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October 31, 2015
The Crowbarred Car Door, Part 2

By Answers2Prayer 
  Last week, in The Crowbarred Car Door, Part 1, I relayed the story of how a petty thief had taken a crowbar to our car door to steal 3 dollars in the coin cubby of the car's dash. Just to recap a couple of the details, my son, who was the driver of the car at the time, found the damage and went back into the hardware store for touch-up paint because he was afraid we would be angry with him for the damage done to the car. However, in the end, once he got home, he immediately showed me the damage and "confessed". 

The first lesson we learned from this story was that we don't need to do risky things to fill the unfilled longings of our hearts. All we need is Jesus! He fills us up! Secondly we learned that just like the touch-up paint did little to hide the crowbar scars on the car door, our own efforts to "cover up" our sin, to "cancel out" our sin, have no effect. The only hope is the blood of Jesus. 

There is just one more lesson to be learned from this incident. For some reason, my son felt that the incident was somehow his fault. He felt "guilty". The only real fault against him would have been purely circumstantial: If he hadn't gone to the hardware store, it wouldn't have happened. Nonetheless, he was afraid of our reaction. 

It makes me wonder how often we must have overreacted in the past to make him afraid to tell us about this, and I pray that God will help me to stop overreacting in the future. But I believe the real lesson goes a bit deeper. You see, even if my son had chosen to not tell us about what had happened to the car, we would have found out eventually, say, for example, the next time we went to use the car and found that the door would barely close! 

Isn't it the same with sin? We commit sin, then we try to "cover it up", hide it, make it so that no one ever knows. But just like that crowbar scar on the car door was impossible to hide, God sees everything we do. We can perhaps hide our weaknesses from humanity, but we can never hide them from God. Far better to do what my son did and "fess up" immediately. I would have been pretty frustrated if he hadn't told me and I had simply found it on my own. As it was, I immediately forgave my son and helped him to understand that I didn't hold him in any way at fault for what happened. If he had hidden it from me, however, I would have been very angry. Not for his "crime", which really wasn't a crime, but for the fact that he had tried to hide it. 

Friends, let's stop trying to hide our sins. Let's follow my son's example and "fess up" immediately. First and foremost, let's confess to God; and then, let's not hesitate to confess to whoever it is we've hurt. 

Who would have known that that crowbarred car door could teach us so many lessons. But let's remember these three important lessons: 

1. Let's remember that true joy and happiness comes from the Lord;

2. Let's remember that only the blood of Jesus can truly cover up our sin; and

3. Let's remember to confess our wrongdoings to our God and Father, and to our fellow man. 

Oh, my neighbour fixed the car door for $300, a fraction of the cost we would have paid at an auto body shop. God is so good. Nonetheless, as we shelled out the money to pay him, we couldn't help but think, It would have cost us only 100th that much to have just given the thief the 3$ in the cubby!

In His love,
Lyn


Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 29, 2015
The Building
bible
By Answers2Prayer 
"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." (Psalm 127:1)

What great plans! We were so excited to have come up with what we thought was going to be a really great plan.

When the first hitch happened, I thought, "Oh well, it's just a little problem. We can get past that." Not long after, another fly in the ointment, but we were not to be daunted. After all, we'd devised a super plan for the program.

As you have no doubt surmised, it was not long before another glitch, and then another. I felt as if we were treading water, or even worse, swimming upstream against the current.

At some point, one of us realized we had not consulted God prior to trying to implement this wonderful plan. We had asked Him to bless the project, and to bless us as we undertook it. However we had not asked Him in on the foundation and start of the venture.

The Bible says that if the Lord doesn't 'build the house, the laborers build in vain.' That whole thing was a lesson to us, and hopefully one learned so as to not make the same mistake. 

How awesome that God is willing and ready to help us, whenever we come back or turn around and seek Him. That's good news.

Inspirational Messages, Sally I. Kennedy 2014
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 27, 2015
Three Secrets to Overcome Rejection

By Answers2Prayer 
  My friend and I sat at the kitchen table and chatted about the past. "He was really hurt," she said, "took him a long time to overcome the rejection."

Guilt came over me. I had dated her brother and ended the relationship in an insensitive and abrupt way. I fidgeted in my seat and gave a forced smile. "I was a foolish teenager," I said, "my values were all messed up and I was a bundle of immature emotions."

A lame excuse, yet even at 16-years-old, I must have caused her brother hurt, wounds and the pain of rejection.

Years later those same emotions slammed into my own life. And as this young boyfriend, I had to overcome rejection. I needed to move beyond it in order to rebuild confidence.

And on the journey, I gathered a bit of wise boldness. I found three important secrets to live, to thrive and dance as we learn to overcome rejection:

1. Recognize the rejection as a redirection for God's plans to be fulfilled. In my own experience as an author, similar to other authors, I can meet painful rejections. Painful because we put all our expectations on receiving an enthusiastic acceptance. But no man's rejection is a match for God's redirection.

2. Remember each rejection is a stepping stone to building strength, perseverance and character. And when success comes, we're equipped to relish in triumph.

3. Resolve to put emotions in their place. Negative emotions are the enemy's weapons to weaken us, discourage and defeat us.

And that is how Joshua might have felt as he faced a new position of leadership. Possible discouragement, fear, defeat and rejection awaited him. But God said to him the same He says to us today: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

Father, if You're with me, what rejection should I fear? When you command me to be courageous, I know you will provide the strength; you will guide the way, and bring opportunities that will shine in my life. In Jesus' name, amen.

* What rejection has darkened your days lately?
* Which of God's promises speaks to you?
* What truths do you store in your heart as you try to overcome rejection?

Janet P. Eckles

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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 24, 2015
The Crowbarred Car Door, Part 1

By Answers2Prayer 
  We had been forewarned. For the last year and a half, someone had been breaking into cars in our neighborhood. Even our next door neighbor had fallen prey to his traps. 

The thief wasn't stealing cars. It seemed that he was much more interested in any loose change, or even better, any cigarettes that might be in the cars. 

Initially he just went inside unlocked cars, but as time went on, he became bolder. He began breaking into locked cars as well. Another neighbor, just down the street, fell victim to his plots twice. The first time he went into her unlocked car and emptied the change compartment of its 3 or 4 dollars. Realizing what he had done, the lady began to lock her car, and the next time he came by, he broke through the passenger window to steal a pack of cigarettes that were lying on her dash. 

We figured we were pretty much immune to this particular thief. After all, we park our cars in our locked garage, we never leave them unlocked, we don't smoke, and we never leave valuables in plain view. So when my son came home the other day with a very strange story, I was shocked.

It went like this: He had taken the car to the local hardware store and had left it locked, in broad-open daylight, in the midst of a busy parking lot. There was nothing in the car, except for 3 dollars in change in a little cubby. When he returned to the car, there was a serious dent in the top outside edge of the driver's door. 

Assuming that someone in a very tall car had hit the car hard with a car door, my poor 17 year-old had no idea what to do. Only one thing was clear to him: Mom and dad are going to be mad, so he went back into the hardware store, bought a little tube of touch-up paint, and proceeded to paint over the numerous scratches and scrapes. 

He was looking pretty sheepish when he got home, but to his credit, he took me straight out to the car and admitted what had happened. One thing was quite clear to me: A mere car door had not done all of that damage. It looked far more like...A crowbar! Someone had taken a crowbar to the car to get...the 3$ in the cubby! 

Several lessons come to mind as I think about this story. The first is this:

Some people go to great measures to get what they think they need to fulfill their desires. It makes you think, doesn't it? People risk punishment and prison for just a few dollars to support their addictive habits, yet Jesus offers us complete joy and happiness, everything we need to fill the longing in each of our hearts, for free! 

The second lesson to be learned is this: It was immediately evident to me that my son's touch-up paint job had done little to hide the evidence. Now our crumpled metal was silver instead of the dull-gray of bare steel. Isn't it so much like human nature to try to cover up our wrong? In this case, my son hadn't done anything wrong, nonetheless, he tried to "cover it up". In life, we are no different. We do wrong things every day. We are convicted of the wrongs we have done, and we try to counter these by doing good. It's like we think there is two recording angels, one who records the bad and one who records the good, and in the end, the one with the longest list indicates if we go to Heaven or Hell. But friends, the Bible teaches us something completely opposite: We cannot work our way into Heaven, because all of our good deeds are like, "filthy rags"! "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away." (Isa 64:6 NKJV).

What is this text saying? Simply this: When we try to cover up the wrong things we've done with good deeds, it is like my son taking that touch-up paint to the crowbar scars on the car door. There is one paint, however, that makes it all better: The Blood of Jesus. Consider this text: "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7 NKJV)! 

Now that is really good touch-up paint!

Let's remember these lessons, friends. Jesus gives us everything we really desire -- and all for free, and His Blood is the best touch-up paint possible, for it completely removes the scars of our wrong actions. 

