Psalm 4:4,5 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. SELAH Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
Psalm 51;16-18 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD the sacrifice.
Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
Hosea 6:6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Matthew 9:13 “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 12:33 “And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Hebrews 13:15-16 Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Growing up, my brother and I always had chores assigned to do. The chore we both hated was to take the trash out to the garage in the evenings. The problem was the darkness and going into the darker garage to the trash cans. We both used to barter to trade that chore. When it was my turn to take the trash, I would try to ensure I took it down while it was still light outside; after many scary tales being told around campfires, or playing outside in the dark–we knew there were ‘bogeyman’ alive and well. I had no idea what a bogeyman looked like–but there was an underlying sureness, a knowing, that one was alive and well.
As brave as my brother and I tried–even pretended to be–we hustled up the stairs back into the living room, and the light. But kids tend to have a love-hate relationship with darkness. We love to hear the few minutes of tales of scary stories, feel the fear growing and building, but afterwards, you still have the niggle uneasiness of fear, then you prefer the light, the reassuring light. Safety comes in the light. You’re reassured that you’re safe in the light.
Part of having the chores, we got allowances and it was expected we would put part of our allowance money (sacrifices) into the church plate for collections. So sacrificing a bit of money to God was something I was always comfortable with. I did not know the word tithe until later, but grasped onto its full meaning once I learned it, and adjusted my budget to incorporate it.
“Sacrifices are a way to outwardly express the inward condition of your heart. Sacrifices in the Old Testament were not only meant to provide atonement for sin but also served as an opportunity to express thanksgiving and gratitude to God. However, when God’s people gave outward sacrifices with an unrepentant heart, it angered God because he cares more about the heart condition than an outward superficial sacrifice.” (Bible to Life, Adda Frick, Published Nov 27, 2023)
At times it was a little scary. Generally I had less than $18 each week until pay day. How do I tithe when I already had little left? I was not confident, but I was determined. For a month, I would give 1/10 of income to the church weekly. It was scary, but I was determined to to give this a month’s try. At the time, I was not confident God loved me–even knew me–let alone was willing and certainly able to protect me, care for me, provide for me, and keep His promises. The month continued and I had about $67 at the end of the month. Rather than be just grateful and trusting, I looked for differences in the bills. Electric bill was a little lower as we were getting into the spring season, longer days–maybe that was the difference. Each month I had a little money left over–this was a difference and although not a great deal of money, it was a little something each month.
I got a raise, and determined to increase my giving each week to the church. Lo and behold, my monthly budget was able to grow, and I determined to put some away for Christmas gifts. God was providing–keeping His promise to provide for our needs even while the numbers did not add up. He provided.
As I was growing in my knowledge of God, His commands and desires for what He wanted and expected us to do, I realized He did not just want the sacrifice of weekly funds, He wanted more. My baseline heart is selfish, self-centered and not at all like the heart of Jesus. But after all He had given me He wanted sacrifices–more than money, He wanted true sacrifice–not money, not killing animals, He wanted my heart. Well, yuck, why would anyone want my selfish, bad natured heart?
But, He did. Well, He wanted a good and loving heart that loved Him and wanted to give themselves to Him. Could I do that? I think first and foremost of what I want and need; this would mean getting down deeper than I was willing to do. I am not altruistic and giving. But I knew what Jesus had done for me. Couldn’t I give to Him my heart’s desire to be His, to try to be better and more loving than the person I am. He wants me to be His sacrifice. But I knew I am not worthy to be a sacrifice, but it clearly states He wants our heart–our repentant, changing heart–our love, our commitment to Him as His sacrifice.
OK, but You do know You are getting short-changed in this deal, right God? But I committed. Has everything else in life gone smoothly? No, but have I been blessed? Yes, Do I have more blessings than I deserve? Yes. Is He always steady, dependable and giving? Yes.
