Tag: faith

Believing and Adjusting

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

What do I believe when I hear reports of the wrath and destruction of war? Or when I gape in disbelief at the devastating pictures of nature’s unrestrained power? Or when I witness the aftereffects in our son’s body after only one week of chemo? Or when I cringe at the rage displayed in the current civil war in America? I will be overwhelmed if I fail to adjust what I see by what I believe.

I adjust my line of vision from what is before me and focus my eyes higher. I look up—to the God who sees all, knows all, and, yes, controls all. I believe in His purposes, His heart, and His sovereignty. I don’t argue with things too high or complex for my understanding.

I adjust my thinking and take my cue from the Psalms, professing ultimate, unequivocal truth.

The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
    indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;
    you are from all eternity. Psalm 93:1-2

I will adjust my mind to dwell on what I know is true because what I see and understand is limited, too short-sighted. The God I believe is unlimited and sees the end from the beginning—I will choose to believe in Him, His grace, and His salvation.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Laugh and Sing

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

Our world seems full of mockers and liars, those who deceive for personal gain and seek to hurt those who disagree with them. No, I’m not writing about politics, though I hear echoes of empathy from both sides of our fractured nation.

Whether the lies and exaggerations we hear are personal or political and, regardless of any awareness they are being used as pawns, there is a liar of epic proportions who stands against truth—the Bible calls him the Father of Lies. He is diabolically opposed to the One who is True and speaks truth. Think about the trigger words we hear daily.

  • From current headlines: antitrust lawsuit, pro-abortion ballot, Hezbollah targets, rocket attacks, extreme liberals and crazy conservatives, threats of recession, Putin meets with Iran, advocates to enable children to change sexual preference without parental knowledge, WW3…
  • Add natural disasters to the list: earthquakes, flooding, cyclones, wildfires, hurricanes…
  • Consider your tension when these locations are mentioned: Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, Iran, Russia, China, Haiti, the U.S. southern border…

Each of these lists is only partial and raises questions concerning what our part is in any of this and a bigger question—what is God’s part?

Our blood pressure may rise but God’s doesn’t. From the onset, He sees the conclusion of each event and the final stage of history.

Psalm 59 showed me two things about crises this week.

  1. The first I’ve written about before but it bears repeating. God sees the conflict of nations, the fighting and aggression. He sees the wars waged against truth and the undercurrent of doubt in His goodness or sovereignty. But He knows all and is confident in the end result. Truth will be honored, and He will be glorified, and every knee will bow before Him. When He sees the raging nations, He laughs (verse 8). He scoffs at the nations exhibiting their self-importance and greed.
  2. God’s response is to laugh. Verse 16 advises our response—sing. Sing not because we are naïve but because we are informed. We know God is reliable. We know He will be a refuge for us and is our fortress and strength, whatever battles come our way, nationally or personally.

I am convinced the only way we will survive and thrive in the times we are living through is to see the threats around us through the lens of faith. Our vision will only be clear when we embrace the truth found in the Bible. When it is our daily intake we will be nourished and strong.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

No Fear Here, 2

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

Any parent or grandparent can fall prey to fear when we look at the dangers our children face in today’s society. We must take a stand and declare, “No fear here!”

This article lifted my heart—I hope it does the same for you.

Don’t Feel Sorry or Fear for your Kids
Raise Them up to Walk in Faith

Don’t feel sorry or fear for your kids because the world they’re growing up in is not what it used to be.

God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident.

  • Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God.
  • Train them up in the authority of His Word.
  • Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control.
  • Empower them to know they can change the world.

Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it.

Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan.

  • He knew Daniel could handle the lions’ den.
  • He knew David could handle Goliath.
  • He knew Esther could handle Haman.
  • He knew Peter could handle persecution.

He knows that your children can handle whatever challenges they face in their life. He created them specifically for it!

Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose you to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime. Rise to the challenge.

Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers, and Peters!

God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world.

He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth.

Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them … they were born for such a time as this.

—Alex Cravens, Russellville, Arkansas,
featured on Randy Alcorn’s website: eternal perspectives ministry