Please join us next Saturday for The Crowbarred Car Door, Part 2 for more lessons from my crowbarred car door! 

In His love,
Lyn


Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 22, 2015
The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets, Part 4

By Answers2Prayer 
  Coming to the concluding part of our series on "the Success story of the unsuccessful Prophets", let's now train the spotlight on the following sub-titles...

Sanctioned...

Hmmm...reflecting on the 'success' of the Ministry of the "unsuccessful" Prophets, which did not bring to God's kingdom 'many repentant souls' let me forewarn, the success per se of the ministries of these faithful ambassadors of God ought not to be evaluated in the context of its meaning as spelled out in, say, an Oxford dictionary; but rather, in the backdrop of its meaning as outlined in God's lexicon! If to God, they were ultimately accountable, then from Him alone ought to come the Final verdict on the 'success' of their ministry! 

For the 'Divine verdict' on this subject, let's have a closer look at the words of commendation of the Divine master (in the parable of talents) addressed to those earnest servants of his, which goes thus: "Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matt 25:21-23). The words of commendation employed (not once but twice, as though to underscore a point) were not, "well done, my successful servant" but rather "well done, my faithful servant". Ah...Faithfulness...That's the key to gaining God's approval in any realm of spiritual service! Is it pervading every area of our work for Him? If it is, then my dear Co-servants in His vineyard, let's never fret over the so-called 'lack of success' in our Ministry, because as long as we faithfully endeavour to carry out His tasks assigned to us, we are guaranteed the Master's sanction! Let me reiterate here, even at the cost of sounding repetitive... "faithfulness" alone is the scale by which the Divine Master rates success in Ministry done for His Glory!

God, who sees and punishes every done sin in secret, also sees every good deed done faithfully for His glory in secret and rewards (Heb 4:13) suitably. The early Church didn't know about Cornelius, the charitable Roman centurion, until his baptism; but his good deeds done faithfully, albeit in a corner as it were, were noticed by Him, whose opinion matters the most at all times (Acts 10:1-5)! 

Enlivened...

In conclusion, I want to highlight the 'greatest' success of the supposedly unsuccessful Prophets before exile. It is only logical to believe that for a far more popular, successful, history-conscious (Nehemiah13:26) socio-spiritual leader like Nehemiah, the faithfulness displayed in the past by prophets such as Jeremiah and Amos was always a source of great inspiration, especially in his moments of discouragement, as he endeavoured to rebuild the broken Jerusalem wall against heavy odds. Jeremiah, Amos and their ilk may have been Davy's equivalent to Nehemiah in the sphere of inspiration. Leave alone Nehemiah, even today, when we see the perseverance and faithfulness of the 'unsuccessful' prophets, are we not enlivened and encouraged to go an extra mile for the Lord? The simple fact is...The good Lord is still using them, even today, though physically they are long dead and gone, for their example still continues to inspire us! They were the very definition of the catchy phrase "If you aspire to inspire before you expire, then you would continue to inspire long after you expire". Hallelujah!

Would our lives and our selfless (?) work for Him, inspire the posterity in the same way like that of say a Jeremiah or an Amos, inspires us today? Hmmm...inconspicuous Humphrey Davy or popular Michael Faraday (Ha...it all began there)? It doesn't matter in God's realm, as long as you are faithful! Amen!

Prayer: Father, let faithfulness be always the key operative word in everything we do for Your Glory. Be it in winning souls or reviving the backslidden ones or be it in strengthening further the persevering ones. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 20, 2015
The Other Side of the Street

By Answers2Prayer Subscribe Unsubscribe Devotionals Contact us  A few weeks ago, my husband and I made reservations to a certain restaurant in the downtown area of a nearby city. We had only been there once before, but we knew what road it was on, and we were sure it was on the right-hand side. Imagine our frustration to drive through that downtown area three times, carefully searching each and every building and restaurant on the right-hand side of the road, only to be forced to leave town hungry.

We decided to try again this past week. This time, however, I went online to get the address. Imagine my surprise to learn from Google Maps that the restaurant was actually on the left-hand side of the road! And sure enough, this is exactly where we found the restaurant. We had a lovely meal, and we left completely satisfied. 

Most of us live our lives in the pursuit of happiness. We think we know the source of happiness, for doesn't it lie in having a special relationship with a special someone? Won't we find it in good health? Won't retirement bring it to us? After all, once retired we don't have to put up with our stressful jobs and we have more time to spend with the grandkids, to travel, etc. Or surely prosperity will bring us happiness. Maybe we truly aren't desiring to be "rich", but wouldn't a steady job bring us happiness? Or maybe a job that paid just a little more? 

The list could go on. The point is, we tend to see that happiness will be ours if only...

Unfortunately it is often the case that when and if we receive these things, we find that they don't bring us true happiness, for soon we find ourselves longing for something else we don't have. Even though we have searched the "street" of life carefully, we don't find that "restaurant" that will permanently fill our longing for happiness. 

Perhaps it is time that we start looking on the other side of the street!

You see, we generally think that in receiving something, we will be happy; but in reality, it is the exact opposite. It isn't by seeking after things for ourselves that we find happiness, it is in giving of ourselves to others! Happiness truly does lie on the other side of the street! 

Surprised?

Isn't this what the Bible teaches? It is in giving that we find happiness? Doesn't Paul tell us that Jesus was quoted as saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:30)? 

I'm not just talking about giving money here, although that is part of giving. I am talking about giving of our time, our talent and our resources. I'm talking about loving others so much that we forget about our own needs. I am talking about abandoning our own needs to God, and putting our focus on the needs of other people. After all, it isn't about what we need or want. It's about what we can do for other people!

And when we do this, we will find that happiness we seek. Just as my husband and I left that restaurant on the left-hand side of the road satisfied, we, too, will be satisfied in every aspect of our lives when we focus on giving instead of receiving. 

But wait. This takes unselfish love. Is this kind of love even possible?

Absolutely. Consider this text: "And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom. 5:5)

In other words, when we give our hearts to God, when we are filled by His Spirit, that same Spirit of God begins to work love in our hearts. Isn't love the first fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists for us? Gal. 5:22,23a: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

So what stops us from looking to the other side of the road for happiness? 

So often I hear people say that they would love to do ______, but they don't have enough _____. Those who love unconditionally will not worry about this. They will simply be a conduit of God's love to the world. Doesn't God promise that He is: "...able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8)?

Tired of having your search for happiness come up empty? Try looking to the other side of the road: Try reaching out to make others happy, for when you do, you will be filled beyond comprehension. Remember: You can't find a restaurant on the right-hand side of the road, when it is truly on the left!

In His love,
Lyn


Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 17, 2015
Laying Down my Isaac
By Answers2Prayer 
You are all familiar with the story. God asked Abraham to give up the thing that was the most precious to him in the whole world: He had to lay the promised son, the same one he had waited over a hundred years to receive, on the altar as a living sacrifice. (See Genesis 22)

As I think of this story, I wonder: Will God ask me to lay down something precious to me?

And if so, what will that precious something be? What is my "Isaac"? 

Let's remember that our "Isaac" cannot be something that we would willingly sacrifice to God. Rather, it is the thing in our lives that we value the most.

As I was going through cancer, I realized that my good health had become my "Isaac". I valued my health above all; yet the year I went through cancer I was assaulted with four different health issues. I was brought face-to-face with my need to surrender my health to God, and I'm happy to say I did just that. I surrendered my health to Him, and it has remained surrendered since this time. Stressing about illness, subsequent time off work and resulting changes to lifestyle are all things of the past. They lay completely in His hands.

Yesterday I was brought face-to-face with another "Isaac", only this time it wasn't something tangible like my health. It is my lifelong dream, one which, as a result of the cancer-experience, I had thought was finally being brought to reality. I was forced yesterday to stand by and watch the fulfillment of this dream die in front of my eyes. 

After many angry tears, I sat down at my computer to work on transferring old devotional files to a new website. One of the articles I came across was entitled, "Laying Down my Isaac". I didn't even need to read it, for I could clearly hear God's voice through the title: "This dream of yours has become your 'Isaac' and now I require you to sacrifice it to Me!"

I gave it to Him then and there, and several more times since. In fact, every time I think about this little "Isaac", I lay it back down on the altar. I know that in sacrificing it, I will lose it altogether. Yet it was not really mine at all, was it? Has God not made me but a steward of everything I have?

Friends, please remember today that everything we have--our health, our families, our livelihoods, even our dreams--are not ours at all; rather they are lent to us as precious gifts of God. Let's examine our lives and ask God to reveal to us our "Isaacs". When He does, let's be willing to sacrifice them on the "altar", for it is only in total surrender that our "Isaacs" can have real meaning and value, for: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom 12:1) 

Oh, and let's don't forget that God blesses those who are willing to sacrifice their "Isaacs" to Him. He provided Abraham with a substitute sacrifice, and Isaac, now fully-surrendered to God by his father, went on to become the father of God's chosen people. 

