If we are not founded in the truth of our Heavenly Father, we will
easily be misled by "unscrupulous con men" who will seem legitimate, but
are not. These con men will use the Scriptures and turn them to their
own advantage. Interestingly enough, these con men are quite prideful.
The evil one would do anything to thwart God's Message, and far too many
follow his lead. No wonder we are in trouble (See John 15:19b-20)!
We have to stand firm on the Gospel message from Jesus Himself as
described in the New Testament: "For what I received I passed on to you
as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to
the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the
brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all
the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one
abnormally born." (1Cor 15:3-8, NIV2)
To summarize this, we are
saved by what Jesus did for us. Nothing else can save us, not our
actions, nor our endeavors, not our behavior. Jesus is our only Savior.
We are not our own saviors! Sadly, many doubt their salvation as they
believe in a twisted version of the gospel message, where works are
emphasized above anything else. This is not the Gospel message. On the
contrary, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and
this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that
no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9, NIV2)
Interestingly enough, when
we take Jesus' message to heart and accept Him as our Lord and Savior,
we will be able to face adversity with a smile. Peace will reign in our
heart. "(Jesus promised) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."
(John 14:27a, NIV2) At the same time, we don't doubt about our
salvation, as we trust solely on Jesus! "Because you are his sons, God
sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out,
'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since
you are his child, God has made you also an heir." (Gal 4:6-7, NIV2)
We either trust in Jesus or we trust in ourselves. One guarantees
salvation, the other brings doubt. If that inner peace does not reign in
our hearts, it may be time to meet the Risen one, only He can give us
that delightful gift.
Peace is a reality in my life. Let me give
you an example: I love teaching. One day I had recess duty. Somehow some
first graders succeeded in stealing my keys. Boy they certainly were
fast. No way would I be able to catch them. It didn't matter, some
students from my class noticed what had happened. They went after those
first graders without hurting them in any way and brought my keys back
with a big grin.
Even among the big kids in grade 8, I never have
to be worried. Truly though, my Father is orchestrating all of this. No
wonder I enjoy teaching. My Heavenly Father reveals Himself in amazing
ways.
Have you lost your keys? Don't worry. Trust in our Father,
He will lead you to them!
Rob Chaffart
Peace Amidst Adversity. The Helpless Heroes and the Vindictive Prideful, Part 2
Today's Bible Verse:
"Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of
trouble; there's no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will
continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they
lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.
But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed . .
." (2 Tim 3:12-14, MSG)
Peace Amidst Adversity. The Helpless Heroes and the Vindictive Prideful, Part 2
Announcement:
Do you have a prayer request? Do you know someone who needs to be prayed for? Prayer works! The Bible confirms this in James 5:16 - The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Send your prayer request to us and let us pray in agreement with you! Matt 18:20 - For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Hallelujah!
- This mailing list is a public mailing list - anyone may join or leave, at any time.
-
This mailing list is announce-only.
This newsletter is dedicated to bringing people closer to the Lord through thought-provoking inspirational stories. It is published every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Privacy Policy:
Our Privacy policy
We will never share, sell, or rent your individual personal information and email address with anyone without your advance permission or unless ordered by a court of law.
How can you stop receiving our newsletters?
Each newsletter sent contains an easy, automated way for you to cease receiving our newsletter. If you wish to do this, simply follow the instructions at the end of any newsletter.
If you have received unwanted, unsolicited email sent via this system or purporting to be sent via this system, please forward a copy of that email with your comments to webmaster@answers2prayer.org for review.