I know He is with me all the time. I know He provides, He protects me and my family, and if anything ever happens, He is steady and with me. He will get me through whatever life hands out. All because I was willing to give Him the sacrifice of my repentant heart. He has been steady and guiding me through all that life hands out. I am so thankful to You, Lord, for all You have done for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Church Signs
When Temptation Calls–Hang Up
Tithe if You Love Jesus–Anyone can Honk
A Sharp Tongue and a Dull Mind are usually found in the Same Head
Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
1 Chronicles 16:10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 70:4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
Psalm 107:9, 13-14 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. . . Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.
Proverbs 3:6-7 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart
Luke 11:9-10 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Acts 17:27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find Him. Yet He is not actually far from each one of us.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him
God places an ingrained desire to get to know Him deeper and better within us. Many who are restless and always looking for the next thing to make them happy — whether it is social media, always getting together with friends for fun, overworking, flitting from hobby to hobby, or having a job where you travel frequently, or being addicted to workouts, running or whatever — are often looking for “the thing” they are subconsciously searching for. Many search for “a thing” yet are unable to name what it is exactly. They do not know why there is restlessness — it is just a deep inner striving for . . .something. Folks sometimes do not figure it out, and spend a lot of their time searching, and trying to be busy, but have an unsettled feeling which pushes them. But many are unable to find God. They feel it is uncool to find God, look for God, and therefore seek gratification in social media, buying things they think they want, not spending time alone, always needing someone to fill space and time with, playing games, reading books on any number of subjects—anything to not reach for the innate desire God has placed within each of us.
He promises He will answer anyone who is diligently asking, seeking, and knocking. God will continue to pursue, but sometimes folks never find what they are looking for or push away the notion they might need to find Jesus, the Savior. They rebuke the answer – Jesus – and spend their time searching to find something that will satisfy the drive they have to look for peace.
God gives us all free choice. He chooses us, as He wants all to be saved, He wants all to seek Him. But in order to win His rest, His guidance, His answers, and reassurance, one must choose Him back. And there are many people I know who think it is foolish to trust in God rather than themselves and their decisions in their life and they do not want to give up their way of life. For many, they believe they are alone in making all the decisions in their life. It has been their decisions which have led them to success, to develop, and they gauge their abilities to their own hard work. Everything is singly their decisions. Again, it is an active choice they make to disregard God.
Now, circumstances may change, and they then are brought to their knees and may reach out. But not necessarily. Some hold tight to their ability, believing they alone are responsible of their lives. God created each of us, He instilled a desire to come to know Him, but He gave us all free choice. We are free to choose Him, to choose not to seek Him, never mind follow Him.
Many fear they may have too much to give up. They may have to give up different addictions, to miss out on sport events for their children since they have to go to church, to make God a priority. What if they must give money all the time? They are already on a budget and food, clothing and the newest watch or phone is out there, so how can I take money from the home to give to the church? They fret about all the things they HAVE TO give up. God and the Holy Spirit only ask for you to give up things that are damaging to you—smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, watching pornography, or maybe gambling. So often they worry about what they may lose, and perhaps they do not believe there is an eternal life, beyond the physical death we all face.
But there is an eternal afterlife. God wants to give us every opportunity to choose Him, to turn our lives and trust to Him. for those who choose Him and begin tithing or “taking money from their budget” yet God always provides when one gives to Him and His work.
It is a path, a journey to follow You. It is not one stop shopping and done. You want a RELATIONSHIP with us. We should all seek a closer relationship with You. And I am so thankful that I have sought after You. I thank You for always being there for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
God doesn’t need great men; great men need God Marquee Messages Shirley Jones Garmon, 2000, Pathway Press
Serving God is like learning to play golf – keep your knees bent and your arms extended Marquee Messages, Shirley Jones Garmon, 2000, Pathway Press
You make the choice; God make’s the change The Great American Book of Church Signs, Sock and Roll Corporation Publishing 2008, Donald Seitz
1 Chronicles 16:11 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
Psalm 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirst for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water
Psalm 105:4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually
Psalm 119:2-3 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Years ago the church I attended had the members choose a word for the next year. The word was to represent something we wanted to accomplish throughout the coming year. It would take me a couple days usually to come up with a word that I could work toward.’]