He also gave me back my health, and with it, freedom from worry over illness. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what He will do now with my life-long dream...

I also invite you to read the article whose title was such an inspiration: Laying Down my Isaac, by Hazel Moodley.

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 15, 2015
The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets, Part 3

By Answers2Prayer
  With the benefit of hindsight (having completed the historical recap in the second part of this series), today we come to the penultimate part of our series "the Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets", focusing therein on two sub-titles...

Softened...

Of the era of Ezra, Haggai and Nehemiah, the Biblical scholars would tell us that the hearts of God's chosen lot, were "softened" and made into "pliable clay" by the retribution of exile, as such they were more receptive to God's instruction (after the Exile) than that of their hard-hearted fathers. Let me state affirmatively here that it is not Haggai's or Nehemiah's fault that they did not face the wrath of their own people in the way their predecessors did before the Exile. It also follows that their (Haggai or Nehemiah) rewards too wouldn't be diminished just because, their suffering did not equal that of their counterparts before the Exile dealing as they were with the softened people ready to submit themselves into the hands of the Divine potter. 

Hardened...

Spare a thought to the diligent Prophets, who laboured for the Lord before the Exile, pleading with the people to repent? Forget listening to their clarion call and repenting, the hard-hearted Jews of that day wanted nothing to do with them. Situation turned from bad to worse for these representatives of God, when the emotional pain of social rejection (Amos 7:12) assumed the dark contours of physical hardships. Take the flogging and imprisonment of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:1-2) and then throw in cruel execution of other faithful prophets such as Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the High priest (2 Chronicles 24:21-22) and Uriah, son of Shemiah (Jeremiah 26:20-23) and the grim picture of all pain and no gain of these prophets would slowly but surely emerge with no shades of grey. Oh yes, prophets like Jeremiah or Amos, may be a popular subjects of study amongst the Bible students of our age but what were their popularity ratings in the Jewish society of their age? Were they at least looked upon as Prophets- Representatives of the Almighty God? NO! Far from being viewed as men holding a holy office, they were actually looked down upon as "unholy traitors of their nation" (Jeremiah 38:4/Amos 7:10). In essence, they were the very definition of the word "the least" our Lord was talking about in the afore-referred scripture portion. 

While on the subject, I want to present yet another important dimension of their ministry, which made their popularity graph dip further...alarmingly. As Prophets, not only were they foretelling the dark future of the hard-hearted people prone to receive just Divine comeuppance, but they also assumed the role of forthtellers of God's word. Not for them, any sugarcoating business! They boldly portended all of God's warnings of "gloom and doom" to the disobedient people without mincing any words. Do we practice such honest forthtelling in the pulpits nowadays, even if it means risking empty pews?
 
Prayer: Father, enable us to serve by keeping our eyes focused on Thee alone rather than worldly rewards or worldly applause. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 13, 2015
A Green Thumb

By Answers2Prayer
 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thess 5:16-18)

As a boy I learned so much growing up the way I did. We didn't have very much, yet we 
were rich in all that mattered. My Mom, Dad, brothers, and I all lived with my Grandma in her 
ramshackle house built from old shanty cars. It was cold and drafty at times but we could always
count on a hot meal made with love to warm our bellies and our hearts. "Nana" had an old root
cellar, four different vegetable gardens and a green thumb when it came to growing things. We 
could always count then on a delicious dinner every day.

Nana wasn't content with just growing food, though. She wanted something beautiful for the 
soul as well. She had flowers growing all around the house and potted plants hanging on the back 
porch. She always knew how to nurture each plant too. She would give each one the perfect 
amount of water and turn it regularly so it wouldn't grow crooked as it stretched toward the 
sunshine. I can even remember her once chasing a stray cat away with some harsh Italian words 
for daring to use one of her precious plants as a litter box.

Sadly, I didn't inherit Nana's green thumb for growing things. I have grown vegetables even
rabbits wouldn't steal and I have found that my flowers do far better when I just leave them 
alone. I did, however, learn one thing from Nana: how to nurture the soul.
 
I do so each day helping it to grow. I give thanks to God for the food in my stomach and the 
flowers in the field. I spend time in prayer. I cherish the beauty of this glorious world. I read 
works that uplift and inspire. I pet my dogs. I laugh often. I hug my sons and daughter. I share 
smiles with strangers and my stories with everyone I can. I help others. And I plant seeds of 
love, joy, kindness, and encouragement everywhere I go. May you do the same. May your green 
thumb nurture your soul and this world with love always.

By: Joseph J. Mazzella
 
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It is hoped that most Christians sacrifice their time, talent and money for the Lord as a love offering to Him; yet no matter how humble we are, isn't it the desire of our hearts that our efforts bear at least some fruit? Join us on Thursdays for the month of October for "The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets" -- A mini-series by Suresh Manoharan.
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 10, 2015
Self-Focused!

By Answers2Prayer
  As I finished a major project last night, one that had been taking up the majority of my time since August, I let out a victory shout. I fully expected my husband to join in, but he didn't. Surprised, I realized he was wearing earphones and didn't even hear my cry of victory... 

It made me think. So often we are so wrapped up in our own things that, just like my husband had no idea I had accomplished something major, we don't even notice what others are going through around us. 

This was especially true when I had cancer two years ago. The world rotated around me. If I began to doubt this, someone in my family would remind me that I was the queen of the season and I only needed to worry about myself.

Until one day. 

One day, as I was having a major meltdown about the possibility of having to go through Chemotherapy, an envelope arrived in the mail. I assumed it was a get-well card. After all, I was sick, and I deserved get-well cards, didn't I? I wasn't wrong. It was only when I saw who had written the card that I began to realize just how self-focused I had become...

The card was from the father of my best friend in Alaska. I knew through her that he was suffering from a stage 4 inoperable tumor, he was taking heavy doses of an experimental chemotherapy program, he wasn't expected to live, and he was miserable from both the cancer and the chemo. Despite this, as well as the fact that he barely knew me, he had looked beyond himself, he had seen my needs, and he had reached out to me. 

Suddenly my eyes were unblinded to how self-focused I had become. I repented right then and there. I gave God my worry about Chemotherapy and began to try to focus on others. I can tell you that this little change in attitude was such a relief! It made what I had to go through so much easier to bear! 

It is so easy, and even almost expected of us, to fall into the pattern of become focused on ourselves and our own needs. Yet both the Old and New Testaments are clear that God's desire is for us to show compassion on the needy and the sick, no matter what we are going through ourselves. Jesus even says that when we show mercy to the poor, the sick and the needy, we are, in effect, ministering to Him and will be rewarded accordingly (See Matthew 25:35-40)! Jesus even says that those who show mercy on others will be blessed: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Matt 5:7). In other words, when we put our attention to helping others, we open the doors for God to bless our own circumstances! 

Lord, please help me - help us all! - to not get so focused on ourselves that we are blinded to what is happening in the lives of those around us. Help us, even in the midst of our own problems, to reach out to others, for in so doing, we will be called "blessed"!

In His love,
Lyn


Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

 
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EZEKIEL'S TEMPLE ...
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 8, 2015
The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets, Part 2

By Answers2Prayer Subscribe Unsubscribe Devotionals Contact us  In our series, "Success story of the Unsuccessful Prophets", today in the second part of this series. Before we go any further, let's hit loop line, as it were, and have a brief chronological recap of the history of the Nation of Israel till the advent of the Messiah, especially keeping in view the benefit of those who are uninitiated on this subject:

Reminded...

1. Call of Patriarch Abraham with the Divine Promise of giving the: 

     a) Land Flowing with milk and honey to his descendents (Gen 12:1-3/Gen 15) by 
        extermination of the sinful Amorites (Gen 15:6), the original occupants of the same.

     b) Messiah-the Promised Child of Abraham (Gen 15:4/Gal 3:16-18), who would be the cause 
        of Divine Blessings coming upon both the Jews and the Gentiles (Gal 3:29)

2. The Settling of Abraham's descendents in Egypt and their deliverance from Egyptian oppression in order to lead them to the land promised to Father Abraham.

3. The Deuteronomic Covenant (Deut. 28) with Abraham's descendents now christened as the "Nation of Israel" and the conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua).

4. Era of Judges as the leaders of the Nation of Israel (Judges) till the beginning of the era of the Kings.

5. Era of the Kings till the end of the reign of King Solomon (1 and 2 Samuel/1 Kings 12).

6. Division of the Kingdom of Israel into two:

    a) Northern Kingdom of Israel and
    b) Southern Kingdom of Judah.

7. Serious deterioration of spiritual climate in both the kingdoms with kings and people deserting their Redeemer God (from Egyptian bondage -- See Jeremiah 2) and choosing lifeless idols as their gods.

8. Warning from the Almighty through His prophets to His people to turn from their detestable ways (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Amos, Hosea) lest they lose their Promised Land much in the way Adam and Eve lost their Promised Land...viz...Garden of Eden (Hosea 6:7).

