Choosing Faith over Fear / DEATH: BECAUSE OF CHRIST, YOU CAN FACE IT! AND MUCH MORE...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ksdR2yjuG94&list=PLgi4oLKTIookAyVW1_pDEXUnEo6vC58lt&index=4&t=0s (video) Choosing Faith over Fear Isaiah 41:8-13 These days, there are plenty of reasons to fear. Our world seems to be in a continuous state of war and crisis. The jobs market is dismal, natural disasters wreak havoc, and stories of crime dominate the headlines. As Christians, we know that fear shouldhave no place in our lives, but how can we ignore what's going on around us? Basically, there are two paths you can walk: faith or fear. It's impossible to simultaneously trust God and not trust God. Another way of saying this is that you cannot both obey and disobey Him--partial obedience is disobedience. So, which road are youtraveling? Some people who read the Bible and believe in God nevertheless choose to live with fear. Seeing others experience hardship, they start wondering if it could happen to them: Someone at my office lost his job; will I be next? Someone died in an accident--I could die too. But thiskind of "logic" places your circumstances above your relationship to God. If Satan can get you to think like this, he has won the battle for your mind. But when you focus on God rather than your circumstances, whatever the situation is, you win. The Bible tells us, "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and loveand discipline" (2 Tim. 1:7). Our heavenly Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He's sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted this as an absolute truth in my life, I foundthat my worrying stopped. Death: Because of Christ, You Can Face It by Max Lucado As heart surgeries go, mine was far from the riskiest. But any procedure that requires four hours of probes inside your heart is enough to warrant an added prayer. So on the eve of my surgery, Denalyn, I, and some kind friends offered our share. We were staying at a hotel adjacent to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. We asked God to bless the doctors and watch over the nurses. After we chatted a few minutes, theywished me well and said good-bye. I needed to go to bed early. But before I could sleep, I wanted to offer one more prayer� alone. I took the elevator down to the lobby and found a quiet corner and began to think. What if the surgery goes awry? What if this is my final night on earth? Is there anyone with whom I should make my peace? Do I need to phone any person and make amends? I couldn't think of anyone. (So if you are thinking I should have called you, sorry.Perhaps we should talk.) Next I wrote letters to my wife and daughters, each beginning with the sentence "If you are reading this, something went wrong in the surgery." Then God and I had the most honest of talks. We began with a good review of my first half century. The details would bore you, but they entertained us. I thanked him for grace beyond measure and for a wife who descended from the angels. My tabulation ofblessings could have gone on all night and threatened to do just that. So I stopped and offered this prayer: I'm in good hands, Lord. The doctors are prepared; the staff is experienced. But even with the best of care, things happen. This could be my final night in this version of life, and I'd like you to know, if that's the case, I'm okay. And I went to bed. And slept like a baby. As things turned out, I recovered from the surgery, and here I am, strong as ever, still pounding away at the computer keyboard. One thing is different, though. This matter of dying bravely? I think I will. May you do the same. Abusing God's Patience Romans 2:4-5 Have you ever ignored the press of conviction upon your heart? Maybe you rationalized your wrongdoing with the thought that if God were really upset, He'd put a stop to things by disciplining you. Psalm50:21 reminds us that the silence of heaven does not mean approval. Remaining in sin is an abuse of the Lord's patience. When God seems slow to react, we might hope He's overlooking our transgressions--we'd like to continue in sin because the momentary pleasure is more appealing than obedience. But thankfully, the Father knows our weaknesses, our innate carnality, and thestate of our spiritual growth, and He therefore measures His response. Motivated by love and a desire to gently restore His children to righteousness, God refrains from doling out immediate punishment. Instead, He waits for the Holy Spirit's proddings to impact the believer's heart. The weight of conviction is actually an invitation to turn from wrongdoing and return to godliness. However, we're a stubborn people. There are times when we persist in sin because the sentence against an evil deed isn't executed quickly (Eccl. 8:11). In this dangerous situa-tion, it's possible to immerse ourselves in sin and harden our hearts againstthe Lord. Then the Holy Spirit's call to repentance falls on spiritual ears rapidly going deaf. As we learn and understand more about God and His ways, we are increasingly responsible to live righteously. The Lord is not slow; He's patient. Do not abuse His patience with callous disregard for His statutes. Repent and be holy in the sight of the Lord. Stormproof - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. -1 Corinthians 16:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/stormproof/- Listen A few years ago, Hawaiians were preparing for a huge storm that supposedly would devastate their state. It was coming directly toward them. But then it took a hard turn.In the end, there still was some bad weather, but they were fine. Ironically, another storm unexpectedly came along a short time later, and it probably did more damage than the first storm. That's a lot like life, isn't it? We brace ourselves for a storm that we expect will come, but it never arrives. Then another storm that we never expected suddenly hitsus. This year is a prime example. Storms will come into our lives, but the good news is that storms have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Maybe you're just pulling into a storm in your personal life, a hardship. You're wondering whether it will be a long one. Or maybe you're in the middle of a storm, and youwant to know when it will stop. Then again, maybe you've just made it through a storm. You're glad it's in your rearview mirror. But you're also a little concerned about what's on the horizon. God will get you through your storms if you've built your life on Jesus Christ. And when you're going