July 2018

July 2018 

I’M JUST NOT 

“FEELIN’ IT”! 

HOW DO YOU PRAY 

WHEN YOU DON’T 

FEEL LIKE PRAYING? 

TRUE WORSHIP 

IS MORE THAN A 

PRETTY MELODY! 

LEARN HOW TO 

TRULY PRAISE HIM 

ENGAGED IN THE WORD OR 

JUST SKIMMING THE 

SCRIPTURES? 

WAKE UP YOUR 

BIBLE STUDY! 

REAL LIFE 

ROMANCE... 

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR, 

RHONDA STOPPE 

SKEWED 

PERSPECTIVE 

IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP 

WITH YOUR 

BIOLOGICAL FATHER 

CLOUDING HOW YOU 

SEE GOD? 

DR. GORDON 

WILSON 

THE RIOT AND 

THE DANCE 

MOVIE 

www.faithfilledfamily.com 1 

HELPING FAMILIES LIVE VICTORIOUSLY IN CHRIST

JULY 2018 

Contents 

THRIVING THROUGH BROKENNESS 

IS IT FAITH OR 

FOOLISHNESS? 

13 

SHEKINAH GLORY: HIS PRESENCE 

UNANSWERED PRAYER 

44 

49 

63 

06 30 

10 

WORSHIP IS 

MORE THAN JUST 

MELODY 

When we worship God, 

it should come straight 

from the heart- otherwise 

it’s just words. 

BIG BANG 

THEORY 

Scripture says that 

we do not pray as we 

should. So, then, how 

should we pray? 

JUST NOT 

“FEELIN’ IT”? 

We all go through times 

where we just don’t feel 

close to God, or don’t 

feel like praying. Discover 

how to get past this. 

GOD WHO 

SEES ME 

34THE 

There are no secrets 

with God... He sees 

everything that we doeven 

our struggles. 

56 

JOY! YOU CAN’T 

FAKE IT UNTIL 

YOU MAKE IT! 

Joy can’t be faked, 

but God can show you 

how to be joyful. 

60 

CHURCH LAUNCHES 

SATELLITE 

PREGNANCY CENTER 

Planned Parenthood 

used taxpayer’s money, 

Capitol Hill Pregnancy 

Center had God. 

16 

19 

SPENDING TIME IN 

GOD’S PRESENCE 

It’s about the importance 

of finding that 

quiet time within your 

day to spend one-onone 

time with the Lord. 

WAKE UP YOUR 

BIBLE STUDY! 

Are you fully engaged 

in reading your Bible? 

Learn more here. 

39 

SKEWED 

PERSPECTIVE 

Wrong perceptions can 

hinder our relationship 

with God and prevent us 

from seeing Him as our 

loving Father. 

53 

GOD, YOU SEEM 

SO FAR AWAY! 

What to do when God 

seems distant, and 

how to feel close again. 

72 

WHY DO WE NEED A 

PRAYER 

JOURNAL? 

If you’ve ever needed 

encouragement when 

wandering in the desert... 

74 

HOW IS GOD’S 

CHASTENING, 

LOVE? 

Seems like a contradiction....But 

isn’t! 

2 www.faithfilledfamily.com July 2018

REAL LIFE ROMANCE 

EDITOR’S NOTE: 

The most important thing in every 

Christian’s life is their relationship 

with God. Everythingevery 

blessing, every victory, 

every good thing- comes from 

God and our communication 

with Him. 

GOD... NO 

MATTRES 

78HEAR 

REQUIRED! 

Distractions preventing 

you from hearing 

the voice of God? 

85 

90 

94 

SOAKING... JUST 

RESTING IN HIM 

What is “soaking” and 

why would a believer 

find this vital to their 

spiritual life? 

COMMANDED TO 

PRAY FOR 

OTHERS 

Christians should be 

praying over our nation, 

and leaders. 

GOING DEEPER 

WITH GOD 

Learn how to deepen 

the intimate relationship 

with your Creator. 

26 

RIOT AND THE DANCE 

68 

Communication comes in 

prayer form, and is not one-sided. 

This issue will teach you 

how to hear from God, and how 

to recognize His voice. We will 

also teach you through issues 

like apathy towards prayer, preventing 

distractions, and what 

to do when you are crying out 

to God, and He seems distant. 

We’ve all been there, at some 

point, and this issue will renew 

your hope, and faith in a Creator 

who longs to spend time 

with you because He loves you. 

You will begin to hear His voice 

again, and He will guide you in 

all things. After all, He is God! 

Additionally, we will teach those 

who are mature in the faith how 

to go deeper in your relationship 

with Christ, and we also 

teach you how to emphatically, 

“wake up” your Bible study. 

Be prepared for an exciting issue! 

Your life will never remain 

the same! 

Be blessed, and walk in the victory 

that is yours. 

Michelle Danko is the Editor-In-Chief 

for Faith Filled Magazine. 

www.faithfilledfamily.com 3

PUBLISHER 

Eye Worship Media 

SENIOR EDITORS 

Manager | Michelle C. Danko 

mcdanko@eyeworship.org 

Interviews | Vernita Simmons 

vsimmons@eyeworship.org 

Features | Janice Broyles 

jbroyles@eyeworship.org 

Business & Leadership | Rudy Swigart 

rswigart@eyeworship.org 

Reviews | Wendy Halloun 

whalloun@eyeworship.org 

EDITORIAL STAFF 

Alyssa Rowley 

arowley@eyeworship.org 

Casey Smith 

csmith@eyeworship.org 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Margo McKenzie 

Helen Murray 

Chris Benton 

John Lysaught 

Kristi Bridges 

Shauna Gallagher 

Marie White 

Chris McKenna 

Charlaine Martin 

Chas Funderburg 

Ross Thompson 

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Katie Franklin 

Brenda Stapleton 

Sharon Johnson 

Randy Williams 

Clarissa Lee-Kennerly 

COVER PHOTO 

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: 

Audra Jennings, (Rhonda Stoppe) 

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Promises Fulfilled 

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 

And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we 

know that we have what we asked of him.” 

1 John 14-15 NIV 

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds 

of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert 

and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” 

Ephesisans 6:18 NIV 


Worship Is More Than 

Just Melody... 

It Should Come 

From The Heart 

BY MARGO MCKENZIE 


Does the example of 

King David’s life provide 

some guidance 

for our own? Has anyone 

underestimated our capabilities 

like his older brother did his, 

when he told David, “You are not 

able to go out against this Philistine 

and fight him; you are only 

a young man” (1 Sam 17:33). 

Did anyone have to accept a no 

from God? Remember when David 

wanted to build the temple, 

and God told him, “You are not 

to build a house for my Name” (1 

Chronicles 28:3). How did King 

David handle these disappointments? 

These slights? And how 

did he handle victories? After all, 

he was crowned King of Israel 

and when he defeated Moab, 

Ammon and Syria, he brought a 

longstanding peace to his country. 

We, too, have our triumphs. 

What can we learn? 

There are other moments when 

all of us has experienced many 

of the same emotional vicissitudes 

of King David and Scripture 

says, “he was a man after 

God’s own heart.” For this reason, 

he serves as teacher and 

role model not only in areas of 

disobedience and victory but in 

the area of worship. In Psalms 

95:1-7, King David practically 

provides a blueprint for worship: 

Come, let us sing for joy to the 

LORD; let us shout aloud to the 

Rock of our salvation. Let us 

come before him with thanksgiving 

and extol him with music and 

song.” 

In verse 1, all who know God 

are invited “to sing for joy to the 

Lord” because he is the “Rock 

of our salvation.” Come sing 

because we are not just happy, 

but we have joy, a deep-seated 

satisfaction for the most important 

boss in our lives and his 

marvelous provisions for us. He 

loves, comforts, equips, guides, 

corrects and continues to perfect 

us. 

His rock-solid faithfulness is 

something we have depended 

on. He has known our weariness 

and directed us to “lie down in 

green pastures,” those regenerative 

places in our lives, such as 

parks, mountains, beaches, etc. 

to restore our souls.” Our proper 

response to all of his goodness 

is song 

Researchers found that secular 

choir singing provides both physical 

and emotional benefits. 1 

We can only imagine the benefit 

when a group of Christians 

gather together to lift their voices 

in varied cadences to honor 

the common core of their lives. 

And David tells us exactly what 

it is we should focus on when 

we come together to sing, “to 

extol him with music and song.” 

We are not there to worship the 

singer, the band, piano or organ. 

We are there to worship God 

who made the singing and music 

possible. 

For the LORD is the great God, 

the great King above all gods. 

In his hand are the depths of the 

earth, and the mountain peaks 

belong to him. The sea is his, 

for he made it, and his hands 

formed the dry land. 

The Lord of our lives is no weakling, 

when we signed up to fol- 


low Jesus, we aligned ourselves 

with that power who created the 

depth of the earth and the height 

of all mountains. His hands 

alone formed the seas and the 

dry land. 

When we sing, if we remind ourselves 

of the greatness of God, 

we have sung aright. We have 

put the spotlight where it belongs. 

In so doing, we strengthen 

our hearts and spirits and 

elevate ourselves. When we 

sing, we dispel our doubts and 

subdue the enemy of our souls. 

When the truth of God is carried 

on varied cadences of tone 

and melody, it makes our heart 

glad. The New York Times reported 

one of the most popular 

classes at Yale is the happiness 

class. Dr. Santos, the instructor 

says, “Students want to change, 

to be happier themselves, and 

to change the culture here on 

campus” (01/26/18). If they only 

knew something about the depth 

of the goodness of God, this 

class would not be necessary. 

When we sing in worship, we 

quench our soul’s thirst by drinking 

from a well that never runs 

dry. In song, we pray and praise 

preparing ourselves for the work 

God has called us to do. 

“Come, let us bow down in worship, 

let us kneel before the 

LORD our Maker; for he is our 

God and we are the people of 

his pasture, the flock under his 

care.” (NIV). 

When we sing aright, we take 

our proper position, we live a 

life of humility, “let us kneel” in 

our attitudes, our behavior, our 

choices, our conversations, we 

kneel before our Creator, there 

is none like him. Correct singing 

brings us before the altar in 

a posture of humility because 

He allows us in. He has given 

us a seat at his table. He has 

made us “heirs and joint heirs 

with Christ” (Romans 8:17). We 

have not be included among the 

redeemed because of our work 

but because of his work. 

When we sing appropriately to 

God we acknowledge his work 

as one of perfection and completion. 

In humility, we accept 

the gift that gives and gives, so 

we must remain thankful. 

The Apostle Paul acknowledges 

the believer’s need to get away 

from the pressures of life and 

find ways to numb pain and relish 

life, and he tells the church 

at Ephesus how to pursue that 

need: “Do not get drunk with 

wine. . . instead be filled with 

the Spirit. Speak to one another 

with psalms, hymns and spiritual 

songs. Sing and make music 

in your heart to the Lord always 

giving thanks to God the father 

for everything” (6:19 NIV). 

Why do we sing? It is the best 

alternative to achieving a “high,” 

reminding ourselves who God is. 

Only then can we know who we 

are—his people, created by him, 

owing all that we are and hope to 

be to him which will cause us to 

experience a deeper happiness 

than a drug can provide. 

Regardless of the circumstances 

in which we find ourselves 

in life, we have something to 

sing about because our song is 

not dependent on us or those 

around us. It is dependent on the 

God who made us. It is no wonder 

African Americans resorted 

to song to find ways to elevate 

their minds and spirits by asking 

“Didn’t my God deliver Daniel?” 

They reminded themselves He 

can deliver them too. By focusing 

on the magnitude of who 

God is, his character and acts 

of love, we encourage ourselves 

and increase our faith. 

We sing “Fill my cup, Lord,” but 

in truth, he has made it possible 

for us to fill our own cup. He has 

dug the well and provided the 

water. Singing provides a dual 

benefit: it quenches a spiritual 

thirst for both the singer and the 

listener. 

Three years ago, I joined my 

church choir. Before that, I had 

not sung in a choir since high 

school, decades earlier. I knew 

I could read music and add to 

the volume of voices. I am by 

no means the cherished voice 

of the choir. Nonetheless during 

practice at home or at rehearsals, 

I prepare to do work as unto 

God. I took instruction in how to 

breath properly and how to listen 

for the alto part of songs and 

practiced daily. 

Once I don the robe and find my 

place in the choir loft, I become 

part of the ministerial staff—in 

my mind. I am assisting in preparing 

the congregation to hear 

a word from the pastor, by sharing 

a word in song. I sing the 

gospel to whomever is there 

seeking a word from the Lord. A 

worship so is a sermon, a prayer 

and word of encouragement for 

myself and the congregation. 

I thank God for the electrifying 


power of song in private devotions 

and in communal praise by 

the redeemed, for the redeemed 

to focus all eyes on the Redeemer. 

References: 

1 Gunter Kreutz, Stephan Bongard 

et al. “Does Singing Provide 

Health Benefits?” Proceedings 

of the 5th Triennial ESCOM 

Conference September 8-13, 

2003 

2 https://goo.gl/VnJuHq 


Big Bang Theory: 

Creating Sound Waves 

BY HELEN MURRAY 

How should we pray? 

That’s a great question. How did 

Jesus pray? That’s a good answer. 

Jesus prayed early in the morning 

before the sun rose and 

gave its light– consistently (Mark 

1:35). He set aside this time to 

be with His Father in Heaven. 

It wasn’t five minutes. It was a 

generous time slot so that He 

didn’t have to hurry his relationship 

with His Father, or become 

too busy. You can’t hurry a good 

relationship. You are relaxed, 

generally speaking, when you 

are in a good relationship, so 

you are not clock-watching. 

Another thing is that you don’t 

want interruptions to that good 

relationship, so you go to a place 

where interruptions will not happen. 

It may be your “closet”, a 

special place at home where no 

one intrudes, and you can relax 

and focus on your conversation 

with the Most High. You could 

find a quiet place in the hills, as 

Jesus did, or by some water, or 

under a tree. 

You can use the pattern of the 

Lord’s Prayer to get started, 

(Matthew 6:9–13) something 

Like “Dear Father, Abba, it’s so 

great to get to talk to you tonight. 

I adore you and worship your 

Holy Name because you rescued 

me from trouble, and so on. 

Paul says “Pray without ceasing” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), 

so while it is a thing of personal 

privacy between you and the Almighty, 

it becomes the occupation 

of your mind at all times. 

Whatever you are doing and 

whenever you are doing it, you 

are doing it with God. It’s like a 

toddler who follows his daddy 

round the garden asking questions 

constantly because he just 

loves being with his daddy. We 

are God’s toddlers! We want answers! 

This is how we get them! 

Again Paul says that he prays 

in tongues more than you all (1 

Corinthians 14:8). Praying in 

tongues is using a private prayer 

language that fast paces the 

exchange of your thoughts and 


God’s in a language that the 

evil one cannot fathom, so it’s a 

conversation he cannot interrupt 

with his foul lies, or divert to his 

satisfaction. This language is a 

gift from God that needs practice, 

and becomes a simple way 

of aligning yourself with the Holy 

Spirit or getting in tune with your 

Heavenly Father. With practice 

it becomes so natural that you 

forget that everyone out there 

doesn’t have the gift. Paul wishes 

we all spoke in tongues, so it 

is good to pursue that with the 

Father. 

For goodness sake don’t just repeat 

prayers. If you were talking 

to me you wouldn’t just be repeating 

some string of words you 

thought might do the job. You’d 

probably be asking me about 

that recipe, or telling me what 

you saw yesterday. If I started 

rolling out the same conversation 

we had yesterday and the 

day before and the day before 

that, you’d wonder what was the 

matter with me. Don’t try that on 

God. He’ll also wonder what the 

matter is with you today. 

However, it’s really good to use 

scripture in prayer, because the 

angels understand the word of 

God and respond to it quickly. 

Scripture is the infallible word 

of God, pure and Holy, powerful 

and even world shaking. “God, 

your word says that ……. I need 

that right now.” “Thank you, Father 

that you are the rock of my 

salvation, my stronghold and my 

hiding place. I feel safe.” 

“Your Word says “You have a 

plan for me, to do good and not 

to harm me. Thank you. Please 

help me walk in that plan.” 

Another point here is to pray 

aloud and with passion. (The 

kingdom of heaven is taken by 

force, Matthew 11:12.) Imagine 

a child who is determined to 

get something at all costs. You 

don’t easily talk him out of it. He 

has seen it and he wants it! Declaring 

the Word of God aloud is 

very effective. If it is undeclared 

the sound waves don’t disturb 

anything in the heavenlies. We 

want to cause a commotion and 

you don’t do that in silence. God 

first caused a commotion by 

declaring “Let there be light!” 

Some say His voice was a very 

big bang! He declared and so it 

was. Imitate the style of our Father. 

Scientists say that everything 

comes from sound waves. 

We are made in God’s image 

(Genesis 1:27) and can therefore 

speak and create the sound 

waves! He gave us authority to 

do that. 

Read scripture and talk about it 

with God. Ask for understanding 

of a passage that intrigues 


you. Meditate on it (Psalm 1:2) 

and wait to see if God shows you 

something. Pay attention, ask a 

question and see what impression 

God puts in your heart (not 

your head response) and get 

used to interacting with God. 

Yes, He definitely wants to interact 

with you. Your listening 

skills are the greatest goal of the 

prayer life, and the most rewarding. 

He has lots of ways of responding, 

for example through 

pictures, impressions, emotions, 

feelings, even smells and sometimes 

a word that appears before 

you. It could even be through 

the words of a friend or an event 

at a later moment in time. 

Let some of your prayer time 

be for listening. Sometimes the 

answer doesn’t come just after 

the question, but the answer will 

come in some form eventually. 

He is not a Father who ignores 

His children but one who loves 

their company and, surprisingly, 

their patter! Jesus always did 

what He saw his Father doing. 

That is how we need to be. 

Often his answer will come in 

an impression immediately the 

question leaves your mouth. 

Also pay close attention to your 

dreams for our Father often talks 

to us through them. Write them 

down so you don’t forget them 

and ask God to help interpret 

them. Dreams are very revealing 

and it’s a wonderful study to 

gain understanding of them. 

God has a plan for your life and it 

is through prayer that you will begin 

to discover it. What has God 

placed you one the earth to do? 

He has put many talents into you 

and they are there for His purposes, 

His glory, and your joy in 

obedience. 

Prayer is also a way of developing 

the trust relationship between 

you and your Father. Without 

trust there is no conversation, 

but as you converse the trust 

deepens, the relationship grows, 

along with discernment, wisdom, 

responsiveness, understanding. 

If you trust a doctor you talk with 

him. If you don’t trust him, you 

don’t talk. Your conversations 

with our Father shows the level 

at which you trust Him, and that 

defines the limits of what He can 

do for you. And yes, God loves 

you. He is a very, very good Father, 

all the time, and won’t let 

you down, leave you alone, or 

fail to hear your prayer (He collects 

them in bowls in Heaven, 

especially the tears – Revelation 

5:8, Psalm 56:8). 

You don’t have to be too careful 

with God. He knows exactly 

what is going on anyway, but 

He loves to hear from you all the 

same. Spill it out. God has heard 

it all before and His love NEV- 

ER FAILS. Isn’t that wonderful? 

Whatever bothers you, you are 

SAFE with God. Whatever you 

have done, you are SAFE with 

God. That doesn’t mean He 

will not correct you at times. He 

does that lovingly for your benefit. 

He will also open up new 

paths to you, new visions and 

dreams. He will escalate your 

hope, increase in you the mind 

of Christ, provide opportunity (be 

awake to this) and generally enjoin 

you in the great adventure of 

Life (more abundant). 


Thriving Through Brokenness 

BY CHRIS BENTON 

We live in a world of 

brokenness. There 

are times when we 

feel alive but many 

times we just feel so broken and 

fear even moving forward. Some 

people allow their broken past to 

stop them from the calling that 

God placed on them. I always 

tell people to never allow who 

you think you are to stop you 

from being who God called you 

to be. 

This subject is a passion of mine 

because people don’t realize 

how much brokenness rules their 

lives. In many cases your past 

pain and still controlling you. I 

see this all the time. It’s also why 

my wife and I are writing a book 

called “Broken Together” about 

how your past affects your marriage. 

This issue isn’t just for married 

people though. When you feel 

broken, it takes away all of your 

passion for the present. Where 

there is no hope in the future, 

there is no power in the present 

and brokenness destroys all 

hope in many people. 

They go and live their lives with 

this chip on their shoulder and 

as they go through life and bad 

things happen to them, they 

point out, see, this always happens. 

They feel like they are attracted 

to these situations and in 

reality they are. 

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) Death 

and life are in the power of the 

tongue: and they that love it shall 

eat the fruit thereof. 

There is so much truth in that one 

Bible verse. Unpacking that you 

could do a sermon every week 

on that one verse. It explains so 

much about what’s really going 

on. When you have an untamed 

mouth. 

The more you speak in a negative 

manner the more negative 

will happen to you. Speaking 

positively won’t always mean 

that only positive comes your 

way but it does mean that you 

will attract more positive to you. 

You truly get in life what you focus 

on. 

How do you handle brokenness? 

This is a tough one and 

for different people it’s going to 

be different. You don’t want to go 

through your life living this way. 

You don’t want to be full of re- 


grets. You don’t want to one day 

wake up meeting the person that 

God called you to be and it’s not 

you. Imagine God showing you 

on your deathbed who he called 

you to be? That would be a nightmare 

for many people. 

When you understand your past 

which leads you to your brokenness, 

you can start to connect 

the dots on why you do some of 

the things that you do. 

One of the things I always tell 

people to do is spend some time 

and write your whole story out. 

Not just parts of it but make a 

goal of 50,000 words. Here is 

why so many words, if you have 

no word goal, you will write all 

the good and maybe a little bad 

stuff in your story. But if you write 

at least 50,000 words of your 

story, you will write the good, the 

bad and even the ugly! The ugly 

is what you want because this 

is where your brokenness most 

likely comes from. 

Once you do that, you will be 

able to start connecting the dots 

on why you do what you do. I 

always cringe when I hear so 

called “GURUS” telling people 

just forget your past and move 

on. In fact, many pastors say 

that too. The problem is that’s 

very bad advice because if you 

just forget your past and move 

on, you will be destined to repeat 

it. 

Have you looked at how many 

people repeat the past over and 

over? Many of those same people 

are those that forget it and 

move on and try to fight through 

the future. It just doesn’t work 

that way. You have to start figuring 

out why you do some of the 

things that you do. Only then can 

you start the process of changing. 

While you are learning about 

your past, I believe there are four 

things you need to do to start 

growing from this point towards 

Christ. This will be a transforming 

moment because Christ at 

the center of your life is where 

you will start to heal. 

Some people would tell this part 

first but the reason why I wanted 

to talk about your past first because 

I believe when you understand 

some of your past, it opens 

your heart to listen to God speak 

to you. I don’t know how many 

times I talk with people who are 

just not open to talk about how 

to grow towards Christ because 

they are bitter from their past. 

You have to find a way to break 

that and studying your past will 

do that. 

I believe there are four things that 

you must do if you want to grow 

towards Christ. Granted there 

may be other things but these 

four have to be there in order to 

build a solid foundation in Christ! 

They are Pray, Read, Listen & 

Do. I want to talk about each of 

those areas within this article. I 

believe if you will focus on those 

four things, your growth will start 

to happen. As I said there are 

other things that you can add to 

this list but these four will build 

your foundation. 

1) Pray – This of course is the 

cornerstone of the Christian 

faith, but many people just don’t 

do it or don’t do it enough. Maybe 

you only pray over your meal 

and that is it or maybe not at all. I 

am telling you that prayer works 

and in prayer is when we can 

grow closer to God. If you are 

married, then you need to also 

have prayer time together and 

with your family. The goal is to 

prayer over everything with God. 

Prayer is when you talk with God 

about your concerns and your 

joy. Yes, he already knows them 

but by you pointing them out to 

him, it is like you are releasing 

your faith that God is with you. It 

does wonders on your soul and 

without prayer, you are very limited 

in your walk with God. 

2) Read – Reading is the next 

thing that is very important. Without 

reading the Bible, how can 

you get to know who God is? 

You can’t, unless you know what 

God says. Many times, people 

misquote things from the Bible 

because they aren’t in the Word 

enough. Staying in the Word daily 

will keep you level headed in 

Christ. It will also help you grow 

because you are allowing the 

Holy Spirit to talk through the 

Bible to you as you read. Don’t 

just read the bible because it is 

what you are supposed to do but 

absorb the Bible, become so entrenched 

in it that your spiritual 

life starts growing again. 

Also, don’t just read the Bible but 

read great books that help you 

grow spiritually. Sometimes it 

may take a book that helps open 

your heart towards what God is 

saying in the bible. There are 

some fantastic Christian books 

out there that help you grow. 

Books are good as long as you 

realize this isn’t to replace the 

Bible but to add to your Bible 

reading. Books does wonders 

on your soul too. 


3) Listen – Many people go to 

church but they don’t listen. 

The preacher is preaching but 

you are thinking about what you 

are going to do later or thinking 

about bills or whatever. You need 

to 100% focus on what God is 

trying to say to you through your 

preacher. God is speaking to 

you but you have to be open and 

listen with your heart. 

You can also listen to other 

preachers that you believe in 

from the internet. I love it in this 

day and time because we can 

hear from many sources as we 

study. Why not listen to a sermon 

a day? It is only on average 

30-40 minutes. You can do that 

right? You can even listen to one 

while you are doing other things. 

This builds your spirituality and 

allows God to talk to you through 

the sermons. Are preachers perfect? 

Of course not but by really 

listening to what God is trying to 

say to you, it allows you to grow 

towards Christ. 

You should also listen to trainings 

on the Bible. I believe this is 

very important because it builds 

the base for you to know what 

the Bible says. As you listen to 

trainings, you start to realize 

how real God really is and your 

faith grows. 

4) Do – So what do you do while 

you are doing the other 3? You 

do that is. Faith without action 

is dead as James said. You can 

have all the faith in the world but 

when you apply what you know 

to your life, that is when you 

grow the most. You can’t grow 

without application. 

You also need to find some kind 

of serving for God that you can 

do that applies to your skills or 

skills that you are willing to learn. 

It could be something at your 

church which I highly recommend 

as one of the things and 

you can also do other things for 

God outside of the church walls 

which is important. For instance, 

this blog is a part of what I am doing 

for God. It isn’t the only thing, 

but this is applying some of my 

skills to help people grow and I 

have learned to love to write. I 

never realized that I would love 

to write until I started writing. 

When your focus is all four of 

those areas, you will grow. Every 

Christian has slumps so if you 

are in a slump right now, then just 

apply these four things to your 

life and it will pull yourself out 

of that slump. God understands 

what you are going through and 

He also understands that we will 

all go through the valleys of life. 

It is up to you to change things 

when you get in your valley. 

By combining both learning your 

past through self-evaluation and 

applying those four things, I believe 

that you will be on your way 

to a better not bitter you. I know 

for a fact that this will open your 

heart from the angry and brokenness 

that is within you. This 

is not the end but the beginning 

of a life transformed by God! 

Living a God-Inspired Life, 

I am Chris Benton. I walked 

away from 19 years of addictions 

over 9 years ago as God 

healed me! I have also started 

creating short video messages. I 

run a Christian Blog and my wife 

and I are launching a marriage 

ministry and writing a marriage 

book called “Broken Together” 

because God’s purpose for our 

life is to help marriages. I have 

been writing for several years 

now and have found a great passion 

in writing. 

Web: InspiredMarriage.com 

FB: @InspiredMarriage 

Twitter: @thechrisbenton 

BrokenTogetherBook.com 


Morning Quiet: 

Spending Time 

In God’s Presence 

BY ROSS THOMPSON 

A 

mentor of mine once 

told me of a conversation 

he had with a fellow 

Minister. The two 

of them were travelling speaking 

in churches and staying in 

the homes of a member of each 

Church. One morning they had 

just got on the road and my friend 

sensed a tension between them. 

The other Minister seemed to 

be unhappy with my friend. He 

asked if there was something 

wrong – had he done something 

to offend his companion? 