9. The Jews turning a deaf ear to all the prophetical warning, besides persecuting the Prophets.

10. The Exile from the Promised Land, firstly with:

    a) Israel (2 Kings 17), and then
    b) Judah (2 Chron 36).

11. Return from the Exile and re-establishment of Jewish Society under the leadership of priests like Joshua, Ezra (Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra and Nehemiah) in the Promised Land, albeit under the overall reign of the Medo-Persians, who were the World super-powers at that time.

12. The priest being the leaders of the nation (the likes of Annas and Caiphas -- See John 18:13-14) till the advent of the Messiah under the over-all reign of the world super power, Rome which had displaced the Greek Empire (The latter had previously unseated the Medo-Persians as the world super power).

Time to hit the main track once again and "go back" to the time preceding and following the Exile in the following part (3rd) of this ongoing series with the spotlight firmly trained on the ministry of the servants of God of that dispensation and the response they got from their "audience"...

Prayer: Father, we have been exhorted that the historical section in the Scriptures is there to serve us as an admonition, lest we repeat the mistakes of those under the Covenant before us. Enable us to pay careful heed to Scriptural history at at all times. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 6, 2015
Slow to Speak, Quick to Listen
By Answers2Prayer 
"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;" (James 1:19)

I stared after my husband in wonder. Why had he stalked off hurt? My words were meant to correct something that was important to me. Why was he being so oversensitive?

I admit I was a bit angry at him for his oversensitivity; but as I pondered this, God began to help me see things a bit more from his point of view. He was under an incredible amount of stress at work. He had been trying to share some of his frustrations with me, something that I usually encourage; but just as he was sharing, I saw a few of my frustrations (about him!) that needed sharing, too. What if I had followed the advice of Jesus' brother, James? How much better might it have been if I had been quicker to listen as he shared his frustrations then to speak out my own?

This reminds me of the majority of my conversations with God. I talk. I yell. I argue. I cry. I pout. But do I take the time to listen to what God is trying to tell me? Prayer is, after all, a two-way conversation, and in any conversation, no one likes to do all the listening! God is no different! 

Most of you reading this today are going through hard times. Think back over your prayers since the troubles began. What has been their focus? Have you been asking God for physical healing? For healing in your relationships? For a new job? For finances? For better living conditions? Have you been asking Him why? Have you been angry with Him for allowing you to go through this? Have you been asking Him for the strength to make it through? 

None of these things are bad things. God tells us that we don't have because we don't ask: "you do not have because you do not ask." (James 4:2). God wants us to express our emotions to Him, He invites us to ask Him "why" and He loves it when we rely on Him for our strength. The problem lies in the fact that we so often don't take the time to listen to what He is trying to speak into our lives through this bad situation.

Think about this, my friends, as you go to your prayer closets this week. Ask God for healing. Ask Him for strength. Express your frustrations and your questions. But most importantly, take the time to listen. I guarantee you that you will be amazed and awed by the results!

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
Announcement:

It is hoped that most Christians sacrifice their time, talent and money for the Lord as a love offering to Him; yet no matter how humble we are, isn't it the desire of our hearts that our efforts bear at least some fruit? Join us on Thursdays for the month of October for "The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets" -- A mini-series by Suresh Manoharan.
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 3, 2015
The Dump Truck

By Answers2Prayer 
 To say I was annoyed would have been an understatement. 

It was my last day at work before leaving on vacation. My morning preparation had gone well, and I now found myself on the road, headed for work. I was 15 minutes earlier than normal, and those extra 15 minutes were just exactly what I thought I needed to ensure that I finished everything and would be able to finish work on time. But now, all of this was for nothing, because I found myself stuck behind an extremely slow dump truck on a narrow country road, in a fog so thick that there was no way I could pass him. As I poked along 20 kph below the speed limit, I couldn't help chaffing with impatience. 

As the kilometers slowly slid by and time quickly moved forward, I found my annoyance turning towards God: "Why didn't You tell me to go a different way?" I found myself asking. "I could have gone the highway, or I could have turned left back there instead of right; but now I'm committed to this route and at this rate, I won't even be able to get to work on time, let alone early!"

It was about then that the truck slowed even further and then stopped altogether. 

As I peered out into the fog to try and see what had caused our trek to halt, I could just make out the shape of a train crossing the road. The fog was so thick that I could barely see it, even though the track was right in front of my detested dump truck. "Why, God?" I cried, "You know how every moment today counts!"

My mind instantly turned to the fog, and as I looked out into the pure "creamed soup" of the air that surrounded me, it occurred to me that perhaps the four-lane highway might not have been the safest route to work that morning. Had I not had a slow dump truck in front of me, I would likely be trying to drive much faster than weather conditions would safely allow. My despised "dump truck" was actually the one thing that ensured I stayed on the road! Peace filled my heart then. The dump truck wasn't an annoyance, it was my safety net. 

And the train?

Just the time I needed to realize the magnitude of God's blessing in what I considered to be negative circumstances.

As the train cleared the track and the dump truck slowly began to move forward, I smiled. The massive vehicle did make a great pilot through the fog, and I did feel safe driving behind it! "Thanks, Lord," I said, "thanks for the truck."

At that moment I knew I was going to have all the time I needed at work despite the delay. And I did. I was able to leave on time with every last detail taken care of.

Isn't it true that we so often curse the things that appear to be going against our will? And even worse, when the seemingly "bad" things happen, don't we so often grumble at God for allowing them? But what if those "bad" circumstances are actually allowed by God to bring about greater blessings? After all, I wouldn't have been blessed if I had gotten into an accident on the way to work, and the lost time was a chance for God to shine through with yet another miracle of time management! 

Let's stop chaffing at the seemingly negative circumstances. Instead, let's remember God's love for us. Let's remember that He sometimes allows negative circumstances in our lives so that the doors can be opened for even greater blessings. And let's especially remember that God's picture, the one we don't see, is far better than our own!

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom 5:3-5, NKJV)

In His love,
Lyn


Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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October 1, 2015
The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets, Part 1

By Answers2Prayer 
  At the outset, I desire to bring to the fore, a 'juicy' tale adorning Science history. When the invention-coal miner's lamp of Sir Humphrey Davy began to pale relatively before the astounding discoveries of his far more illustrious pupil Michael Faraday (in the field of electro-magnetism and electro-chemistry), he was prodded by the prying media of his day 'on how he felt on seeing his discovery being overshadowed by those of his own famous student.' To this he is said to have come up with an apt, witty reply: "Gentlemen, you are forgetting that my greatest discovery is not the coal miner's lamp but Michael Faraday, himself." Oh, how weak is human memory! Oh, how soon lives of men who have inspired other men to "great works" are soon reduced to mere footnotes in the history books. Thankfully, it doesn't happen in the spiritual realm, for here the fair and just God who is in charge, using an altogether "different scale" for measuring success has affirmed that: 

"...those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." (Mark 10:31) 

What a wonderful source of encouragement, these words are to those who serve the Lord diligently, far away from the public spotlight for words, "The least important now" alludes to them. Yes, they may get no proper recognition from the people of their era, for the industrious efforts they put in for the Lord, but their efforts are being recognized by the Lord himself!
 
"Then" in the above-captioned Scripture of course refers to the time of distributing rewards to God's servants (1 Cor 3:12-15) coinciding with middle of the Seven year tribulation period (following the Church Rapture) when the "serpent-tongued accuser" would be forever cast off from the Heavenly realm (Rev 12:7-10).

Let's take the life and ministry of Jewish Prophets before the exile, as a case in point. Unlike prophets and leaders after the Exile, like Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah who were able to elicit positive response from the people and rally them around for great socio-spiritual civic projects like Temple and Wall reconstruction, the prophets before the exile were not as "successful". Not only were they "unsuccessful" in bringing the errant people of their generation to repentance, but also to top it all, some of them paid for their sincere, selfless efforts with their own lives. In this series of three parts, yours truly would like to focus upon the "true" success of the Pre-exilic prophets.

Prayer: Father, we are serving you and it is Your pleasure that matters in the service, we are rendering for Your glory. Enable us to remember this truth at all times. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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September 22, 2015
Seven Charts

By Answers2Prayer 
  I had seven charts to write, and if I wanted to have time for a lunch break, I only had an hour to write them. It might have been a possible task, but when 50 minutes had gone by and I had only finished four charts, I knew that my grumbling stomach would be disappointed: There would be no lunch break today. 

That's when I remembered: I was looking at things from an Earthly prospective. But that prospective isn't reality! "Father," I said, "It's such a little thing, but I would really like to have lunch today. It's an impossible task. There's no way I can write three more charts in ten minutes. Lord, I give it to you, and I ask that if it is Your will, You would do the impossible and slow down that clock!"

Exactly ten minutes later, I placed the seventh and final chart on its rack. My charting was finished, and I had time to eat my lunch.

