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Fight or flight?
Fight or Flight?
Written by: Tom Matlock
Most of us have been around long enough to know what circumstances make us want to run. Adversity comes in many different forms from financial difficulty to health issues, family strife to spiritual warfare. Why does God allow things like this to come into our lives?
The reality is that Christ allows struggles to grow our faith and drive us to Himself. Many would concede that if we didn’t meet adversity, we would seldom seek Him out. Sadly, instead of looking to God for growth opportunities and spiritual nourishment, we tend to exert all of our strength looking for a way out of the hardship.
God is clear in His Word that He will never lead us to adversity that He doesn’t intend to lead us through. Paul knew God’s ability to comfort and sustain first hand as he describes in his letter to the church at Corinth.
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4-10 (NLT)
The Word offers us additional encouragement in the book of Matthew.
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Jesus promises to give us rest and knowledge, and to refresh our souls in the midst of our trials.
In closing, will you trust Him or run away from Him as you flee your circumstances?
Give Thanks. Then Give Thanks Again.
Constantly brought to our attention are the Biblical commands to rejoice and give thanks. We see these particularly in the Psalms and in the writings of Paul. We often pray fervently for a particular request, which is good and right. Christ told us “you have not because you ask not.” Paul tells us to cast our cares on (Christ) because he cares for you. So when we are granted our requests, when God has graciously given us things we do not deserve, we should respond with excited thanksgiving. I often find, however, that I frequently spend weeks, months or even years praying for a particular request. I pray for a perceived need to be met; for a friend’s health; for an acquaintance’s salvation. God graciously grants the request, and I give thanks… for the next three days. It may not always be that drastic, but this pattern is not uncommon.
Consider if you were a father- which you may be- and your son made repeatedly requests for something that you decided was a good thing for him. When you gave it to him, he thanked you happily for it. Then he never mentioned it again. Would it not seem that his gratitude was somehow lacking? It makes me consider- God answers are prayers; he meets our needs so graciously; we should make a concerted effort to remember his provision over and over.
This idea wasn’t original with me. The Psalmist, in the 103rd Psalm commands us: “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” (vs 2, NLT) God had made this clear to Israel from the beginning: Israel celebrated the Passover, which was a time to give thanks and remember the LORD’s deliverance of their nation out of the land of Egypt. Asaph, in the 73rd Psalm, begins by declaring: “Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.” (NLT) How can we make such a statement unless we reflect and relive those answers to prayer and those blessings that God sends our way? The answer is obvious.
Let me challenge you to spend some time these next several days deliberately focused on praising God for past blessing. Contemplate to bring to your remembrance those things you desired and were granted by God. Remember those things and occurrences you never expected but were blessing that God sent your way. If we don’t rehearse, we tend to forget. Take care that we forget not our Lord’s benefits.
Did God make a mistake?
Did God Make a Mistake?
Written by: Tom Matlock
Rejoice in the Lord and His sovereignty! God is above all things and all things exist to bring Him glory! Spend your time wisely, striving for the best He has for you. Reach the lost for Him and minister to the hurt and needy around you. Take Christ to the world until He chooses in His own time to call us home.
“No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself.Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:36-39 (NLT)
“But whenanything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, andarise from the dead, andChrist will shine on you.’ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:13-16 (ESV)
Remember, brother or sister in Christ, our faith, confidence, hope, peace, happiness, our very lives all rest in the great and loving hands of our heavenly Father. His ways are higher and His plan is perfect. Thank you God for your absolute sovereignty and plan for us!
Here is God’s Will for You!
I’m sure many of the readers are confronted by serious decisions that may cause severe angst. Recently I have been considering a decision that is pivotal towards how I will be spending the next year of my life. So please realize that I am not belittling or downplaying the confusion that can arise when important decisions are needing to be made in the lives of believers. However, God’s men can find their rest in Christ knowing that the will of God is not something that has been purposefully hidden or deceitfully vague. God wants us to know his will. Additionally, portions of God’s plan for our lives are very clear, and we should meditate on them so that we might work to fulfill them. The Bible outlines several things that are specifically “the will of God.”
First, take measure of what is promised to the one who strives to follow the will of God:
…the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God [God’s Will] will live forever. I John 2:16, 17.
God desires that our lives should be consistent in their purity and virtue:
It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. I Peter 2:15
We should take on the attitude of Christ that present suffering is not too high of a price to pay
So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. I Peter 4:1, 2
It is God’s will to avoid any kind of lust or sexual sin:
God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. I Thessalonians 4:3
It is God’s will for the for the Holy Spirit to pray for us:
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Romans 8:27
It is God’s will for us to pray and give thanks to Him no matter our situation:
Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:17, 18
Last, note this reassurance from Christ about our relationship to him as we follow his will:
Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother. Mark 3:34, 35. (NLT)
A question for the week ahead
A Question for the Week Ahead
Written by: Tom Matlock
“He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.'” Luke 10:2 (NIV)
As you prepare to start another week, let me encourage you to ask yourself one question:
What will I do for the cause of Christ this week?
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NLT)
Our mandate is clear. The question is, will we obey?