I have always battled with shyness, low self esteem and such traits that kept me not stepping forward, and even earned me the moniker of “stuck-up” when I was not. When I was in nursing school, I had access to my mother’s car since she worked at the hospital – and we lived at the dormitory attached to the hospital. We had to attend the state college about ten miles away to complete our English, Social Studies, and Psych classes as well as Biology and Chemistry classes.
One of the gals was a roommate so she knew me well, but the other three lived on a different floor and did not know me well. It was about a month or so into the semester before I joined in their conversations while driving to the college. I do not remember what we were gabbing about, but suddenly two of the girls said at the same time, “You are SO funny. I had no idea you were so funny.” Then, one of them continued, “You ought to be like that more. We thought you were stuck-up.” Ouch.
I was immediately surprised, and both hurt that I had apparently presented badly when that was certainly NOT my intent. I was also very embarrassed that I came off so poorly. Curse that shyness and fear! But also felt some relief. They could now accept me because what they had felt was me purposely distancing from them, and not the nervousness I was experiencing with new people coming into my life. But they could see it clearer when I apologized and my roommate assured them I truly was not snobbish or distance. But I knew I needed to work hard on my presentation. It still requires work and extending my courage to be more open.
I, of course, had known my nervousness and desire to stay on the outskirts of meeting new folks; it took a while for me to get comfortable and relax and move forward in relationships, but I had not realized the perception I gave to others because of my shyness. Another Ouch.
But how do I fix this? How do I defeat this anxiety, fear and shyness rather than appearing as though I am a stuck-up snob? I really didn’t know and the fact I had to try to be forward, caused a fear. This was before I came to know Jesus.
I can’t say that I really, genuinely moved forward with this. Meeting new people remained a challenge for me. Although I did well meeting patients and families, I struggled with new experiences, being the ‘new kid in the unit.’ Once familiar with my duties and had been with the new staff for a while, I am comfortable and more relaxed with my colleagues. I gained friendships and my ‘snobby’ appearance was gone. It remained a struggle for me in new situations, but I continued working on the issue.
Later, I met and accepted Jesus, and began attending a new church. At the end of each year, the congregation was challenged to find a word that would be significant to each for the coming year. The first word I chose was ‘Open.’ I knew I had to work at being more open and ask Jesus for confidence when I meeting new people and being put in unfamiliar territory. One of my friends was the secretary of the church, and she asked me to join the “count team.” One of the members had died, Becky knew I was organized, had fair computer skills, was honest and a hard worker and felt I would be good at it. After the security scan passed, I joined the team. Part of that was also passing the plates at service each Sunday. OOOH boy, that means being in front of people. Almost immediately, the Holy Spirit reminded me of my word for that year. ‘Open.’ It was to open me to more experiences, and to try to be open and engaging and get relaxed. It was to ensure my mind was open and receptive to whatever opportunities were presented. I mentally wrestled for about 90 secs, then agreed.
Did the nerves disappear when I was scheduled to be passing the plate? No, absolutely they did not. But I continued to do it each week, smiling and hoping it did not look wooden. And it did get easier. The counting and bank deposit was done on Mondays; that was comfortable to me. I’m good at in-processing data, and there were three of us on the team, so we double checked the numbers, and then I would make the bank deposit. It was rapidly a comfortable volunteer position for me.
Before the end of the year, I realized God had certainly helped me become more open. I had my hesitation moments with new experiences, but I continued to move forward.
Another year, I chose ‘grow’ for my word of the year. I wanted to grow closer to God, to grow in my understanding of the bible, to grow in my knowledge and familiarity with the Word. Again, multiple opportunities came to assist me in my goal to grow. I listened to different pastors both on tv and in church, I joined bible studies, and continued to read. I did grow. Again, before the end of that year, I knew God had helped me reach my goal. I also grew more comfortable meeting new experiences and people. It was not easy, as I still had to work on my initial presentation, I had to work at getting comfortable.