Most of you reading this are currently experiencing far more than a simple problem of desiring a lunch break. Is this power available for the big problems, too?

The Children of Israel were also facing something much bigger, something far more comparable to what each of you are facing. They had the task of driving out the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Forty years earlier their fathers had been so afraid of these self-same inhabitants that they refused the task. Now Moses stood before them, urging them to not follow in the footsteps of their fathers, and Moses' words to these people are powerful: 

"GOD, your God, will cross the river ahead of you and destroy the nations in your path so that you may dispossess them." (Deut 31:3, MSG)

Notice the two parts to this plan: 1) God crosses over ahead and destroys the nations; and then 2) The people are to dispossess them.

In other words, the inhabitants would still be in Canaan when the Israelites crossed over, but their power would already be gone. And this is exactly what happened. Israel experienced victory after victory as walls came down, daylight hours were extended and their enemies fled before them. God had already defeated the enemy, Israel's job was to "sweep" them out.

This same power is available to us today, no matter how little (three charts in ten minutes) or how large (Insert here the problems you are currently facing!). God crossed over ahead of us when He sent His Son to the cross. Jesus' death and resurrection "destroyed" all of our enemies. It may look to us like they are still there, but their power has been stripped from them.

Remember these words today, my friends: God, your God, has already crossed over ahead of you! He has already destroyed the things that try to conquer you. Rise up today in the name of Jesus, keeping your eyes fixed upon Him, and possess your Promised Land!

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

 
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BIBLE STUDYGreat news, our latest Bible Study is finally out. Basking in God's Unfailing Love, An Open Invitation to Experience God Personally To a world gone mad, trying to get to know Jesus may seem foolish. However if you give Him a try, you will desire to get to know Him more and more at the deepest level possible. His relationship with you will be more precious compared to any other human relationships out there. Enjoy getting to know Him.

Come explore it here!  
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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September 24, 2015
Even for Leaves

By Answers2Prayer 
  "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)

A few years back we had such a warm, dry autumn. The leaf colors didn't peak as in other years. That beautiful fall foliage didn't arrive in all of its splendor like some other years. It did come....just late, and slowly.

The leaves had a hard time changing. Change is hard for me too. Seems the older I get, the less I welcome it. The old and familiar is so comfortable. Letting go and letting God seems to be the best way. Certainly the most painless. Probably the most effective, too.

Good thing God doesn't tire of growing and changing us. He'll do it as fast as we let him. And He is never content to leave us where we are. So that means change!

Change is hard...even for leaves. But it's the perfect plan. And, it's good to remember that wherever we go, God is already there.

That's good news.

Inspirational Messages, Sally I. Kennedy 2014  

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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September 26, 2015
Strong and Courageous
bible
By Answers2Prayer 
I don't know about you, but I've always thought of Joshua as being a strong and courageous leader. Didn't he, after all, lead the people in the conquering of Canaan? 

When I read the account of Joshua taking over for Moses, however, I begin to wonder: was Joshua really all that strong and courageous by nature? If he was, then why did God tell him--not once, not twice, but three times in a single paragraph--to be strong and courageous? Let's look: 

"Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you...Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:6-8)

When I think back over what the Bible records about Joshua prior to this, I find sketchy verses, but the overall picture painted prior to Joshua taking over for Moses is that he was a follower (Ex 24:13), that though he stood up for what is right, he did so as a support for Caleb, who boldly stood up before him (Num 14). He was a devote follower of God who loved to be in God's presence (Ex. 33:11). In summary, in the picture that we have of Joshua prior to taking over for Moses, we don't necessarily find that he is "strong" or "courageous." 

After this three-fold command to be bold and courageous, however, we see that Joshua became just that: strong and courageous. God didn't tell him exactly how to enter the land, but we see Joshua rising up in boldness and couage and stepping foot into the Jordon; and then we see the waters of the river parting in front of him (Joshua 1) 

I don't know about you, but I am not strong and courageous by nature either, and this passage speaks directly to me. I know I'm not about to lead the Children of Israel into the promised land, but when I am brought face to face with troubles of any kind, I can tell you that "boldness" and "courage" are certainly not the words that can be used to describe me or my reactions. I tend to feel like I am being bounced around like a puppet on a string with no control over anything. Meanwhile, my "puppeteer" is whatever circumstance I find myself in. 

Yet God says, "be strong and courageous."

How can you be "strong and courageous" in the face of cancer? Divorce? Persecution? Loss of our homes? Addictions? 

The list could go on to include job loss, teen troubles, wrecked car, etc, but whatever it is we're facing, God still says, be "strong and courageous!"

Perhaps we can learn some lessons from Joshua on just how to be "strong and courageous:" Like Joshua, we need to be followers. We need to be completely devoted to following God. We need to never leave His presence. When we do, then we find ourselves equipped, like Joshua, to rise up and conquer. 

Whatever you are facing today, friends, I encourage all of you today to do just this: To abide in the presence of God, to follow Him 100%, and then to step forth in boldness and courage and conquer! Let's not forget that Paul, after listing a long list of troubles (See Rom 8:35,36), reminds us: "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Rom 8:37)

Remember, it doesn't matter what kind of trouble you are facing now: You are not a puppet on a string. You are a conqueror through Christ Jesus. So rise up, be bold and courageous, and move ahead, ever knowing that God has already promised: "very place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses....No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Jos 1:3-5) 

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.


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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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September 29, 2014
The Wheels Came Off

By Answers2Prayer
  I walked into a tiny cafe and asked the attendant for morning tea. The cafe was crowded but two men sitting at a table for three pulled aside the spare chair and invited me into their space.

Thanking them I sat down and, as an invitation to friendliness, Mr. Suit-Clad told me he his friend, Mr. Blue-Collar, was a carpenter working on installations next door, and he himself had been a finance negotiator.

"And then," said unemployed Mr. Suit-Clad, quoting a common Australian expression, "the wheels came off." 

I joined in the friendly spirit of the morning, I asked them, "Do you know where that saying comes from?"

"What?" asked Mr. Blue-Collar, "you mean 'the wheels came off'?"

"Yes," I replied. 

"It's just a saying," said Mr. Suit-Man. "We have used it for generations. I remember my Grandfather saying it when I was just a lad. So where did it come from?"
 
"It goes back to the time of Moses," I began.

"Moses?" exclaimed Mr. Blue-Collar in disbelief.

"Yes," I replied. "Do you remember the Children of Israel coming out of Egypt with Moses leading them?" 

Both men nodded, remembering their earlier years at church. 

"Well," I went on, "the Lord had done incredible miracles when the Israelites were in slavery to the Egyptians. Then, when the Israelites left, they took great wealth and all their livestock with them...'The Lord went with them as a pillar of cloud to keep them shaded during the day and as a pillar of light to guard them at night. When they came to the Red Sea, the Lord led them across on a pathway through the water.'"

Both men nodded as they remembered their Scripture classes.

"The Egyptians were bearing down," I went on. "They were riding in chariots with galloping horses as any formidable army should in those days. Then they began to cross on the pathway of the Israelites through the Red Sea. Do you know what the Lord did then?"

"No," said Mr. Suit-Man-man under his breath. "What did He do?"

"The Lord," and I made quotation marks in the air with my fingers, "who 'went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them.' Instead of being in front of them, He went to the back of them. And then, can you believe it? the Lord 'took off their chariot wheels.' (Exodus 14:18-25.)
The Egyptians were stuck because 'the wheels came off!'" 

Mr. Suit-Man suppressed his laughter and Mr. Blue-Collar laughed aloud.

"So that's where the saying comes from!" said Mr. Blue-Collar Carpenter as he took my docket with theirs to pay the bill.

We went our separate ways and I thought of the other Blue-Collar Carpenter who has put the wheels back on so that we can travel with Him, to "meet the Lord in the air and ever be with Him" (1st Thessalonians 4:17).

Elizabeth Price


 
Announcement:

It is hoped that most Christians sacrifice their time, talent and money for the Lord as a love offering to Him; yet no matter how humble we are, isn't it the desire of our hearts that our efforts bear at least some fruit? Join us on Thursdays for the month of October for "The Success Story of the Unsuccessful Prophets" -- A mini-series by Suresh Manoharan.
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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September 19, 2015
Ask...According to His Will

By Answers2Prayer 
  Numbers 11 tells a sad incident in the history of the Israelite nation. They had been wandering in the wilderness for months with only manna to eat, and needless to say, they were tired of it.

I can totally relate. The rare times my husband and I go out to dinner, you can be guaranteed he will always order the same thing. Not me. I like variety in my diet, and I will always order something different. It makes things rather uncomfortable, however, when the waitress asks if we're ready to order. He immediately responds with, "Yes," while I still haven't read the first page of the menu! 

Yes, I can understand Israel's fatigue with manna and their desire for variety in their diet; and when they cried out to God, He sent them meat to eat. Quail. And lots of it! 