The answer was that his travelling 

companion had seen that 

he had not had a morning quiet 

time. He was quite upset about 

it – presumably because he believed 

they were not right with 

God and their ministry at the 

Churches would suffer. I can’t 

recall my mentor’s exact answer, 

but I have a fair idea what he 

would had said. 

There is certainly nothing wrong 

with having a morning quiet time 

or a time set apart to God each 

day. The minister’s mistake was 

in his thinking he had made it 

a rule or a law. That one is not 

right with God if they don’t have 

a morning quiet time every day. 

God will be unhappy with me 

and my Christian life will suffer. 

A similar idea - if I don’t spend 

some separate time with God 

daily I am starting to fall away 

from Him. The truth is even if I 

do have a quiet time or separate 

time alone with God daily - it 

doesn’t come close to God’s expectations 

of us in our relationship 

with Him. The implication 

behind these rules about time 

with God is that God and I are 

separate. He is in Heaven and I 

am down here, and it is my responsibility 

to make sure I make 

contact at least once a day. I can 

then carry on with my life secure 

that I have done what is required 

of me. 

You would struggle to find much 

backing for that idea in the New 

Testament. It is more of an Old 

Testament concept. God was 

external to them and they were 

tasked by Him to practise external 

activities to keep themselves 

in His favour. The Old Testament 


is full of all the external practises 

required of them. Although 

Jesus taught often of His inner 

relationship with His father; “The 

Father who is in me He does the 

works” (John 5:19). “Do you not 

believe that I am in the Father 

and the Father in me?” (John 

14:10) - for the disciples it was 

still an external relationship for 

most of their time with Jesus. It 

was only as the time for His crucifixion 

drew near that He began 

to teach them of an internal relationship 

for them. “The Spirit 

of truth whom the world cannot 

receive, because it neither sees 

Him or knows Him: but you know 

Him, for He dwells with you and 

will be in you” (John 14:17). 

He prayed to the Father that they 

might have that inner relationship. 

“That they all may be one, 

as you, Father, are in Me, and I 

in you; that they also may be one 

in Us, that the world may believe 

that you sent me” (John 17:21). 

The change between the Old 

Testament relationship and the 

New came soon after Jesus’ resurrection 

from the dead. “When 

He had said this, He showed 

then His hands and His side. 

Then the disciples were glad 

when they saw the Lord. So, Jesus 

said to them again, peace to 

you! As the Father has sent Me, 

even so send I you. And when 

He had said this, He breathed on 

them, and said to them receive 

the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the 

sins of any they are forgiven 

them; if you retain the sins of any, 

they are retained”. (John 20:21- 

23) Suddenly they are thrust into 

a new inner relationship with the 

Father, and a responsibility to do 

the works of God through that 

relationship. God’s prophecy to 

Jeremiah is fulfilled. “But this is 

the covenant I will make with the 

house of Israel after those days, 

says the Lord; I will put My law in 

their minds, and write it on their 

hearts; and I will be their God, 

and they shall be My people” 

(Jer 31:33). 

More than an inner relationship 

– and this is my point – the disciples 

received a transferred life. 

They had become a new creation 

– they were now Christ people 

- 24 hours a day, seven days a 

week. Paul explained this life as 

the basic result of the Gospel. 

“For the love of Christ compels 

us, because we thus judge: that 

if one died for all, then have all 


died; and He died for all, so that 

all those who live may not live 

unto themselves, but unto Him 

who died and rose again for their 

sake” (2nd Cor 5:14, 15). 

He explained his life this way, “I 

have been crucified with Christ: 

it is no longer I who live, but 

Christ lives in me: and the life 

which I now live in the flesh I live 

by the faith of the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave Himself 

for me” (Gal 2:20). 

Certainly, it is a life to be learned. 

John’s Gospel in the first chapter 

says, 

“But as many as received Him, 

(Jesus) to them He gave the 

right to become the children of 

God, to those who believe in His 

name” (v. 12). 

When we first come to Jesus 

we are aware only of ourselves 

and our body. We then need to 

learn to become Sons of God – 

to learn to live in the Spirit in daily 

discipleship to our indwelling 

God. Romans 8:4 tells us “The 

righteous requirement of the law 

has been fulfilled in us who do 

not walk according to the flesh 

but according to the Spirit.” We 

have no more laws to keep, only 

a relationship to be lived out. The 

new believer must learn to live 

moment by moment with God 

within. The goal is to enter the 

relationship Jesus modelled for 

us with His Father. “Phillip said 

to Him, Lord show us the Father 

and it will be sufficient for us. Jesus 

said to him, have I been with 

you so long and yet you have not 

known me, Phillip? He who has 

seen me has seen the Father; 

so how can you say, show us the 

Father. Do you not believe that I 

am in the Father, and the Father 

in me? The words that I speak 

to you I do not speak on my own 

authority; but the Father who 

dwells in me does the works” 

(John 14:8-10). 

The believer’s whole life becomes 

a quiet time with God. 

Paul called it the communion of 

the Holy Spirit (2nd Cor 13:14). 

“For as many as are lead by the 

Holy Spirit, these are the Sons of 

God” (Rom 8:14). It is largely a 

hidden life very often not seen or 

appreciated by others. If Jesus’ 

inner life with His Father was 

not understood by those around 

Him, we should not expect our 

lives to be any different. 

The Minister who was upset with 

my friend because of his failure 

to have a quiet time was well 

off the mark. My mentor was a 

spiritual man committed to a disciple 

relationship with God. Perhaps 

the Holy Spirit had instructed 

him to lie awake most of the 

night and pray. Maybe God had 

kept him awake and given him 

the message he was to speak at 

the next Church. The Lord might 

have said to him, “I want you to 

praise me in the Spirit for a few 

hours tonight”. 

My point is that his was a continuing 

relational experience with 

God. His only law was the “Law 

of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” 

(Rom 8:2). Jesus came to 

restore to us a spiritual life lived 

in relationship with Himself, the 

Father and the Holy Spirit - every 

minute of every day. 

Ross Thompson lives in Melbourne 

Australia www.amazon. 

com/author/rossthompson 


Are You Fully Engaged? 

Wake Up Your Bible Study! 

BY KRISTI BRIDGES 

Reading for 70 years.... 

Grandpa Burl’s office walls were 

lined with secrets. 

Well okay, they were 

lined with books, but 

I was spellbound by 

the width and height 

of knowledge encircling the 

room. “Grandpa,” I asked. “Will 

I know everything when I get to 

heaven?” 

I didn’t want to wait that long. 

At home, a bookshelf ran down 

the long wall of my bedroom. It 

held nothing as sophisticated as 

his, but once in awhile I’d borrow 

one of Grandpa’s books. I was 

too young for theology, but reading 

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations 

made me feel smart. 

Today, my office walls are lined 

with theology, fantasy, mystery 

and psychology. Very few books 

have I read more than once. 

Some, I’ve barely opened. The 

one thing I read every single day 


is on my phone. Each morning, 

I open my Bible app at breakfast. 

Sometimes, I read from it 

several times in a day. It hasn’t 

always been like this. There was 

a time I read only fiction and fell 

asleep the instant I opened a Bible. 

I joked that I was sleeping 

in heavenly peace, but I knew I 

was missing something. 

Does the Bible feel as dry as 

those classics you had to read 

in school? In spring, teacher-assigned 

copies of The Grapes of 

Wrath cover the shelves in the 

used bookstore. You’ve never 

traded in your Bible, but does it 

really interest you? It’s okay to 

admit it doesn’t. You’re not alone. 

What makes the Bible come to 

life? 

Grandpa taught at Liberty Bible 

College in Pensacola, Florida for 

over twenty years. Each semester, 

his workday was filled with 

discussions about Acts and the 

life of Christ. He taught surveys 

of the New and Old Testaments 

and could read them both in 

their original languages. When 

he retired, he traveled through 

the freshly disbanded USSR 

and into Southeast Asia, teaching 

the book of Psalms. He’s 89 

now and still spends time every 

day immersed in scripture. “How 

do you do it, Grandpa?” I asked. 

“How do you keep it fresh, when 

you’ve read it so many times?” 

“I pray before I read. Even 

though I’ve read the words before, 

I don’t want to just assume 

I already know what it says. I ask 

God to show me what He wants 

me to see each time.” The Bible 

isn’t a book—it’s a conversation. 

Baby Talk 

Conversation takes time to develop. 

When I was a baby, everyone 

cooed and talked to me 

in voices of love with words I did 

not comprehend. By the time I 

was two, I was like a tennis player 

with 3 racquets, volleying syllables 

as fast as my lips could 

shape them. When I was six or 

seven, I learned sarcasm and 

reason. I debated everything 

Mom told me to do. I got in a lot 

of trouble that year. 

By the time I was ten, I could 

hold a pretty intelligent conversation. 

I’m well past ten, but I haven’t 

gone a year without learning 

something. 

Grandpa will always be ahead of 

me in knowledge, but he talks to 

me as though I’m worthy of his 

time. That’s what you do when 

you love someone and want to 

help them grow. God is a loving 

Father who enjoys talking to us 

on whatever level we can handle. 

Just as I learned English through 

conversation with my family, we 

learn Life through conversation 

with God. 

God starts where we are. 

God speaks every language. 

He’s the Inventor of concepts 

we’ve taken millennia to grasp. 

We didn’t understand the brain’s 

navigation system until 2014. 

4000 years before these discoveries, 

God spoke to Abram in 

Genesis 12 NIV: 1-3 

“Go from your country, your people 

and your father’s household 

to the land I will show you. I will 

make you into a great nation, 

and I will bless you; I will make 

your name great, and you will be 

a blessing. I will bless those who 

bless you, and whoever curses 

you I will curse; and all peoples 

on earth will be blessed through 

you.” 

God doesn’t overwhelm us with 

technical details or wait until 

we’re smart enough to understand 

them. We’re His family, 

and He enjoys talking to us on 

our level. When we listen and 

obey, He takes us on adventures. 

Along the way, He teaches 

us. 

Experiencing God 

How does He talk? In Experiencing 

God, Henry Blackaby points 

out four main ways God speaks: 

the Bible, prayer, circumstances 

and the church. Blackaby warns 

us that circumstances can be 

misinterpreted and people can 

be misinformed. We must compare 

everything to what God has 

already said in the Bible, if we 

want to avoid regret and live with 

confidence. 

Tip: Pray 

Pray before you read; pause 

when a verse stands out to you. 

Write it down or ask God what 

impact that verse should have 

on you today. 

If the Bible is a conversation, 

how do we break the ice? 

If you’re reading this, it’s likely 

you’ve felt God nudge you 

through the Holy Spirit. Maybe it 

was today, or maybe it was years 

ago. Do you remember the first 

verse which grabbed your attention? 

It probably wasn’t Genesis 

1:1. My mom read Psalm :1-3 to 


me many times, while we waited 

for the school bus: 

“Blessed is the one who does 

not walk in step with the wicked 

or stand in the way that sinners 

take or sit in the company 

of mockers, but whose delight is 

in the law of the Lord, and who 

meditates on his law day and 

night. That person is like a tree 

planted by streams of water, 

which yields its fruit in season 

and whose leaf does not wither—whatever 

they do prospers.” 

It’s likely I had heard the story of 

Adam and Eve by that time, but 

my strongest memory does not 

involve learning the Bible front to 

back. My strongest early memory 

of God’s word was being gently 

told I could choose my companions, 

God’s way is delightful, 

and I would prosper in my season. 

These were lessons I could 

use, and they made me want to 

know more. 

Later, when I began my own daily 

devotional time, I didn’t know 

where to start. As a child, I’d read 

Psalms and Proverbs because 

Mom encouraged me to. When 

she wasn’t sitting beside me, the 

thin pages were silent. Frustrated, 

I prayed the most powerful 

prayer I’ve ever prayed. “Lord, 

give me hunger for Your Word.” 

God answered that prayer. I became 

ravenous, but there is an 

endless buffet of truth in those 

66 books. Where was I to begin? 

Whether daily Bible study is a 

habit you’re beginning, or one 

that’s grown old, it’s about to become 

a lively time of connection 

with your Creator. Pray for hunger 

and choose from the following 

methods. 

Daily Devotional Studies 

This may be the most popular 

method. Your local Christian 

bookstore should have a variety 

of daily devotional books which 

include scripture, discussions 

and prompts for prayer and action. 

I believe in this study method 

so much I wrote Wisdom – 

Better than Wishing, a 31-day 

devotional based on the book 

of Proverbs. I even created a 

course so others can learn to 

write their own devotional books. 

For new study plans ranging 

from 3 to 365 days, check out the 

Youversion Bible App. At church 

or online, you can also get the 

tiny but timeless devotional, Our 

Daily Bread. 

Because they connect ancient 

text with modern examples, devotional 

studies can make old 

stories come alive again. The 

prayer and action prompts can 

spark an all-day conversation 

with the Lord. If you’ve been 

reading the Bible for years, you 

may notice certain verses recycled 

over and over again. If that’s 

the case, it might be time to read 

the rest of the Word. 

The Bible in a Year 

You could start at Genesis 1 

and try to read straight through 

to Revelation 22. Lots of people 

do it, but remember the saying, 

“Hindsight is 20/20?” The saying 

means it’s easier to understand 

events when you’re looking 

back at the complete story. 

The Old Testament is easier to 

understand when you’re reading 

the New Testament alongside it. 

For that reason, Biblegateway. 

com offers the M’Cheyne plan, 

in which each day’s reading includes 

some Old Testament and 

some New, as well as some 

Psalms or part of the Gospels 

each day. Like us, our Creator 

has a multi-faceted personality. 

Using this combination approach, 

we get insight into the 

whole Holy Person, and into ourselves. 

The plan aims to take the reader 

through the whole Bible in one 

year, but take two or three years 

if you need to. Have you ever set 

a weight loss or savings goal? 

Perhaps you gritted your teeth 

until you reached your goal— 

and then regained the weight 

or found yourself in debt by the 

following year. Permanent physical 

or financial health don’t come 

from setting a time frame and a 

single goal. They come when we 

incorporate healthy eating, exercise 

or budgeting into our days 

as long as we live. 

Spiritual health works the same 

way. Decide to incorporate time 

in prayer and the Word every 

day for the rest of your life. Then 

read an appropriate amount 

each day. What’s an appropriate 

amount? That depends on what 

God wants to show you. Start by 

praying, “Lord, cleanse my mind 

of distractions and sin. My time 

is Yours. Show me what You’d 

like me to see today.” 

Read until you see it. A verse 

might stand out, you might identify 

with a particular character, or 

you might find yourself thanking 

God or giving Him something 

that’s bugging you. Each day is 


different. You don’t want to focus 

on a chapter goal and miss what 

the Spirit is saying. 

Take a walk. 

There may be days your reading 

does not feel like a conversation. 

If you’re going through a wholebook 

reading plan, you’re going 

to trudge through lists of names 

and rules. You might get curious 

and want to know more. Who 

was that guy? Wasn’t his son 

mentioned in this other chapter? 

Where is that region in modern 

geography? Stop and look things 

up while they’re fresh in your 

mind. Other times, you’d rather 

be doing dishes than reading. 

On those days, break the routine. 

Most Bible apps offer translations 

with audio. Take a walk 

and pop in your earbuds. Try to 

imagine the people in today’s 

chapter as your neighbors, living 

and raising families and earning 

a living. Pray for your neighbors, 

as you pass their houses. 

Tip: As you read the Bible this 

week, write down one question 

which comes to mind. FreeDailyBibleStudy.com 

has a terrific 

list of free tools to help you find 

answers. 

Literary Study 

I believe we should read every 

bit of the Bible at some point, but 

maybe a straight-through plan 

isn’t for you. Why not try specific 

books or categories? 

Everyone should read Genesis, 

John and Acts to understand 

how God has connected with 

people throughout history. Philippians 

and Proverbs are perfect 

starting points for thinking 

and living wisely. Once you’ve 

read those five, choose something 

you haven’t read from the 

categories below. 

Life of Christ: Matthew, Mark, 

Luke and John 

Letters to the church on how to 

live: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians; 

Galatians; Ephesians; 

Philippians; Colossians; 1 and 

2 Thessalonians; 1 and 2 Timothy; 

Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; 

James; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2 and 3 

John; Jude 

Wisdom Literature: Plays – Job 

and Song of Solomon; Worship 

and prayer – Psalms; Wisdom – 

Proverbs 

History and Old Testament 

laws: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, 

Numbers, Deuteronomy, 

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 

Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 

2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, 

Esther 

Prophecies: Isaiah, Jeremiah, 

Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, 

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, 

Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, 

Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, 

Malachi, Revelation 

Tip: As you read, start a collection 

of verses which speak to 

you. I have a collection of Bibles 

inherited from people I love, who 

highlighted verses and scribbled 

notes on the pages. Since I use 

a digital Bible, I keep a journal 

of verses which speak to me. Often, 

I’ll begin by writing a verse 

and end in a prayer. Just as David’s 

Psalms touch our hearts, 

your conversations with the Lord 

will touch future generations. 

Lord, what were You thinking? 

It’s okay to ask questions. I have 

a friend who disregards entire 

sections of the Bible, because 

they don’t fit the way he understands 

God. Throughout history, 

God has spoken to people in 

ways they could understand at 

the time. People relayed God’s 

word based on their understanding 

and the situations of the day. 

Some of the Old Testament situations 

were truly barbaric. Idol 

worshippers sacrificed their own 

children and saw nothing wrong 

with slavery and sexual assault. 

Stomachs churning, the prophets 

spoke God’s own disgust 

with the lifestyles and hypocrisy 

around them. They didn’t yet 

know, couldn’t imagine, the unmerited 

grace God wanted to 

pour out on all humanity through 

Jesus. Even so, in the midst of 

some unnerving prophecies, 

we can look back and hear God 

speaking His intense love over 

us. 

In my 20s, I came to understand 

forgiveness and grace in 

a life-altering way. I basked in 

the breathtaking love of God, 

revealed in John and Ephesians 

and Psalms. It was hard 

to read the sorrow and anger 

expressed in books such as Hosea 

and Malachi. Like my friend, 

I couldn’t recognize the God 

they described. But I knew He 

was the same God. I knew those 

prophecies pointed to Jesus. Jesus 

sat in the temple at 12 years 

old, talking to the elders about 

the Old Testament. When He 

was fasting in the wilderness, He 

used scriptures from those old 

books to knock down the devil’s 

temptations. There was no way 


they weren’t connected to the 

same God who gives shockingly 

unmerited mercy. 

I approached them again, asking 

the Lord each time to show 

me what He’d like to say through 

them. After going through a divorce, 

I could relate to the emotions 

they expressed. In the 

prophecies, the Lover of our 

souls confronted His covenant 

people. They faked affection 

and betrayed Him for idols that 

wrecked their lives. I made mistakes 

in my marriage, but God 

did everything right and still His 

love was rejected. 

Throughout the Old Testament, 

and especially in the prophecies, 

the Lord of Heaven and 

Earth reaches ardently for those 

He creates. He is neither a dictator 

nor a faceless, emotionless 

force of energy. He is loving, 

wise and willing to forgive anything, 

if it means a healthy relationship 

with His children. Now 

when I read, I don’t judge Him 

based on my sheltered modern 

life. Instead, I trust Him to show 

me what’s applicable to me today 

and what I should share 

about Him with others. 

Tip: If you’d like a guide through 

the Old Testament, I highly recommend 

The Bible Jesus Read, 

by my favorite author, Philip 

Yancey. Earlier, I confessed 

there are have books in my office 

I’ve barely touched. That’s 

not the case with my Yancey 

collection. I buy duplicates of his 

books. I read them, fill my journals 

with notes and quotes, and 

buy extras to give away. The 

Bible Jesus Read will have you 

rereading familiar passages with 

new curiosity and appreciation. 

Topical Study 

In any long-term relationship, 

stories and bits of advice come 

up effortlessly, based on what’s 

going on at the moment. This 

approach works with our Heavenly 

Father as well. Whether I’m 

experiencing a struggle, helping 

someone else or I’m curious 

about a topic, I can quickly search 

online using the phrase “What 

does the Bible say about…” or 

“Bible verses about…” I find useful 

collections of scripture and 

commentary that way. 

Be careful to always read verses 

in context, and to compare 

commentaries. This ensures you 

have an accurate picture of what 

God was saying at the time, and 

to whom. 

The Flip and Fly 

Grandpa used to tell a joke about 

a man who was always too busy 

to study the Bible. Determined 

to be a good Christian, he would 

flip open the Bible each morning 

and read the first verse he saw. 

That would be his guiding verse 

for the day. One day, the Bible 

opened to Matthew 27:5 NIV, 

“Judas threw the money into the 

temple and left. Then he went 

away and hanged himself.” He 

thought, That can’t be for me, so 

he closed the Bible and opened 

it again. The pages fluttered to 

Luke 10:37b NIV, where Jesus 

said, “Go and do likewise.” He 

slammed the book shut with a 

start, looked up and then looked 

around. Carefully, he tried a third 

time. John 13:27b NIV, “Jesus 

told him, ‘What you are about to 

do, do quickly.’” The flip and fly 

method is not the way to go. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV says, “16 

All Scripture is God-breathed 

and is useful for teaching, rebuking, 

correcting and training 

in righteousness, 17 so that the 

servant of God may be thoroughly 

equipped for every good 

work.” Even though the Bible 

shows God addressing specific 

people in specific circumstances, 

He uses those verses to 

address us today. However, to 

interpret His Word intelligently, 

read it in context. 

God can speak through any 

method. 

The flip and fly shouldn’t be your 

go-to study method, but God’s 

pretty smart. If He has a pressing 

topic He’d like to discuss with 

you, He’ll get to you any way 

possible. He got to me. 

I never learned to lie. It came 

naturally. “You never trust me!” I 

would shout at Mom. “You don’t 

give me a reason to!” She’d reply. 

I didn’t stop lying when I left 

home. One day when I was 22, 

I wanted a day off. I called in to 

work (cough cough) “Sick.” I was 

cured the instant I hung up the 

phone. Over toast and eggs, I 

opened my Bible and prepared 

to have a leisurely day. 

Proverbs 12:22 NIV The Lord 

detests lying lips, but he delights 

in people who are trustworthy. 

I flipped a few pages. 

Proverbs 6:16 NIV There are six 

things the Lord hates, seven that 

are detestable to him: 17haughty 

eyes, a lying tongue, hands 

that shed innocent blood… 


I tried again. 

Revelation 21:8 NIV But the 

cowardly, the unbelieving, the 

vile, the murderers, the sexually 

immoral, those who practice 

magic arts, the idolaters and all 

liars—they will be consigned to 

the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 

This is the second death. 

I got dressed, went to work and 

tearfully confessed to my manager. 

An unbeliever, she laughed, 

but I swore to never lie again. 

In my April article, “Judgment 

Day – For Real?” I discuss the 

fact that Jesus gave us the key 

of righteousness, so we can walk 

into Dad’s house and have a true 

relationship with Him. Like any 

Father, there are times He has to 

say things more than once to get 

through to us. He had to repeat 

Himself three times that morning, 

but the lesson has stuck 

with me ever since. 

Tip: When God is showing you 

something, thank Him and write 

about the moment. Our daily 

readings touch us because 

someone in biblical times had an 

epiphany and told others. Your 

a-ha moment can inspire people 

too, if you take the time to save 

it. 

Disagreements with God 

I’ve seen people hit roadblocks 

in their relationships with God, 

and some have gone off the road 

completely. Pain or desire made 

them unwilling to hear what God 

was saying, and it festered until 

they divorced the Lover of their 

souls. It breaks my heart when 

this happens. Even when we 

don’t understand or agree with 

what the Bible says about an 

issue, it’s wise to keep praying 

and reading. God’s smarter than 

we are, and He knows what we 

need for the best life possible. 

He’s also patient. He wants to 

talk to us about all of life, not just 

one thing, because the relationship 

is what matters. 

There was a time I prayed for 

my husband to change. I harangued 

him about one thing 

continuously, and our marriage 

became miserable for both of 

us. “You can’t see how much I’ve 

changed!” he said. I couldn’t, 

because I was only looking at 

one area. God is not a nagging 

wife. He’s an expert at changing 

hearts. Rather than focusing on 

a single impasse, He had been 

doing all sorts of work in Richard. 

Now, my husband is closer 

to God than ever, and I’m madly 

in love with the man he’s become. 

If you’re hung up on some area 

you’re not ready to submit to 

God, the Bible is packed with 

other things to learn. God loved 

us, fully knowing how we are. 

He was so determined to form 

a relationship with us that even 

in our sin, He allowed us to murder 

His own son and called it our 

redemption. It should have been 

the last straw. Instead, He accepted 

Jesus’ blood as the covenant 

seal with us. Keep opening 

the Book. Keep seeking. 

Don’t get me wrong. It’s freeing 

to accept what God says is 

right and repent from anything 

we’re doing that’s contrary to His 

Word. He wants to give us what’s 

good for us—not just what feels 

good right now. But never, ever 

give up the most important relationship 

of your life because of 

a personal problem that has you 

stuck. 

Tip: Tell God how you feel. 

Say, “Lord, I’m not ready to 

deal with this now, but I never 

want to be away from You. You 

are the only One who loves me 

completely and supplies all my 

needs—for love, for finances, for 

everything. Forgive me and help 

me to grow in You.” 

What if you’ve read it all before? 

If you’ve read the Bible for years, 

God has probably done wonders 

in your character and life. Maybe 

you’re at the place where it 

seems like a textbook for a class 

you’ve already passed. 

The Bible uses marriage as 

an example of our relationship 

with God, because it’s the longest-term 

day-to-day relationship 

we choose. Marriage goes 

through boring periods. Sex 

slows down, giddiness loses its 

grip, we catch our minds wandering 

as our spouse tells a story 

we’ve heard. It’s during these 

lulls the unwise often find someone 

or something else to get 

them excited again. The same 

thing can happen in a lifelong relationship 

with God. 

If you’re feeling this way, start by 

checking your heart. Hurt and 

resentment can suck the air out 

of your spirit. Talk to God and get 

counseling if you need it, so you 

can move forward in your relationship. 


Next, think about the good marriage 

advice you’ve heard. Couples 

who make a true effort 

through the doldrums end up 

with a richer, deeper love on the 

other side. We find new things 

to do together; we look for little 

things to share with each other. 

We check our attention and 

make sure to listen. You can 

create special moments in your 

relationship with your Eternal 

Companion. Get outside and 

watch the sunset He’s painting. 

Look for what He’s doing in the 

lives of people you meet. Go 

on a mission trip. Volunteer at 

a shelter. Compassion International 

is always looking for people 

to write letters to the children 

in their program. 

What scriptures are your favorites? 

Share them. Last year, 

my mother began reading the 

Psalms into her phone’s voice 

recorder. She sends the recordings 

to us, and I can’t tell you 

how grateful I am. I will always 

have her voice reading her favorite 

passages. Could you do 

this for someone in your life? 

Your experience and favorite 

scriptures could make an impact 

beyond your immediate family. In 

October, I’m hosting a one-week 

challenge to help participants 

write chapters for Option Ocean, 

a 31-day devotional for young 

people drowning in possibilities. 

If you’d like to participate, email 

info@1MomentWiser.com. 

Conclusion 

The Bible is more than a book. 

It’s a conversation. However you 

choose to study, I pray you’ll pick 

it up every day and spend time 

with your Creator. In Jeremiah 

33:3 NIV, He promises, “Call to 

me and I will answer you and 

tell you great and unsearchable 

things you do not know.” 

About the author: 

Kristi Bridges is the owner of 1 

Moment Wiser, author of Wisdom 

– Better than Wishing and creator 

of the Share Your Wisdom 

Wisely Devotional Book Writing 

Experience. She enjoys helping 

people understand themselves, 

communicate with others and 

fall in love with their Creator. Her 

husband of 20 years keeps her 

laughing. 


Rhonda 

Stoppe 

With marriage under 

attack and remnants 

of broken relationships 

scattered 

around us, it’s easy to feel that 

lasting love is an illusion. In her 

book, Real-Life Romance: Inspiring 

Stories to Help You Believe 

in True Love (Harvest House), 

Rhonda Stoppe takes us behind 

the scenes of relationships that 

have stood the test of time and 

adversity. 