Orne of my next words was to choose the word ‘wait.’ I continue to name that as one of my words each year. I am not very good at it, but in truth, I am better than when I initiated that word for the following year. But I have not gained the amount of patience to wait that I would like to achieve. So that is a work in progress. I knew I was impatient and wanted things done in MY time. If it felt like it should be NOW, then should I not get it now??
Choosing these different words helped me grow closer to God. I needed and used this practice to help me grow as a person, but I asked God to help me with this growth. I am still more hesitant in new situations than most other people, but I do it, and try to be more engaging than I am initially comfortable with. Each time I am facing a new situation or group, I feel the hesitation feelings but confidence has grown – thank You, Lord – so it has all helped me grow as a person and more importantly as a child of God. He has helped me develop more into who and what He wants me to be. I still have to choose the word of “WAIT” each year, and I work on being more OPEN, and I still work on “Grow.” They are also still pertinent to where I am in life. I try to remain open, I still have to work at growing my relationship with the Lord and work at developing what He wants for me, and I still have to work on my patience, and waiting. But each of these have helped me grow into a more approachable person and in my relationship with God.
I continue to grow in my knowledge and understanding of the bible and Jesus. You placed me in some wonderful biblical churches and helped me grow closer to who and what You want me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Leviticus 5:5-6 When he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed.
Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. SELAH
Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Daniel 9:5 We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.
Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Another version of 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 10: 9, 10 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
What kinds of things do you struggle with that cause you to sin? I have several areas. I get frustrated and impatient when things are not easily and rapidly accessible. For instance, I have only fair distance vision, but I cannot read a THING without readers. However, if I keep the readers on my face, my perception is distorted. I find the stairs wavery and become unsure of going down. I have several, truly SEVERAL, pairs of readers in my home, car, purse, but frequently I have run to a neighbor’s and then carry no purse, do not have glasses on, and then am asked to look at pictures, or read a special text or email—and IF I can make out the words, it takes a lot of squinting and slow procession to get the words to form. And then I am frustrated and irritated, impatience leading to self-anger—but anger nonetheless, and it all could be avoided by always having glasses on my person. Instead, I leave a pair here, there, and everywhere, then get irritated when I must hunt for them.
I hate to be late, and if I am that makes me stressed and tense and again dealing with self-anger. It is funny—although often I am NOT chuckling—but I plan my time so I can arrive at least 5 mins before the schedule. Something delays me; maybe my dog browsing, sniffing and resisting the leash in her attempt to keep smelling, delay in doing her business, congested traffic, or any number of other pauses that make me depart time later than I planned. Ughhh, it makes me cranky to be late.
Frequently I drive friends to the airport. If they told me to be there at 11:45, I am not later than 11:40, will try to help with luggage, and then get stressed if they are not in the car and ready to roll until 12:10. Probably, you have guessed I am type A. I wish I was an AB type like my blood type, then I could be on time and do what I need to do but would not get stressed when other factors interrupt my timeline. However, that is not how He created me.
So, I frequently find I am scolding myself, saying unkind things and being angry. This kind of anger is sinful. It is about me, my plans, and how these things which interrupt my plans affect me and how I want to have this moment run smoothly. That’s a form of arrogance, pridefulness, and selfishness. ‘Me, me and I’ and how I am affected. Confessing again.
But that is not the only sinful behavior I commit—I still hear some rough language coming out of my mouth at times. How disrespectful and sinful. And speaking of mouth—I love to eat, will often overindulge with certain foods, many sweets, and sometimes wine. I am then confessing again about the sin of gluttony, and coarse language. My mouth commits an abundance of sin besides the language and over-eating. I have been known to partake in gossip, although I also try hard to walk from that, but again. . . my mouth leads me into sin in this area also.
God wants our obedience and His wishes for our behavior are clearly written in the bible, our Living Word from God. Part of our acceptance into His kingdom is to acknowledge our sins and work with the Holy Spirit to alleviate the sins, but if we do commit a sin, it is our responsibility to confess to God.
