I have hope that good will come from all I am experiencing. (If you missed it--read my old Bible Study on Romans 8:28--it fits right here.) If I stop to look around I see some of the fruits of what has happened in my life. God is so good! "Thank you, Lord, for these tribulations. I pray you continue to use me for your honor and glory. Please pour this scripture into the hearts of those reading it and open their eyes of understanding. Amen."

There is strength in the Lord. Psalm 81:1 tells us to, "Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob." God IS our strength. I don't have to be strong. I don't have to "keep my chin up." God does it for me.

 He gently brought me back to the scripture and pointed out that I was treating reading my Bible, spending time with Him, and finding a church home as a job I must do. All He wants me to do is rest in Him. "WHOA! That's not right! I'm supposed to do those things!" Again He impressed the resting part of that scripture on me.

As I meditated on what He was telling me I realized something. When He was pulling me to a certain portion of the Bible or to a particular Bible study I enjoyed reading my Bible much more and got so many more precious nuggets out of it. He reminded me that He was the one who has taken me from church to church and He was the one who released me from the job of finding a church for my family.

He reminded me that I am spending time with Him throughout the day, every day. When I am enjoying His creation, when I am thanking Him for something, when I sing praises to Him, when I am pondering how blessed I am then I am spending quality time with Him.

I must quit laboring in the things that are spiritual. I must just rest in Him and allow Him to fill my mind. I must allow Him to draw me to Himself and to His Word. I mustn't beat myself up for not getting this Bible study done on Mondays. He can arrange it for me to get it done on Mondays if it was important. After all, He didn't give me this scripture until this morning, so I couldn't have finished it yesterday!

The spiritual things in my life are not about me... they are about Him! I am not under any law of labor or works. Oh, my, as I search through the scriptures that mention "works" I find: "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."  Heb 4:9-11 The only labor we are supposed to do is to labor to enter into the rest!

Oh my! Let's get out of the mindset that we are failures when we don't do as we feel we should. We must get out of the worldly mindset that tells us we have to work to achieve. The only work we should be doing is relaxing and allowing our mind to rest on God. Don't get me wrong... we still need to read the Word, but He doesn't want us beating ourselves up over not reading as often as we think we should. He will draw us to it if we are resting in Him.

There is another work we must do. Matt 16:24 says we must take up our cross and follow Jesus. Carrying the cross actually takes no effort only a willingness to do it having the faith to believe that He knows what is best. Carrying the cross is letting God know that we are willing to nail things to it. Actually, all we have to do is let go and He does the nailing. He provides all the tools we need, including desire, to do His will. Our job? Rest.

I'm going to make you work here.  Go get your Bible and read verses 7-43.

Jesus was weary, but God brought the Samaritan woman to Him.  He was obedient to the Father and witnessed to her.  She left and came back and brought her friends so they could share in what she had experienced.

Jesus' disciples came along and urged Him to eat.  He wouldn't and said to them, "My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."  (verses 34-35)  He looked to the task He was given rather than to what would be good, comfortable, or desirable for Himself.

God knows what needs to be done.  He has gifted us with certain talents and abilities that He knows we will need in the areas He wants to use us.  We don't get to pick and choose those gifts.  According to 1Cor 12:11 God gives the gifts, "dividing to every man severally as he will."  Notice, it is as He wills.  He also, "set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."  (vs 18) 

We don't know where God wants to use us until He uses us.  It is OK to "covet the best gifts" according to Paul in verse 31, but that is no guarantee that we will get what we want.  Perhaps if we all got to choose then we would all want to be doing something that is a glorious thing where people can see the fruits of our labor and know it was us that did it.  Perhaps nobody would like to be an intercessor, tucked away where nobody can see, praying for things and for people.  Even the intercessors often don't see the fruits of their labors.  That would seem like a thankless job.

If we are open to being used by God then He is in charge of our encouragement and our rewards.  When we wonder if we are being effective in our job He has given us then He will bring some kind of encouragement.    Often He has prompted people to write to me when I am wondering if I did the Bible study the way He wanted.  I used to wonder if anyone ever read these pages and He assured me that He brought people here by prompting them to contact me. 