God answers our prayers, friends! Even when it involves nothing more than our personal comfort or preference! And if the story had stopped here, this is the lesson we would glean from it. 

But it doesn't stop there. In fact, the Bible records in great detail how unhappy God was with the people of Israel because of their request. In His own words: "Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat...until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you." (Num 11:18-20, NKJV)

Now why, you ask, would God be unhappy with their request?

Let's remember that the manna was God's solution to the lack of food in the wilderness. In rejecting the manna, the people were really rejecting God's provision. In essence, they were rejecting God Himself: "...because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, 'Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?'" (Num 11:20, NKJV). 

So often we approach God with our wants and our needs. And we are right to do so, for we are told to "ask and it will be given to you" (Matt 7:7). But do we really know what we need? Let's remember that it was God's hand of provision that brought the Manna to Israel, yet this is exactly what they were complaining about. Is it possible that the very circumstances we complain about are actually ordained by God? That God has us exactly where He wants us to be? Romans 8 tells us that, "...we do not know what we should pray for as we ought..." (Rom 8:26, NKJV). In other words, just because something is what we think we need doesn't make it what God knows we need! 

True to His Word, God sent the meat. He answers our prayers, even when we aren't praying as we ought, even when we are asking for things that are outside of His will.

The end of the story is very sad. The people received, gathered and dried their meat, but this wasn't what was good for them. The Bible records that while it was still in their mouths, they were struck with a terrible plague and many died. We aren't told what the plague was, but we can guess that it was somehow related to their greedy, intemperate eating, for the place was later named, "graves of greed" (See Nom 11:34). 

Friends, when we find ourselves in the midst of what we consider to be less-than-ideal circumstances, let's remember this story. Before we beg God to remove our "negative" circumstances, let's consider that God has ordained whatever situation we find ourselves in, and that no matter how dark it may seem, He has already "made a way out" (see 1 Cor 10:13). This doesn't mean we can't ask God for different circumstances; but we need to do so according to His will, for we do not know if the very thing we pray for will, in the end, make us sick, excite our greed, or put us in any other trap of the devil!

And when your husband already knows what he wants to order before you've even looked at the menu, perhaps it isn't such a bad thing...

In His love,
Lyn 

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

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Welcome to the Nugget
September 17, 2015
My Pink Lady Apple

By Answers2Prayer 
  I know of no other apple as delicious as a Pink Lady. They aren't locally grown in my region of Canada, and I usually have to buy them from one of the superstores in the United States. All week long I had been enjoying them, and I had saved my last one for our trip. I knew it would be the perfect fruit for our lunch the first day of our vacation.

Now I watched with horror as the US customs officer put on a pair of gloves to gingerly remove my precious, carefully-washed Pink Lady apple from my cooler and deposit it, along with my husband's Golden Delicious apple, two beautiful Florida oranges, and my bag of cut-up peppers into a plastic bag. I shook my head sadly, but I said to myself, "Maybe some poor family will be able to enjoy our produce!" My horror multiplied, however, when the customs officer proceeded to the nearest trash bin and unceremoniously dumped my fruit and vegetables...

"She just threw away my Pink Lady apple!" I wailed to my poor husband. "She just took the very best apple in the entire world and dumped it in the trash!" 

But there was nothing to be done, and in all reality, it was my own fault. You see, I knew the potential risks of losing my fresh fruit and vegetables at the US/Canadian border, for it wasn't the first time our fruit had been confiscated by US customs officers. In fact, it was for this reason that I had them stored in the cooler in the van instead of in the refrigerator of the tent trailer. 

So knowing what I did, why had I taken such a risk with my absolute favorite apple in the world?

Simply put, the US/Canadian border where we usually crossed tends to turn a blind eye to the fruit I so often bring over. I just assumed they no longer cared about fresh fruit and vegetables! Besides, in the past they had only confiscated my citrus fruit. I figured apples were safe!

It all reminds me of one of my mother's old sayings: Be sure your sins will find you out. 

I never really understood that expression. Until now, that is. Thanks to the customs officer who threw out my Pink Lady apple, I get it. You see, we can go through life hiding our pet sins. We can even be open and above board about them, for most of us are so engrained in our "tolerate above all else" and our "don't judge" mentalities that we turn a blind eye to the pet sins of others. And so, we continue to carry them around. After all, if my fellow church members don't care that I continue to do ________, then why should I worry about it? Those pet sins aren't as innocent as they look, however. They corrupt us on the inside, and they ruin our relationship with God. Just like I shouldn't have even tried to bring fresh fruit and vegetables into the US, we should all be seeking God's help at ridding ourselves of our secret sins.

Friends, instead of continuing to carry our "Pink Lady apples," why not join me in David's prayer? 

"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Ps 19:12-14, NKJV) 

With this prayer in our hearts, we can be assured that we won't even try to hold on to our pet sins!

Oh, and when we stopped the next day at a superstore in the US, I was able to find Pink Lady apples! 

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

Welcome to the Nugget
September 15, 2015
The Mist

By Answers2Prayer
  "you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14) 

Morning dawned foggy and misty. It took us by surprise, as we had expected bright, sunny and clear as it had been every day for the past week. The mist was beautiful, though, as it moved around, came back together, and slowly dissipated.

It seemed to grow right out of the trees, huddle against the mountain and linger there; a beautiful yet eerie sight early in the morning. Usually the sun would have burned off the settled in fog by this hour, and the colors would be autumn vibrant. Eventually the mist disappeared altogether into the purplish haze of mountains, sunshine peeking through the giant trees. I watched it, caught up in its beauty.

The Bible speaks of our lives being a mist or a vapor. How true, and yet when we are in the Lord our mist blends into a sweet fragrance in and for the Kingdom. We may be like the grass of the field, here today gone tomorrow, however our lives have meaning and purpose.

So you're not just a mist, here today and gone tomorrow. You have been made in the image of God; you are eternal. You were created special and unique; you have a loving Father who looks over you and watches over you as a loving kind shepherd.

It's good to let the mist of your life blend with the Lord; you will be blessed to be a blessing. And that's good news for sure.

Inspirational Messages, Sally I. Kennedy 2014 

 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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September 12, 2015
Oh, to be a Trailer...

By Answers2Prayer
"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." (1 Peter 2:21)

We have all experienced them. Some of you may be like me, and you own one; but anyone else would have at least seen them on the road: that little (or sometimes big!) vehicle that is towed behind cars, trucks, tractors, bicycles and motorcycles, and sometimes even towed by hand: the trailer!

Trailers are for many purposes. The one we own is an ancient tent-trailer, and we use it as an inexpensive alternative to staying in hotels when we travel. Without this little vehicle, we would not be able to travel as extensively as we do. But it has also served us other purposes. I remember once hauling a mattress home tied to the top of the trailer. Another time we stuffed it with goods bound for my son's "home away from home" at university. Trailers are also used for hauling goods for long (or short!) distances, and sometimes they are even used as cook wagons, portable libraries, and even portable hospitals!

If you think about it, however, though they are very useful, the trailer really doesn't have much personality. It spends its time following whatever vehicle is towing it. It has no ability to make decisions about where it is going, or even if it is to be left behind. It is completely at the mercy of the tow vehicle. The tow vehicle, on the other hand, has all the power, and if you were to ask me if I would rather be a trailer or a tow vehicle, I would more than likely say, "The tow vehicle!" 

As I was towing our travel trailer on our recent trip to upstate Michigan, I couldn't get the thought of the trailer out of my mind. I realized that God was trying to communicate to me through the little white pop-up camper hitched to our van. His message? We were created to be trailers! 

What? But I want to be a "tow vehicle," not a "trailer!"

One of the many sin-caused human problems is that we all want to be the "tow vehicle." We want to make all the decisions. We want to be in control. We want to dictate when we go and when we stop. 

The book of Ezekiel gives us a vivid image of a creature that is totally devoted to the will of God. It has wheels for moving in every direction, and eyes on the wheels. The Bible tells us this creature moves when the Spirit of God wills it to move, stops when God's Spirit tells it to stop, and always goes in the direction the Spirit dictates (See Ezekiel 1). This creature is a true trailer, and God is its "tow vehicle."

As I contemplated this, I realized that our trailer is indeed, very useful...But only when it is functioning inside the will of the tow vehicle. When it follows along, I barely even notice it is there. When we don't wish to have an extra "appendage," we leave it behind in a campground until we need it, and when we need it, it provides us with shelter from the rain, a comfortable place to eat and sleep, a real haven in a storm (of which our poor pop-up has seen plenty!). 

Could it be that my usefulness to God is directly proportional to how much I am willing to be a "trailer?" That it is only when I am willing to go when and where He leads that I can be His hands and feet? That it is in "staying behind in the campground" that I can provide shelter to those who are hurting? A comforting haven in their times of storm? 

Think about it! 

Lord, may we be happy to be a trailer. May we move only when and where You "tow" us, and only in the direction that You dictate. May we be content to simply "sit" when that is Your will for us. Use us as often and in whatever way You need us, but help us to stop trying to be the "tow vehicle!"