As a mother, wife and ministry 

leader for 30 years, Rhonda 

and her husband have seen 

all sorts of relationships. What 

does it take for Christian couples 

to make it today? Starting with 

her own romance, she weaves 

a story of hope and God’s goodness 

through her book. Real-Life 

Romance is a collection of 25 

stories from couples who have 

overcome the relationship odds. 

Rhonda, thank you for sharing 

your new book with us. The 

cover is beautiful, but the stories 

inside are even more captivating. 

Did your relationship 

with your husband lead you to 

write this book? 

I met Steve when I was only 14 

(almost 15) years old. He had 

come home from Bible college 

and was way too old for me. At 

that age, six years’ difference is a 

big deal. I remember when I met 

him for the first time that he took 

my breath away. After a quick interaction 

with him, I walked away 

and literally thought, I’m going 

Real Life 

BY MARI 


Romance 

E WHITE 


to marry him one day. (Immediately, 

I was embarrassed at the 

thought because I was young 

and knew this would be impossible.) 

I watched him date all the college 

women in our church and 

wished he would look my way, 

but I knew I was too young. 

Throughout the years our paths 

would cross. 

When our siblings were dating 

each other, I was often nominated 

by my parents to be their 

chaperone. Steve would come 

along from time to time. As I got 

older, the time came when… 

The story is in the first chapter of 

the book! Let’s just say, I knew I 

loved him almost from the start, 

and it took God a number of 

years to work out the timing of 

our love story. 

After seeing God’s timing in 

your relationship, you started 

to see the way that God works. 

I’m sure that being in ministry 

has also been eye-opening for 

you. How did being in ministry 

affect your marriage? 

One of the perks of ministry is 

getting a bird’s-eye view of the 

damage that can be done to 

a marriage if a couple refuses 

to love each other with Christ’s 

selfless love. We’ve also had the 

honor of watching others love 

each other deeply the way God 

intended. 

Throughout the years we have 

been mentored by many married 

couples who showed us how to 

romance each other through the 

different seasons of life. These 

days, we are now learning from 

those same mentoring couples 

how to grieve when their spouses 

go home to Jesus. As they 

grieve with hope, we too know 

one day Christ will grant us His 

strength should He call one of us 

home before the other. 

For Steve and me, real romance 

says, “I choose you, no matter 

what, when or where we find 

ourselves in life. It is you and 

you alone whom I adore.” 

What is one mistake couples 

make that you’ve seen over 

and over? 

Through the years of raising 

toddlers and teens, Steve and I 

made it a point to choose each 

other over any other earthly relationship. 

Our kids always knew 

our love for one another was 

steadfast and that they were not 

able to come between us, no 

matter what. In 30 years of ministry 

we have watched marriages 

crumble when a parent regularly 

sides with a child in disagreements 

against his or her spouse. 

We’ve observed weary parents 

of terrible two-year-olds turn on 

one another by reacting to their 

spouses in a disrespectful and 

unloving manner. 

Great love stories don’t always 

consist of two people falling in 

love and living without a care in 

the world. Rather, true love stories 

are wrapped around real 

life where God calls two people 

together to love Him and to 

love each other no matter what 

trials might come in life. When 

the love of two people is deeply 

rooted in Christ’s love for them, 

their response to life’s trials will 

reflect to a watching world how 

knowing Jesus really is the way 

to true love, joy and peace, no 

matter what challenges may 

come — and in this God is glorified. 

Real-Life Romance has so 

many incredible stories, but 

my favorite one was yours. 

What brought you to writing 

down the love stories of so 

many people? 

My husband and I have been 

in ministry for 30 years. In that 

time we have had the privilege 

of watching many young people 

fall in love, meeting people with 

incredible love stories and walking 

the elderly through the death 

of their loved one. The love stories 

we have heard in our years 

of ministry, along with speaking 

at women’s events, I have heard 

story after story of real romance 

that offers hope. I truly believe 

the world is ready for a book celebrating 

that kind of love. 

Relationships are difficult. 

What does real love look like? 

What does it represent? 

Real-life love is all around us; 

we just have to look for it. That 

elderly couple sitting in the pew 

at church — what’s their story? 

How did they meet, fall in love 

and stay in love for so many 

years? Those lifetime lovers are 

my heroes of the faith because 

their lifelong love reflects Christ’s 

love and offers hope to anyone 

who wants that kind of romance. 

Real-Life Romance isn’t a 

how-to guide, correct? 

Exactly! Real-Life Romance is 

not a marriage self-help book. 

Since there are many great marriage 

advice books on the market, 

I wanted to write a book that 

was a breath of fresh air. We are 


all drawn to a good love story. 

Why did you feel like portraying 

God-honoring relationships 

was so important? 

Look at the movies and romance 

novel industry. People are riveted 

as they follow the story of 

a couple who ends up falling in 

love and living happily ever after. 

However, those love stories 

don’t always honor Christ. As 

believers, we tolerate when the 

couple in the story is involved in 

intimacy outside of marriage because 

we really want to see the 

ending where they fall happily in 

love. I wrote Real-Life Romance 

to share love stories that are testimonies 

of God’s faithfulness of 

drawing two people together to 

fall in love in a Christ-honoring 

way. 

You had a surprise when you 

started writing this book. What 

was that? 

At first I thought I was writing this 

book for married people — to 

inspire them to rekindle the passion 

in their own relationship as 

they recall God’s providence in 

their own love story. As I wrote, 

however, it became apparent 

this book is also for single people 

(from teens to adults) who 

not only love a good love story 

but are also waiting for God to 

guide them to their own happily-ever-after. 

Rhonda, it has been a joy to 

hear all that you’ve been up to 

and the way the Lord has used 

you in the writing of this book. 

Is there a parting message 

that you would like to convey? 

Romance — real romance — is 

loving someone for who they are 

and believing the best about that 

person. I think of 1 Corinthians 

13, which says, “Love bares all 

things, believes all things, hopes 

all things, endures all things.” 

That’s romance. 

Choosing to believe the best 

about your love when they haven’t 

measured up to your expectations? 

That’s romance. 

Choosing to see their beauty 

after they’ve been up all night 

with a sick baby, and they look 

like a train wreck? That’s true romance. 

It’s the love we long for 

and the love we hope to give. 

This love is possible when our 

love for Christ is deeper than our 

love for any other person in life. 

Thank you, Rhonda, for inspiring 

all of us in our relationships. As 

Rhonda stated, godly relationships 

are hard work. They are 

not like the movies. Filling your 

life with another person, as you 

pursue Christ, is a challenge 

worth undertaking. 

FFFM would also like to thank 

publicist, Audra Jennings for facilitating 

this interview. 

Learn more about more about 

Real-Life Romance and Rhonda 

Stoppe at www.NoRegretsWoman.com, 

on Facebook (RhondaStoppeNoRegretsWoman) 

and on Twitter (@RhondaStoppe). 


JUST NOT ‘FEELIN’ IT? 

“GOD HELP ME WITH MY UNBELIEF!” 

BY SHAUNA GALLAGHER 

There is no sweeter spot 

to be than in those 

times when worship and 

prayer have drawn you 

into God’s presence. You feel a 

sense of God’s awesomeness 

as you bow at His feet; you feel 

energised; you feel refreshed; 

you feel impenetrable; you feel 

safe; nothing can draw your focus 

away from His presence. 

And then there are the times 

when it’s more difficult to come 

into God’s presence. Your energy 

is drained; temptations are 

coming your way; you reach for 

the security of temporal things; 

and that sense of awe you once 

felt is now not quite so tangible, 

even a distant memory. 

You are perhaps just going 

through the motions of worship 

and prayer, attending church 

and Bible study, maybe even still 

doing your daily morning devotions. 

But you aren’t feeling passionate 

about it at all, it’s just a 

part of your routine. Doubts have 

crept in and that makes it easy 

for you to not pray as often, to 

skip church or Bible study occasionally. 

And then this leads 

to more doubts and more time 

away from Christian things. 

So how do you arrive at that 

place of worshiping and praying 

to God with all your heart when 

you just aren’t feeling it - when 

circumstances have perhaps 

beaten you, and as much as you 

know you should, you just can’t 

ignite that passion for God? 

Let’s firstly explore a little of what 

worship looks like and why we 

worship. 

Worship can be described as 

having an adoring reverence 

or regard, especially for a deity 

(Dictionary.com). Often when we 

hear the word ‘worship’, we au- 


tomatically think of singing praises, 

but worship is more than just 

singing. Worship incorporates 

acts such as prayer (Matthew 

6:9), obedience (John 14:15), offerings/tithes 

(Provers 3:9) and 

serving (Colossians 3:23). And 

even more than just individual 

acts of worship, our whole life is 

to be an act of worship (Romans 

12:1). 

In 1 Chronicles 16:28-30a it 

says, “Ascribe to the Lord, all 

you families of nations, ascribe 

to the Lord glory and strength. 

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due 

his name; bring an offering and 

come before him. Worship the 

Lord in the splendor of his holiness. 

Tremble before him, all the 

earth!” It is noteworthy that nowhere 

in these verses (nor any 

other verses in all of the Bible), 

does it say to ascribe greatness 

to God ‘when you are in the 

mood’; or when you are ‘feeling 

it’. It is a pure command with no 

qualification needed. God is to 

be glorified. 

Why does our whole life need to 

be an act of worship? Because 

we are told that we are to bring 

glory to God in all that we do 

– “So whether you eat or drink 

or whatever you do, do it all for 

the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 

10:31 NIV). So, keeping in mind 

what worship is and why we 

should worship, how do we get 

to that point when we just aren’t 

feeling it? 

In these times when you are 

struggling to ‘feel it’, you need to 

reflect on what is going on for you 

in your heart and your thoughts. 

Is your job, money, relationships 

or circumstances dominating? Is 

it possible they have become an 

idol? This means that God is not 

the highest priority in your life. 

If this is what’s happened, then 

worshiping God in spirit and in 

truth (John 4:24) is going to be 

difficult. In the Ten Commandments, 

God commands that you 

are to have no other gods before 

Him (Exodus 20:3). If you are to 

truly obey this commandment, 

God needs to be placed at the 

very top of your priorities, irrespective 

of what’s going on in 

your life. 

It is also difficult to worship God 

if we don’t really understand His 

might and His power. An obvious 

way to really bring your perspective 

of God back to where it 

should be, is to meditate on His 

attributes. It is therefore paramount 

to immerse yourself in His 

Word. There are many verses in 

the Bible about God’s attributes, 

but you can’t go past the Psalms 

for detailed imagery. Psalm 

29 is an example of this, painting 

a majestic picture of God. 

It talks about His strength and 

His splendour. It describes very 

well how majestic His voice is, 

that even the desert shakes and 


the oaks twist and He strips the 

forest bare with just the sound 

of His voice. If you meditate on 

these verses, bringing to mind 

the images it describes, it would 

be very difficult not to draw you 

closer to feeling the awesomeness 

of God. 

Whenever there is a struggle 

within a relationship, it always 

affects communication. This is 

no different in your relationship 

with God. Prayer is how you 

communicate with Him, and it always 

suffers when you are lacking 

faith or have unbelief. What 

could be getting in the way of 

this relationship? Have you got 

some emotions that are affecting 

it? For example, are you angry 

at God? Are you going through a 

period of grief or sadness? Are 

you worried? Emotions have 

an impact in our human relationships, 

so it is very possible 

it is affecting your relationship 

with God too. What would you 

do if you had these issues with 

a close friend? Hopefully you 

would feel comfortable enough 

to talk about it with them, so do 

the same with God. 

Come before Him, be honest in 

your thoughts and feelings, lay 

it out on the table and ask Him 

to help you get through this time 

(Mark 9:24). God wants you to 

be real with Him. Seek His forgiveness 

for your unbelief too. 

In the words of Bonnie McKernan, 

“Repent and pray for deliverance 

from unbelief even before 

praying for deliverance from 

your circumstances” (https:// 

www.desiringgod.org/articles/ 

lord-help-my-daily-unbelief). 

You would do 

well to remember 

a time when 

your prayers 

came from a 

place of great 

conviction. You 

believed God 

would hear 

your prayers 

and you know 

that He did 

hear them. If 

God heard your 

prayers then, 

He will certainly 

hear them now. 

God does not 

change (Malachi 

3:6a) and 

His love is unfailing 

(Psalm 

36:5-7), therefore 

you can 

rely on Him to 

be there for you. 

It is key to remember that God 

deserves your worship, even 

when you aren’t feeling like worshiping. 

Don’t stop worshiping, 

even though you might be finding 

it difficult. God also wants 

you to pray to Him, even when 

you lack faith or are having 

doubts. Remember in any relationship, 

communication is key. 

Don’t stop praying but rather 

pray for your unbelief to be lifted 

and the clouds of doubt to 

be cleared. Pray that your eyes 

would be opened to see the 

grace and power of God. Pray 

that your heart would soften so 

that you would long to love God 

like you used to. 

Remember that running further 

away from any relationship does 

not strengthen it. When you feel 

your relationship with God is not 

where it should be, intentionally 

move closer to Him through worship 

and prayer. 

Choose today to dwell on His 

greatness and His splendour. 

Do this every day, and gradually 

over time, your thoughts of God 

will expand and you will wonder 

how you ever had such a diminished 

view of God. When your 

focus is where it should be, worship 

and prayer will come much 

more naturally. And when you 

persevere at these times, you 

will break through and reach that 

sweet spot of being in God’s almighty 

presence! 

“Whoever dwells in the shelter 

of the Most High will rest in the 

shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 

91:1 NIV) 



The God Who 

Sees Me 

BY CHRIS MCKENNA 


“The following blog post is based 

on a sermon written and delivered 

by Chris McKenna, the 

Educational Resource Manager 

for Covenant Eyes and founder 

ofProtectYoungEyes.com. It first 

appeared on the Covenant Eyes 

website (www.covenanteyes. 

com) and is reprinted with permission.” 

A 

deeper understanding 

of God might be your 

key to breaking free 

from addiction. 

Preacher C.H. Spurgeon said 

this about the study of God’s 

names: 

“O, to learn more of the attributes 

and character of God…By knowing 

His Name is also meant an 

experimental acquaintance with 

the attributes of God, which are 

every one of them anchors to 

hold the soul from drifting in seasons 

of peril. The Lord may hide 

His face for a season from His 

people, but He never has utterly, 

finally, really, or angrily forsaken 

them that seek Him.” 

In other words, the better God 

is known, the more God will be 

trusted. I mean, isn’t this true 

with other relationships? Why 

wouldn’t it be true for how you interact 

with our Heavenly Father? 

The Fallacy of Secrecy 

So much of our behavior is dictated 

by what we see. What I 

see impacts my responses to 

the world around me. It’s equally 

true that what I think you see 

impacts my behavior. If I think no 

one is looking, I sometimes give 

into temptations to do things in 

www.faithfilledfamily.com 

35

secret that I would never do in 

the light. 

Like no other time in human history, 

through our digital devices, 

we have the perceived ability to 

live with secrets. In fact, two of 

pornography’s most persuasive 

lies are: 

• You’re not hurting anyone. 

• No one will ever know. 

• How many hundreds of times 

have you used those as justification? 

But, what if we began to believe 

that no matter what, no matter 

where we are, even when 

the lights are off and the door 

is shut, that we are seen? How 

might we all live differently if we 

began to let go of the fallacy of 

secrecy? What might your daily 

choices look like if you knew that 

God truly saw you? 

A God Who Truly Sees Us 

In Genesis chapter 16, we find 

the story of Abraham and Hagar 

who is the slave of Abraham’s 

wife, Sarah. 

It’s a complex and messy chapter. 

It’s a story that includes slavery, 

extra-marital relations, and 

the exploitation of a woman and 

her infant child. 

For background, Abraham and 

Sarah are married and old. God 

had promised Abraham that he 

would be the father of a great 

nation back in Genesis 12, but 

now decades later, and married 

to a barren, elderly woman, the 

prospect of birthing a great nation 

looked very unlikely. And so, 

in an act of desperation, Sarah 

allows her slave Hagar to provide 

them a child with Abraham. 

Let’s pick up the story when 

Hagar becomes pregnant with 

Abraham’s child: 

When she knew she was pregnant, 

she began to despise her 

mistress. Then Sarai said to 

Abram, “You are responsible for 

the wrong I am suffering. I put 

my slave in your arms, and now 

that she knows she is pregnant, 

she despises me. May the Lord 

judge between you and me.” 

“Your slave is in your hands,” 

Abram said. “Do with her whatever 

you think best.” Then Sarai 

mistreated Hagar; so she fled 

from her. 

The angel of the Lord found 

Hagar near a spring in the desert; 

it was the spring that is beside 

the road to Shur. And he 

said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, 

where have you come from, and 

where are you going?” 

“I’m running away from my mistress 

Sarai,” she answered. 

Then the angel of the Lord told 

her, “Go back to your mistress 

and submit to her.” The angel 

added, “I will increase your descendants 

so much that they will 

be too numerous to count.” 

The angel of the Lord also said 

to her: 

“You are now pregnant and you 

will give birth to a son. You shall 

name him Ishmael, for the Lord 

has heard of your misery. He will 

be a wild donkey of a man; his 

hand will be against everyone 

and everyone’s hand against 

him, and he will live in hostility 

toward all his brothers.” 

She gave this name to the Lord 

who spoke to her: “You are the 

God who sees me,” for she said, 

“I have now seen the One who 

sees me.” That is why the well 

was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is 

still there, between Kadesh and 

Bered. 

So Hagar bore Abram a son, and 

Abram gave the name Ishmael 

to the son she had borne. Abram 

was eighty-six years old when 

Hagar bore him Ishmael. 

Hagar called God, EL ROI–the 

God who sees me. 

The God of everything sees little 

old me. Always available. Never 

surprised. 

Even the most watchful parent 

has to sleep some. But Scripture 

makes it clear God never slumbers, 

never looks one way while 

we head off in another, never 

misses a millisecond of what 

happens on earth. 

The realization that we worship 

a God who always sees us likely 

elicits a wide range of emotions. 

For those hurting and desperate 

like Hagar, it’s the awesome realization 

that there is no pit too 

deep or situation too desperate 

that our God will not jump in and 

join me. Psalm 46:1 tells us that 

God is “an ever-present help” 

when we are in trouble. 

But, for those who have secrets, 

it’s the awful realization that 

there are no secrets and that every 

breath of my life is seen by 

the One who sees me. 


Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in 

all creation is hidden from God’s 

sight. Everything is uncovered 

and laid bare before the eyes of 

him to whom we must give account.” 

And, so we have to wrestle in 

this tension. This tension between 

compassion and conviction. 

But, as we explore Hagar’s 

story further, God’s response to 

Hagar’s situation speaks to both 

sides. And, I think it does it well. 

God Offers Me Peace 

When my circumstances offer 

me heartache and suffering, 

the God who sees me offers me 

peace. 

If He sees Hagar then He also 

sees you. The story of Hagar 

and her son, Ishmael, is the story 

of millions of exploited and rejected 

people around the world. 

Do you feel rejected? Do you 

feel mistreated? Have you run 

to the false gods of substances, 

pornography, or wrong relationships 

as a salve to your hurting 

soul? 

None of us are immune from 

life’s circumstances. Jesus told 

his followers to expect trouble. 

Not just to expect trouble, but to 

expect outright pain and suffering. 

Do you find yourself feeling as 

though life is saying, “Go ahead, 

just figure it out”? 

Philippians 4:4-7 offers us this, 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will 

say it again: Rejoice! Let your 

gentleness be evident to all. The 

Lord is near. Do not be anxious 

about anything, but in every situation, 

by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your 

requests to God. And the peace 

of God, which transcends all 

understanding, will guard your 

hearts and your minds in Christ 

Jesus.” 

Ask: “Do I believe that no matter 

what the situation, that it is possible 

to be anxious for nothing, 

pray about everything, and be 

thankful for anything?” 

David Guzik said, “It isn’t that it 

is senseless and therefore impossible 

to understand [God’s 

peace], but that it is beyond our 

ability to understand and to explain–therefore 

it must be experienced.” 

Writer Ann Spangler said, “If you 

are feeling weak in the face of 

life’s challenges, the best way to 

grow strong is to strengthen your 

commitment to Christ. Decide to 

obey fully, to follow completely, 

to keep your eyes fastened on 

him. Let El Roi take pleasure as 

he watches over you, and you 

will soon find your heart stronger 

and your confidence deeper 

without quite knowing how it 

happened.” 

God Offers Me Blessing 

The second thing Hagar’s story 

teaches us is: when I consistently 

choose faithfulness, the God 

who sees me offers me blessing. 

There’s a danger in knowing 

that God is “the One who sees 

me.” You can be deceived into 

thinking that a God who sees me 

waits in anticipation for my mistakes 

so that He can punish me. 

When instead, a God who sees 

me waits with patience for my 

faithfulness so that He can bless 

me. And, bless me abundantly. 

Holy Scripture assures us God is 

on the lookout for men and women 

who are totally committed to 

him. Why? Because he wants to 

strengthen their hearts as they 

serve him. 

“For the eyes of the LORD range 

throughout the earth to strengthen 

those whose hearts are fully 

committed to him.” (2 Chron. 

16:9) 

Guardrails Strengthen Our 

Commitment 

In most areas of our life we have 

guardrails and people helping us 

remain accountable as we work 

toward certain goals. Financial 

advisors. Personal trainers. 

Maybe even an app or our Fit- 

Bit encouraging us to hit certain 

achievements. 

Yet 24-hours a day, seven days 

per week we are online, with 

virtually no one watching. This 

is why the loving guardrails of 

accountability are so critically 

important. They crush the fallacy 

of secrecy, and keep our digital 

behaviors in the light, where 

they can be measured and kept 

pure and holy. The internet is a 

crowd-sourced morality. Therefore, 

in order to use it well, it 

must be controlled and brought 

into submission so that we can 

consistently choose digital faithfulness. 

You aren’t strong enough to han- 


dle technology alone. You can’t 

handle what it is. 

I pride myself on having a 

strong work ethic and for being 

a self-starter. I’ve always 

enjoyed accomplishing a list of 

to-do’s–even adding things that 

I’ve already accomplished to a 

list just so I can cross them off. 

I recently re-took Tom Rath’s 

Strengths Finder survey, which 

had “achiever” at the top of my 

strengths list. Valedictorian of 

my high school class. Varsity 

athlete. Suma Cum Laude and 

Presidential Scholar in college. 

Learned a foreign language. Accomplished 

CPA and business 

advisor for Fortune 500 companies. 

Loving husband. Father of 

four amazing children. 

But, I was powerless against online 

pornography. For over a decade, 

it ruled me. And, for some 

of you younger readers, whether 

it’s your inability to take the perfect 

selfie, or your compulsion to 

keep the Snapstreak going, you 

too are powerless. 

In the book, The Disciple Making 

Pastor, Bill Hull writes about 

the need for accountability in 

the disciple-making process. He 

says, “To believe you can make 

disciples or develop true maturity 

in others without some form 

of accountability is like believing 

that you can raise children without 

discipline, run a company 

without rules, or lead an army 

without authority. Accountability 

is to the Great Commission what 

tracks are to trains.” 

Listen, I don’t have to obey God. 

I get to honor the God who sees 

me with every moment. 

I don’t have to guard my eyes 

from online filth. I get to honor 

the God who sees me and my 

family with every click. 

I don’t have to protect my heart 

from temptation. I get to choose 

a life of integrity because the 

God who sees me chose me before 

I ever looked His way. 

EL ROI–the God who sees me. 

Not keeping track of my wrongs. 

But, patiently waiting for me to 

choose right. As we read about 

in the story of the prodigal son, 

he’s a Father, maybe on his tiptoes 

with his hand over his eyes, 

scanning the horizon in hopeful 

anticipation of his son’s return, 

who takes off in a dead sprint to 

meet him at the first glimpse of 

him coming home. 

He’s on the lookout for men and 

women, teens and tweens, who 

are totally committed to him. 

Why? Because He wants to 

strengthen your heart, and build 

you up, and in a world of fear 

and chaos, turn you into a fearless 

man of strength. A warrior 

princess with courage. That’s 

the God who sees me. That’s the 

God who sees you. 


CAN A SKEWED PERSPECTIVE 

HARM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? 

BY CHARLAINE MARTIN 

My husband and I 

were on vacation 

in North Carolina 

recently. It seemed 

that remnants of Hurricane Alberto 

decided to rain on our fun. 

Torrential downpours made visibility 

difficult along the highway. 

Debris and mud flew up on our 

windshield to make our view of 

others on the road more difficult. 

Our van’s windshield wipers 

could not keep up. The rearview 

mirrors were also a mess. We 

had to slow down while looking 

around as best as we could, 

hoping no one would rear end 

us. We considered leaving this 

tropical destination for a dryer, 

sunnier location further north. 

Our whole view of our vacation 

looked murky. 

Have you ever had mud spattered 

on your windshield, but 

your wipers could not clear the 

mud away without smearing it 

everywhere? How about such 

a heavy downpour your wipers 

could not keep your view 

clear even after the mud was all 

gone? It makes the drive difficult 

because it distorts the view, so 

you cannot see the road, signs, 

or other vehicles very well. Living 

with a distorted view of God 

from bad life experiences or 

poor discipleship is much like 

that. It is difficult to see who God 

really is, His nature, His character, 

and His immense love for us. 

That distorted view of God can 

have devastating effects. When 

we clear off our spiritual windshields, 

we can see who God 

really is, giving us a gratifying 

love relationship with Him in all 

circumstances. 

Causes of a Distorted View of 

God 

Poor Authority Figures in 

Childhood 

I grew up in a dysfunctional 

home with domestic violence, 

alcohol, and abuse. If I made a 

mistake or misbehaved, punishment 

was quite severe. It was 


not correction out of love but 

lashing out for the frustration I 

somehow unknowingly caused. I 

always walked on proverbial egg 

shells never knowing when I was 

in trouble until my step-father 

hopped up out of his La-Z-Boy 

recliner to whip me. He used his 

narrow leather belt, leaving welts 

on my small body. At times, I was 

awakened in the middle of the 

night to a spanking while being 

screamed at for some infraction 

I was not sure I did. As a result, I 

saw God as a very distant being 

sitting on His throne waiting for 

me to mess up so He could jump 

up to strike me with a lightning 

bolt for some small sin I committed. 

My parents were scary. 

Harsh. I thought God was too. At 

least, until I learned what God is 

really like. 

The example from my own life 

is not an uncommon one. In the 

Atlantic, a reader wrote in response 

to a call for stories about 

readers’ religious choices. One 

shared her experience about being 

horribly abused by her mother’s 

boyfriend for years. 

As a little girl she begged God to 

make him stop only to be terribly 

disappointed that He did not. 

She came to the conclusion that 

there was no God. If she wanted 

life to improve she could only 

rely on herself (Bodenner 2016). 

Many adults grew up in families 

with parents and other role models 

who were terrible examples 

of authority. This damaged their 

view of authority figures and others 

in charge of their welfare. It 

also affected how they viewed 

God. In many cases like these, 

God may be seen as aloof, malicious, 

or highly judgmental. In 

the Atlantic reader’s story, she 

believed He simply did not exist. 

The opposite extreme also 

seems to be true. Adults whose 

parents and other authority figures 

were laissez-faire or permissive 

also see God in much 

the same way as the adults to 

whom they were entrusted. God 

appears to be very permissive 

and only gives love, without 

giving discipline to His children 

whom He loves (Proverbs 3:12). 

If this were the case, God would 

have said of Eli’s evil sons in 1 

Samuel 2:12; 17; 29-30, “Oh, 

well. Boys will be boys.” He 

would not have punished Eli for 

his sons’ atrocious behavior. But 

that is not what really happened. 

The result of permissive parenting 

is also an inaccurate view 

of God (What is Your Parenting 

Style?). 

Jaded by Church People 

Spiritual abuse is a common 

problem in many churches 

throughout the world. It is very 

much like hurling mud at the 

windshields of seekers and 

saints alike. My first husband, a 

bi-vocational pastor, had a knack 

of reaching people spiritually 

abused by unhealthy churches. 