through those storms, you'll learn a little bit, because characteris not made in crisis; it is revealed. The storm reveals who you are and what kind of faith you have. Sometimes people who went through a hardship or a tragedy in their childhood say that it shook their faith, and it's the reason they turned against God. But maybe they losttheir faith because they never had faith in God. It comes down to this: a faith that can't be shaken is a faith that has been shaken. Hardships will come in life, but God will be there to sustain you. So, put your faithin Him. Is God Fair? The church has long taught, and rightly so, that God is fair. When meting out punishments, He expects us to be fair also. Under the Old Covenant, He set out the principle of "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Exodus21:23-24). However, notice Numbers 21:5-7: And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." So the LORD sent fiery serpents amongthe people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you;pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. The people received the death penalty because they became mouthy and reproachful against God and Moses. Is that fair? To most people, it would seem to be a touch heavy-handed. But perhaps there is more to the story. Consider the context of this passage. The Israelites had been trudging across the desert for forty years, and they were still traveling. Numbers 21:4 informs us, "Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea." This log entry of this leg of their travels may not sound very interesting, but there is more to it than meets the eye. A look at a map confirms that the Red Sea liesto the south of Mount Hor, but the Promised Land�their destination�stands to the north. This geographical reality means they were traveling in the wrong direction! Why were they going backwards? Moses tells us in Numbers 20:21-22: "Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him. And the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor." They were skirting the land of Edom. The most direct route to thePromised Land would have taken them northward through Edomite territory. But when the Israelites had requested permission to travel through it, the Edomite king had refused, forcing them to walk the long way around. So, "they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way." "Discouraged" is translated from Strong's Concordance #7114, qāșar. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament, a better translation might have been "impatient," "anxious," or "annoyed." The Israelites had been traveling through the wilderness for forty years, and they could just about taste the Promised Land and all the promise that it held for them. Just a straight-line march through the land of Edom, and they would be there!But, no, they had to backtrack. When the Israelites chided God and Moses, it rose from deep frustration. They had long chafed at being under God's thumb and subject to His providence, and it wore on them. When they made it to Canaan, they thought, they could ignore Him. Theywould dig their own wells and bake their own bread. They could not wait to bite into a piece of homemade, crusty bread! Note their complaint: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread" (Numbers21:5). "Worthless" translates Strong's #7052, qelōqēl, which The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament defines as "worthless, miserable. It describes food that is unappetizing, unattractive, barely edible." Apparently, after forty years, manna had lost its novelty. So, how does God react to their whining? Seeming to jump the rails, He sends poisonous snakes to kill them. The death penalty for complaining about the food? Is that a proportionate punishment? Is that fair? Of course not. There must be a betterrationale for God's reaction. We must see how Moses describes His response in Numbers 21:6: "So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died." A poor translation of one word, "sent" (Strong's #7971),has skewed readers' understanding of God's justice for centuries. The Hebrew word, �ālah, does mean "sent," but referring to animals, it suggests "loosed," "released," or "let go." God did not send the snakes in and command them to attack the people. He loosed them from restraint, released them, or let them go. This meaning implies that the snakes were there all along. Notice Deuteronomy 8:14-15: . . . when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terriblewilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; . . . The snakes were native to the desert�in fact, it was filled with them�and the only reason the Israelites had not encountered and fallen victim to venomous serpents over nearly forty years is because God had been actively protecting them. Hehad been holding back the snakes! As part of His providence, He had protected them from those dangers and more. But why did God remove His protection from them here? By this time, God knew their hearts, as He says in Deuteronomy 8:2: "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whetheryou would keep His commandments or not." He also knew where their disobedient hearts would lead them. At first glance, their complaint would appear to be just a problem of food and water, but He knew the real reason: . . . and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORDyour God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; . . . then you say in your heart, "My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth." (Deuteronomy8:13-14, 17) God saw their pride, self-sufficiency, and independence. The Israelites never considered that He had provided them with more than food and water, and He would do so in the Promised Land as well. They could not see that self-sufficiency is anegotistical illusion. Humans are blind to most of what God provides, and without His care, all would die in their next breath. They vastly and ungratefully underestimated their need of Him. So, God gave them and their descendants�and us!�an object-lesson designed to make us sit up and consider what He provides. And when we think it through, He expects us to send overflowing gratitude His way and follow Him with greater humility. The Israelites committed a terrible sin of ingratitude and blindness to the saving work of God. For forty years, they essentially blasphemed God as insufficient to their needs. In releasing the serpents from His restraints upon them, He showed the Israelites just how bad it would be without Him.Yes, God is fair! - Mike Fuhrer