We are to hold God in all three Persons in honor and reverence and thankfulness. We are to love Him, then we are to love others. Holding a day to honor Him, meditate on Him, not work, but rest is also vital. God’s wish is that we develop a close, then closer, relationship with Him as we get to know Him deeper and more intimately, reading the bible, praying, seeking Him and so forth.
He places an ingrained desire to get to know Him deeper and better within us. Many who are restless and always looking for the next thing to make them happy — whether it is social media, always getting together with friends for fun, overworking, flitting from hobby to hobby, or having a job where you travel frequently, or being addicted to workouts, running or whatever — are often looking for “the thing” they are subconsciously searching for. They do not know why there is restlessness — it is just a deep inner striving for . . .something. Folks sometimes do not figure it out, and spend a lot of their time searching, and trying to be busy, to fill the desire to have for something more; to fill that unsettled feeling which that pushes them.
He promises He will answer anyone who is diligently asking, seeking, and knocking. God will continue to pursue, but sometimes folks never find what they are looking for or push away the notion they might need to find Jesus, the Savior. They rebuke the answer – Jesus – and spend their time continue to find something that will satisfy the drive they have to look for peace.
God gives us all free choice. He chooses us, but we need to agree to accept His invitation so we can win His rest, His guidance, His answers and reassurance, one must choose Him back. And there are many people I know who think it is foolish to trust in God rather than themselves and their decisions in their life and they do not want to give up their way of life. Again, it is an active choice they make. Now, circumstances may change, and they then are brought to their knees and do reach out.
We all commit sins daily whether it be a judgmental thought, a bit of gossip shared, becoming inpatient with comments you are over-hearing that may be holding up a cashier’s line, being angry at delays, being stuck at a red light and having the car a couple over sharing his unwanted vibrating bass music from his radio with you and others. It might be realizing you have allowed fear and anxiety to come into your life listening to the atrocities of wars, the violence nearby, the stupidness that after all the massacres, there is no stop to gun manufacturers producing automatic weapons. Weapons to hunt, protect property, or to carry on your person as a protection are all well and good. But a weapon that can hold a clip with several shots should not be allowed to the general public—should be int eh hands of the police and military.
Not trusting God, allowing fears and anxiety to take over our emotional state is not what God wants for us. His word promises He wants the best for us, and plans for us to have that. That does NOT mean we will have no troubles. It means He will be always with us, and we are to trust Him. Not trusting and allowing the negative fears – all lies from Satan – means you have not trusted Him to carry out His promise.
Being unkind, selfish, prideful, arrogant are all sins. Love others is one of the top commandments. To not to love, is to sin. There are so many ways we can sin each daily. It is easy as we are not perfect, and have a selfish, judgmental nature. It takes work and diligence to live as Christ wanted us to live.
Lord, thank You for guiding me to being more obedient, to confess my sins and grow in my relationship with You. You have been so wonderful to me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Psalm 3:5-7 Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Psalm 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
Matthew 14:28-31 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” He (Jesus) said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me.”
Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Mark 9:21-24 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
James 1:2-3 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Jude 22 And have mercy on those who doubt.
Do you ever wonder what people think about regarding death, especially their own, when they don’t know or even want to know about Jesus? I can not imagine what they think. My guess is they must be very fearful and anxious. Even if they have chosen not to believe in Jesus and the fact He came to forgive sins and save those who believe in Him, they may still try to hold those beliefs tightly. But are they comforted? In those last days, hours, do they wonder if they now beg for Him to forgive them, are they comforted? Are they reassured?
I know I am still a sinner, mess up daily, but I have the reassurance that I ask for forgiveness for ALL the sins I commit that day, and I am forgiven. My sincere regret and confession free me from the burden of sin and give me the comfort of knowing there is nothing blocking me from my Savior. The Holy Spirit is still alive and well within me, helping me with getting through life better than before I accepted Jesus as my Savior. The comfort I feel knowing I am going to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus is awesome.