We found those who were 

younger when they experienced 

spiritual abuse had no use for 

God and church. 

Slowly, they developed a curiosity 

about why Don was so 

different. He invited a man from 

his secular job to church. This 

man told him, “Make sure your 

church’s insurance was paid 

up because a lightning bolt will 

strike me dead if I set foot in your 

church!” 

He was assured the insurance 

was paid. This man came once, 

unconvinced about the value of 

attending church. We rejoiced 

because he accepted Christ as 

his Savior. Don had the privilege 

of baptizing him. We prayed for 

him to find a good church to help 

him with his new faith. It was a 

monumental change in his view 

of God as his Heavenly Father. 

It takes time in a safe place for 

people to heal from the wounds 

caused by the saints. Christians 

are Jesus’ representatives in this 

world. When Christ followers do 

not behave as if we belong to 

Him, the people hurt are likely 

to mistake what kind of God 

we claim to follow. The pastor 

of Next Level Church was one 

of those people. He now leads 

this dynamic church whose mission 

is to reach the spiritually 

wounded (Terpstra 2005). How 

we represent Jesus can deeply 

affect how victims understand 

the faithful love of God and His 

purpose for the church. 

Poor Discipleship 

In one of the churches we served, 

the Bible teachings seemed to 

come from their church’s traditions. 

They did not appear to 

know how to study Bible without 

viewing passages through the 

smeared lenses of personal biases. 

As I discovered what made 

up the hodgepodge of their Bible 

understanding, I offered to teach 

a Bible Basics class. Through 

our study, I could see some expressions 

of “Ah-hah!”, but I 

also encountered confrontation 


when the study conflicted with 

deeply held personal beliefs. 

Slowly, class members began to 

see there were missing pieces 

in their Bible knowledge. They 

needed to see the passages 

more clearly by “correctly handing 

the word of truth” (2 Timothy 

2:15 NIV). When Christians receive 

poor Bible teaching with a 

distorted understanding of key 

passages, they can easily misunderstand 

God’s character. 

Bad Things Happen to God’s 

People Anyway 

When tremendous trials like 

a deluge fall upon some people, 

they struggle with how God 

could do these things to them. 

The truth is God allows these 

things to happen. He does not 

do bad things to people. My first 

husband and I were often asked 

why God would give him cancer. 

He simply answered, “Why not 

me?” He believed he was not 

special just because he was a 

pastor. He explained that God 

was not maliciously harming him. 

Others who have faced divorce, 

death of a loved one, a terminal 

diagnosis, or job loss often 

struggle with the question of why 

a loving God would let hardships 

fall on them. Some have turned 

their backs on their faith in God 

altogether. “Why bother?” one 

man from our congregation told 

my husband. “If God loves me, 

He wouldn’t do this to me.” Bitter-hearted, 

he left the church. 

He assured us we did nothing 

to hurt him. He was in so much 

pain that he ran away from God. 

We never saw him come back. A 

distorted view from bad circumstances 

can alter our feelings 

about the One who stands with 

us in the midst of our troubles. 

Staying on the Road 

God has been here from before 

the beginning of time (Genesis 

1, 2). He created us to have a vibrant 

relationship with Him. Ever 

since Adam and Eve disobeyed 

God in the Garden of Eden, being 

displaced for their own good, 

life has been less than perfect 

(Genesis 3) (Sproul 2009). Humans’ 

flawed understanding of 

God and His nature is clearly 

seen beginning with Cain, whose 

jealousy led him to believe God 

must love his brother Abel more. 

He killed Abel, causing him to 

become a fugitive (Genesis 4). 

Cain’s sin affected his family 

line. One of his descendants 

named Lamech took revenge by 

killing someone who wounded 

him (Genesis 4:23-24). 

As you can see, evil follows evil 

people. God allows people who 

do evil to continue in freewill, 

but they are limited, feeling the 

sting of consequences for their 

actions. He will judge all people, 

including those who have hurt 

others (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). 

Mud spattering is as old as humankind. 

It derails hurting people 

easily. 

God allows many events to take 

place, even unpleasant, painful 

ones. When Joseph was sold 

into slavery by his very own 

brothers, God watched over him 

by giving him favor in the eyes of 

Pharaoh. He became very successful 

(Genesis 39:2). When 

his brothers came to Egypt for 

food during a severe famine, it 

was emotionally difficult for Joseph. 

After playing a few tricks 

on them, he finally revealed to 

them who he was. He told them 

that what happened to him at 

their hands was used by God for 

a much greater purpose (Genesis 

45:4-8). We are told in Romans 

8:28 that God will bring 

about good out of the bad, but 

bad is still bad. 

Job was struck with affliction 

because Satan was allowed to 

put him to the test (Job 2). God 

permitted it with restrictions. Job 

lost his children, his home, his 

wealth, and his health. All he 

had left was his wife who told 

him to “Curse God and die.” (Job 

2:9 NIV). No doubt, she was distraught, 

too. 

However, Job became personally 

acquainted with God, the Creator 

and Sustainer of all things. 

God revealed Himself to Job 

through several lengthy, deep 

discussions. His friends, who 

held the current religious thought 

of the time, added insult to injury. 

At the end of the trials, Job told 

God, “Surely I spoke of things 

I do not understand, things too 

wonderful for me to know… My 

ears have heard of you, but now 

my eyes have seen you.” (Job 

42:3b, 5 NIV). 

Job came to know the Living God 

personally. God blessed him beyond 

measure as a result. Interestingly, 

God was not pleased 

with Job’s friends because they 

did not speak the truth about Him 

(Job 42:7). He ordered them to 

bring a sin offering to Job so he 

could sacrifice it on their behalf. 

He also required them to have 

Job pray for them in this interesting 

turn of events. We can come 


to know our Almighty God on a 

personal level through our circumstances. 

Getting a Better View 

God is a God of love, a complete 

love which brings those who love 

Him into a close relationship with 

Him (1 John 4:16). His love is a 

sacrificial love, having given Jesus 

as payment for our sin, yet 

raised Him to life offering us 

new life (Romans 4:25). He never 

promised life would be easy 

or would go our way, but God 

promises to always be with us 

(Isaiah 43:2, Psalm 91:15). We 

are sinners saved by the blood 

of Jesus Christ for good works 

(Ephesians 2:10), yet we doubt 

sometimes. Growing in our faith 

is a lifelong process requiring 

trust in the truth. 

We can trust God’s goodness, 

even when life does not seem 

so good. In His unfailing love, 

He comforts us and provides 

for our needs. We can make 

plans for our lives, but He does 

not guarantee they will always 

happen the way we think they 

should (Proverbs 16:9, Jeremiah 

10:23). Sometimes, His plans for 

us may mean walking through 

some rough times that He will 

use to refine us (Malachi 3:3, 1 

Peter 1:6-7). We need not fear 

trials because He is with us (Isaiah 

41:10). We can trust that not 

only is God on His throne, He is 

with us during times of trouble. 

Clearing Away the Mud 

Painful memories may haunt 

you for a very long time, causing 

problems in your present. The 

key is to heal from the pain you 

still feel that you would rather forget. 

It begins by seeing the pain 

for what it really is. Broken, hurting 

people hurt people. Tough 

circumstances beyond your control. 

Imperfect people who live in 

a fallen world. 

At some point, we need to look 

at those moments and the people 

involved from God’s view. 

According to Juanita Ryan, RN, 

MSN, from the National Association 

for Christian Recovery, 

we cannot fully heal without a 

heart of compassion (Juanita 

Ryan 2018). Give those people 

and situations over to God so 

you can be free from the storms 

which rage inside you (Jordan 

2012). 

See yourself as God sees you, 

too. You may need the help of a 

licensed clinical Christian counselor 

or your pastor to do this. By 

removing pain and anger from 

your heart, you will be ready to 

see who you are in your relationship 

with God. 

The next step to clear the mud 

from your spiritual windshield is 

to dig into the Bible, God’s revelation 

of Himself to us. Dr. Joyce 

Myer recommends reading the 

truths of the Bible so healing may 

happen (Myers). There is no better 

place to become acquainted 

with God. Simply set aside some 

time with your Bible or Bible 

app, a note pad and a comfortable 

chair to read, pray, reflect, 

and write. The Psalms are full of 

descriptions of God’s character, 

so beginning with Psalm 1, you 

could read one each day prayerfully 

making notes of your impressions. 

Another way to learn more about 

God’s character is to study the 

Names of God. For example, El 

Shaddai means “Mighty God”. 

Elohim means “One True God”. 

Abba means “Daddy, Father” 

(McDaniel). The names of God 

can be found in a concordance, 

topical index, or Bible dictionary. 

Remember to look up all the 

Names for Jesus Christ, too, because 

He is God. 

Make note of the context from 

the passage when a particular 

name is used. As you make discoveries, 

pray for God to reveal 

Himself according to the names 

you found that describe Him. 

Make note of His responses to 

your prayers. 

Finally, see how He has interacted 

with His people in both the 

Old and New Testaments. Notice 

character traits and imperfections 

in the people God loves. 

It is very important to understand 

His holiness and sovereignty in 

light of His tender loving care for 

His people. 

When the debris is cleared away, 

your view of God, circumstances, 

and other people become 

crystal clear. May your relationship 

with Him grow richer. 

Note: All Bible references come 

from the Holy Bible, New International 

Version. Copyright 1973, 

1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. 

Charlaine Martin is a writer and 

personal trainer with Be Totally 

Fit for Life! www.betotallyfitforlife.com. 

She is married with 

three adult children and 11 active 

grandchildren. Charlaine and 

her husband live in the Thumb of 

Michigan. 



Shekinah Glory 

Being In God’s Presence 

BY CHAS FUNDERBURG 

Shekinah, which means, (in Jewish and Christian theology) “the glory of the divine presence, 

conventionally represented as light or interpreted symbolically.” (1) The word “Shekinah” does 

not actually appear in the Bible. It comes from a form of a Hebrew word “šākan,” which literally 

means “he caused to dwell (or rest)” indicating that it was a divine visitation of the presence of 

The Lord God Jehovah on this earth. The Hebrew word, “shēkhīnāh” did not appear until the latter part 

of the seventeenth century, at approximately 1655 to 1665.(2) 

The Shekinah glory of the LORD manifested itself in different ways. The first we hear of it, Moses was 

speaking to the Israelites as they were travelling in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. The 

LORD’s glory rested within a cloud on Mount Sinai for six days; it was a bright, shining brilliance, which 

usually was covered by a cloud, so that the children of Israel would not be able to behold it directly (Exo- 


dus 16:10). We learn later, when 

Moses went up to Mount Sinai to 

intercede on behalf of the people 

of Israel for building and worshipping 

a golden calf, Moses 

beheld the back of the Lord’s 

glory, but could not behold His 

face, or he would have died. “… 

you cannot see my face, for no 

man shall see Me and live” (Exodus 

33:20b). 

Later, on the seventh day, the 

LORD called Moses from the 

midst of the cloud. To the Israelites, 

“…the appearance of the 

glory and brilliance of the LORD 

was like consuming fire on the 

top of the mountain” (Exodus 

24:17). After the Golden Calf 

incident, when Moses returned 

from the top of Mount Sinai with 

the two stone tablets of The 

Testimony (The Ten Commandments), 

he was unaware that “… 

the skin of his face was shining 

[with a unique radiance] because 

he had been speaking with God” 

(Exodus 34:29). 

As time went by, the LORD commanded 

Moses to consecrate 

Aaron and his sons as priests, 

who in turn would present the 

sin, burnt, and peace offerings 

on the Altar of Burnt Offerings. 

Done, Moses and Aaron went 

into the Tent of Meeting, “…and 

when they came out they blessed 

the people, and the glory 

and brilliance of the LORD [the 

Shekinah cloud] appeared to all 

the people [as promised]. Then 

fire came out from before the 

LORD and consumed the burnt 

offering and the portions of fat on 

the altar; and when all the people 

saw it, they shouted and fell 

face downward [in awe and worship]. 

We see that not only does 

the Lord appear in brilliance and 

glory, but also fire. Remember 

that when the LORD first appeared 

to Moses, it was as fire 

in the burning bush. We will see 

later, at the Day of Pentecost 

that the Holy Spirit came down 

as tongues of fire. 

In King Solomon’s time, after he 

had built the Temple, he gathered 

all the elders of Israel and 

the heads of the twelve tribes 

to Jerusalem to bring the Ark of 

the Covenant from Zion. At the 

time of the writing, Zion was “… 

the name given to the Jebusite 

fortified city on the lower part of 

ancient Jerusalem’s Eastern Hill, 

also known as the City of David. 

According to the Book of Samuel, 

Mount Zion was the site of 


the Jebusite fortress called the 

“stronghold of Zion” that was 

conquered by King David, then 

renamed and partially rebuilt 

by him as the “City of David”, 

where he erected his palace.[5] 

The Ark of the Covenant was 

housed in Zion; Solomon wanted 

it moved to Jerusalem. So 

the priests carried the ark and 

put it into the Tent of Meeting, 

where the Lord always met with 

his human representatives. As 

was the case when Moses stood 

in the presence of the Lord in 

the Tent of Meeting, the same 

happened at the placing of the 

ark. After priests had come out 

of the Holy Place, “…the cloud 

filled the LORD’s house, so the 

priests could not stand [in their 

positions] to minister because 

of the cloud, for the glory and 

brilliance of the LORD had filled 

the LORD’s house (temple)” (1 

Kings 8:10-11). 

We are reminded again that the 

glory of the LORD is Holy, and 

must be approached only at the 

LORD’s request, and on the 

LORD’s terms, or the sin-cursed 

human who approached it may 

have died. After Solomon had 

finished dedicating the Temple 

to the LORD, “…fire came down 

from heaven and consumed the 

burnt offering and the sacrifices, 

and the [Shekinah] glory and 

brilliance of the LORD filled the 

house. The priests could not enter 

the house of the LORD because 

the glory and brilliance of 

the LORD had filled the LORD’s 

house” (2 Chronicles 7:1-2). The 

Shekinah Glory of the LORD 

represents His holiness, which is 

not to be taken lightly. Since the 

time when Adam and Eve were 

forced to leave the Garden, and 

withdraw from the presence of 

the LORD, no human being has 

stood directly in the presence of 

His holiness. 

Isaiah, in a vision, saw “…the 

LORD sitting on a throne, high 

and exalted, with the train of His 

royal robe filling the [most holy 

part of the] temple. Above Him, 

seraphim (heavenly beings) 

stood; each one had six wings: 

with two wings he covered his 

face, with two wings he covered 

his feet, and with two wings he 

flew. And one called out to another, 

saying, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy 

is the LORD of hosts; the whole 

earth is filled with His glory.’ And 

the foundations of the thresholds 

trembled at the voice of him who 

called out, and the temple was 

filling with smoke. Then I said, 

‘Woe is me! For I am ruined, 

because I am a man of [ceremonially] 

unclean lips, and I live 

among a people of unclean lips; 

for my eyes have seen the King, 

the LORD of hosts.’ Then one of 

the seraphim flew to me with a 

burning coal in his hand, which 

he had taken from the altar with 

tongs. He touched my mouth 

with it and said, ‘Listen carefully, 

this has touched your lips; your 

wickedness [your sin, your injustice, 

your wrongdoing] is taken 

away and your sin atoned for 

and forgiven’” (Isaiah 6:1-6). 

Isaiah was acutely aware of 

God’s holiness and realized that 

he was “ruined” or capable of 

being struck dead, because he 

was a man – like the rest of us – 

who have ceremonially unclean 

lips. In other words, our nature 

is tainted by sin, and the LORD 

would have to strike us dead if 

we beheld Him face to face. The 

remarkable thing is that the Lord 

sent a messenger to purify Isaiah’s 

lips (and by inference, his 

sinful nature). More importantly, 

he had his wickedness removed 

from him, and his sin atoned for 

and forgiven. This, of course, is 

a foreshadowing of Jesus the 

Christ, who by his death took 

away our wicked nature, and 

paid the price for – atoned for – 

our sin, so that we are now forgiven 

in the sight of God. 

The New Testament offers us 

two glimpses of the holy Shekinah 

glory of God. In the first instance, 

on the Day of Pentecost, 

God’s glory comes down from 

Heaven as fire, similar to the 

fire of the Burning Bush, or the 

fire that consumed the burnt and 

fat offerings of Aaron on the Altar 

of Sacrifices. The best – and 

one of my favorite examples of 

God’s glory represented as fire 

– is when Elijah challenged the 

prophets of Baal that King Ahab 

had commissioned. The prophets 

of Baal were obviously false 

prophets, who just told King 

Ahab what he wanted to hear. 

Elijah, therefore, challenging the 

unfaithfulness of the Israelites, 

had the prophets of Baal bring to 

oxen to be sacrificed on their altar, 

while Elijah had an oxen sacrificed 

on the altar that he rebuilt 

from one torn down by Jezebel. 

The prophets of Baal called upon 

their god all day long, dancing 

and cutting themselves. After 

Elijah finished mocking them for 

their fruitless efforts for their god 

to answer, he commanded some 

Israelites to pour water on the 

wood and ox on the altar three 

times. Then he called upon the 

LORD, and fire came down from 


heaven and totally consumed the 

ox, the wood, the stones on the 

altar, the dust surrounding the 

altar, and even the water in the 

trench that he had built around it 

(1 Kings 18: 20-46). 

The glory of the Lord appears 

again as fire, in a demonstration 

of the Lord’s power. Nothing is 

impossible for our Lord, and he 

let the wayward Israelites know 

this categorically. It brought 

about repentance, if only temporarily. 

At the Day of Pentecost 

in the New Testament, the presence 

of God manifested itself: 

first as the sound of a mighty, 

violent wind. The flames of fire 

baptized the disciples and the 

believers, filling them with the 

Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-3). 

The Shekinah Glory of God is 

not seen any more in the Bible; 

at least not from God the Father 

-- Jehovah Himself. However, I 

believe this is because the Son 

of God, after he had risen from 

the dead, and was taken back 

into Heaven, and was glorified by 

the Father, so that the Shekinah 

Glory of God would be manifest 

in His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of 

God. After the resurrection, and 

before he gives the great commission, 

Jesus tells his disciples 

that, “…all authority (all power 

of absolute rule) in heaven and 

on earth has been given to Me 

(Matthew 28:18). 

Therefore, what God the Father 

would do before men now became 

Jesus’ responsibility. The 

first instance of Shekinah Glory 

in Jesus occurred at the Transfiguration. 

Jesus had taken his 

disciples to a mountain to pray, 

and as he was praying, his appearance 

transformed, and his 

clothing became bright white, 

flashing with the brilliance of 

lightning. Moses and Elijah were 

there with him talking about his 

imminent departure from Earth 

back to Heaven. The disciples 

wanted to build an alter for 

each of them, but The Father, 

who once again hid his glory in 

a cloud, conferred his blessing 

upon His son, Jesus the Christ, 

and told the disciples to obey 

Him (Luke 9:28-36). 

Therefore, the Shekinah glory 

will from there forward will be 

seen as Jesus himself. When 

Jesus appears to Saul on the 

road to Damascus, a bright light 

surrounds him, and the Glory of 

the Holy Ones in Heaven surrounded 

Jesus. Jesus’ power 

manifest itself in that He completely 

disabled Saul, who fell 

to the ground in the presence of 

Jesus’ Shekinah Glory, and got 

up blind, and humbled, and told 

his companions to take him to 

Damascus (Acts 9:3-9). 

Jesus said, before his death on 

the cross, said, “Now is [the time 

for] the Son of Man [to be] glorified, 

and God is glorified in Him; 

[if God is glorified in Him,] God 

will also glorify Him (the Son) in 

Himself, and will glorify Him at 

once” (John 13:32). 

Since Jesus humbled himself, 

and left his place in Heaven as 

the Son of God to become a 

servant of man, and to bring salvation 

to us all. Paul declares in 

Hebrews, “So too Christ did not 

glorify Himself so as to be made 

a high priest, but He [was exalted 

and appointed by the One] who 

said to Him, “You are My Son, 

Today I have begotten (fathered) 

You [and declared Your authority 

and rule over the nations]” (Hebrews 

5:5). 

Later in Revelation, John has a 

vision of Jesus in all his Shekinah 

Glory. Jesus is no longer 

that man who lived on Earth for 

a short time. He has become a 

very powerful being. “His feet 

were like burnished [white-hot] 

bronze, refined in a furnace, and 

His voice was [powerful] like the 

sound of many waters. In His 

right hand He held seven stars, 

and from His mouth came a 

sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; 

and His face [reflecting 

His majesty and the Shekinah 

glory] was like the sun shining in 

[all] its power [at midday] (Revelation 

1:15-16). Note that the 

Shekinah glory of God is powerfully 

present in Jesus. “From 

the throne came flashes of lightning, 

and rumblings and peals of 

thunder, and before the throne 

were burning seven torches of 

fire, which are the seven spirits 

of God” (Revelation 4:5). 

Today, we don’t see that much of 

God’s Shekinah Glory. Just before 

Jesus went back to Heaven, 

he told His disciples, “…the 

Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, 

Strengthener, 

Standby), the Holy Spirit, 

whom the Father will send in My 

name [in My place, to represent 

Me and act on My behalf], He 

will teach you all things. And He 

will help you remember everything 

that I have told you.” Those 

who know Jesus personally and 

have a relationship with God no 

longer need to have Lord Jehovah 

appear to them personally. 

Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to 


eveal what is on The Father’s 

heart. 

Further, God “is opposed to the 

proud and haughty, but [continually] 

gives [the gift of] grace to 

the humble [who turn away from 

self-righteousness] (James 4:6, 

referencing Proverbs 3:34). We 

in Westernized nations have had 

one form of religion or another for 

hundreds or thousands of years, 

and in many cases, the religion 

has blinded us to the true workings 

of the Holy Spirit. Many of 

the inhabitants of Western nations 

have made their religion 

into self-righteousness, which is, 

in truth, sinful humanity trying to 

justify itself before a holy God. 

Now, the Holy Spirit will manifest 

its power in some cases, when 

the worshippers are truly seeking 

God, and cause them to be 

“slain in the spirit.” There are 

also many believers in the world 

with a simpler child-like faith, and 

through whom, many miracles 

are done. However, it seems to 

me that like Saul, only those who 

are zealous about their religion, 

to the point of persecuting the 

body of Christ, are most likely 

to see Jesus’ Shekinah Glory 

on the Earth, and be radically 

changed. I have heard many 

different stories about staunch 

Muslims, who hated Christianity, 

see “a Man in White” in a dream, 

who reveals His glory to them, 

and opens their eyes to the truth 

of the Gospel. (6) 

Will we ever see the Shekinah 

Glory of God? For most of us, 

that will probably only happen 

when we see the Father and the 

Son face to face (1 Corinthians 

13:12). In the meantime, however, 

God makes His truth known 

to us by His helper, the Holy 

Spirit. We will certainly feel the 

power of the Holy Spirit guiding 

us and changing us into the likeness 

of Jesus himself. “And we 

all, with unveiled face, continually 

seeing as in a mirror the glory 

of the Lord, are progressively 

being transformed into His image 

from [one degree of] glory to 

[even more] glory, which comes 

from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit 

(2 Corinthians 3:18). So, if you 

know Jesus as your Lord and 

Savior, and you feel that God’s 

Spirit is revealing something to 

you, listen. The Shekinah glory 

of God will manifest itself in you, 

but will be seen as your acts of 

kindness, gentleness, love and 

service. 

*All scripture quoted is from the 

Amplified Bible. 

WORKS CITED 

(1) Google. (2018, 05 28). Shekina 

Glory Retrieved 05 28, 2018, 

from Google: www.google.com 

(2)Dictionary.com. (2015). http:// 

dictionary.reference.com. Oakland, 

CA, USA: Dictionary.com. 

(3) Got Questions. (n.d.). What 

is the Shekinah glory? (G. Q. 

Ministries, Ed.) Retrieved 05 28, 

2018, from gotquestions.org: 

https://www.gotquestions.org/ 

shekinah-glory.html 

(4) Zondervan/Lockman Foundation. 

(2015). The Amplified Bible. 

Retrieved 05 28, 2018, from 

The Lockman Foundation: http:// 

www.lockman.org/amplified/ 

(5) Mount Zion. (n.d.). Retrieved 

05 28, 2018, from Wikipedia: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 

Mount_Zion 

(6) Klett, L. M. (2017, August 

31). The Man in White said 

‘Follow Me’. Retrieved 06 01, 

2018, from www.gospelherald. 

com: http://www.gospelherald. 

com/articles/71318/20170831/ 

devout-muslim-man-embraces-christianity-dreaming-white-who-told-follow.htm 


Got Prayer? 

Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answsered? 

BY JOHN LYSAUGHT 

John 15:7 (NIV): “If you remain 

in me and my words remain in 

you, ask whatever you wish, and 

it will be done for you.” 

I’ve read this verse before. I’m 

sure you have to or have been 

told by someone what it says. 

You pray and pray but most of 

the time it seems you don’t get 

an answer. When your prayers 

aren’t answered, it makes you 

think you’re not a strong Christian 

because the verse says if His 

words remain in me… it will be 

done. Humph. You may think if 

the Word of God, the Scriptures, 

are the infallible words from God, 

what the heck? Why aren’t your 

prayers being answered? What 

did you do to deserve silence 

regarding prayers? Prayed for financial 

peace but are in financial 

doom? I’m with you. Prayed for 

good health only to be diagnosed 

with some ailment? I hear you. 

This can go on and on, but 

the point is you may pray for 

something but don’t receive 

any response. Some people 

get prayers answered and you 

seemingly never do. Why is this? 

What is going on? Does God 

play favorites while toying with 

others? Let’s stop right here for 

a moment and look at this verse 

a little more closely. Look at the 

context of this verse in light of 

what preceded this verse about 

prayer. 

This verse stems from the discussion 

Jesus had regarding 

Him being the vine and His fol- 


lowers being the branch in the 

vine in Chapter 15. Jesus says 

verses 5:8, 

“I am the vine; you are the 

branches. If you remain in me 

and I in you, you will bear much 

fruit; apart from me you can do 

nothing. If you do not remain in 

me, you are like a branch that is 

thrown away and withers; such 

branches are picked up, thrown 

into the fi re and burned. If you 

remain in me and my words remain 

in you, ask whatever you 

wish, and it will be done for you. 

This is to my Father’s glory, that 

you bear much fruit, showing 

yourselves to be my disciples.” 

In light of this, these verses are 

in relation to the fruit we bear and 

how praying in relation to our 

fruit will be answered. This passage 

is not about what we want 

other than producing fruit. But 

this doesn’t diminish the fact that 

sometimes it seems prayers are 

not answered. We still face this 

dilemma of our prayers to God 

and what we receive in response 

is not up to par with our wants 

and desires of our requests. 

As I’m penning this, I can’t help 

but look back at my prayer 

life and reflect. I pondered the 

prayers that were answered and 

the prayers that have not been 

answered [yet]. What is the reason 

for this? Honestly, I don’t 

have the answer, but I can speculate 

for those not having prayers 

answered based on what the Bible 

says. 

When I was in the U.S. Army, 

as an offi cer, I had to make decisions 

and answer questions 

about various things. I was told 

once that when I didn’t make a 

decision or didn’t provide an answer. 

that not giving an answer 

was an answer. Not getting an 

answer is not necessarily not 

being heard but sometimes no 

answer is the answer. 

Does this mean God is saying 

yes or no? I don’t know, I’m not 

God. Yet in my mind when I don’t 

get an answer, when I get nothing 

but silence, that is my answer. 

This is a hard concept to think 

about but to me, silence isn’t 

good or bad, it’s just silence. In 

His silence, I have to trust there 

is a reason beyond my comprehension 

of why there is no response. 

I would rather have a 

big NO though. I can understand 

“no” but it is the unspoken that is 

hard to deal with. I believe part 

of this silence is God’s way of 

teaching us patience and trust. 

Patience is difficult for us. In 

our modern world, we get most 

things instantly. Texts, emails, 

packages delivered in a few 

days, fast food, etc. Our concept 

of what patience means is about 

as long as the tip of our nose. We 

want things now, not later. If we 

have to wait for something, we 

usually don’t want it or don’t try 

and go somewhere else for what 

we want. This attitude seeps into 

our relationship with God. 