  I didn't do these web pages because I wanted to create a web site.  It was His idea.  He made sure I learned the things I needed to know to design these pages.  He is the reason the Clarion Call exists.  I didn't choose to spend maybe 20 or more hours a week doing this job.  I'd rather be teaching people in person so I can see how many people are affected.  I used to crave human approval of the things I did.  Now I rely on God.

 Each one of us may be required to encourage another member of the Body of Christ at some time.  Be open to what He wants you to do.  You are a living member of the Body of Christ.  You are to make a difference to others in the Body as well as those outside the Body.

God doesn't just give us one main job.  He wants us to be a "living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1) every moment.  He has many jobs for us to do.  We need to focus on the work at hand and let Him take care of our physical needs.  We need to let Him take care of any encouragement we need.  We need to be available for His use in the Kingdom.  Hopefully others will make themselves available as well.  The more of us that are doing the jobs He is giving us the more people will get saved, the stronger the Body of Christ will get, and the more quickly His Kingdom will come to Earth!

The thing is, If we are busy doing things for Him, then the enemy is going to get excited and try to stop us.  We need to be aware of that fact and keep our spiritual armor on.  God will then handle deflecting the enemy's blows.  God will make sure that the weapons formed against us will not be able to debilitate us.  Yes, we will feel the attack, but God will make sure that it doesn't destroy us and our ministry.

God wants to protect us if we are working for Him.  He also wants to bless us if we are working for Him.  Since He does such a wonderful job at everything doesn't it make sense to leave those things up to Him?  We need not be worrying about anything if we are servants of the Lord.  He is a wonderful master.  He is never cruel.  He is kind and understanding.

The Bible is full of promises of protection.  If you don't feel secure and feel yourself worrying about things then you haven't properly digested those portions of scripture.  Time to open the Book and start taking in all those promises that are yours.  Once you take them in let them have their way in you.  Meditate on them and hold them close to your heart.  Let them become alive within you.

Once you get a good solid grasp then you will not ever fear nor worry again.  Really!  It's true!  Fear and worry must be removed from your mind or you won't be able to do what is important.

We are children of the King!  We are sons and daughters of the Most High God, Creator of the Universe!  Why should we fear anything?

God allows things to happen to us.  He wants us to learn from them and grow stronger.

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope."
Romans 5:3-4

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

It is important that we develop a close relationship with the Lord so we can stand strong when trials come.  The more we learn about Him the more we are able to draw upon the strength that He gives.  There is a peace that He can give us that is not affected by circumstances.

We can walk up and over trials as if they were just bumps in the road instead of road blocks.  The more we learn about handling trials the more God can use us.

We can't do it on our own.  We need to allow Him to provide the tools to weather each storm as it comes along.  We must practice having faith in Him.  We must trust that He will help us through the trial and that something good will come out of it.

I am speaking from experience.  I have learned how to look to Him for strength when I see a trial approaching.  After all, He sees it coming from a lot farther off and He knows what the outcome will be.  I'm going to allow Him to handle things since He understands things way better than I do!

We studied this verse back in 1999.  It's about time to study it again.

I have been an ongoing recipient of the peace described in this verse.  No matter what is going on around me I am at peace.  I do get riled up now and then.  I do get emotionally drained now and then, but it is only temporary. 

If you knew the details of my life you might wonder how it is that I have been able to function on a daily basis.  People close to me know about my life and they are amazed that I can remain strong and calm in the midst of the "hurricanes" in my life.

There is only one thing that keeps me sane in the midst of turmoil and that is God.  I know that He is in charge.  I know that He won't give me more than I can handle.  I know that He knows the end of each situation.

If I didn't have God I believe I would not want to get out of bed most days.  I would be afraid of what was coming next.  I would want to hide from the world.

God not only gives me peace, He gives me strength.  When things are humanly impossible they become possible again because God provides the exact amount of strength I need to get through.

II won't ever give up because I know God is holding me up.

Even when you are doing things that you enjoy and have a passion about you need a refreshing.  When you are busy doing things you have to do but you don't like doing you need a refreshing even more.

It has been many years since I've been able to turn my brain off and just have to think about what I will fix for dinner and whether I need to wash dishes today or leave them until tomorrow.

I am already refreshed and my vacation has just begun.  That leaves me with nothing else to say but to tell you to be sure to allow yourself a refreshing every now and then.  It may not help with your wrinkles or may not help you live longer but, then again, it just might!

I love all of you.  You are in my heart and going on vacation with me!!