrow for the past choices that I had made instead of waiting or listening.

 ^{Jeremiah 31:3} The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3New International Version (NIV)

After reading the following scripture, tears of joy for God's love, grace and mercy to me!!!

^{John 15:9} “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love...." John 15:9 New International Version (NIV) www.Biblegateway.org

"Alive for the First Time" by David C. Needham

Alive for the First Time by David C. Needham explains Christian living, abiding and our new life.

"This book is about you...." This begins chapter one of Alive for the First Time by David C. Needham. Don't we all want to know more? More about "me"? The author shares this journey in chapters such as "What's So Great about Being Human?" and "Two Kinds of People, Two Kinds of Life." Read more for yourself!

Birthright: Christian Do You Know Who You Are? by David C. Needham includes many interesting chapters, some of the titles are:

•  Who Are You, Christian?
• The Wonder of Who We Are
•  A Declaration of Dependence
•  A New Choice: The Commitment of a Person’s Will
•  A New Master: The Lordship of Christ is Central
•  Where is the Joy?

   “…The essence of His life was that all the he did- His words, His works, His entire life- came from His Father. His was a totally dependent life. For a human to be truly alive-by our Creator’s definition-is to live as an extension of God’s own life…

   Through His unique creation of man, all that God wished to show of Himself-His perfections, His purity, His love-could be seen and most fully appreciated. For a person to fulfill this function is life. And anything less than this is less than life…

   God’s purpose for humans is that they become actual extensions of His life through a dependent relationship with Him…”

   How…

•  Commitment to the authority of the scriptures
• Separation from the world
•  Evangelism
•  Submission to authority
•  Distinctive lifestyle
•  Worship God centered

Where is the Joy?

•  You are safe
•  You are loved

1)      We need to take a long look at the fact that the entire Trinity is very pleased to have us. Luke 15:6, 20, 23-24

2)      God’s gift of joy comes to us wrapped in a package. That package is Holy Spirit-taught truth. We must give the Spirit a chance. 1 Thes. 1:6; Romans 5:3, 5; 15:13

3)      God’s joy can only function when we are honestly resting in the adequacy of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:3-5

4)      God’s joy is inseparable from unconditional discipleship with all its costs. Luke 14:33; John 15:11

   …Oh Christian-face up to it. You know what to do. So do it!

   There is a world that needs to see the invisible God through the prism called ‘you.’ Don’t waste another minute missing life.

   There is a God Who has chosen you to be the object of His love-the displayer of His person. Why waste another second frustrating the very reason Jesus came?”

   Am I aware of whom I really am? Can I answer “Yes” to Matthew 22:37?

   Reading this book will give information on basic Biblical truths of God’s purpose and how this can be accomplished backed up with definitions and scripture.

“O dear Christian, rejoice! Live!”

“Do you know who you are?”