We pray and expect a response 

right away. We want to know 

now, not later. We pray in ways 

that require an answer from 

God quickly. We forget that God 

works on His timeline, not ours. 

What we want now, God may not 

answer for months or years. His 

silence is not bad, it’s just when 

we pray in the moment we feel 

we need a quick response. We 

must have patience that when 

He hears our prayers, He will 

answer when the time is right for 

us. When we pray for immediate 

answers and hear silence, it’s 

in our mind that if God doesn’t 

say anything He either didn’t 

hear us or doesn’t care. When it 

seems like God is going to wait 

to answer our prayers instead of 

when we want Him too, we want 

Him to tell us our prayers will be 

answered in such or such a time 

so we can plan ahead to be ready 

to hear Him. Yet He doesn’t tell 

us when He will answer prayers 

and when we don’t hear anything 

when we want to hear something, 

we tend to get frustrated. 

When this happens we pray and 

pray about the same thing, thinking 

the more we pray about the 

same thing, the more likely our 

prayers will be heard above the 

noise of the crowd. We will then 

be likely to give up on our hope 

of our prayers being answered 

and lose hope in God. Patience 

is a virtue is a true statement. 

If we trust God will answer our 

prayers, we must also be patient 

to wait on His answer. I learned 

this lesson and since have become 

trusting and patient in 

waiting for God to answer. 

A prayer of mine was answered 

a little over four years after I 

prayed and heard nothing but silence. 

To make a long story short, I 

was in the Army, seven years in. 

The Holy Spirit, very loudly and 


clearly, put it on my heart to resign 

my commission and leave 

the army. I didn’t listen to him 

at first, but as time went by the 

Holy Spirit’s voice got louder in 

my heart and mind. Even though 

I was scared of the unknown, I 

prayed to God very earnestly of 

why I was being urged to leave 

the service. I heard nothing. Not 

a peep or anything. I decided to 

put my trust in the Lord, stepped 

out in faith and resigned. No job, 

no money but I got back on my 

feet after a while. 

About four years later, I had 

mostly forgot about my prayer 

of why He wanted me to leave 

the army because life was going 

good for me and my family. 

Then something out of the blue 

occurred and when it did, I immediately 

knew that it was the 

answer to my prayer years earlier 

of why He wanted me out of 

the army. 

How amazing God is! He didn’t 

forget about me. He heard my 

prayer and answered it- on His 

timeline, not mine. He put me 

where I needed to be and when 

I needed to be for His response. 

Why do I say this? Because there 

are people who pray and seemingly 

never get their prayers answered. 

We need not give up on 

God, we must be patient but also 

need to learn to trust God. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says to trust in 

Him with all our heart and not to 

rely on our own understanding. 

When we trust God, we are putting 

our lives in His hands to do 

what He knows is best for us. 

You don’t have to know the Bible 

verbatim. You don’t need to 

be a Christian for a set amount 

of time. You don’t have to stout 

in your actions or thoughts every 

moment of your life to pray. 

Shoot, we are all human and 

mess up more than we’d like to 

admit. What I’m trying to tell you 

is you can be just you, seeking 

God and your relationship with 

Him, not trying to be perfect. 

Trusting God can be a leap of 

faith for a new or seasoned 

Christian. Giving everything over 

to God can be diffi cult. Some areas 

of our lives are easy for us 

to give our trust to God and in 

others areas we are scared because 

we feel if they are difficult 

for us to deal with then it will also 

be too hard for God. 

Trusting God is akin to having 

patience with Him. We need to 

trust that God will answer our 

prayers according to His will. In 

the past, I wasn’t a great manager 

of money- I’ll admit that. 

Better than some, but worse than 

others. When I’ve been in financial 

dire straits, I’ve prayed for 

God to bail me out. He has never 

bailed me out like I wanted Him 

to, but He answered my prayer 

nonetheless. My money troubles 

didn’t magically go away, but my 

prayers were answered through 

Him allowing me to go through 

my tribulation to learn how to 

better manage myself financially. 

When I apply what I learned, my 

finances got better. Then I pray 

again for something else and 

He answers me in His own way 

whether it is wisdom, learning 

from failures, or other things. 

You may say that is a stretch or it 

is means to justify the ends when 

prayers are answered in other 

ways than what I wanted, but it 

isn’t. God answers prayer differently 

for each person. There isn’t 

some cookie cutter response for 

our prayers. There is no standard 

line for everyone. Each one 

of us is unique and the answers 

to our prayers are custom fitted 

to each of us. 

You may say that is me and 

good for me, but not for you. You 

tell yourself your prayers never 

get answered. But really, do they 

not? We want answers now but 

have you looked back after some 

time and seen that your prayer 

was answered? Maybe not the 

way you wanted but answered 

nonetheless? Did your prayers 

get answered in God’s way and 

not yours? For instance, maybe 

you have an ailment that doesn’t 

go away, that you aren’t healed 

from. You pray over and over 

again for healing but it doesn’t 

come. But something else 

changes instead, maybe you are 

better able to endure than before. 

When we don’t get what we want 

we must remember that we can’t 

question God’s will. His will for 

you may not be healing but endurance 

or some other reason 

not revealed yet. I have multiple 

health problems that cause a lot 

of pain and fatigue. I’ve prayed 

for healing but, like some of you, 

I am not healed. I’ve accepted 

that I probably won’t be healed 

and am reminded of the Apostle 

Paul’s ailment that he ask three 

times for God to heal him, but 

God told Paul His grace was 

enough and His power is made 

perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians12:7-10). 

So instead praying 


for healing, I pray for the strength 

to endure my suffering. 

By doing so, my prayer has been 

answered. I can endure now better 

than I was able to before. Not 

only this, but being able to endure 

brought me closer to God 

because I learned to endure 

by leaning on God’s love and 

strength and not my own or the 

world’s. Also from my ailments, 

God has given me a heart for 

people with illnesses. When they 

feel hopeless and abandoned by 

God, I can give them comfort 

and talk to them about God and 

what He offers for those in pain 

and suffering. 

Is it possible that you may be 

praying for the wrong thing? 

Maybe instead of praying that 

God bail you out of debt, you 

should pray He help you manage 

your budget better. Instead 

of praying for the healing you 

have not received, pray for the 

ability to get through it. 

We are told by the Bible to pray 

unceasingly in 1 Thessalonian 

5:17. Does this mean you’re on 

your knees all day or in deep 

thought of God all day? No, 

but God can always be on your 

mind. We all day dream or our 

thoughts drift from this or that 

throughout the day. Train yourself 

when your mind begins to 

drift, to drift to the things of God. 

Give Him praise, thank Him for 

what He has done in your life, 

and ask for guidance from Himbasically, 

talk to Him. There 

should be times when you do focus 

strictly on God. 

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus tells us to 

go into our rooms and pray in secret. 

Some people call this their 

prayer time or prayer closet. 

Whatever you call it, the theme 

is the samehaving quiet and uninterrupted 

time with God. Yes, 

we all have busy lives but I’m 

sure there are times in the morning 

or evening to spend exclusively 

with God. Maybe getting 

up a little bit earlier is best for 

you. Me, I’m not a morning person 

until after a lot of coffee so 

my time is at night before I go to 

bed. I like to read the Bible and 

ponder His words. Then I worship, 

praise, and ask for help 

or guidance in areas of my life 

where I’m weak or need wisdom 

from Him. When I start the day, 

I give a quick prayerthat His will 

be done in me that day and talk 

to Him throughout the day. 

When you’re praying though, 

don’t just go through the motions. 

Pray earnestly with your 

heart and soul to God. God 

doesn’t want you to pray to Him 

for the purpose of praying out of 

obligation. He wants us to pray 

from our hearts. He wants us to 

rely on Him through prayer so we 

can learn to trust Him, recieve 

His wisdom and His guidance in 

all areas of our lives. 

If you don’t think your prayers 

are being answered, relook 

those thoughts. Just because 

God didn’t answer you the way 

you wanted or has not answered 

you yet doesn’t mean He didn’t 

hear you. God is with you always. 

God answers prayers in 

His own ways and on His own 

timeline. 

We must be patient and trust 

that God hears all of our prayers 

and will answer them. When you 

pray, keep your heart and ears 

open. God’s answer may be a 

shout or a whisper. Regardless 

of, listen for Him. Listen to your 

heart and you will hear Him. God 

Bless. 


God, You 

Seem So 

Far Away! 

BY JOHN LYSAUGHT 

There are moments in 

our lives when we feel 

left out, alone and defeated. 

It is in these moments 

that we feel far from God, 

or He feels far from us. Either 

way, we feel like we are in a desolate 

place, a deserted island in 

the midst of the world. When we 

feel this way, abandonment is 

the only thing that makes sense 

and we just want to curl up into a 

ball and disappear. 

When we struggle to feel the 

presence of God in our lives, 

sometimes it feels like the harder 

we try, the worse it gets. Trials 

and tribulations seemingly never 

stop and we cannot even have 

a moment to stick our heads 

out of the water for a breath of 

fresh air. The world feels like it is 

choking us and beating us down 

each time we try to get up. We 

ask ourselves where God is and 

we in turn ask God why. 

We have all been down this road 

at some point. Some more than 

others, but nonetheless, we 

know what it is like. Maybe you 

are facing this right now, feeling 

far away from God. Know that 

God is near you, even in the silence 

of the moment, He is with 

you. Just because you cannot 

“feel Him” doesn’t mean He is 

absent. 

There is a need in the times of 

feeling far from God to be patient. 

Romans 12:12 (ESV) 

says to “rejoice in hope, be patient 

in tribulation, be constant in 

prayer.” Our feeling of being far 

from God begs the question of if 

we do what Romans 12:12 says 

to do. It seems like when we feel 

far from Him we give all three of 

those up. Do we just get angry 

and forget about God’s help and 

presence? Or do we continue to 

give Him praise for the blessings 

we have and of His greatness? 

Do we lose patience with Him? 

Yes, we do. We live in a society 

where we get what we want in a 

short amount of time. Long gone 

are the days of eager waiting 

or patience with waiting. God 

works on His timeline, not ours. 

Just because we want something 

from Him now does not 

mean we will get what we want. 

Besides that, what we want may 

not be what we need. 

Patience used to be an issue for 

me. I wanted an answer or help 

from God the moment I wanted 

it. If I did not get resolution, I lost 

hope in God. I was disappointed. 

Yet, as time went on from my perceived 

immediate need, I found 

my prayers were still answered, 

not on my timeline but His. Just 


ecause we have an immediate 

need does not mean God is far 

from us. Quite the opposite, He 

is as near to us as He always is 

and just because we cannot feel 

His presence does not mean He 

is not there. 

When we also feel far from God, 

there may be a tendency to stop 

praying. We pray and pray only 

to still hear silence. This does 

not mean God does not hear us. 

When we are in need of something 

and feel God is not with 

us, we would do well to continue 

to pray. Prayer is not just giving 

God a to-do list but includes 

praising Him and thanking Him. 

We need to praise Him for His 

greatness in our lives and thank 

Him for what He has done for 

and within us. 

Psalm 37:7a (ESV) says, “Be 

still before the Lord and wait patiently 

for Him.” 

Again, when we feel apart from 

God, we must be patient. If we 

have financial problems and ask 

God for help, will he drop a bag of 

money on your lap? No, but He 

will give you the heart and mind 

to be a better steward to what He 

has entrusted to you. Patience 

takes time and practice. Being 

patient can be short or long. We 

cannot expect God to jump to 

our every whim. Along with patience, 

we must have trust in the 

Lord, trust to wait on Him, even 

when we cannot feel Him in our 

lives. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) tells us to 

“Trust in 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.” 

What does this mean for feeling 

God is far from us? It means to 

trust in God. We may not understand 

why God seems far from 

us or why there seems to be a 

void in the relationship, but by 

just having a child-like trust that 

He is still there with us, even in 

silence, we can have an assurance 

that God is still there as He 

always is. 

In Psalm 130:5, King David 

wrote, “I wait for the Lord, my 

soul waits, and in his word I 

hope.” When feeling far from 

God, we sometimes want to give 

up on Him because we feel as if 

He gave up on us. If we do this, 

we lose our hope in God and we 

don’t want this in our lives. We 

need to fall back on our faith and 

wait on Him in hopeful expectation. 

If we give up on hope, we 

won’t have any expectation of 

God in our lives and what do we 

have to live for then? 

What we do in the in between 

moments of feeling far away 

from our Lord and when we do 

hear Him is vital to our wellbeing 

and faith. It is in the space between 

the silence and the voice 

that matter to help us grow in 

God and strengthen our faith. 

When we wait, and I mean wait 

more than a day or two, we learn 

to grow our hope and faith in 

God to lead us to the right way 

and right answers. If we don’t do 

this, we can stumble and fall in 

our walk with Him. 

Whatever the need is, we would 

be wise to wait on God’s response. 

Sometimes we don’t 

though. We turn to the world 

for our answers. We search for 

answers that are worldly in response. 

We seek out advice 

from ungodly people or motivational 

books. We look high and 

low, left and right, everywhere 

else but in patience with our 

Lord. Basically, when we turn to 

the world for answers we pretty 

much have turned from God and 

turned to the world. 

Satan loves this when it happens. 

He wants us to not rely 

on God. He wants us to lose patience 

with God and he wants us 

to seek any other avenue of help 

aside from God. If Satan can 

snag us into his net of lies that 

the world is the best answer to 

our problems, he is winning and 

taking us further away from God. 

We need to make the decision to 

choose God or the world. 

When we feel far from God, just 

remember that in the Old Testament, 

the people of God didn’t 

hear from Him for a long time. In 

the Book of Exodus, we learned 

that the Israelis were in Egyptian 

captivity for 400 years before 

being delivered. I’m sure they 

felt far from God during this time 

and during the time of their exile 

to the Babylonian Empire. So, 

when we get frustrated with God 

for not attending to our needs in 

short-order, we need to remember 

those in the Old Testament 

who waited a long time to hear 

God. 

Look, we don’t control God. We 

cannot force Him to change our 

lives the way we want. He is our 

God and the God of the universe. 

We need to realize that we are 

not removed from God but only 

by our decision to be so. God 


is there. God is here. His silence 

may be a test of our faith in Him. 

Will we still have faith in Him in 

the silence times or will be turn 

to the world for comfort and answers? 

This is a decision each 

of us will have to make at some 

point in our lives. This could be 

today or tomorrow. We can ask 

the why’s and dwell in our own 

misery or we can hold fast to the 

promises of the Lord in both the 

Old and New Testaments. 

When feeling like there is a dryspell 

in our lives with God, this 

is when we need to rely on our 

discipline we have to trust in the 

Lord. Don’t focus on the here 

and now but remember and recall 

and rejoice in the moments 

past when God answered your 

prayers. Dust of the Bible and 

open it up and read it. Use the 

time of silence to strengthen 

your own resolve to grow closer 

to God, not to walk away from 

Him. 

It is easy to walk away from 

something when life gets hard. 

It takes discipline and tenacity to 

hold on to your beliefs and faith. 

It takes strength to maintain the 

hope and faith in God to help us 

and guide us. If we walk away, 

we have given up on our faith 

and hope in God. 

James 5:11 says, “Behold, we 

consider those blessed who 

remained steadfast. You have 

heard of the steadfastness of 

Job, and you have seen the purpose 

of the Lord, how the Lord 

is compassionate and merciful.” 

Just because we may not hear 

from God and feel far from Him, 

much like Job, we can still trust 

that God is there with us. God 

let Satan test Job and maybe, 

just maybe, God is allowing the 

distance to test our faith in times 

of silence. 

We may feel abandoned and 

punished by God, but this is not 

true. God does not abandon or 

punish us. In the times of dryness, 

we need to remember 

what Job went through and yet, 

he was steadfast in His faith in 

God. Job suffered greatly over a 

period of time, yet he persevered 

with the right attitude of faith and 

trust. We too need to have the 

same attitude. 

We may not face the calamities 

that Job did, but we can learn 

the lesson of the Job -- to have 

unwavering faith in God. Yes, 

Satan will attack us. Yes, we will 

face trouble and yes, we will face 

lose and pain, but this doesn’t 

mean God is not with us. Having 

the fight attitude of faith, trust, 

and hope will get us through 

those desolate times in live. 

With our attitudes, we have a 

choice of which one to have. 

There is no in between. It is either 

an attitude of hopeful faith 

or not. Our attitudes towards 

feeling far from God are our 

choice, not anyone else’s. We 

must make a conscious decision 

of which attitude to have during 

the times of distant feelings. I 

hope you choose the one that 

builds strength and hope in our 

Lord. 

We all face the times of feeling 

distant from God. Of feeling He 

is so far away that He has forgotten 

about us or doesn’t care. 

It is important to realize that God 

is not that way and He is with 

us. It may be a test in our faith 

to help us grow in faith and patience. 

Regardless of, we have 

a choice to make in these times. 

The choice is to choose God or 

turn from Him. Job stayed faithful 

to God. We can too. It is up 

to us and us alone. No one can 

make up our minds for us. It is 

our decision to hold fast to our 

faith or to let it go. God is not 

far from us. He is always there. If 

we listen, we can hear Him even 

in the silent times. 

John Lysaught hails from El 

Paso, Texas. He attends Hope 

City Community Church. He is 

married with four children with a 

grandchild on the way. 


Joy 

You can’t fake it 

until you make it! 

BY DEANNE WILLIAMS 


Every one of us have 

probably heard the famous 

words, fake it till 

you make it. Though 

possibly loaded with good intention 

I always feel a bit of contradiction 

whenever I hear them. 

When someone says fake it 

till you make it in my presence 

I think to myself “who are you 

fooling?” The devil who roams 

to and fro, up and down or in 

and out of our lives? God, who’s 

omnipresent? Family or friends, 

who most likely know all there is 

to know about us anyway? The 

spiritual leader who is guided by 

the omnipresent God, who’s already 

seen it all? 

“Who exactly is believing what it 

is we’re faking?” Since reality is 

always ready to meet us where 

you are…most likely we don’t 

believe it yourselves. 

Sadness can never be masked 

as joy. Pain can never be 

masked as soothing. Depression 

can never be masked as exuberant 

and weakness can never be 

masked as strength. Reality is 

that trying to mask any of these 

emotions only gives them more 

power and space when healing 

doesn’t come rapidly. And some 

situations will take time to get 

through 

Let your first confession be the 

identity of your reality. 

You are in a crisis. You are in 

survival mode. You have no idea 

what’s coming next. Or how to 

handle what’s going on now. All 

you can see is the fear in front 

of you. That fear is blocking your 

view of God and breaking concentration. 

Acknowledge your 

opponent. And ask God to help 

you overcome. 

One of the best scripture ever includes 

the words “the joy of the 

Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 

8:10 

But what about when that crisis 

is draining you? I mean, really 

sucking all the strength out 

of your body? Is God’s joy your 

strength then? Or should you 

just fake that nothings bothering 

you? 

Reality. When a crisis invokes a 

shocking onto the physical body 

it then releases fear. Fear then 

releases doubt, making it hard 

to believe joy is present, or that 

you have the strength do anything. 

Knowing this, if I told you 

to pretend that your fine, or if I 

could convince you that the enemy 

isn’t as powerful a force as 

you believe, then I’d be faking it. 

I have yet to encounter anyone 

who hasn’t experienced hard 

times – crisis that has left them 

breathless, tearless and comfortless. 

And yes in moments like 

these finding joy seems hopeless 

and draining task. But if you 

will believe the son of David in 

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4, then you’ll 

gain the understanding that what 

you’re experiencing has a purpose 

for the season that you’re 

in, and that your time of crying 

will turn into season of laughter. 

You’ll also gain the understanding 

that hopeless doesn’t mean 

helpless or impossible. 

In 2014 I had the opportunity to 

experience every emotion possi- 


le. And I jumped right in…feet 

first. In four years I went from 

possessing the promise land to 

losing my marriage, living to sofa 

to chair, bottom line: homelessness. 

I had already been diagnosed 

with a fatal heart disease 

years earlier, and now I had the 

opportunity to add heartbreak 

and excruciatingly painful fear. 

Somedays I would tell myself 

things couldn’t possibly get any 

worse… but I promise you that 

as truth is my witness they could 

and they did. 

But I made it, and so will you. 

One very important lesson that 

God taught me during my process 

is that the way I was going 

to beat my fear was by understanding 

it. “Crazy, right?” Not 

really. Think about it. How can 

you beat something you don’t 

understand? 

You don’t choose a job, house, 

car, school, or start a business 

without learning about the duties, 

location, function, quality 

or gains of them. You do your 

research. The process of restoring 

joy will require you to do the 

same. Wisdom is the principle 

thing, therefore get wisdom: and 

with all thy getting get understanding, 

Proverbs 4:7 (KJV). 

Ways to maintain joy. 

Now may the God of hope fill 

you with all joy and peace in believing, 

that you may abound in 

hope by the power of the Holy 

Spirit, Romans 15: 13 (NKJV). 

Fear can either cause you to become 

paralyzed/frozen, make 

you run/flight or help you fight. 

You may also find yourself transitioning 

through all these stages. 

Sometimes all at once. But 

most often you’ll go in and out of 

each stage. 

Emotionally going up and down 

causes feelings of being out of 

control. This is where understanding 

can be your most powerful 

tool. Understanding and 

identifying which stage you are 

in is the best way to help you 

to overcome fear. But how do 

you get that understanding? You 

pray. 

Pray for understanding. 

Pray for peace of mind. Pray 

for new strength each day. And 

pray some more. Pray when you 

feel overwhelmed. Pray when 

you feel like running instead of 

confronting fear. And pray some 

more. 

Finding scripture on joy is easy. 

All you have to do is google or 

check your Bible’s concordance. 

Its finding moments in a day 

where finding areas that those 

scriptures will apply that’s hard 

when in crisis mode. 

James 1: 2-8: My brethren count 

it all joy when you fall into various 

trials (NKJV)…. 

Take small steps until you can 

leap. It’s more than okay. In addition 

to prayer, go on walks. Look 

around. Examine your surroundings 

they hold valuable keys/ 

information into what survival 

looks like. This alone will help 

you to understand the reason of 

purpose. Be open to opportunities 

to laugh…this is scripture, 

Job 8: 21 (NKJV), He (God) will 

yet fill your mouth with laughter. 

Go to movies with friends, watch 

a sunset, sit back and listen to 

music, sing songs of praise, 

breathe deeply and exhale often. 

Not only will you begin to feel the 

presence of God, but you will 

start to feel safe and protected. 

You’ll notice that your emotions 

are becoming stabilized. Those 

out of control emotions will feel 

calmer. You’ll be empowered 

to find solutions, and strong 

enough to act on them. Before 

you know it that missing joy will 

be found. And it will be real and 

tangible! 

Good for the Soul Confessions 

Speak life to yourself daily. Verbalize 

scriptures and quotes that 

define the level of strength you 

know you’ll need that that day, 

hour or minute. Acknowledge 

the source of your strength. Acknowledge 

the source of your 

help. 

The Lord is my strength and my 

shield; my heart trusted (trusts) 

in him, and I am helped; therefore 

my heart greatly rejoices, 

and with my song I will praise 

him, Psalm 28:7 (NKJV). 

It is the conquering of fear that 

allows joy to be restored. It is the 

understanding of the purpose of 

the crisis that helps to bring back 

our strength. And it is being open 

and honest with God that makes 

way for peace in-the-mind, which 

you’ll need for concentration. 

JOY can never been felt to its 

fullest, or experienced to its utmost 

until it has been experienced 

in God. There is a joy, an 

unspeakable joy that surpasses 


all understanding. When you 

are having a moment and you’re 

not quite feeling your best if you 

were to STOP, BREATHE and 

say ‘BUT GOD,’ joy would most 

certainly start to set in. 

At that point, if you were to take 

another moment and focus on 

that sudden surge of joy, you 

will quickly begin to realize that 

the joy that you have was never 

predicated upon man most 

miserable, ‘But upon God most 

merciful!’ 


Church Helps 

Launch Satellite 

Pregnancy Center 

in D.C. 

BY KATIE FRANKLIN 

Across the country, 

Washington D.C. is 

well known in the prolife 

movement as a 

haven for abortion on-demand. 

Not only does the nation’s capital 

have zero laws regulating or 

restricting abortions, it also uses 

taxpayer dollars to fund them. 

In 2016, Planned Parenthood 

opened a multi-million dollar 

mega center there, drawing national 

attention and outrage over 

both its opulence and its proximity 

to a neighboring elementary 

school. Since its opening, 

the location has hosted lavish 

fundraisers and even an interfaith 

religious ceremony in which 

a number of Christian, Muslim, 

Jewish, Hindu and secular leaders 

“blessed” it. 

One of their goals was to “mobilize...communities 

of different 

faiths” in support of “reproductive 

freedoms.” 

Although without the fanfare or 

controversy of a Planned Parenthood, 

another center will 

soon be opening its doors in 

D.C. too. This spring, Capitol Hill 

Pregnancy Center, located just 

blocks from the Planned Parenthood, 

plans to open a satellite 

location on the city’s southeast 

side. 

The contrast between the two 

is stark: the one a $20 million 

spectacle professing to serve 

low-income women; the other a 

humble home donated by a solitary 

church in one of DC’s most 

troubled areas. The one is made 

to feel like “a combination Apple 

Store, Starbucks, and Anthropologie;” 

the other is lovingly furnished 

by a pastor’s wife. 

Though Planned Parenthood 

pays lip service to mobilizing 

communities of faith, Capitol Hill 

Pregnancy Center owes its new 

location entirely to one community 

of faith that mobilized on its 

behalf. 

A partnership is born 

On Sanctity of Life Sunday 2016, 

a group of members from The 

New Macedonia Baptist Church 

in D.C. gathered to watch the 

documentary Maafa 21. The 

film, produced by Mark Crutcher 

of Life Dynamics Institute, explores 

how Planned Parenthood 


and the broader abortion industry 

have targeted minority 

communities throughout the 

last century. 

Janet Durig, executive director 

of Capitol Hill Pregnancy 

Center, was invited to speak. 

“They invited me to come in 

and talk about our clients, 

and the struggles of our clients, 

and how they could 

help,” said Durig. “They were 

thrilled and touched by the 

work of the Capitol Hill Pregnancy 

Center. And I told them 

there are pregnancy centers 

all over the country, as well. 

And so out of that we gleaned 

some new volunteers, and a 

new church to be connected 

with.” 

Durig’s talk went so well that 

the following year, the church 

invited her back. That year, 

during her talk, she mentioned 

something she and her 

team had been praying about: 

the call to open another center. 

It was something she always 

mentioned at events like 

this in case somebody had a 

space available. 

At a break in the event, Durig 

saw the pastor, Reverend 

Patrick Walker, pull a group 

of people together and speak 

with them. 

“After the break,” she said. 

“He went to the microphone, 

and turned and looked at me 

and said, ‘Janet, I want you 

to know that we have a small 

house right next door to the 

church, and it is empty. And 

I’ve been praying for a while 


asking God what does he want 

done with that.’ And he said, ‘We 

want to offer that to you to have 

your pregnancy center there.’” 

Across the river 

New Macedonia and the adjoining 

house are located in Southeast 

Washington D.C., across 

the river from Capitol Hill. Long 

considered one of the most 

dangerous parts of Washington 

D.C., it is also an area many of 

the center’s clients belong to, as 

well as an area Durig and her 

team had been praying for. 

“That’s a neighborhood that really 

needs a pregnancy center,” 

Durig said. “And we’ve been 

praying and praying for God to 

open up something that we’d 

be able to afford, or something 

that we might be able to use of 

someone else’s for a long time.” 

Although her center draws clients 

from every zip code in D.C., 

Durig is hopeful that the new location 

will be more accessible to 

the many clients they see from 

the southeast side. 

“Even though we get a lot of clients 

from there now, they have 

to take one or two buses to get 

to us,” said Durig. “This will be 

much more convenient for them. 

