TRUST IN THE LORD

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:1-2

God always requires total trust in Him alone for our victories in life. Throughout Scripture we are cautioned not to place our trust in the strength of horses, other men or our own abilities.

David's decision to take a census was a failure to keep his trust totally upon the Lord. David's purpose in counting his population was to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses.

David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel and 500,000 men in Judah, more than double the previous head count.

David's commander evidently recognized the grave error that his king was about to make. "But Joab replied, 'May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?"

This census displeased the Lord. David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord.

God punished David and reduced his forces by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men. How do we do this in our lives today?

We trust the government, our connections, our bank accounts, our skills, and the security of our workplace.

When we begin placing our faith in these things instead of the provider of these things, we get into trouble with God.

What a lesson this is for each of us. We must look up only to God as the source of our provision. He is our Father, and our help comes from Him alone.

Prayer: Praise the Father for being the unfailing source of all you will ever need.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Chronicles 21:1-10

When Life Hits You Hard: 5 Things To Remember and 5 Verses to Live By

Just when I think everything is going perfect in my life, life threw me another curveball. My outgoing, outspoken and loving 54-year-old mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer – stage 3A. Worst news I’ve ever received in my entire life.

Now I do not know what you are dealing with right now. It may be job loss, divorce, a serious illness, a death of a loved-one. Nobody is immune to life’s trials and adversities. We all will experience them, only at varying degrees.

These situations can cause us to be confused, afraid, depressed, anxious and even angry. All these feelings are completely normal. We are humans, we are imperfect and we are flawed. But after recognizing all our emotions, we have to come to terms with our situation. We’ve got to face our problems head on.

Here are five things to remember while you are faced with an insurmountable circumstance.

1. You have access to a 24/7 hotline to heaven.

“Be anxious for nothing, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

When you feel so down and weary, talk to God. Talking helps. He understands and He cares. He feels your pain and all your emotions. Pour out your heart to him and you’ll find your mind is renewed after spending quality time in prayer.

2. God is always with you.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

Circumstances like these can shake your world and throw everything out of order. You may find that some things are out of your control and that causes a tremendous fear in your heart. Do not be afraid. The future may be unknown and uncertain, but you must remember that whatever happens, God will never leave you nor forsake you.

3. The difficult times sometimes have to happen so that God can accomplish His purpose for you.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

There is a quote that says “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.”. I believe that to be true. You may have lost a job. Your relationships may have failed. Some things happen in order to mold us into the person God wants us to be. It may be hard to comprehend but we can take comfort knowing God never makes mistakes and He knows what is best for us.

4. You are stronger than you even think.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

Do not let the negative thoughts rule your mind. Focus on the positive and try to find the silver lining in every situation. You can rise above all this. You just have to find your light and not let the darkness thwart it.

5. Giving up is never an option.

“But they who wait for 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.” – Isaiah 40:31

Your situation may seem hopeless. It may seem like it is the end. There will be days that it will feel like it is. But God is your ever present help in time of need. You can trust Him to give you the grace and strength to make it through any trial.

Sometimes we see how big our problems are and we forget how big our God is.

Tough times are inevitable. And more often than not, our circumstances are beyond our control.

But the good news is: We can control how we react to the situation we are in.

And the great news is: Our God is an Omniscient and Omnipotent God who has total control of everything.

So take heart, child of God.

Why is the child in hands of the beggar always sleeping?

This is an article I came across months ago. We are not sure of the author, however, we’ve checked the authenticity of this with our followers in Bangkok and Cambodia. Surprisingly, this seems to be true, and their request, is only to offer beggars food and water – not money. Any help you can give in terms of their needs are just fine. But make sure you do not hand over big bills, that will keep the begging industry going. You should be wise enough to know whom to help and how to help. Make your decision based on the situation and knowing it well enough.

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“Near the metro station, sits a woman of uncertain age. Her hair is confused and dirty, her head bowed in grief.

The woman sits on the dirty floor and next to her lies a bag. Into that bag, people throw money. In the woman’s hands, asleep, is a two year old baby. He is in a dirty hat and dirty clothes

“Madonna with baby” – numerous passers-by will donate money. The people of our kind – we always feel sorry for those less fortunate. We are ready to give unfortunate people our last shirt, the last penny out of our pocket and never think another issue. Helping, seems like a “Good job done.”

I walked past the beggar for a month. I did not give any money, as I knew that this is a gang-operated scam, and that money collected by the beggar, will be given to whoever controls beggars in the area. Those people own numerous luxury properties and cars. The beggar also gets something, of course, “A bottle of vodka in the evening and a döner kebab.” A month later, walking past the beggar, a shock suddenly hit me….
I’m standing at a busy crossing, staring at the baby. He is dressed, as always, in a dirty track suit. I realized that it seemed “wrong”, finding a child in a dirty underground station from morning to evening. The baby was always asleep. He never sobbed or screamed, he always slept, burying his face in the knee of a woman who was his MUM.