I had a close cousin who had various cancers and she died a few years back. She was a strong believer, held Jesus closely. Knowing that, she was only fearful of having pain that might not be controlled, that her process might be scary and feel out of control like a wild ride at a park when you’re frightened and feeling out of control yet cannot get off until the ride is stopped. But her knowledge of being a child of God was a comfort. There were regrets—she was leaving behind a lot of family members she loved deeply, close friends, and that part of the journey is and was uncomfortable. But she still looked ahead to her permanent home with her Savior, her knowledge of that secure.
We miss family and friends who have passed on, and suffer the grief of the loss, missing them but for those who are Christian, and know the Lord, those of us left behind are comforted with the deep knowledge that we will see them again. There is a reunion to look forward to. That is not to say we want to leave our earthly life early, but when our time comes, we can look forward to meeting with loved ones who have passed before us. That is a reassurance, a comfort when our time to leave this world comes.
I cannot imagine how nonbelievers get through the process.
Faith and doubt go together. There are times when we are full of faith, confident that God is with us, and nothing can deplete our faith. Then, something happens, and we are tested. How do we respond? Do we continue to pray and be thankful? Do we pray and remain thankful, seeking His will? When our prayers are not answered do we maintain full faith, or do we have doubts? We all have doubts at times; it is part of being human and dealing with life’s issues. Am I doing what You want God? Am I understanding Your direction? Am I being obedient? How could You let this happen, God?
We are tested to build our faith and make it stronger. If our prayers take a long time to be answered, we can start to doubt. Does God hear my cries? Am I praying for something against His will? Does He not want to fix this situation? Are you trying to teach me something? I am in such torment, do You care? Will You answer? Where are You? If we stay true in believing He hears us and will answer—maybe not according to what we want, but He will answer. All illnesses are not healed, jobs may be lost, and financial hardships may come, and it seems as though you are not getting answers. But we are often tested to build our endurance, and to make us stronger when troubles come. We are tested to see what our response will be. Will we stay steady and true, continuing in prayer and thankfulness, believing He has our best interests in His heart.
Faith grows when it is used. It is like a muscle and if used regularly, it grows, becomes tougher and stronger, able to deal with heavier issues. I accepted Christ after hearing the Judges 6 story of God calling Gideon to go to war and God would help him win. Gideon had little faith at the time, and presented God with many excuses why he was the wrong person to be given this assignment. After he was mostly convinced to obey, he still doubted, and asked God for final proof and reassurance—he wanted to put a fleece out and have God make just the fleece wet and surrounding ground dry’ and vice versa for the next night. And God answered Gideon’s request for both nights. Gideon’s small faith was increased with the result of God’s answering, which reassured Gideon that God was truly with him when he went into battle.
Certainly, there were other doubters in the bible. Many of those in the Doubter’s Club included Adam, Eve, Abram and Sara, Moses, and when John the Baptist’s prison time became longer and longer, he too doubted. And all can give examples of Peter’s doubts. They, too were people living in their time, dealing with their issues and fears and struggles, and at times doubted. We also have a sense of time and urgency. God works only on “His time” and we certainly do not like waiting.
Doubting can happen when we go through periods of not hearing from God, when unconfessed sin separates us from God, when we are walking on the right path and God is not ready to give us new direction. We are an impatient and arrogant bunch who tend to take things into our own hands if we do not get a message that gives clear direction from God. If we have messed up, we often still try to blame God—“where were You? You did not answer me. I waited, asked, sought You, and had to make a choice….”
Periods of doubt are stressful, but His love and faithfulness is deep and wide, long and high. We need to remember that. We are working and living on His time, and need to hold that when our faith feels wobbly.
God, You know I have had my doubts, my faith has been shaken and I have been totally feeling alone and overwhelmed. But those were MY feelings, NOT YOUR truth. Thank You for reminding me of your steadfastness which strengthens my faith and knocks many doubts away. My faith is sturdy remembering all the times You have blessed me and’mybellaviews.’
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!