Our Caring and Able Heavenly Father

English: Josaphat was the fourth king of the Kingdom of Judah, and successor of his father Asa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Read | 2 Chronicles 20:1-4

Everyone faces challenges in life. Whether our struggles are financial, vocational, relational, or physical, we can be certain that nobody is exempt. Fortunately, we serve a God who is both interested in our problems and able to take care of them.

When trouble looms, prayer is always a good first step to take. But having a foundation upon which to build our prayers also makes a difference. Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, faced an enormous challenge. Three different tribes–the Moabites,Amonites, and Meunites–simultaneously waged war against him. Most leaders would have crumbled under such pressure, or at the very least taken drastic measures, but Jehoshaphat was a wise king. Though afraid, he did not strike out against his enemies.Instead, knowing that God was interested in his dilemma, he “turned his attention to seek the Lord” and proclaimed a fast throughout the land (2 Chron. 20:1-3).

Jehoshaphat also knew that God, who was greater than any earthly problem, had done miraculous things for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Daniel. That same God would help him, too, in his hour of need. We should never underestimate the Lord’s interest in our affairs. He helped our ancestors in the Bible, and He can and will help His children today.

It’s easy to think our problems are unimportant in the eyes of God, but He doesn’t feel that way at all. Whatever concerns us concerns Him. If we, like Jehoshaphat, turn right to God and proclaim His power, He will intervene. And no matter how great our challenges are, God is greater.

Charles Stanley

How to Be Authentic When Image is Everything

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

James 5:16

People today love to put on a good façade when deep down, they’re deeply hurting. Chuck Swindoll, the noted author and pastor said on this subject,

Most of us are pretty good at dressing up the outside of our lives.  Perfectly decorated homes, immaculately landscaped yards, polished status symbol cars, dressed for success clothes, sparkling teeth. But underneath, many of our manicured lives are withering souls. The polluting emphasis on empty externals and prayerless activity has produced a smog in our inner world. In unguarded moments of silence and solitude, we can almost feel the grime that covers our real selves.

It’s so true, isn’t it? Especially in our culture, where image is everything and what’s inside is almost nothing. And behind the nice cars, big houses, and everything anyone could buy, there is pain and brokenness at a level unsurpassed in the history of the world.

What the world needs today is people who are authentic. It needs men and women who don’t just put on a show, but are the same people in every area of their lives. So instead of putting on an image, be who God made you by confessing your sins and showing others who you really are in Christ.

IN A WORLD WHERE IMAGE IS EVERYTHING, LIVE AUTHENTICALLY.

Accept His Love

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

It does not matter what you do to try to clean yourself up. If you don’t trust
Jesus to save you through His grace, all your righteousness is as filthy rags
in God‘s sight. Your flesh isn’t accepted before God; it can’t even be
reformed. All flesh was done away with at the cross and now a new Man has come
forth—the Christ-man—and true faith is having confidence in what He did for
you.

You may say, “I find it hard to believe that a troubled, failing Christian like
me could be precious to God. He has to be disgusted with me, because my life is
so up-and-down. I have problems I can’t seem to get through. Oh, I believe He
still loves me but surely He is disappointed in me because I have failed Him so
often!”

Please understand: Isaiah‘s wonderful prophecy of grace (see Isaiah 43:1-5) was
spoken to a people who had been robbed, snared in holes and cast into
prison—all because of their own foolishness and unbelief. It was at such a
point that God said to them, “Now, after all your failures, I come to you with
this message of hope—and it is all because you are Mine.”

I will never forget the pain I endured when one of my teenage children came to
me and confessed, “Dad, I’ve never once felt as if I have pleased you. I’ve
never felt worthy of your love. I feel like I’ve let you down my whole life.
You must be really disappointed in me.”

Those words hurt. I embraced that tearful child, hurting deeply inside myself.
I cried as I told this child, “But you have always been special to me. You have
been the apple of my eye. When I’m on the road conducting crusades, I think of
you and my whole being lights up. Sure, you’ve done foolish, wrong things at
times but you were forgiven. You were truly sorry and I never once thought less
of you. You are nothing but a joy to me.”

So it is with many Christians in their relationship with the heavenly Father.
The devil has convinced them they have disappointed God and will never be able
to please Him. Consequently, they don’t accept His love and they live as if His
wrath is always breathing down on them. What a horrible way to go through
life—and how pained God must be when He sees His children living that way.