Do any of you, dear readers, have children? Remember how often they slept at the age of 1, 2 or 3 years old? An hour, two, maximum three (and never consecutive). An afternoon nap, and there was always movement. For the whole month, every day I walked to the underground station, I never saw the child awake! I looked at the tiny little man, with his face buried in the knee of his mother, then at the beggar, and my suspicion was gradually formed. “Why does he sleep all the time?” I asked, staring at the baby.

The beggar pretended not to hear me. She lowered her eyes and hid her face in the collar of her shabby jacket. I repeated the question. The woman again looked up. She looked somewhere behind my back, tired with utter irritation. Her look was similar to the creatures from a different planet.

“F *** off,” her lips murmured.

“Why is he asleep?!” I almost cried.

Behind me, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked back. An old man was looking at me disapprovingly:

“What do you want from her? Can’t you see how hard she’s got it in her life? Eh?”

He took some coins from his pocket and threw them in the beggar’s bag. source 

The beggar made a cross by waving her hand, portraying the face of humility and universal grief. The guy removed his hand from my shoulder and strolled out of the underground station. I bet, at home, he will tell how he defended poor, distraught woman from a soulless man in a tube station.

Next day, I called a friend. He was a funny man with eyes like olives. His nationality – Romanian. He only managed to complete three and a half years of education. His lack of education did not prevent him from moving around the City streets in expensive foreign cars and live in a “small” house with a countless number of windows and balconies. From my friend, I managed to find out that the beggar is part of a business. Despite the genuine appearance, it is clearly organized. It is supervised by organized crime rings. The children used are “rented” from families of alcoholics, or simply stolen.

I needed to get the answer to my question – Why is the baby always sleeping? And I received it. My friend explained it to me, casually and with a calm voice that twisted me in shock, just like he was talking about weather report: “They are on heroin, or vodka.”

I was dumbfounded. “Who is on heroin or vodka?!”

He answered, “The Child, so he doesn’t scream. The women will be sitting whole day with him, imagine how he might get bored?

In order to make the baby slept the whole day, it pumped up with vodka or drugs. Of course, children’s bodies are not able to cope with such a shock. And children often die. The most terrible thing – sometimes children die during the “working day”. And imaginary mother must hold another dead child on her hands until the evening. These are the rules. And the by passers-by will throw some money in the bag, and believe that they are moral. Helping the mother alone.”

The next day, I was walking near the same underground station. I built up journalistic confidence and was ready for a serious conversation. But the conversation didn’t work out. Instead, it turned out the following way … the woman was sitting on the floor and in her hands she was holding a different child. I asked her a question about the documents of the child, and, most importantly, where was the child from yesterday. She simply ignored me. My questions were not ignored by passers-by though. I was told that I was out of my mind, questioning a poor beggar with a child. Eventually, I was escorted out of the station in disgrace. The one thing that remained was to call the police. When the police arrived, the beggar with the baby had disappeared. I stood with a full sense of “trying to fight windmills.”

When you see in the subway, or on the street, women with children, begging, think before your hand them your money. Think about it, that if it wasn’t for your hundreds of thousands of handouts, the business like this would have died. The business would die and not the children, pumped full of vodka or drugs. Do not look at the sleeping child with affection… See horror… Since you are reading this article, you know now why the child is sleeping in beggars hands.

P.S.
If you copy this article on your wall or just click “Share”, your friends will read it too.
And when you decide again to open your wallet to throw a coin to a beggar with a sleeping child,
remember that this charity could cost another child’s life.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF FELLOWSHIP

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:3

When I find a good restaurant, I want to take people there. And not only do I want to take them there, but I want to let them in on the best thing to order.

I want them to discover what I have discovered. In the same way, when we come to know the blessings in the Lord, we want to share it with others.

Fellowship is more than just socializing. We may talk about all kinds of things when we come to church, but our primary purpose is to talk about the things of God.

When the Bible says the first-century believers "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship" (Acts 2:42), the word "fellowship" comes from the Greek word koinonia. It can be translated, "partnership," "communion," or "fellowship."

The idea being communicated is that the early Christians were being taught the Word of God, and they wanted to share it with others.

When you are walking with God, you will want to be with God's people. And if you are not walking with God, you probably won't want to be around God's people.

I have found that when you are in fellowship with God and getting into His Word, then you will want to share it with fellow Christians.

You will want to be around fellow believers. Fellowship is praying together. It is serving together. It is growing and aging together. These are the fibres of fellowship.

Fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers go together. The reason God has blessed you is to share your blessing with others.