And I’m assuming, and hoping, 

that we see an increase of clients 

because of the locality--and 

that we’ll see even more clients 

than we’ve seen up to now on a 

yearly basis...that we can help 

even more people.” 

The entire church body 

The new location, called simply 

“The Southeast Pregnancy 

Center,” will be open on Mondays 

and Tuesdays, but Durig 

anticipates opening the center 

for more hours as their clientele 

grows. Currently, Capitol Hill 

Pregnancy Center serves over 

2,000 people annually. Durig 

is hopeful that eventually, The 

Southeast Pregnancy Center 

will see hundreds. 

Pastor Walker assured her, “As 

this ministry grows, we’ll grow 

with you.” 

In February, Pastor Walker led 

supporters in a dedication of the 

new center to God. 

“We at the center made public 

thanks to Pastor Walker and the 

entire church body,” said Durig. 

“Because the entire church body 

has been behind this project to 

the point that even the pastor’s 

wife, Priscella Walker, actually 

she did the decorating. And 

the church paid for the furniture 

that furnished our new pregnancy 

center. So it’s really been a 

wonderful partnership and team 

effort.” 

For Durig, partnerships like this 

have been vital to her center’s 

operations. 

“You can’t do a Christian pregnancy 

center without partnerships,” 

said Durig. “You really 

can’t. You cannot run a pregnancy 

center without good partnerships.” 

Aside from her partnership with 

New Macedonia, she cited a 

number of other area churches 

that host the center’s parenting 

classes, post-abortion ministry 

meetings, and other gatherings. 

“Many, many centers all across 

the country have these kind of 

partnerships,” she said. “It really 

does take this to keep us alive. 

We are just tremendously grateful 

for all the outpouring.” 


IS IT... 

FAITH or 

Foolishness? 

BY CHARLAINE MARTIN 

Along the Maumee River 

south of Toledo, 

Ohio are some very 

expensive homes lining 

the river front. On one side of 

the river occasionally a home will 

disappear, a victim of erosion. 

Yellow caution tape appeared in 

its place. The homes surviving 

erosion are set back farther away 

from the river edge or up on the 

hill across the street also having 

a fantastic view of the river. Why 

did some home succumb to the 

river’s erosive effects and others 


did not? Those that fell were 

not solidly anchored. The home 

owners wanted to be close to 

the scenic river view from their 

back windows. They neglected 

warnings that the flood plain was 

already showing erosion wear 

causing the topsoil to slip out 

from under the structure, known 

as undermining. (Bruner, 1970) 

This is still a problem today. 

Those who were wise stayed 

back from the flood plain where 

the ground was solid. 

This situation is a great visual 

illustration for a parable Jesus 

told. Many of us grew up in 

church learning the song, “The 

Wise Man Built His House 

Upon the Rock.” As adults, 

we’ve read about the wise and 

foolish builders from Matthew 

7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49 in 

our devotions or Sunday School 

lessons. Do we ponder this 

passage when we must make 

an important decision? Our faith 

can be undermined by building 

our proverbial house on the 

sand, ready to collapse at the 

slightest gusts from life. Making 

wise decisions requires us to 

know the character of God while 

recognizing His voice through 

His Word, the Holy Spirit, and 

other Christians. 

Living Contrasts 

All we have to do is look at 

headlines in the news to see 

the results of foolish living: Hulk 

Hogan had sex with someone 

else’s wife then discovered it was 

on video posted on the internet 

(Hogan, 2014). His shameful 

act was exposed to the world. 

Following Joseph’s example 

from Genesis could have helped 

him avoid such an embarrassing 

revelation. 

What about a godly elderly 

couple celebrating their 50th 

wedding anniversary? It might 

appear in feel-good posts on 

Facebook but rarely does it 

get a prominent spot in the 

news. 

The lead pastor of the Seoul 

Korean mega church, the Yoido 

Full Gospel Church, embezzled 

$12 million in 2014 

from funds belonging to the 

church. Although he did not 

go to prison, he was required to 

pay a $4.7 million in fines (Reed, 

2014). It was reported that his 

son was probably part of the 

reason for the pastor’s disgrace. 

This Christian leader caved to 

temptation by making a foolish 

choice rather follow God’s 

command to not steal outlined 

in Leviticus 19:11. 

But what about a Christian corporate 

leader who built up his 

company by saving millions 

of dollars through avoiding a 

bad deal? Rarely do we see 

such ethical business practices 

held up in high esteem. People 

love a juicy morsel of sinful 

living to devour. Foolish living 

draws unsavory attention. It undermines 

the security of one’s 

life. 

Living Examples of Rock Solid 

Living 

Living this life in a world that 

operates contrary to God’s 

Word is very challenging. Men 

and women of faith face such 

challenges through prayer, 

Bible study, and trusting God 

for the results. Such people are 

wonderful role models for us. 

There are many examples 

of Christians who have 

led an exemplary life. One 

ordinary Christian man, an 

executive director of a YMCA 

in Northeastern Ohio, sets an 

example for those who know 

him. Jim was unusual for his position 

because he rarely wore a 

suit and tie for his workday unless 

he had a special meeting 

that required one. His mode of 

dress was athletic wear. He was 

frequently seen putting toilet 

paper in the restroom, cleaning 

up spills, shovelling snow, 

and stocking the pop machines. 

When he needed to ask questions 

from one of the class 

instructors, he either waited 

until the instructor was finished 

with class or he did the exercise 

movements as he spoke with 

them. He was also known to 

help with children’s swim lessons 

or basketball league when 

there were not enough instructor’s 

available. His extraordinary 

example helped young adults 

advance into leadership. He was 

unusual because he lived faithfully 

to the Lord, not caving to 

the power and control of leadership 

nor taking advantage of 

the people under his care. 

Not all decisions Christians 

make have an ethical or moral 

basis. In fact, acting on faith goes 

against conventional wisdom 

with amazing outcomes. What 

the world, or even many other 

Christians would normally do 

given unusual circumstances, is 


not always the way God wants 

to us live. He acts in response to 

our faith. We can learn so much 

from faithful Christians we know. 

Carmen Liccardello, known simply 

as “Carmen” in the Christian 

music world, has a different 

story of living by rock solid 

faith versus foolish living. He 

is well-known for his Addicted 

to Jesus album released in 

1993, among many others that 

topped Christian music charts. 

In February of 2013, Carmen 

announced officially and on 

Facebook he was diagnosed 

with multiple myeloma, a cancer 

that attacks the bone marrow. 

He was given three to four 

years to live. Carmen endured 

very aggressive chemotherapy 

treatments and bone marrow 

transplants. Instead of getting 

his affairs in order, and planning 

to die, he chose to follow 

the Lord’s call on his life by 

continuing to minister through 

music. 

God was not done with him. 

He was still supposed to reach 

people for Jesus through the 

amazing concerts he has long 

been known for. He kicked of 

a Kickstarter campaign in March 

of 2013 to raise funds for his 

“No Plan B” tour. 

As a result of Carmen’s faithful 

obedience to the Lord, he has 

been declared “cancer free” by 

his doctors. Carmen continues 

to minister through his music today 

(Carment (singer), 2016) 

(Menzie, 2015)” 

Godly Parenting Sets A Foundation 

of Wisdom 

If you were blessed with Christian 

parents, you already have 

a fantastic foundation of faith. 

They have invested years of 

building that foundation by being 

an example of how to live 

wisely. They have also taught 

you what God’s word says about 

a number of topics for daily life. 

Mom and Dad have prayed over 

you and with you more often 

than you can count. Thinking of 

what they have already taught 

you gives you an edge in life 

(Proverbs 1:8). 

However, it is no guarantee you 

will always do what you learned. 

There seems to be a bit of rebel 

in us that makes us not want 

to do what they said. It’s easy to 

cave into our rebellious nature. 

That path leads to destruction 

(Proverbs 14:12, Matthew 7:13). 

It is important to follow the instruction 

of wise, godly parents. 

There are many of us who grew 

up in non-Christian homes, 

though. We have several examples 

of how not to live. The difficulty 

is learning what God 

says about certain situations 

and figuring out how apply it 

to our life situations so we can 

begin doing the right thing. 

Our family members who are 

lost will likely to poke fun at us 

for living by faith because “the 

message of the cross is foolishness 

to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved it 

is the power of God. “ (1 Corinthians 

1:18 NIV) 

They know what buttons to push. 

It is tempting to cave in to keep 

peace in the family, but at what 

cost? There are plenty of godly 

people whose example will help 

us live a life of faith. 

We are also building a foundation 

for our children, then later our 

grandchildren. We want to help 

them have the valuable wisdom 

for living by faith when they 

become adults. They watch us, 

learn from us, and eventually 

imitate us. When we make 

mistakes, it’s important for them 

to know we messed up, why 

it was wrong, and what we 

are doing to make things right. 

Let us set the right example for 

them now. 

As believers in Christ, we belong 

to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus. 

Jesus said, “My sheep listen 

to my voice; I know them, and 

they follow me.” (John 10:27). To 

those who are evil, He says, “But 

you do not believe, because you 

are not of My sheep, as I said to 

you. My sheep hear My voice, 

and I know them, and they follow 

Me. And I give them eternal life, 

and they shall never perish; 

neither shall anyone snatch them 

out of My hand” (John 10:26-28). 

It takes time to get to know our 

Lord’s voice, but once we do, we 

will never forget. Our decisions 

which are made by faith will not 

always be popular, but they will 

be right. We will often find ourselves 

walking alone on a narrow 

path (Matthew 7:13-14). 

Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone 

that sets our house straight 

when we follow Him in His 

teaching. We can be sure God 

will never lead us wrong. Our 

house will be set properly upon 

the Rock, our firm foundation. 

Although the storms of life come, 

we will stand strong. 


7 Principles for Living by Faith 

1. What does God have to say 

about our issue or dilemma? 

Doing a daily dig into the 

Bible for nuggets of wisdom is 

the best way to start our day 

(Psalm119:115). We often skim 

the surface for tidbits of comfort 

instead of mining deep for the 

wealth of truth contained inside. 

It is not always comfortable, yet 

it is very important. When we 

need to find something particular 

in the Bible, it will bring light into 

the situation. 

2. God does not contradict 

Himself. If you want to do 

something, but it goes against 

God’s Word, then it would be 

foolish to continue that direction. 

The timeless principles you 

have learned from your Bible 

study and devotional time you 

can confidently put into practice 

(2 Timothy 2:15,19, Proverbs 

3:5-6). You can trust God’s 

instruction. 

3. Look to godly role models 

and consider the outcome of 

their decisions (1 Corinthians 

11:1). Examine the lives of 

Bible greats for examples of 

wise living, remembering they 

were not perfect. What are they 

commended for? What were the 

results of their sinful areas of 

living? Find a mentor who loves 

the Lord and lives out God’s 

Word daily. How is God blessing 

him or her? What are they doing 

that is seen as wise by other 

Christians? What are the results 

of their faithful obedience? 

4. Pray about important decisions 

(Philippians 4:6). Making 

hasty, rash decisions without 

thought and prayer will result 

in disaster every time. Joshua 

made this mistake by entering 

into a treaty with the 

Gibeonites who fooled him into 

believing they had travelled in 

from far away (Joshua 9) Listen 

for the still small voice of 

the Holy Spirit on your issue (1 

Kings 19:11-13). 

5. Learn from past mistakes 

(James 1:21-25). What were 

the results of going against 

wise counsel? According to 

one Christian Ethics professor 

at a Christian college, “If 

your decisions were published in 

the news, would you be embarrassed 

and ashamed for your 

friends and family to read about 

it? 

6. Compare the lives of Christians 

versus non-Christians 

dealing with similar issues 

(Psalm 1). Watch those in the 

news who are doing well compared 

to the lives of those who 

are not. Note the differences to 

find out what each one did and 

the outcome of such decisions. 

7. Remember to set the right 

example for the next generation. 

Be careful to avoid setting up a 

stumbling block for your children 

and their friends (Matthew 18:6). 

Often times, we can see our 

behavior and words mirrored 

by them. When we see or hear 

something undesirable, it’s time 

to make a personal assessment 

and change course (Romans 

12:3). Also, let them know 

when God has blessed you in a 

decision so they learn how God 

works in our time. 



The Riot And T 

Interview 


he Dance 

with Dr. Gordon Wilson 

BY SHARON JOHNSON 

Evolution or Creation? 

Which one do you believe 

in? Is it possible 

to be a scientist and 

still believe in Creation? Well, 

to help us answer that question, 

I am pleased to introduce 

you to Dr. Gordon Wilson, a 

Senior Fellow of Natural History 

at New Saint Andrews College 

and a regular contributor 

at Answers in Genesis. Dr. 

Wilson is a biologist who believes 

in the Creation, and if 

you’ve never heard of those 

two things being combined, 

then you’ll want to join me for 

this exciting interview in which 

we’ll learn not only about his 

work, but about a wonderful 

documentary called “The Riot 

and the Dance” which is all 

about God’s magnificent creation. 

Can you tell me a little bit 

about your own personal 

walk with God and about 

what inspired you to get involved 

with the film “The Riot 

and the Dance?” 

Well, I grew up in a very strong 

Christian home in Annapolis, 

Maryland. My mom was a former 

missionary and my dad 

was a naval officer who became 

an evangelist after he left 

the Navy. They were both very 

committed Christians 24/7. We 

had a wonderful home where 

the word of God was lived out 

every day. Of course, when you 

grow up in a Christian home, 

you sometimes wonder what 

the world’s doing. There were 

temptations, but when I saw the 

fruit of the world, and the contrast 

with how I was raised, I 

never felt like rebelling. Everybody 

sins, but there was never 

a time when any of the four of 

us children were done with the 

faith. 

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve 

been interested in living things. 

God just put that in me. There 


69

was no real exposure to biology 

other than just being in the outdoors. 

Even though I didn’t know the 

word biology, when I got old 

enough, I knew I was going to 

be in this field. I just remember 

when I was a little kid, my brother 

bringing home a box turtle and I 

was just enthralled. Those box 

turtles had a formative impact on 

me. 

Throughout high school and college, 

I sometimes daydreamed 

of being on the Jacques Cousteau 

ship, of being this intrepid 

marine biologist, but then I realized 

that everything I learned I 

wanted to teach. I went to grad 

school and eventually became a 

professor. So, I didn’t have a 

goal to do this nature documentary. 

My nephew, best-selling 

author N.D. Wilson, was approached 

about doing a nature 

documentary from a Christian 

point of view. He agreed and 

asked me to be the narrator. So 

we started filming 3 years ago 

this summer and it’s been a wonderful 

ride. 

Explain the title of the film. 

It came from the title of my text 

book that I wrote a few years 

ago. I called it “The Riot and the 

Dance” and although the title is 

mysterious to people, I do explain 

it in the introduction. Because 

I’m a Christian, a Creationist, 

the “riot” refers to the riotous aspect 

of life where we see that the 

perfect creation was subjected 

to futility. As it says in Romans 

“all creation groans.” Death and 

decay were introduced into creation 

with Adam’s sin, and so 

you have all sorts of things out 

there in nature. As the “riot,” the 

world is eroding and longing to 

be liberated from its bondage to 

corruption. We are also groaning. 

We are longing for resurrected 

bodies. We, someday, 

will have wonderful bodies that 

won’t fall apart, that won’t decay, 

and that goes for the animal 

world as well. So that’s the “riot.” 

The “dance” refers to the uncorrupted 

aspect of creation. You 

still see all of the design. It says 

in Romans 1 that God’s divine 

nature is clearly seen from what 

has been made. Through all this 

“riot,” you still have wonderful, 

dynamic designs in form and 

function from the molecular level 

to the ecosystem level (like choreographed 

dances) which shine 

through very loud and clear. 

I read that you were once told 

early in your biology career 

that you would never be successful 

if you kept believing in 

a Creator or if you kept babbling 

about the Creator-Creature 

“nonsense.” How are 

your views about creation different 

from that of traditional 

scientific views or even different 

from regular Christian 

views? 

That’s a paraphrase of the actual 

note that I received from one 

of my professors in graduate 

school. Basically, the note said 

that you’ll never be able to call 

yourself a biologist if you continue 

to hold the views about evolution 

that you have demonstrated. 

My professor thought I was 

deluded because I believed in 

the Creation. 

Evolution isn’t considered a side 

show in biology. In secular biology, 

evolution is a central guiding 

theme and to deny evolution or 

to deny common ancestry of all 

organisms through totally natural 

processes is tantamount to a 

Christian saying I don’t believe 

in the Trinity. It’s central, it’s 

super-central. And so, if I call 

myself a biologist, to them I’m a 

heretic. I believe the Bible. I believe 

that God created all the various 

kinds of living things. That’s 

what it says in Genesis. Things 

were created distinct from each 

other. So that’s how I differ from 

the secular view. I also differ 

from a lot of Christians who have 

adopted a compromised position 

which says that God used 

evolution. They don’t want to go 

against the grain or against the 

flow of the scientific consensus, 

so they say let’s keep our Bible 

and our evolution too. I just 

think those two world views are 

not compatible. I really think you 

have to blur your eyes to the text 

of Genesis to try to incorporate 

an evolutionary world view. 

You say to get to know God 

you have to look at not only 

everything He wrote, but everything 

he made. How or 

why is nature essential to our 

walk with Christ? 

I use the analogy of Michelangelo 

in the movie. If you want 

to know Michelangelo, you study 

everything he’s made, his sculptures, 

his paintings. If he wrote 

anything, you read that. We 

should want to have full access 

into everything we can get that 

tells us more about God. When 

I study plants or animals, I am 

directly seeing the handiwork of 

God. And it’s wonderful because 

I’m getting insight into who God 

is. The Bible tells me his moral 

character, but I can also see his 


creative character. 

I am sure that you have some 

great footage. Is there a favorite 

you have of God’s masterpieces? 

Where did you film? 

I did my PhD on the Eastern Box 

Turtle. I really like that turtle for 

nostalgic reasons as well as scientific 

reasons. There are some 

incredible creatures. The Leafy 

Sea Dragon is one of those over 

the top, bizarre fish in the sea 

horse family. It’s on the south 

coast of Australia. It’s just a 

wonderful fish that is elegant, 

beautiful, bizarre, complicated. I 

like to showcase things that are 

often overlooked. In the movie, I 

really like the Green Vine Snake 

of Sri Lanka. It is a bizarre yet 

beautiful snake. I do like the normal 

animals that everybody else 

likes, the cute and fuzzy. It’s not 

like I only go for the bizarre and 

weird. We filmed in various places 

like Arizona, California, Yellowstone, 

North Idaho, Oregon 

coast, and Sri Lanka. 

What’s next for you? 

I still have my day job as a professor, 

but I want to be available 

to go off on more filming adventures 

wherever they may be. 

Well, there you have it. All I can 

say is wow! How fascinating our 

world is. And oh, how much we 

can learn about God by studying 

His creation. 

“The Riot and the Dance” was in 

theaters for a limited viewing in 

March and April of 2018. It has 

not yet been released via other 

outlets, but Dr. Wilson suggests 

that you visit the website and 

sign up to receive the newsletter, 

which will help keep you updated 

as to when will be the planned 

release of part 1 on DVD and via 

streaming video, as well as on 

the release of part 2, which will 

begin production in Spring 2019. 

Thank you, Dr. Wilson for providing 

your insight into this great 

topic, and thank you to Lori 

Heiselman, of Collide Media 

Group, for coordinating this interview. 

To learn more visit, http:// 

riotandthedance.com, or https:// 

www.facebook.com/riotandthedance/. 


WHY YOU NEED A 

Prayer Journal? 

BY RANDY WILLIAMS 

Sifting through an old 

box as I unpacked into 

my new office, I lifted 

a handful of paperback 

workbooks and begin to thumb 

through them. Prayer journals. 

I’d entered the Scripture reference 

that I had randomly chosen 

and in the blank space under the 

heading, What God Said to Me, 

I’d written a paragraph or two 

reflecting on what I understood 

from the passage that I had read 

that day. 

Looking back on what I had written, 

I was amazed by the revelation 

that I had received from 

God. I was able to meditate further 

on the Word, and I was silently 

thankful for what God had 

imparted into my life. 

The next heading, What I Said to 

God, gave me the opportunity in 

the next couple of paragraphs to 

write what I had reflected on as 

a result of the reading, and the 

previous reflection. I had started 

this practice while taking a 

discipleship course in seminary 

twenty-five years ago. I was curious 

a first; then, amused as 

I read how the Holy Spirit had 

stirred my soul so many long 

years ago. 

As I read I choked up a bit after 

considering the spiritual dry spell 

I had recently been in. Such 

maturity was shown, a vibrant 

spiritual life that I had forgotten 

about. Lively conversations with 

God lived again as if the first 

time. Then, a somber realization 

fell over me again as a Scripture 

came to mind, 

“And the people of Israel did not 

remember the LORD their God, 

who had delivered them from the 

hand of all their enemies…” 

Judges 8:34. God initiated the 

a practice of erecting memorials 

and establishing rituals in 

the Old Testament to remind His 

people so they didn’t forget—we 

are still prone to forget. 

Why not keep a record of your 

spiritual journal? A reminder of 

what God has done. My soul 

was blessed as I read and con- 


victed at the same time as I sifted 

through the box. There were 

journals 10 years later, 15 years 

later, etc. I realized how sporadic 

my journaling had been. Why 

had I stopped? I didn’t know. 

Had I reasoned it was too legalistic? 

Too mundane? Took up too 

much time? Yes. Probably all of 

those, but one thing for sure, it 

was lifting me out of my dry spell 

and leading me to repentance as 

I realized it wasn’t just the journaling 

I’d neglected—it was the 

time alone with God. 

A prayer journal is a wonderful 

way to keep a record of what 

God had done, miracles that you 

have witnessed, and things that 

you are thankful for. If you are 

going through a dry spell, you 

feel like God is far from you, or 

are wondering if God even cares, 

you can go back into the journals 

and instantly feel God’s love. 

Prayer journals act as a wonderful 

reminder of God’s goodness 

in times when we forget just how 

good a Father He really is! 

You don’t have to be a writer 

to keep a journal. Journaling is 

where you can enjoy being you 

and not worry about your grammar, 

spelling, punctuation and 

the like (although, it does making 

reading it years later easier). 

Many people find that writing is a 

release that often surprises them 

and gives them clarity. There aren’t 

many rules in journaling. You 

can make up your own format if 

your like to be free of boundaries, 

or follow some established 

formats that abound in a Google 

search. 

I’m going to go on a limb here 

and recommend an ink and paper 

journal. I’ve written electronically 

for years, but the journal 

has proven to be better mentally 

and there’s a written record for 

the generations to follow. 

Two of my most treasured earthly 

possessions are my grandma’s 

Bible, and my dad’s Bible. 

Both wrote notes in the margin. 

My grandma’s has the date she 

heard a sermon preached from 

it, the preacher’s name, and outline/insights, 

a form of journaling. 

Having a format to follow, no 

matter how informal, keeps you 

on track and helps focus you 

spiritual journey on God, and not 

yourself. Imagine if I use a format 

that starts with a Scripture 

passage, followed by what God 

said to me, the focus is on God. 

Consequently, what I say to God 

is going to deal with God and my 

response to Him. 

On the other hand, what if my 

journal is just a notebook on 

my feelings? What if I just write 

about how stressful the day has 

been and how good/bad I’m feeling. 

My prayer would likely be a 

woe is me format. 

Instead, the journal helps you 

learn more about yourself. You 

will discover, or rediscover, yourself. 

You will become friends with 

yourself. You will know instantly 

what God would have you do in 

any given situation because the 

Holy Spirit will be leading your 

thoughts and reactions. You will 

develop discernment and watch 

worry fade away. 


How Is God’s Chastening 

Really Love? 

BY CLARISSA LEE-KENNERLY 

Let’s be real...no one likes 

to be corrected. No one 

like to be disciplined. 

We like to think that we 

are doing the right the things and 

thinking the right thoughts. Even 

if we know in our heart of hearts 

that it is not something that we 

should be doing, we will reason 

with ourselves to the point 

of making it right. If everyone 

reasons with themselves to the 

point that every negative thought 

or action is correct, then how do 

we have a sense of what is actually 

right or wrong? 

Even though the Bible gives us 

clear guidelines of what is right 

and wrong, we change it to fit our 

needs. Reminds me of when the 

serpent tempts Eve in the Garden 

of Eden in Genesis 3. Eve 

tells the serpent in verse 3 that 

God told them that they should 

not eat from the tree that is in 

midst of the garden or they will 

die. 

The serpent in turn tells Eve in 

verse 4 that they shall not surely 

die. He goes on to say that God 

knows if they eat of that tree that 


sent? We would have said to 

ourselves, hmmm….God gave 

Adam and Eve, the first man and 

woman a command and they did 

not follow it. They reasoned that 

it was okay to disobey him and 

they received no punishment, no 

discipline. That would mean that 

although the Lord gave us commandments 

through the Bible, 

and gives us commandments 

through his Holy Spirit, that we 

do not have to listen. That it is 

perfectly okay as long as we 

have good reasons to disobey 

him. If we have good reasons to 

disobey him, then we will be fine. 

Imagine a world founded on that 

principle. God gives us rules 

and has expectations of our behavior 

and we read it or hear it. 

We acknowledge it, and then 

reason whether or not that is the 

right thing for us. What would be 

the point of Him giving us commands 

at all? Imagine raising 

your children that way? Telling 

them what is right and what is 

wrong but ultimately giving them 

the final say with no consequences. 

For instance, you tell your 

child, you should go to school 

and do your best but ultimately 

it’s up to you. How many elementary 

school drop outs would 

we have? At such a young age, 

they would not even understand 

their eyes will be opened and 

will be as gods, knowing good 

and evil. Eve then reasons. You 

see the Lord already told her 

what was right, that they should 

not eat of that tree. He doesn’t 

have to give her a reason. The 

point is that he said it, and she 

was to be obedient. But she reasoned. 

In verse 6 she sees that 

it is good for food, it is pleasant 

to her eyes, and she wanted to 

be wise, so she ate it and gave it 

to her husband to eat. And even 

though they tried to explain their 

reasoning and place the blame 

elsewhere they were still disciplined 

for being disobedient. 

Now imagine if they had not 

been disciplined. What kind 

of message would that have 


their decision. They would just 

do it because that is what they 

wanted to do at the time. Not 

understanding the value that 

education has on their lives. 

We would live in a world where 

people could not read, write, understand 

math, science or history. 

How would we function? Or 

what about telling a child that 

could not swim not to get in a 

pool that was too deep for them? 

If they got in the pool and there 

was not discipline, then the child 

would get in the pool and drown. 

There are so many other circumstances 

and situations that call 

for discipline when a child disobeys. 

Why? Because we have 

been there and done that. We 

know that the end result is going 

to be. And we love them. Because 

of that love that we have 

for them, we punish, correct, and 

discipline them so that they will 

not make that mistake again. 

A child, a teenager, and young 

adults do not have the same 

minds that we as adults have. 

They are not fully developed and 

mature, therefore they depend 

on those of us who are wiser to 

show them the right way and to 

discipline their efforts if need be 

or they will not live to become 

mature adults and if they do then 

they will not have the tools to 

function as an adult in a way that 

will afford them a good life. And 

I am just talking about humans 

disciplining other humans. 

Imagine when talking about an 

all-knowing God, discipling his 

children. How much more do we 

need the correction from God 

who has infinite wisdom and 

power? 

Hebrews 12: 5-11 talks about Jesus 

being our example for how 

to live. It starts by talking to us 

about persisting and running this 

race with endurance and focusing 

our eyes on Jesus and not 

being distracted. In verse 5 it 

begins to discuss the discipline 

of the Lord. It says in the amplified 

“...My son, do not make light of 

the discipline of the Lord, and do 

not lose heart and give up when 

you are corrected by Him; For 

the Lord disciplines and corrects 

those whom He loves, and He 

punishes every son whom He 

receives and welcomes (to His 

heart). You must submit to (correction 

for the purpose of) discipline; 

God is dealing with you as 

with sons; for what son is there 

whom his father does not discipline. 

Now if you are exempt from 

correction and without discipline, 

in which all (of God’s children) 

share, then you are illegitimate 

children and not sons (at all). 