In His love,
Lyn 

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.    
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

Welcome to the Nugget
September 10, 2915
Tangle Untangled, Part 4

By Answers2Prayer 
   Last week, in Tangle Untangled, Part 3, we compared three Biblical charactors to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit: Enoch, Moses and Elisha. Satan, like the Holy Trinity, also deserves a human representative on Earth because he seduced Eve, and Adam chose to commit the same sin as his wife. Thus, Satan claimed an equality with God above the Creator.

Remember that Satan had won the right to rule mankind through the sin of Adam and Eve. They no longer served their Creator above all others because they put Satan above the Creator and consequently Satan was now mankind's representative before God.

Come back to Ezekiel 28:1-10 and read what the Lord says about the king of Tyre: Verse 2: "thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas."
 
This describes an arrogant king who had wisdom, verse 3, and no secret could be hidden from him. His wisdom caused him to accumulate wealth, verse 4, and in verse 5 the inevitable -- "thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches," and in verse 6, "he set his heart as the heart of God." 
As a result of such arrogance, the Lord said "I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness,’ (Ez. 28:7).
 
In the fullness of verses 1 to 10, we see how the king of Tyre is a fit representative of Satan. It can be said that he is Satan's representative among mankind, just as it can be said that Enoch, Elijah and Moses are the human representatives of the Trinity.

Satan's angelic skills have entangled untold numbers including angels of heaven so if he can entangle the thinking of even the angels of heaven, we should be taught about him, to recognize him and how to deal with him.
 
He is grasping every opportunity to claim territory in a raging war for every person's loyalty, Like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, (1st Peter 5:8), he will finally take his subjects into eternal annihilation 

God did not annihilate evil angels immediately, He gave them every opportunity to repent and come back to He who had created them. In His incredible compassion and love for all of His creation, the Lord was unwilling to destroy any of the highest order of His creation. From the beginning of Satan's attack on the creation of God on this Earth, Satan has sought subjects for an unwinnable war. He knew that humanity had free choice, just as he has free choice, so he will take down with himself as many of the Creator's creation as he can.

However, while we still have the opportunity to turn to God, let us remember what God has promised to restore to His people. He made the promise through Isaiah to restore the world to its original culture. Ezekiel chapter 11, beginning at verse 6: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb; and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox and the suckling child shall play on the hole of he asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den."

Read on down to verse 9: "They shall not hurt not destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

So my earnest prayer is that you and I will believe what our Creator has given us through Scripture; but above all, it is our Creator's prayer for us because only our Creator can untangle our tangle.

Elizabeth Price

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Welcome to the Nugget
September 8, 2015
The Traffic Jam

By Answers2Prayer
It was midnight, and I lay tossing and turning on my mattress. Again. Lord God, cried my heart, it is such a little thing, why can't I fall asleep anymore? 

I finally got up. What sense was there in lying in bed when you can't sleep? Besides, my shoulder was sore, and this reminded me of my upcoming shoulder surgery...Lord, Why all these troubles? 

With each thought, my heart grew bleaker and drifted deeper into despair. God's blessings? I couldn't think of a single one...

Isn't it always the hardest to think of God's blessings when troubles seem to be choking our paths? Yes, 1:00 is a bitter pill to have to swallow, but even harder is dealing with the news that you or someone you know has cancer, that you are facing eviction, loss of job, that your spouse is leaving you...Just how can you thank God (see James 1:2-4) in these situations?

I read the following text this morning: "The way of the lazy [man is] like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright a highway" (Prov 15:19). 

Wait, didn't my way seem a bit "choked?" Am I not God's child? Shouldn't my way be a highway?

Southern Ontario is full of beautiful highways, and they are truly the best and quickest way to cross the province. Yet often as we drive along with the freely-flowing traffic, we suddenly find ourselves slamming on the brakes due to a sudden, unforeseen heavy volume of traffic. If you're patient, however, and ride out the traffic a bit, it usually thins back down. 

Suddenly I understood: I am God's child, I am traveling on a highway. But there are things that come up that cause us to slow down: Sleepless nights...rebellious teens...death in the family...The road may still be broad and clear, but we can't move forward. 

What do we do in those times? 

On Ontario's highways, it's usually best to just "tough it out," keeping our eyes on the road and our thoughts on our destination. This is how God's children can navigate life's slowdowns as well. If we stay on the road, if we keep our eyes on the goal, the "traffic" will lessen. We will arrive at our destination. 

And where does "thank God for your troubles" come in? 

The more we complain about the traffic on the highway, the longer it seems to take to clear up and the more miserable our drive becomes. What if, instead, we spend those moments in traffic being thankful there is a highway at all? If we remember that no traffic jam lasts forever? If we do, we will find the time goes by much more pleasantly. And what if we later learn there was an accident ahead, and this slow-down kept us out of it? What then? Wouldn't we then be thankful for the traffic jam?

Why not go through your current set of problems with the same mind-set? Why not spend this time thanking God for all the times He's carried us through? Contemplating the fact that this will not last forever? Thanking Him for the opportunity to have our lives slow down enough to be able to spend more meaningful time with Him?

And perhaps, at 1:00 am tomorrow morning when my shoulder hurts and I can't sleep, I should remember the many blessings God brought to me through the troubled times I've already weathered with him, and maybe I should praise Him for the opportunity--even at 1:00 am--to spend quality time with Him. What do you think? 

In His love,
Lyn


Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
 
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September 5, 2015
Mucking Stalls

By Answers2Prayer 
 I can tell you from firsthand experience that cleaning up after animals isn't the most pleasant job in the world. 

When my boys were young, we all wanted to learn to ride. Horseback riding is expensive, however, so when we began taking riding lessons, we also began cleaning stalls for the owner of the horse farm to support our hobby. You can believe me when I say that we used to come home reeking. In fact, we each had special clothing we wore when we went to the stable, and we would take these off before entering the house and then head straight to the shower. 

The job was also a thankless one. Horses don't care if their barn is clean or not, and though it would be "squeaky-clean" when we finished, it never stayed that way long. As soon as the horses were brought back in, you couldn't tell we had ever been there. 

So why did we persist in mucking stalls? Because it was the way we could take riding lessons. 

Over time, as we got to know the owner of the riding stable, and she came to trust us to the point where we could take the horses out anytime we wanted to. Bonus! All because we were willing to muck stalls!

This reminds me of a verse in Proverbs: "Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox." (Prov 14:4, NKJV)

Livestock was necessary for livelihood in Solomon's day; therefore, though your trough would stay clean without an ox, and though you wouldn't have the unpleasant task of cleaning up after that ox, you also would not have had the tools you needed to cultivate your land and support your family!

What does this have to do with life today? 

There is a lot of "stall mucking" that has to be done in each of our lives. In fact, we can't avoid the 
"dirty troughs" at all, for things that "dirty" our "barns"--illness, financial difficulties, natural disasters, persecution, family problems, job problems, abuse, etc.--arise all the time. 

No, it isn't fun to deal with these problems. It's a dirty, stinky, thankless job that sometimes can take months and even years to resolve, if ever. But let's remember that the unpleasant things in life are often necessary for the greater good. Without mucking stalls, there would have been no horseback riding or riding lessons for my boys and I, and without the need to clean up the trough after the lifestock, there would have been no oxen to plow the fields and earn a livelihood. In the same way, God can bring us blessing from the "stalls" we have to "muck" through our lives as well.

The Apostle Paul knew what I'm talking about, and it was with Heavenly wisdom that he wrote: "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom 5:3-5, NKJV).

But words are cheap. Did Paul practice what he preached?

Absolutely. The last two chapters of Acts are a prime example. Paul had lots of "stalls to muck". Though innocent of all charges, he was imprisoned by the Jews. He endured shipwreck and many other hardships before arriving in Rome, where he was kept for at least two years in chains. But this was the vehicle he needed to be able to reach Rome and the Roman people, and he used it to its maximum capacity. He spent the entire two years preaching and teaching, and as a result, the Roman church was born. Without those "ox troughs" to be "cleaned", history would have been radically changed. 

Got stalls to muck? Barns to clean? Problems to endure? Bring them on. Let's follow Paul's example and use these bad situations as tools for bringing glory to God's name, for the real joy comes from the final reward.

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.


 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

Welcome to the Nugget
September 3, 2915
Tangle Untangled, Part 3

By Answers2Prayer 
  Yes, Christ has won the war but the battle is not over. God is the supreme authority but Satan, who was the high angel, seeks subjects. Just as each member of the Trinity has a human figure to represents each one, so also does Satan have a human representative. 

Firstly let us look at representatives of the Trinity. 

God the Father did not die for mankind, and it could be said that Enoch is representative of the Father in that he went to heaven without tasting death: "Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him," (Genesis 5:24). 

His translation is confirmed in the New Testament where "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God," ( Hebrews 11:5).