Prayer: Lord, keep me in close fellowship with You and with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Scriptural Reading: 1 John 1:1-4

THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4

In the Bible, valleys symbolize periods of hardship and suffering. The Psalmist evokes a particularly dangerous and painful image by referring to "the valley of the shadow of death".

In the midst of a poem meant to provide comfort and assurance is a cold reminder that spiritual valleys are inevitable.

But if we read only of green pastures and quiet waters, we miss the heart of Psalm 23 and a core truth about the believer's life. The valley verse contains a promise not found among the lovely first lines.

In hardship, believers discover "Thou art with me". God's unwavering presence becomes most obvious to us when we are vulnerable.

And along with our experience of His assurance and comfort comes the understanding that the Lord goes with us daily—even into the depths of our despair.

When people do not recognize His constancy, they turn to other coping methods, such as going to bars for a so-called "Happy Hour" or burying themselves in work.

But filled with the knowledge that God holds us no matter how deep or wide our "valley" is, we can release fear and endure suffering. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus protects and guides His lambs through trials.

Even in these low places, we cannot be snatched from Him. His rod beats away predators trying to drag away one of the flock.

And His staff's crooked neck pulls a wandering sheep back from the cliff 's edge.

Prayer: Thank You Lord, that You are with me even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 23:1-6

Prayer for new week

 The Almighty God who created you will surely provide for all your needs in a timely manner. Your life will not lose value. Though some people have seen you to be cheap and downtrodden, but as from today they will count themselves privileged to have known you! God will give you the grace to forgive all those who have offended you. You will not delay your own blessings due to malice in Jesus Name.

 I pray that may the Lord do for you, what will shock your enemies, may God promote you above your contemporaries. May God fight your hidden battles and grant you victory in every areas of your life. 

Happy New Week from us ASB-World. 

Some Ways to Mend Trust in a Relationship

Many relationship struggle tremendously because trust in their marriage/relationship has been breached.

People want to know how what needs to occur to have the foundation of trust restored in their relationship. While I'll specifically be addressing this issue in the context of marriage, the principles apply to all relationships.

Before a couple can start restoring trust in their marriage, there needs to be an admission of wrongdoing by the offending spouse, a sincere request for forgiveness and granting of forgiveness by the offended mate. I've addressed those issue in my past blogs on giving forgiveness and two personal stories for forgiveness: Corrie ten Boom and the family of Ed Thomas.

Do you need to rebuild trust in your relationship? If so, there are a few things you need to know.

First, notice that the word "rebuild" implies that a relationship has been torn down and needs to be established once again. Something you said or didn't say, did or didn't do to your spouse, child, relative or friend has adversely impacted your relationship with them.

Second, trust is not something that anyone owes you.  Trust must be earned. That means that you need to provide something to the other person in order for them to trust you once again. It is not something you just do one time, but rather need to display them consistently, day in and day out, over a period of time.

Third, in order to trust you, the other person must have complete confidence that from this day forward:

1. You are who you say you are. Your spouse needs to know that you are genuine and authentic...that you are the real deal. Whether you are with your family, friends or coworkers, your spouse needs to see that you are the same person wherever you are and whoever you are with. They need to see you living a consistent life. Your spouse needs to know that you are rock solid, not a person whose personality or behavior is constantly shifting.

Also, when you and your spouse got married, you promised to be there for each other "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health...till death us do part." You also committed to become "one flesh." That means the other person should be able to rely upon those promises—that you will not tear the marriage apart and that you will be there, as their husband or wife, no matter what happens.

2. You will always speak the truth. There are no such things as "little white lies" or "half truths." What you say is either true or it is not. Let me illustrate. If your wife asks you something simple like, "What have you been doing?" Don't just say, "Mowing the lawn." If you have also been watching television and checking emails, say so. Remember: Truth is the whole truth. To rebuild trust, speak truth in everything, big and small. Doing so will help build the other person's confidence in your trustworthiness.

Speaking truth also means not keeping secrets from your spouse. Whether it's a purchase you made, an addiction you have, an illness you're experiencing or where you've been, nothing should be kept from your spouse. A surprise party may be an exception! Sharing challenges, problems, and your emotions with your spouse may be difficult initially, but will help rebuild trust and ultimately intimacy in your relationship.

3. You will always do what you say you'll do. In simple terms, when you say you'll do something, the other person can check it off the list or take it to the bank. It's a done deal. If for some reason you are unable to do it, let the other person know immediately. Also the seeds of suspicion and distrust seem to germinate when the person working to rebuild the trust does unpredictable things. For example, if you are going to be unusually late coming home from work, tell your spouse and let him or her know why.

As you rebuild trust in your relationship, remember that one of the best things you can do is to ask the other person, "What can I do to earn your trust once again?" Then be sure to listen carefully and take action.source: charismamag.com