Moreover, we have had earthly 

fathers who disciplined us, and 

we submitted and respected 

them (for training us); shall we 

not much more willingly submit 

to the Father of spirits, and live 

(by learning from His discipline)? 

For our earthly fathers disciplined 

us for only a short time 

as seemed best to them; but He 

disciplines us for our good, so 

that we may share His holiness. 

For the time being no discipline 

brings joy, but seems sad and 

painful; yet to those who have 

been trained by it, afterwards it 

yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness 

(right standing with 

God and a lifestyle and attitude 

that seeks conformity to God’s 

will and purpose).” 

Wow!! This is enough to make 

anyone realize how important it 

is to be disciplined by the Lord! 

The first point that I would like to 

point out is at the very beginning 

when we are warned to not make 

light of the Lord’s discipline and 

to not give up or lose heart when 

we are corrected by him! 

He corrects us for a reason and 

verse 6 tells us that it is because 

He loves us!! The same reason 

that we discipline our own children. 

Furthermore, he tells us 

in the same verse that we are 

not alone in our discipline. It 

says that he punishes EVERY 

son whom He receives and welcomes 

into His heart. Why? 

Because according to Psalm 

51:5 we were shaped in iniquity. 

Meaning that we are all born 

sinners and need God’s correction. 

We are all going to mess 

up and need Him to guide us on 

our way. 

Now, we all have free will but Hebrews 

12:8 tells us that if we are 

never disciplined, never corrected 

then we are not His children. 

Being corrected by the Lord is a 

sure way to know that we belong 

to Him! And if you have never 

been corrected by Him, then 

read more of His word, listen to 

the Holy Spirit, in prayer time 

listen to the still small voice and 

rededicate your life to Him trying 

to keep His ways and you will be 

corrected. But count it all joy!! 

Know that he loves you, wants 

what is best for you, and that you 

are indeed His child! 

He goes on in verse 9 to remind 

us of how we are disciplined by 

our parents and how we submitted 

them and respected them for 


training us so how much more 

shall we respect and submit to 

God! Our God who is in infallible! 

We submit to man who is 

fallible! How much more should 

we submit to God? Verse 10 

tells us that He disciplines us for 

our good so that we may share 

His holiness!! So if we want to 

be holy, then we need to submit 

to his correction! Verse 11 tells 

us that it does not feel good. No 

discipline does, but it does yield 

right standing with God and a 

lifestyle and attitude that seeks 

conformity to God’s will and purpose. 

You want to know the will 

that God has for your life...submit 

to his correction and your life 

and attitude will conform to His 

will and purpose for your life!! 

Accepting correction in general is 

never easy but the benefits outweigh 

the temporary moments of 

pride and rebellion. Overcome 

those things by remembering 

that Lord disciplines because He 

loves us, wants what is best for 

us, that it is the path to holiness 

and righteousness and that you 

are His child. 

Clarissa Lee-Kennerly is the author 

of My Husband’s Not Saved 

and the young adult novel The 

Kennedy Chronicles: Losing 

Rylie. Both of these books are 

available on amazon.com, booksamillion.com, 

and borders.com. 

She can be contacted at clarissaleekennerly@gmail.com. 


78 www.faithfilledfamily.com February July 2018

Hear God... 

(No Mattress Required!) 

BY KRISTI BRIDGES 

Some parts are excerpted from 

“Wisdom – Better than Wishing”, 

Permission granted to Faith 

Filled Family Magazine for reprint. 

“STOP!” 

My friend’s foot hit 

the brake, just in 

time to miss a mattress 

which came 

flying through the air. She was 

driving alone. She hasn’t heard 

God’s audible voice since, but 

mattresses don’t fly every day. 

Does God really speak to people? 

Your ears may not hear Him, but 

God speaks. We can tune our 

spirits to recognize His direction. 

One night when I was 20, 

I stayed up until 5:30 am, determined 

to make God talk. Inspired 

by Moses, I begged the King of 

the Universe to show Himself. At 

last, I gave up and went to bed. 

I still didn’t know how He looked 

or sounded, but I had peace. 

Jesus promised in Matthew 5:8 

NIV, “Blessed are the pure in 

heart, for they shall see God.” 

In the years since that night, 

I’ve come to know when God 

is talking. I’ve learned to move 

when He’s leading and wait 

when He’s saying, “Stay.” At 20, 

it frustrated me when nobody 

could explain how to hear God. 

“You just know in your spirit,” 

they would say. “You have to be 

quiet and push everything out 

of your mind.” If I pushed everything 

out of my mind, wouldn’t I 

be pushing out God’s voice as 

well? Today, I understand what 

they were trying to say. It is 

easier to know what God wants 

when we aren’t obsessing about 

our own desires. It is easier to 

trust and obey when we aren’t 

entertaining worst case scenarios. 

Sometimes what we hear is 

surprising, like the time He told 

me to cancel my college application. 

In December of 2014, I applied 

for college to finish my degree. 

I’d been praying for guidance 

without much response, and the 

Instructional Design program 

seemed interesting enough. 

The moment I submitted my application, 

my heart broke. The 

dreamer inside me cried, “Why 

are you abandoning me?” I said, 

“What? Don’t be silly. This is a 

good thing.” But I began praying 

for clarity. The week before 

class began, my doorbell rang. 

It was a business coach I’d recently 

met wanted to help me 

create a conference. Two years 


79

prior, I had told someone, “I’d 

like to be speaking in a couple 

of years.” I didn’t have a clue 

where to begin. I certainly never 

dreamed I could create my 

own conference. That night, Kim 

stood in my driveway describing 

the conference-building process 

and awakening my dream. 

I was jumping up and down on 

the inside, but I remained calm. 

I didn’t want to make a decision 

based solely on my desires. That 

gets messy. 

First thing in the morning, I 

reached out to my prayer partners. 

Two of them called immediately 

to talk and pray. I took 

the day off and drove toward my 

usual hiking spot. Walking in the 

wild helps me connect with God, 

because I can see the way He 

designs things. 

His principles are different from 

ours. We strive for one ideal look 

or moment, but nature displays 

beauty and impact during every 

stage of life. 

On the way to Mary Oxley Nature 

Center, the word “Cultivate” 

rose up in my mind. When you’re 

trying to hear God, it’s important 

to respond to unusual prompts. 

Test them out. I prayed about 

that word and turned the car toward 

Woodward Park, a manicured 

garden in the center of 

town. 

As I walked through the rose garden, 

past the koi pond and into 

the vegetable garden, ideas for 

the conference theme and presentation 

filled my mind. Soon, I 

had an outline of exactly what I 

would say, and how this conference 

could help those who attended. 

As I turned back toward 

the rose garden, I looked down 

at the steps. Written in chalk 

were the words, “I will love you 

every step of the way.” I took 

a picture and had it printed on 

a laptop case, so I can see my 

Heavenly Daddy’s love note every 

time I write. 

The Rose in Bloom conference 

was small but wonderful. Instead 

of devoting my next three 

years of free time to schoolwork, 

I wrote a devotional book and 

journal, began a daily video series 

and launched a course to 

help others write devotionals. 

God dreams bigger than we do. 

Did I miss out on a career boost? 

Nope. My boss gives me opportunities 

to learn instructional design 

on the job. 

Isaiah 50:10b NIV Let the one 

who walks in the dark, who has 

no light, trust in the name of the 

Lord and rely on their God. 

Have I ever misunderstood 

God? Certainly. I’ve also messed 

things up by moving too fast, taking 

the wheel instead of letting 

Him drive. I’ve missed opportunities 

when I’ve heard Him and 

failed to follow through. I trust 

Him to work everything out (Romans 

8:28) and accomplish His 

purpose in me (Philippians 2:13), 

because I’m still learning, and I 

know He loves me. Mistakes can 

hurt though, so I prefer to check 

my understanding and obey. 

Think about it: 

When you feel inspired, do you 

ask wise Christians to pray for 

you? It’s smart to pray with faithfilled 

Christians whose lives display 

God’s power. 

Why doesn’t God speak clearly? 

If our Omnipotent Father wants 

to speak to us, why doesn’t He 

speak more clearly? A simple, 

“Hey Kristi, let me tell you what 

the stock market’s going to do 

next week,” would do. First, God 

wouldn’t be caught doing Insider 

Trading. Second, think about 

this: 1,971 years after the date 

we call Christ’s birthday, scientists 

discovered things called 

Place Cells; tiny cells in the 

brain which mark your location. 

44 years later we discovered 

grid cells, head direction cells, 

and a range of others which get 

you from the couch to the kitchen. 

If your head is spinning, then 

you can believe a clever Engineer 

designed this stuff. We take 

forever to figure out one thing 

God made. Even though we feel 

grown up, we are toddlers learning 

to understand an adult. 

It’s humbling and a bit uncomfortable 

to look at ourselves in 

that light but give it a second. We 

aren’t stupid or incompetent. We 

are just learning the language, 

stepping into new concepts God 

fully grasps. We’re bound to 

misunderstand Him sometimes. 

It doesn’t mean He’s not talking, 

and it doesn’t mean we are better 

off on our own, living out our 

days as toddlers. 

Where do I start? 

First, listen. 

Isaiah 30 NIV puts it this way: 

“15In repentance and rest is your 

salvation, in quietness and trust 

is your strength… 21 Whether 

you turn to the right or to the 


left, your ears will hear a voice 

behind you, saying, “This is the 

way; walk in it.” 

We can tune our spirits by 

spending time each day away 

from busy-ness, giving our attention 

to Him. Focusing on Someone 

you don’t yet know very 

well, who is invisible, can be a 

challenge. Start your daily connection 

time by praying, “Lord, 

forgive me of my sins. Open my 

eyes to see what You’re trying to 

show me.” Then read the Bible 

and follow up with worship and 

prayer. If you have a hard time 

sitting and praying, try journaling 

your prayer or taking a walk. 

Push outside thoughts gently 

away and think about what 

you’ve read and what you see 

around you. Throughout the day, 

look up and say hi. He’s always 

there. 

What does God sound like? 

Just be quiet and listen to your 

heart—is that all? Although “Listen 

to Your Heart” was a sweet 

‘80s song, the heart goes astray. 

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV says, “The 

heart is deceitful above all things 

and beyond cure.” We can follow 

God for years and suddenly 

find our lives upside down with 

wounded people all around, 

when our hearts drive us to 

make decisions out of line with 

scripture. To know when God 

is speaking, we must become 

familiar with the types of things 

He’s likely to say. Proverbs is 

a wonderful place to start. The 

gospels are also terrific. Our genius 

Creator may do new things 

with you, but He is not going to 

contradict what He’s already 

said. 

Richard and I had a very rocky 

marriage for the first 10 years. 

We had gotten together right after 

my first husband left. Neither 

of us were in the right state of 

mind to hear God. Romans 8:28 

tells us God works everything 

out for the good of those who 

love Him, but when we give Him 

a mess, that work can be painful. 

After struggling for years, I ran 

out of love. Richard moved out 

in shock, but I just felt empty. I 

filed for divorce and began planning 

my future. At church, one of 

my friends said, “I’m praying for 

you. I know it’s been hard, but 

you listen to God. If this is what 

He is telling you to do, then we’ll 

support you.” If this is what He is 

telling you…The words echoed 

in my ears for weeks. 

The day before I was to appear 

in court and finalize the divorce, 

I went for a run. Standing at the 

water’s edge afterward, my heart 

wanted to sink into the depths 

between the lily pads. How could 

I say the God of unconditional 

love was telling me to throw 

away the man who loved me? 

At another point in our marriage, 

I might have been justified, but 

not this time. I knew my actions 

defied the Bible. 

As I stood there, he texted, “I’ll 

get my things tomorrow.” 

I picked up my phone and called 

him. We talked for two hours. I 

couldn’t bring myself to hang up. 

I showered and drove from Tulsa 

to Springfield to see him. Today, 

our marriage is incredible. Following 

my heart, I nearly forfeited 

the happiness we have now. 

Instead, I obeyed God when I 

honestly didn’t want to. I trust 

Him. Our Creator is the only one 

who knows how to build a truly 

abundant life. 

Proverbs 2 NKJV 6For the Lord 

gives wisdom; from His mouth 

come knowledge and understanding; 

7He stores up sound 

wisdom for the upright; He is a 

shield to those who walk uprightly; 

8He guards the paths of justice, 

and preserves the way of 

His saints. 


Would you like to trust God completely? 

Would you like to trust 

yourself? Study the Bible, look 

up the answers to your questions. 

Memorize key verses and 

make righteous living as automatic 

as you can. The Holy Spirit 

will help you, when the way is 

unclear. 

Prayer makes us ready. 

When you pray, God isn’t the 

only one listening. Some people 

think we should handle everything 

ourselves, and take only 

the “big stuff,” like cancer, to the 

Ruler of heaven and earth. After 

all, He’s omniscient. If He knows 

everything, we shouldn’t babble 

on about our little lives. 

God knows what we are thinking, 

but communicating our thoughts 

is an act of relationship. Our 

arms are shorter than His, so 

our prayers are often, “Would 

you please reach that for me?” 

However, if we keep reading 

the Bible and praying, we begin 

asking questions like, “Why did 

You do that?” and “What are You 

wanting me to see here?” and 


“Hey, would you touch that other 

person? They should know You, 

too.” 

The Bible calls King David “A 

man after God’s own heart.” The 

Psalms contain 150 emotional 

and very personal prayers, some 

of which are a shock to the modern 

reader. God’s not afraid of 

our emotions. In fact, He knows 

how we’re feeling before we say 

a word. Psalm 139:1 NIV says, 

“You have searched me, Lord, 

and you know me. 2You know 

when I sit and when I rise; You 

perceive my thoughts from afar. 

3You discern my going out and 

my lying down; You are familiar 

with all my ways. 4Before a word 

is on my tongue You, Lord, know 

it completely.” Even so, Jesus 

Himself prayed and taught us 

to pray. Why? When we pray, 

we focus our attention on the 

Source of all good things. We 

hand over our frustration, anger 

and pain. We prepare our hearts 

to receive His wisdom, power, 

peace and clarity. 

Proverbs 2 NIV tells us if you incline 

your ears to God’s word, 

“10Wisdom will enter your heart, 

and knowledge will be pleasant 

to your soul. 11Discretion will 

protect you, and understanding 

will guard you.” 


Has there been a time when your 

heart made a mess of your life? 

God doesn’t waste even the mistakes 

we make, although working 

them out may hurt. Give the 

Lord any bitterness you still harbor 

from that mistake and thank 

Him for healing your heart. 

What if I’m not sure I’m hearing 

God? 

Proverbs 19 NIV says, “2Desire 

without knowledge is not good— 

how much more will hasty feet 

miss the way! 3A person’s own 

folly leads to their ruin, yet their 

heart rages against the Lord.” 

Hasty feet or leap of faith? How 

do you tell? Nobody wants to 

miss the way, either by moving 

too fast or by waiting too long. 

“Leap of faith” is a great motivational 

phrase, spurring us to jump 

hurdles on the way to success. 

Fellowship of Christian Athletes 

leader Doc Blevins likes to say, 

“God doesn’t give you what you 

can handle. He gives you what 

He can handle.” I absolutely believe 

this is true. If I’m God’s kid, 

He’s not going to take me to the 

drag races and let me stand on 

the ground, peering through a 

sea of legs to catch a glimpse of 

whatever I’m tall enough to see. 

I’m going to jump into His arms 

and He’s going to put me on His 

shoulders. From up there, I can 

wave and cheer and watch the 

fat tires smoke past the starting 

line the second the flags go 

down. Other people are going to 

see us having fun and say, “What 

a great dad!” I believe God enjoys 

moments like that. 

On a long-term scale, God lets us 

do more than sit on His shoulders. 

The world’s greatest teacher, He 

gives us tasks which require His 

help. He walks us through them, 

handing us the tools as we need 

them. He doesn’t rush things. He 

prepares us for what He’s going 

to do, although we can’t always 

see the prep. He teaches us to 

trust Him as we obey. We must 

act when we feel Him instructing 

us, even if He’s saying, “Jump!” 

while we’re in a perfectly good 

airplane. 

The HFH (Hasty Feet Hurt) 

comes when we’re not listening, 

and we jump. I’ve heard some 

people joke, “It’s easier to ask 

forgiveness than permission.” 

This is cute when you’re dealing 

with fast deadlines and slow 

committees, but not when you’re 

talking about God. I’ve seen 

people pick out something they 

want and run headlong towards 

it, often going into debt while 

laying a faith claim on it. Verse 

3 tells us, “A person’s own folly 

leads to their ruin, yet their heart 

rages against the Lord.” Desire 

without knowledge, chased after 

by hasty feet, sets us up for a 

crash landing. Don’t blame God. 

Learn. 

When you’re not absolutely certain 

God is leading, wait. In your 

daily devotion time, talk to Him. 

Listen. Meditate on the good 

things He has done to get a better 

understanding of what He’s 

likely to do. Ask for guidance 

and commit to obeying what you 

know He has already said. 

The ultimate Networker, the 

Holy Spirit uses scripture, sermons, 

Christian music and life 

experiences to metaphorically 

pack our parachutes. Always 

test what you hear in sermons or 

from other people. You want to 

make sure their statements are 

sound and fit the wisdom you’ve 

learned in scripture. When you 

think He’s calling you to step out 

in faith, be responsive. God’s a 

good Dad, so He’ll be right with 

you. When He says, “Jump,” we 


have to move or we’ll miss the 

clear spot between the trees. 

Proverbs 19:8 NIV says, “The 

one who gets wisdom loves life; 

the one who cherishes understanding 

will soon prosper.” Living 

in wisdom takes discipline. 

Listening to God is very much 

like learning a foreign language 

by immersion, but as we progress 

through God’s school, life is 

more enjoyable than we’ve ever 

imagined. 


When we’re living in line with 

scripture, people respond to our 

good character and work ethic. 

Opportunities abound. When 

someone offers you an opportunity, 

say, “Thank you for thinking 

of me. I will think about it and 

get back to you.” Pray before responding. 

What if God doesn’t answer? 

Richard and I moved from Florida 

to Tulsa in 2002, in order to 

be near my grandparents and 

father. When they passed away, 

we fully expected to move back 

“home.” In the years which followed, 

I frequently asked, “Lord, 

is it time to go home?” No response. 

“Hey, Lord (whistle), 

You up there? Can we go now?” 

Nada. 

We’ve been blessed in Tulsa. I 

have terrific creative partnerships 

and we both enjoy our jobs, but 

we were ready for warm winters 

and a beach. Then in January of 

2017, I fell in love with the Tulsa 

landscape—downtown, Riverside, 

Redbud Valley, Turkey 

Mountain. In March, April, May, 

June, I couldn’t breathe deeply 

enough of the Tulsa scents— 

clover, honeysuckle, even the 

oily asphalt after the rain. I was 

still surfing Zillow® for houses in 

Florida, but God did not seem interested. 

One cool evening, driving 

with the windows down, I felt 

Him say, “Would it be so bad to 

stay in Tulsa?” 

I asked Richard if he would mind. 

He hates the cold winters here. 

“My home is wherever you are,” 

he said. I switched my Zillow® 

search to Tulsa. A week after 

we began looking, a house was 

placed on the market. We saw 

it the next week and moved in 

the next month. Every few days, 

Richard or I exclaim, “I love this 

house!” 

Did you know God was an interior 

designer? I suppose it makes 

sense. We did not want an open 

floorplan. The house is full of 

cozy rooms. I have a Pinterest 

page full of bookshelves. The 

office is walled in bookshelves. 

We love antique furniture. The 

bathroom vanity is an antique 

dresser. We love colorful art. 

The switch plates are bright ceramic 

pieces hand-painted in 

Mexico. My two favorite hiking 

spots have big, rocky cliffs. The 

fireplace looks like one of those 

cliffs. My two favorite herbs are 

lemongrass and basil. The back 

garden has lemongrass as tall 

as I am. The list goes on. 

You could be impatient and 

snatch the first thing which resembles 

what you want. God 

has better plans. He takes His 

time and includes details which 

say loud and clear, “I love you.” 

Psalm 27:14 NIV says, “Wait 

for the Lord; be strong and take 

heart and wait for the Lord.” 


Do you pray with no response? 

Wait. Tune your spirit by reading 

the Word, talking to experienced 

believers and seeking out 

Godly messages in music and 

teaching. If you wake in the middle 

of the night, remind yourself 

of good things God has done, 

and pray for people. Check your 

heart for unforgiveness or resentment, 

which might be blocking 

your ability to connect with 

God. Jesus experienced hurt 

and betrayal too, and He can 

help you release it. 

Don’t keep the conversation 

between yourselves. 

Following God takes sacrifice. 

He blesses us because He enjoys 

doing nice things for us, but 

nothing we have on earth will last 

past the grave. He knows that, 

and He will occasionally lead 

you through a time of change. 

It’s tough to leave a spot where 

we’ve become comfortable, with 

blessings we enjoyed. God will 

build your character if you’ll follow 

Him, and your connection to 

Him will grow as you continue 

to trust. Don’t be afraid. You are 

not alone. You are eternal, and 

you’re in a relationship with the 

One who made the planets and 

stars. Together, you are making 

an impact on the lives of those 

around you. 

Revelation 12:11 NKJV says, 

“And they overcame him by the 

blood of the Lamb and by the 

word of their testimony, and they 

did not love their lives to the 

death.” 


When you share what God has 

done in your life, the devil’s power 

to accuse and deceive people 

is weakened. You don’t have to 

polish up your stories or elevate 

your victories. Your authentic 

testimonies will fortify the faith of 

those around you. At the same 

time, you will be strengthened, 

knowing your heavenly Father 

is trustworthy and loving. The 

saints didn’t love their lives to 

the death, and that was part of 

their power. Centuries later, we 

stand tall on our faith because of 

them. 

This month I’ll be praying for you 

to know God better and trust Him 

completely. May He protect you 

from flying mattresses and write 

love notes across your path. 

About the author: 

Kristi Bridges is the owner of 1 

Moment Wiser, author of Wisdom 

– Better than Wishing and 

creator of the Share Your Wisdom 

Wisely Devotional Book 

Writing Experience. 

She enjoys helping people understand 

themselves, communicate 

with others and fall in love 

with their Creator. Her husband 

of 20 years keeps her laughing. 


Soaking 

Just Resting in 

His Presence! 

BY BRENDA STAPLETON 

If you have ever heard of 

soaking, this will be a new 

theorys that brings an 

amazing achievement in 

your life. The term “soaking” is 

being used by many at present. 

The concept of “soaking in the 

spirit” brings an understanding 

regarding what it is, and what it 

accomplishes in our lives. When 

soaking- wait- ing- resting- all of 

these refer to” 

“finding time with the Lord, 

and how we do so. In the 

book of Psalms, Ch. 37, V. 7: 

“Rest in the Lord, and wait 

patiently for Him.” 

This is when God’s presence 

enters our lives through our most 

susceptible moments. When we 

are in a state of rest, we soak 

up every feeling, every emotion, 

every second of God’s presence, 

when we wait for Him. It is 

the wait, which is more precious 

than the thought of the soaking. 

You see, the soaking comes 

from the Holy Spirit, and waiting 

for the time and place when the 

Lord drenches us with the Spirit, 

His Spirit in faith while we rest. 

Our tears of redemption fill our 

souls with the prominence of 

saturation promised by the cries 

of the followers of the 

Lord. It was in the book of 

Psalms, Ch. 131, V. 2: 

“But I have stilled and quieted 

my soul; like a weaned 

child with its mother, like a 

weaned child is my soul 

within me.” 

This is such a way to 

behold God. When considering 

being soaked in 

the Spirit, we must consider 

the image of the 

Son of God. After all, when 

we soak, we are doing so 

to become more like Him. 


We soak to change, not to be 

the person we were at one time. 

The change within brings each 

of us closer to God, not only in 

nature, but in image as well. We 

become converted from who we 

are, to who God wants us to be. 

We are not only washed in 

the Spirit of the Lord, but altered 

or made into the glorious image 

of God in His presence. From 

the book of 2 Corinthians, Ch. 3, 

V. 18: 

“But we all, with unveiled face, 

beholding as in a mirror the glory 

of the Lord, are be transformed 

into the same image from glory 

to glory, just as by the Spirit 

of the Lord.” 

The exchange is when something 

happens. This is when God 

unfolds, if you will. Divinely, He 

enters our vulnerable and insufficient 

lives, while we sit, waiting; 

some of us patiently in anticipation 

of what we want, what we 

have heard, or what we hope 

for. Others have no idea what 

may happen, instead the wait 

is purely an uninhibited feeling 

of resistance, so when it 

is over, the joy has more meaning 

than words can describe. 

Our lives are inspired by His 

presence, and become intensified 

by His strength. From the 

book of Isaiah, Ch. 40, V. 29-31: 

“But those who wait on the Lord 

shall renew their strength; they 

shall mount up with wings like 

eagles, they shall run and not be 

weary, they shall walk and not 

faint.” 

Everyone has their own idea 

of joyfulness, of little blessings 

having found their way into their 

lives over the years. The magnitude 

of a true blessing from God, 

this is something incommunicable. 

When the Lord sends a 

blessing to your home, to your 

family or to you as an individual, 

it can truly alter your life. These 

changes can affect every aspect 

of you as a person, and bring 

about vast transformations in all 

areas of your life. If you feel the 

spirit move you- a feeling that 

makes you drunk on the love 

of Jesus, then this is a delight, 

a moment of feeling satiated 

in every aspect of your life with 

the Lord. It is not as if you 

have a thirst that demands you 

quench it with the Lord. For this 

is more of a feeling you have 

never experienced, where with a 

thirst, you will know that sense. 

This is a new encounter, one 

that seems as if every inch of 

your body apparently, is experiencing 

an empty feeling. 

Consider a time you have been 

hungry. Not just having skipped 

a meal, like “Oh, I forgot to grab 

breakfast, I am really going to be 

hungry at lunch.” I am thinking 

more of a time you have fasted. 

Have you ever fasted for the 

Lord? Have you ever waited for 

the Lord to quench your soul? 

This is not something easily placated. 

It is like a time when you 

feel so empty, it hurts to take 

another breath, when the only 

thing you thought you needed 

was food, or just a drink of water. 

However, it just felt, if you were to 

eat or drink, you would become 

turned inside out. This is an 

emptiness, or could it be this is 

not quite as new as you thought. 

Maybe, you have felt this way all 

of your life? In fact, perhaps, you 

have a feeling you have been 

barren all along? 

This is what it means when you 

go in search of the Lord, looking 

for soaking. When you seek out 

His presence, in search of finding 

what you need to become 

anointed in this life, with the perfect 

One; to find your spirit joined 

with the Holy Spirit. You seek out 

love, perfect love in the presence 

of God. By immersing yourself 

and succumbing to everything 

God provides for you, you allow 

Him to erase the fear, and to be 

embraced in Him. In the book of 

1 John, Ch. 4, V. 17-18, the Bible 

talks about perfect love and fear. 

“This is how love is made complete 

among us so that we will 

have confidence on the day of 

judgment: In this world we are 

like Jesus.There is no fear in 

love. But perfect love drives out 

fear, because fear has to do with 

punishment. The one who fears 

is not made perfect in love.” 

I personally delight in the gentle 

breezes brought on summer’s 

day, while I mill the evening 

away. Sometimes I ride my bike, 

others I putt away at the golf 

course or driving range, while 

other times, I sit idly by, thinking 

about the words I should 

include on my papers in front of 

me. I love to write, and the topics 

range from daily events, worldly 

topics, or days reminiscing about 

better times. Some days, I might 

find myself spending a few extra 

moments in prayer for a loved 

one in good times, bad times, 

or a time of loss. During those 

times, it is the Song of Solomon I 

am reminded of, Ch. 2, V. 3: 

“Like an apple tree among the 

trees of the woods, so is my 

beloved among the sons. I sat 


down in his shade with great 

delight, and his fruit was sweet 

to my taste. He brought me to 

the banqueting house, and his 

banner over me was love. Sustain 

me with cakes of raisins, 

refresh me with apples, for I am 

lovesick.” 

