My Power Of Freedom

                                                     When The Door Slams

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy,      O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.                             Psalms 2:5-9

        This reminds me of a story, Victor Frankl, know for his writing and position as head of the Department of Psychiatry in Vienna, Austria, was captured by the Nazis during the Second World War.  At the concentration camp, the guards took his shirt, cap, belt and shoes. Next they took his slacks and underwear. There he stood naked before them. Frankl says they all began to laugh. They stripped him of his wrist watch, his wedding ring, and his dignity.

         While all this was going on, Frankl was thinking, "There is one thing you cannot take. You cannot take from me my power and freedom to choose my attitude." The reality is the Nazis never did, even though Frankl suffered through years in the concentration camp.

        Think about this: Three thousand years ago, King David also prayed for mercy and chose a victorious attitude. We can come to God with our petitions, large and small. We can ask the Lord to deliver our souls from death, to keep us alive in whatever kind of "famine" we face. Don't hesitate to ask God for His help in your time of need.

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.                                        Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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Discipline Or Spiritual Warfare

                                                     When The Door Slams

For the Lord disciplines the one He Love and punishes every son He receives.                                                                                                                                                                     Hebrews 12:6 

        There is a tendency among Christians to view anything unpleasant that happens to them as the result of "spiritual warfare." When a difficulty arises, many immediately ask God to remove their distress. The problem is that their predicament may have nothing to do with Satan or with spiritual warfare.                                                                                                                                                                  Think about this: It may appear far more glorious for us to explain our hardships as Satan's determined attacks against us, rather than admitting that we are merely reaping what we have sown and are being disciplined by our heavenly Father (Galatians  6:7). 

        What is often mistaken as Satan's attack may actually be chastisement from our loving Father. If you have neglected your role as spiritual teacher to your children, God may allow them to fall into sin. If you have been dishonest at work, God may correct you by letting you face the consequences. It would be foolish to pray that God would ease your discomfort. 

        God is disciplining you in order to gain your attention and bring necessary change to your life. How tragic it is that we never make the connection between our problems and God's discipline. God's discipline will not help you if you dismiss it as Satan's doing or spiritual warfare. Not every hardship you face is the chastisement of God, but Scripture indicates that God will discipline you.

        If you misunderstand God's chastening, you may actually blame Him for not answering your prayers of failing to protect you from Satan. Meanwhile, God is warning you of the danger you face because of your sin. are there difficult circumstances in your life? Could it be the discipline of God? Lord God, whose nature is perfect love, will correct you because Lord has your ultimate good in His heart.

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.                         Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.    

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Peace In My Circumstances

                                                     When The Door Slams

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."                                                                                                                                                                                      John 16:33

        How do we find peace of mind in the midst of the circumstances many of us encounter today?             Think about this: A single mom faces a pile of bills. Though she knows and trusts Jesus, it's hard for her not to give in to despair when the financial deadlines approach and no help has appeared.

        An older man gets layoff at the job he has given himself to for years. Now he knows he may be too old to find something comparable. He believes in the Lord God, but month after month with no job prospects, it gets harder and harder. 

        We can name any number of circumstances and you probably know people in the midst of them. How do Christians maintain their balance in such times as these? God never promises we won't face hard times, even painful hard times in this world. 

        What God does promise, is to give us peace in the midst of our trials. What is that peace? Philippians 4:6-7 speaks of it as a supernatural, incomprehensible peace that the world cannot grasp or understand, but the true Christian can. It is the peace Christ gives to us because we knows he will be in the midst with us, the Lord God will meet our basic needs in the midst of our troubles, and He will get us to our next destination in faith. This is powerful peace. Do you need faith now? Just ask Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.                                  Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                                                Never Rest Ministries