In the second instance, Elijah is shown as a prophet of wind and fire and as he was walking and talking with Elisha, "there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more:" (2 Kings 2:11). Elijah could be said to represent the Holy Spirit who did not die just as the Father did not die.

Moses was also a representative. Just as the Creator created the world and all that is in it, Moses was called upon to create the nation of Israel. He took his people out of Egypt to create a nation built on the same principles as the Garden of Eden. "By faith, he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible," (Hebrews 11:27).

Moses died because of sin, Deuteronomy 1:37, where he said, "The Lord was angry with me for your sakes." Moses was resurrected, Jude 9, when Michael the Archangel disputed with Satan for his body. Moses was resurrected as Jesus would be, and appeared with both Elijah and Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17:3. So it could be said that Moses represents the Creator who became Jesus, "the last Adam" (1st Corinthians 15:45). Jesus died because of the sins of all people and was resurrected.

Before we look at who is the human who we could say represents Satan in the Scriptures, please remember that all of the Lord's people were taught about their Godly culture from early childhood. Pray with me that the Lord will give us of His love and wisdom to follow His true representatives in our lives. "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved," (Psalm 8:8).

Please join us next week for Tangle Untangled, Part 4. 

Elizabeth Price
 
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

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Sept 1, 2015
Reset

By Answers2Prayer 
It is most frustrating when our fingers work faster than the app on the cell phone. It just freezes, the clock appears and we wait with abated breath for a response. Eventually out of utter irritation, we remove the battery, wait a few moments and then the phone seems to work at its optimal speed.

What is a cell phone reset?

A reset wipes your cellular phone clean of all information and restores it back to its original factory settings. Pulling the battery out will force the phone to shut off completely. This will unfreeze a frozen phone even when normal shutdown methods won't work.

Shut down

Life is pretty much like a cellphone. There is a point that we need to shut down, be restored to the original factory setting and experience a reset. As young people you try new apps all the time and sometimes not every app adds value to your life. It slows you down. It distracts you .You lose focus and you feel out of touch with life. It becomes overwhelming and you feel immersed into a web. It is a web that entangles you with misery and guilt causing a dual personality. At home you want to be the perfect child and everywhere else, not so! Eventually even you have no idea of what you want, need or desire. Slowly you start to lose yourself within yourself. Without even realizing this, your mind and body shuts down. You lose interest in school, university, work and your goals ebb away. The once light and ambition in you becomes dimmed and darkened. Your decisions become blurred and bad. The direction of your life becomes confrontational and frustrating. It is the perfect time to shut down an old life and hit reset. The road you travel on leads to destruction. It is important to accept that your life needs a turn around. God does not tempt you nor lead you into temptation (James 1:13-15) It is your own desires and after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life (Rom 6:23). Pull the battery out. Get ready for new!

Original factory Settings

There has always been a plan for you. Your birth is preordained and you are not a mistake. You are not here by chance where you can tread through life grudgingly without hope or direction. You are not here to follow in the footsteps of devastation. Most especially you are not alone. Jesus is ever present waiting for you.The original plan for you was to prosper and live a full life. Yes there will be difficulties but with the power to overcome. Sadness, depression, misery and chaos are consequences of a life absent from the original plan. You are created! That means someone took time to think about you and form you. God fashioned you with detail and intricacies. When someone takes the time to mold you perfectly then your worth is greater than your condition. It is the perfect time to take out your battery and reset yourself to the original factory settings. You are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27) and God deposited his nature in you by his breath. Holiness is not a habit to develop. It is a way of life to live. In you is the desire to live a Holy Life. You may think it's absurd because life seems like a party at the moment. Yet you know in the still of the night, the pressure you feel and the shame you carry is too much to handle. No matter what you try apart from the will of God, it frustrates you. The doors are never opened and every day is a battle and struggle to find joy or peace. Set yourself apart in the plan. The day changes to new beginnings.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) 

The time is now to get back into the plan. Do not play in the playground of sin, because destruction is eminent. You are significant and the plan is for you to be a world changer in this generation. Today will you step up to the challenge of being you as God intended you to be? God is watching his word over you to perform it. He wants you to have a clean heart, a renewed spirit and life without regret.

Restoration

It's time for a reset! The same spirit of God that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. (Romans 8:11)You are the container of resurrected power. Rise up from the ashes of mistakes and error! Be restored to your full potential. God delights in forgiving you and washing you clean of your past. Be restored with the joy of salvation. Nothing you have done is greater than Gods love for you. He can restore you from any state. When God restores you, he gives you everything that the devil has stolen from you with more. As a father, he delights in making everything better and he fixes you on the inside. He loves to give you every desire in your heart. The world starts to see the beauty on the outside by the work God is doing in you on the inside. Suddenly you have no burden of guilt and shame. Yes your crew might change but a better wholesome crew will be added. Your way of life will change but the transformation will grant you a satisfaction in this lifetime that will blow your mind. God forgives when you repent and he restores you without a question and a condition. Every dream you have had will take shape. Even your dreams will have dreams.God does not change your purpose, he changes you to fulfill your purpose. Your steps are orchestrated in the direction of greatness and glory.

Your position is to live a life full of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Reset your condition and live in your position.

Prayer for you:
Jesus, I have sinned and fallen short of your glory. I receive your forgiveness, grace and mercy because your mercy triumphs over judgment. Thank you for the next stage of my life. I desire to walk in your will, way and word. Reset my days and restore me to your original plan. I love you and I know you have first loved me. Amen

Hazel Moodley
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©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

Welcome to the Nugget

August 29, 2015
The Heavenly Temple, Part 9: The Final Temple

By Answers2Prayer 
Last week, in The Heavenly Temple, Part 8, we saw that this is no mention of the "table of shewbread" in the heavenly Sanctuary because Jesus, the Lamb of God, our Bread of Life, is there. We must partake of Him for our sustenance. We must look to Him for our unity and for our communion and fellowship: He is our table of shewbread, and there is no need of another!

There is one final lesson to be learned from the Heavenly temple, and it has to do with the final temple, the temple in the Earth made new, as it is described to us in Revelation 21: "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.'... But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." (Rev 21:3-4,22 NKJV)

Wait a minute. Did that verse just say that there will be...No temple? 

Yes, it did. We notice, however, that although there is no building called a "temple," the city is a perfect cube, just like the most Holy Place. We, then, are living inside the most holy place. There is no temple because God is the temple, and the bride, the Holy city, the Church, is the place where God resides! The Lamb is the "vessel" that burns--or radiates--the glory of God. The temple is our home! 

In the next chapter of Revelation, we get yet another important glimpse of the final temple: "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life...And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever." (Rev 22:1-5, NKJV)

In these verses we learn that God, the River of Life, is all that we need. We may think we need more, but we truly don't. We are complete and perfect in Him. All we need is truly found in Him. Therefore, the important lessons we can learn from the final temple are this: We live in the temple, and the glory of God is all that we need. 

But wait. Since this is gospel truth, why is it that we try to live our lives as if God is just a part of them? Shouldn't our lives be totally sold out to Him in everything that we do?

Some time ago, a colleague saw a recent post on Facebook about my new book, "Aboard God's Train." A bit surprised, she googled my name and came up with hundreds of listings, mostly old posts from this newsletter. She approached me the next day to say that although she knew from my actions at work that my faith was important to me, she had no idea how big a part of my life God really was. 

My colleague's comment made me think. If God is truly my everything, if I am living in His temple, then why was my colleague surprised by the "Lyn" she met through my writing? 

The answer was clear: I live for God through my ministry and home and church life; but I must live for something totally different at work. 

Are there other parts of my life that fall outside of God? I don't know, but I pray God will reveal them to me, for I do not wish to live outside of God's final temple at any time! 

Father, as we contemplate the final temple and what it means for our heart-temples today, help us to realize that our heart-temples are not just there for a piece of our lives: They are there to encompass all of our lives! Help us to live out our faith and our passion in everything that we do and say, so that no more will anyone be surprised to learn of the depth of our faith! 

This is the last lesson in the series, The Heavenly Temple series. Over the past few months, the Nugget has featured a total of four studies on temples in the Bible, all designed to help us understand more fully the extent and importance of our heart temples today. These studies include: Wilderness Instructions, a series looking at the significance of the tabernacle in the wilderness; Lessons From Ezekiel's Temple, a series based on the elaborate temple instructions given in the last 9 chapters of Ezekiel; and Building Solomon's Temple, a series based on what we can learn from the building of Solomon's temple; and this final series: The Heavenly Temple. If you have missed any of these studies, you are welcome to access them by clicking on the indicated links. If you do not have access to the Internet, email me and I will send them to you via email. May God bless you abundantly as you continue to come to a more thorough understanding of our heart-temples, the residence of God's Spirit! 

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
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Do you need to be prayed for or do you know someone in need? Don't hesitate to contact us by clicking here. We are here to pray for you and to offer you encouragements.
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."