It is times like these, I am not 

just lovesick, but feeling the 

presence of God, soaking in 

his very presence, it is almost 

as if He were sitting on the park 

bench beside me, soaking up 

the sun, the shade, the songs 

of the birds, or the gentleness of 

the winds. It is the combination 

of all of these things that brings 

me to the point where I feel as if 

“I am in the banqueting house, 

and his banner over me is love”. 

I become homesick, and this 

is an experience that comes 

from knowing God, or glorying in 

His presence. It is difficult to 

separate yourself- our bodies 

in the flesh, and the spirit 

found in the presence of the 

Holy One. It is the knowing 

of God. It is being still within 

and feeling yourself being lifted 

from one atmosphere to another. 

I am so in love with the book of 

Psalm, Ch. 46, and V. 10: 

“Be still and know that I am God”. 

I once heard that revelation is the 

fruit of soaking. It is another form 

of waking up. It is an alternate 

level of consciousness, in which 

inside our body, our spirit rises 

up to the Lord, and we experience 

a new awakening. Considering 

what I have read about 

our body, our mind (also referred 

to in the Bible as our soul), and 

our spirit, an “awakening” is 

as wonderful of a feeling to me 

as walking on the cool grass in 

my bare feet. Imagine lying in 

a place where you reach a 

total peace on this earth, and 

you can clear your mind of all of 

your thoughts, good and bad. 

This is when the body can reach 

a point of rest and allow your 

soul to intermingle with your 

spirit. Now consider those two 

are dancing hand in hand, like a 

butterfly on the wind. Listening 

for the call of angel carrying a 

message from God, or just carrying 

your prayer upward bound 

from the earthly realm to the 

spiritual realm. The spirit comes 

alive with the presence of the 

Holy Spirit, as a believer, this 

is not a place you haven’t been 

before. 

Oh, what joy it is to be here 

once again. How it feels to be 

here, and the longer you staytwo 

seconds, five seconds, 

maybe ten? It’s never enough, 

and you just can’t wait to get 

back there again. 

How often though, do you get to 

go to that place where you have 

the time alone to lose yourself, 

and allow your soul to seek 

the love of the spirit? How often 

do you get to wrap yourself 

in the warm, comforting arms 

of the Holy Spirit, and allow your 

soul to be free of this world? 

Thinking about the book of Daniel, 

Ch. 10 V. 9: 

“As our spirit starts to rise up 

in adoration and communion 

with the Lord, we can get to the 

place where our body is totally at 

rest, but our spirit is awake and 

receiving from the Lord.” 

When you read that Chapter, or 

that verse in particular? It makes 

it seem as if you have never 

been totally at rest? It makes you 

yearn to receive that awakening 

of the spirit from the Lord. 

It is the receiving from the Lord, 

that feeling you receive, I receive? 

Maybe it will be a feeling 

of great strength? Maybe an 

emotion that makes tears stain 

your soul. Will you stand nobly 

in the spirit, proving to the world 

how receiving the gift was so 

worth the wait? Do you think of 

David and his confidence, and 

his desire to show that to the 

Lord? Think- ing about the book 

of Psalm Ch.108, V. 1-13: 

“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I 

will sing and make music with all 

my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! 

I will awaken the dawn. I will 

praise you, LORD, among the 

nations; I will sing of you among 

the peoples. For great is your 

love, higher than the heavens; 

your faithfulness reaches to the 

skies. Be exalted, O God, above 

the heavens; let your glory be 

over all the earth. Save us and 

help us with your right hand, that 

those you love may be delivered. 

God has spoken from his sanctuary: 

In triumph I will parcel 

out Shechem, and measure off 

the Valley of Sukkoth. Gilead 

is mine, Manasseh is mine, 

Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is 

my scepter. Moab is my washbasin, 

on Edom I toss my sandal; 

over Philistia I shout in triumph. 

Who will bring me to the fortified 

city? Who will lead me to Edom? 

Is it not you, God, you who have 

rejected us and no longer go out 

with our armies? Give us aid 

against the enemy, for human 

help is worthless. With God we 


will gain the victory, and he will 

trample down our enemies. All 

of these things flow from the 

presence of God.” 

By receiving His gifts, accepting 

salvation, speaking of Him, 

trusting in Him, obeying His 

word, and resting within Him. It 

is the strength, the quietness, 

and the comfort with which we 

must holdfast with the Lord. The 

will is strong, and since the freedom 

lies within each and every 

one of us to be above the matters 

of the flesh, our efforts tend 

to fail. 

It is not easy to consider a life, 

of long works, when left to our 

own thoughts, we must weigh 

personal gain, against “the 

right thing to do.” However, the 

awakening of the spirit; the 

presumption of the resting soul, 

and knowing in the presence of 

the Lord, all of these feelings, or 

maybe just one? Just one would 

be so worth accepting Him, living 

for Him, and soaking with Him. 

Soaking is gracious and merciful, 

but it takes effort to be blessed 

in our lives. You must be strong 

to reap the fruit of the Lord. You 

must tolerate the resistance of 

the nonbelievers, and those who 

turn you away from the blessings. 

The justice of the Lord 

for those who choose to wait, 

those who choose to put forth 

determination, because He is 

worth it, and soaking is worth it. 

Soak through the Bible, soak 

through music, and soak through 

prayer, as long as you seek that 

quietness, that closeness with 

the Lord. Soak in a chair, on a 

bed, under a tree, lying on a 

park bench, or on the floor. Soak 

when, where, and how- if soaking 

in the church is where you 

feel the presence of the Lord, 

then go there. Some people feel 

closest to the Lord, when sitting 

in the cemetery with those who 

have traveled before them. Then 

go there, and soak. The Lord is 

so worth it, and believe it – you 

are worth it, too. 


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Prrayer Has a very simple definition. Prayer 

is conversation with our Father who art in 

Heaven. 

Just imagine that. We can actually talk with the Creator 

of the amazing, immense universe, of which we 

are such a tiny, miniscule part. We can do that because 

He is interested in us. He knows us intimately, 

can number the hairs on our heads (which is more 

than we can do) and the thoughts that run through 

our brains. Nothing is hidden from Him, not even our 

most secret thought. 

ME, MYSELF 

Comman 

Pray 

BY 

What a privilege He gives us, that He wants to communicate 

with us. In fact that is why He created us 

– because He wanted a family of like-minded fascinating 

people. In spite of our errors, He wants to 

adopt us into His family and become the Father to us 

that man could never be. Then, father-like, He wants 

to teach us how we can become His family and indeed 

how we can be part 

of the “family business” 

of finding potential 

family members. 

That is the whole 

purpose of creating 

heaven, 

earth and us – 

expanding the 

Family. 

On another track, 

what do you do 

mostly with your best 

friends? I’ll bet it’s “talk, talk, 

talk.” That’s what friendship is 

all about – communication. How 

do you make a friend? You talk 

with someone. Conversation is 

the basis of friendship, business, 

family, or any other group that 

you might belong to. Even in 

sport you find the team doesn’t 

go too well unless you communicate 

with each other, because 

teamwork demands communication 

in the skill building process. 

Conversation is the basic building 

block of just about anything 

you participate in. Communica- 


, AND...OTHERS? 

ded To 

For Others 

HELEN MURRAY 

tion is the facilitator of all your 

plans. If you do not have communication 

with someone, then 

there is nothing to build relationship 

on. It’s dead. There’s 

no life in it. It’s going no-where. 

There is no future in it. 

Our Father is not Father Christmas 

though. If we need correction 

He will generally give it unless 

we have gone cold on Him 

and don’t want to know. 

We can measure this by the 

peace within our hearts, because 

if something is wrong in 

relationships we are generally 

not at peace but have some 

form of mild trepidation about 

it. That is healthy and part of 

the process by which parents 

teach their children. 

That is exactly the case with our 

Father. There is no future in a relationship 

where there is no communication. 

Therefore prayer is 

the lifeline between us and our 

Father, the essential ingredient, 

and secret of Life in the Spirit. 

When we spend time in communication 

with our Father we are 

building relationship which is the 

amazing bond between us. 

The one thing that our busy 

lives may do to us is obliterate 

the time we need to be spending 

with the Lord in prayer. 

Busyness may contract our 

relationship time with God 

and we have actually to plan 

the time lest we lose that relationship 

or lose its power. For 

most people it is good to get 

up a little early in the morning 

and spend that time in prayer. 

Some put aside other times 

in the day for it. But without 

that ime set aside deliberately 

for communing with the Lord, 

we’ll find ourselves running 

spiritually dry. That time is 

needed. 


What should we talk to God 

about? What would you talk to 

your own mother or father about, 

or your best friend. God is interested 

in all that. What would you 

not talk to them about? God is 

absolutely interested in that too. 

He loves every part of you with a 

great passion, and prayer is the 

way to His heart, to understand 

His passion. There is absolutely 

no point in hiding anything from 

God because He already knows 

it, but while it remains hidden it 

gripes at you. If you talk to Him 

about it, it can be put right. 

You will always have issues to 

talk to God. But Father’s instruction 

is “Do unto others as 

you would have them do for 

you.” Immediately that suggests 

we should pray for others because 

we’d love them to pray for 

us. It also suggests we have a 

responsibility to pray for others, 

because we can, and because 

the Lord hears and responds. 

Prayer for others also makes us 

aware of the needs of others and 

stops us centering constantly on 

ourselves and our own wants. 

Concern for others hopefully will 

also bring us to do things for others 

where we can, because faith 

without action (works) is dead 

(James 2:14 – 26 and Heb 11:7 

– 19). It elevates our ability to 

recognise need when we see 

it and respond accordingly. It 

sharpens our understanding of 

others and turns our attention 

out where it needs to be. People 

whose attention is constantly 

upon their own problems can get 

mired in that and become suicidal 

or very depressed. Christians 

have not the time for that because 

they are busy with caring 

for others. 

We all live in community and 

want to live peaceably with our 

families. Living in community 

means that some people must 

be set aside to maintain our lifestyles 

and run governments. 

We need the best people so 

that brings with it a concern with 

knowledge of community – both 

local and national – about which 

we need to pray also, lest they 

misrepresent our needs or cease 

to be ethical in their dealing. As 

Caleb aged eighty at least, ‘took 

his mountain” when the Hebrews 

captured their first cities 

in Israel, so we need to “capture 

our mountains” in government, 

education, arts, media, religion, 

family and business. 

Wisdom applies here and we 

need to pray for that. We also 

need to pray for national leaders 

because they affect our lifestyle 

and we need to support those 

who move ethically and show 

up those who do not. They also 

affect our ability to do our work 

of evangelisation for the Lord. 

Managing a Nation requires wisdom, 

so we need to pray for that 

for our politicians. 

So you don’t agree with what the 

leaders of the nation (school, 

council) are doing? The very 

first thing to do is “Take it to the 

Lord in prayer.” If he is wanting 

more of you than that He will 

lay it on your heart to get into 

the field yourself with it. Which 

ever way it is we need to pray 

over our leadership and those in 

authority so that we can live in 

peace (1 Timothy 2:2). Prayer 

changes things, and “Ïf my people, 

who are called by My name, 

will humble themselves and pray 

and seek My face, and turn from 

their wicked ways, then I will 

hear form Heaven, and I will forgive 

their sin, and I will heal their 

bodies. 

However, the Lord does not go 

back on His original gift by taking 

the reins back from satan This 

would negate His original plan 

of giving authority to mankind in 

Adam. It was man’s decision to 

give his authority to satan and 

listen to him above God the Creator. 

Our Father therefore will 

only intervene if it is requested 

by men during their prayers. 

This leaves men in authority as 

was the original plan back in the 

Garden of Eden. 

It also leaves man with the responsibility 

for the earth and all 

that happens here. But it doesn’t 

leave him without resources for 

this. 

“He is invited to come to the Lord 

with every need he has, to pray 

land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

“The Lord gave all authority and 

dominion to Adam, who gave it 

away to Satan.”(Genesis 2). 

However, the Lord does not go 

back on His original gift by taking 

the reins back from satan This 

would negate His original plan 

of giving authority to mankind in 

Adam. It was man’s decision to 

give his authority to satan and 

listen to him above God the Creator. 

Our Father therefore will 

only intervene if it is requested 

by men during their prayers. 

This leaves men in authority as 

was the original plan back in the 

Garden of Eden. 


It also leaves man with the responsibility 

for the earth and all 

that happens here. But it doesn’t 

leave him without resources for 

this. 

He is invited to come to the Lord 

with every need he has, to pray 

without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 

5:17). This attitude of vigilant, 

constant prayer delights the 

heart of Almighty God who loves 

to collect (Revelation 8: 3-4) and 

respond to the prayers of His 

children, very often with miracles. 


HINDERANCES.. 

Going Deeper 

WITH GOD 

BY BRENDA STAPLETON 

One of the first things 

that is necessary before 

you take up your 

crown and walk in 

your kingly calling is for you to 

have a revelation that God loves 

you. In the Book of Revelation, 

Chapter 1, Verse 5 “and from 

Jesus Christ, who is the faithful 

witness, the firstborn from the 

dead, and the ruler of the kings 

of the earth. To him who loves us 

and has freed us from our sins 

by his blood.” This may seem 

elementary and basic. You may 

recall thoughts of singing “Jesus 

Loves Me”, but this is the cornerstone 

of everything that you will 

ever receive from God. You have 

to understand the great love God 

has for you. ( (Lyles, 2018) 

If you were to ask any Christian, 

they would assert they have 

a close relationship with God. 

When thinking of relationships, 

how would you consider the one 

you have with God? Would you 

say it is intimate? By intimate, I 

mean an experience of knowing 

and being known, God. Are you 

are satisfied with the relationship 

you have with Him? Do you understand 

the great love God has 

for you? If you aren’t satisfied, 

or you don’t feel you are ready 

to walk with God, then you can 

change it. 

We have to understand that true 

intimacy has no rival. Intimate 

relationships are built on trust. 

If you honestly trust God, then 

you know that being near to God 

is a beautiful experience. Consider 

the people in your life and 

who you feel closest too. Do you 

feel as if you can trust someone 

in your life with everything? Every 

promise, every good or bad 

event, and every decision in your 

life, you can place in the hands 

of someone else with complete 

trust. Intimacy with God is that 

complete trust. Not only should 

we want it, but we should also 

seek it. In the Book of Philippians, 

Chapter 4, Verses 6-7: 

“Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything by prayer 

and supplication with thanksgiving 

let your requests be made 

known to God. And the peace of 

God, which surpasses all under- 

“For it is by grace you have 

been saved, through faith— 

and this is not from yourselves, 

it is the gift of God— 

not by works, so that no one 

can boast” 


standing, will guard your hearts 

and your minds in Christ Jesus“ 

(Biblica Inc., 2011). 

Another understanding you 

should come to is that intimacy 

and faith are not the same thing. 

In the Book of James, Chapter 2, 

Verse 14: 

“Many professing Christians believe 

mentally that the Bible is 

the Word of God, but this faith 

does not change the way they 

live. It is not a faith that can save” 


Indeed, we should look for faith, 

we should practice grace, and 

we should love abundantly. Faith 

is acceptance, assurance, and 

confidence in God and salvation. 

Daily we should practice walking 

with God. Faith will often be tested 

in our lives, and during those 

times we should use our time 

wisely. As in the Book of James, 


“Count it all joy, my brothers, 

when you meet trials of various 

kinds, for you know that the testing 

of your faith produces steadfastness. 

And let steadfastness 

have its full effect, that you may 

be perfect and complete, lacking 

in nothing.” (Biblica Inc., 2011). 

Being dedicated to a relationship 

with God is the key to creating 

intimacy. What’s stopping us 

from the pursuit of eternal happiness? 

Could it be fear that keeps 

people astray? Do you not trust 

God is who almighty? 

As humans, we tend to want to 

control as much as we can in 

life. It’s no wonder that we have 

so many fears. Some of those 

fears such as being alone, fear 

of death, fear of suffering, fear of 

pain, fear God will leave us in a 

time of need? Satan, he is your 

fear. God loves you, and fear and 

love cannot exist together. In 1 

John, Chapter 4, Verses 7-10: 

“God’s love and ours is defined ~ 

Dear friends, let us love one another, 

for love comes from God. 

Everyone who loves has been 

born of God and knows God. 

Whoever does not love does not 

know God, because God is love. 

This is how God showed his 

love among us: He sent his one 

and only Son into the world that 

we might live through him. This 

is love: not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us and sent his 

Son as an atoning sacrifice for 

our sins (Biblica Inc., 2011). 

There are those who are avid 

readers of the Bible, who feel 

they have a loving, intimate relationship 

with God. There are 

times when the Bible can bring 

you knowledge of the scripture 

and closeness to the word. If this 

is the only reach, you have for 

God? If this is the only time you 

show God your love for Him, is 

it enough? Is it enough for you? 

Scripture reading is referenced 

in the Book of John, Chapter 5, 

Verses 39-40: 

“You search the Scriptures because 

you think that in them you 

have eternal life; and it is they 

that bear witness about me, yet, 

you refuse to come to me that 

you may have life.” (Biblica Inc., 

2011). 


Reading the word is not enough 

for God. Consider a relationship 

where you are pen pals with 

God. If God just wrote to you, 

would you say you had an intimate 

relationship? Embracing 

the truth in God’s word is just a 

beginning. Why, what does God 

expect of you? 

In the Book of Matthew, Chapter 

22, Verses 37-40: 

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord 

your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul and with 

all your mind.’[a] This is the first 

and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love 

your neighbor as yourself.’[b] All 

the Law and the Prophets hang 

on these two commandments” 


The relationship you seek is 

from the spirit of God. Your relationship 

with Christ is the center 

for all connections you have with 

others. 

How would you describe your 

relationship with God? Personal, 

gratifying, trusting, loving, comforting, 

frustrating, or even distant? 

How would you describe 

your relationship with other people 

in your life? Most relationships 

with God can be characterized 

as personal. I’m talking 

about that real relationship, 

where God knows things about 

you no one else does. You go to 

Him to cry and laugh, but to feel. 

That is the intimacy we want and 

need. 

It’s one thing to talk to God, but 

do you feel comfortable with that 

level of tenderness with Him? 

Why shouldn’t you? God has 

offered you forgiveness of your 

sins through His death on the 

cross. In the book of 2 Corinthians, 

Chapter 5, Verse 21: 

“God made him who had no sin 

to be sin for us, so that in him we 

might become the righteousness 

of God.” (Biblica Inc., 2011). 

You can tell God anything. You 

cannot disappoint Him. He wants 

you to come to Him and let Him 

carry the burden. Have you ever 

heard someone say, “Prayer was 

the first form of communication?” 

There is some truth in there. God 

has an open-door policy when it 

comes to prayer. In the Book of 

1 Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 6-8: 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, 

under God’s mighty hand, that 

he may lift you up in due time. 

Cast all your anxiety on him because 

he cares for you. Be alert 

and of sober mind. Your enemy 

the devil prowls around like a 

roaring lion looking for someone 

to devour.” (Biblica Inc., 2011). 

God wants to hear from you. He 

wants you to tell Him the good, 

the bad, and the ugly in your life. 

Why not go to Him? Oh, it’s the 

listening that deters some from 

seeking this type of intimacy with 

God. In the Book of Romans, 


“Do not conform to the pattern 

of this world, but be transformed 

by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and 

approve what God’s will is— 

his good, pleasing and perfect 

will.”(Biblica Inc., 2011) 

Yes, this means you can transform 

your mind to communicate 

with God. If you recall, 

God speaks to us through the 

Holy Spirit. I understand there 

are times when you feel as if 

the question you have needs a 

more direct approach. One thing 

we have all learned a long time 

ago is called “call waiting.” And 

there is call waiting in Heaven. 

When I go to God and I don’t get 

a response, and I realize He has 

me on “Heavenly Hold.” Maybe I 

am not ready for the answer, or 

perhaps, He wants me to grow 

or achieve this on my own or in 

due time. Be patient, you will get 

an answer, but in His time, not 

yours. 

Have you been trying to have intimacy 

with God, and you don’t 

feel like you are getting there? 

Well, there are some hindrances 

to move past. In the Book of 

Proverbs, Chapter 3, Verse 32: 

”For the Lord detests the perverse, 

but takes the upright into 

his confidence” (Biblica Inc., 

2011). 

Are you obedient to God? Are 

you drawing near to Him, or is it 

one of those come and go relationships? 

Some people will tell 

you they have that one friend 

they can go years without seeing, 

and their relationship picks 

back up as if no time has separated 

them. In the Book of 

James, Chapter 4, Verse 8: 

“Draw near to God, and he will 

draw near to you. Cleanse your 

hands, you sinners, and purify 

your hearts, you double-minded” 


Your relationship with God is 

built on obedience, not years 


without communication, and the 

expectation of intimacy. Would 

you say that friend and you had 

intimacy? Would you expect that 

same level of closeness with 

God after days, weeks, months, 

or even years with no contact? 

If your spouse left you for any 

duration, would the relationship 

be as if he or she never went, 

or would there be distance and 

questions? 

A Christ-centered relationship 

is built. I understand with faith 

and grace from God, we feel a 

closeness, unlike many others. 

It is our actions that set us up 

for growth with God. As with the 

Book of Ephesians, Chapter 2, 

Verses 8-9: 

“For it is by grace you have been 

saved, through faith—and this is 

not from yourselves, it is the gift 

of God— not by works, so that 

no one can boast.” (Biblica Inc., 

2011). 

We do not have the freedom of 

coming close to God, and then 

straying with the expectations 

that we would have with a friend. 

The reason being because the 

relationship with God is not like 

that of a friend. It is more akin 

to the marital relationship. We 

know God is the same today, as 

He was yesterday. He will be the 

same tomorrow. 

Can you say this about who you 

were yesterday, and are today? 

We shouldn’t even anticipate tomorrow, 

though we do. We need 

God. We need a relationship with 

Him. We need faith and strength, 

and we get it from God. Charles 

Haddon Spurgeon, known as 

the “Prince of Preachers,” once 

said “No faith is so precious as 

that which lives and triumphs 

through adversity. Tested faith 

brings experience. You would 

never have believed your own 

weakness had you not needed 

to pass through trials. And 

you would never have known 

God’s strength had His strength 

not been needed to carry you 

through” (Spurgeon, 2015). And 

He is there, waiting for us. Every 

minute of every day, He expects 

for us to draw near to HIM. How 

do we know this? Remember the 

Book of Matthew, Chapter 11, 

Verses 28-30: 

“Come to me, all you who are 

weary and burdened, and I will 

give you rest. 29 Take my yoke 

upon you and learn from me, for 

I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and you will find rest for your 

souls. 30 For my yoke is easy 

and my burden is light” (Biblica 

Inc., 2011). 

He waits for us to give us that 

rest. 

If how is still on your mind? If you 

feel as if you are 100% in this relationship 

with God, then what 

are we not doing? Let’s examine, 

all we can do for God. Scripture 

is an excellent place to start, 

but understand it is not the place 

to remain. Read, study, and ask 

questions if you do not have a 

clear meaning of the word. Your 

relationship God doesn’t just 

stop with scripture. The word is 

meant to be an evolving plan for 

your relationship with God. 

How’s your understanding of 

God’s expectations? Jonathan 

Edwards once spoke about 

the Excellency of Christ, where 

he stated, “When a man and a 

woman give themselves to each 

other in an act of marital love, 

they can know the love of Christ 

as no one else can know it” (Edwards, 

2017). This love, the unity, 

the belonging with God is so 

powerful, and you will feel lost 

without Him. Are you so bold in 

your relationship with God? It’s 

not just about the walk of faith, 

it’s about communion with God. 

Are you united with the Lord? Are 

you going to Him in prayer? Are 

you reading scripture? Are you 

journaling, or in a study group? 

Are you attending a church service 

every time the door opens? 

Do you recall the Book of 1 Corinthians, 


“But whoever is united with the 

Lord is one with him in spirit?” 


You are one with God in spirit. 

Talk to Him, as His affection for 

you is steadfast? Actions are required, 

and you must be willing 

to do the work, not just the busy 

work? There are many things 

you can do, but why are you doing 

it? What’s your purpose? Is it 

for God, or is it for you? The Lord 

is our righteousness. He is part 

of us, made into us. Therefore, it 

is for both of you, as you are one 

with Him. Think about 1 Corinthians, 


“For the foolishness of God is 

wiser than human wisdom, and 

the weakness of God is stronger 

than human strength. Brothers 

and sisters, think of what you 

were when you were called. Not 

many of you were wise by human 

standards; not many were influential; 

not many were of noble 


irth. But God chose the foolish 

things of the world to shame the 

wise; God chose the weak things 

of the world to shame the strong. 

God chose the lowly things of this 

world and the despised things— 

and the things that are not—to 

nullify the things that are, so that 

no one may boast before him. It 

is because of him that you are in 

Christ Jesus, who has become 

for us wisdom from God—that is, 

our righteousness, holiness and 

redemption.” (Biblica Inc., 2011). 

Chosen – think about that word 

for just a moment. You have 

been saved from your sins. You 

have united with God in heart 

and soul. You are faithful, you 

are humbled, and yet, you feel 

that need for God. Again, you 

were chosen by God. He wants 

you to reflect daily, and He wants 

you to come to Him. There are 

hindrances in this world in an 

attempt to keep God out of our 

lives, but YOU should not be 

one of them. Charles Spurgeon, 

just weeks before his death, 

spoke about his life and his relationship 

with God. And I read 

it often, just to remind myself of 

what it feels like to be chosen “I 

look back, and remember what 

I might have done and have not 

done; what opportunities of usefulness 

I have not seized; what 

sins I have allowed to pass unrebuked; 

what struggling beginners 

in grace I have failed 

to help” (Pilgrims Publications, 

2018). Maybe, these words do 

not exert the robust and essential 

humility of the chosen. For 

being chosen does not come 

without expectations. 

Is it not enough that Jesus died 

for our sins on the cross? What 

have you done, or what are you 

doing to embrace the intimacy 

God offers to you? The glory of 

God is so great. Do you expect 

great things from God? Are you 

doing great things for God? Why 

not, He can handle it. He can do 

it all. 

Think about your current relationship 

with God. Has it changed, 

or does it need to evolve into 

something more? Embrace the 

intimacy offered to you, and 

welcome what you need. Life is 

too short to insist the relationship 

you have with God is good 

enough. Seek the most of every 

moment you have with God. And 

don’t underestimate what He 

can do for you. Remember David 

and Goliath, Jonah and the 

whale, and remember the Book 

of Psalm, Chapter 56, Verses 

1-11: 

“Be merciful to me, my God, for 

my enemies are in hot pursuit; all 

day long they press their attack. 

My adversaries pursue me all 

day long; in their pride many are 

attacking me. When I am afraid, 

I put my trust in you. In God, 

whose word I praise—in God 

I trust and am not afraid. What 

can mere mortals do to me? All 

day long they twist my words; all 

their schemes are for my ruin. 

They conspire, they lurk, they 

watch my steps, hoping to take 

my life. Because of their wickedness 

do not[c] let them escape; 

in your anger, God, bring the nations 

down. Record my misery; 

list my tears on your scroll[d]— 

are they not in your record? 

Then my enemies will turn back 

when I call for help. By this I 

will know that God is for me. In 

God, whose word I praise, in the 

LORD, whose word I praise—in 

God I trust and am not afraid. 

What can man do to me?” (Biblica 

Inc., 2011) 

Works Cited 

Biblica Inc. (2011, June 1). Holy 

Bible: New International Version. 

. Grand Rapids. 

Edwards, J. (2017). The Excellency 

of Christ. Delaware: CPR 

Foundation. 

Lyles, S. (2018). Reign: Awakening 

the King Within. KingMakers, 

Inc. 

Pilgrims Publications. (2018, 

June 1). Exploring the Mind and 

Heart of the Prince of Preachers. 

Retrieved from Spurgeon.us: 

http://www.spurgeon.us/index. 

php 

Spurgeon, C. (2015, November 

2). Powerful Quotes from 

Charles Spurgeon. Retrieved 

from Crosswalk.com: https:// 

www.crosswalk.com/faith/spir- 

itual-life/inspiring-quotes/20- 

powerful-quotes-from-charlesspurgeon.html

July 2018

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