Teen moms, God wants to provide your needs, just ask Him

First, God loves you. I don't know what you know about Him - He wants us to use things like humility, equality, and common sense, for instance, and to help us avoid danger and so on. I've posted elsewhere on this blog about proofs of God, etc.; you can read those on your own. (Here for instance is a good one focusing on reaching Muslims with God's unconditional love.) I also wrote this free blog book you can print out on how to run a family God's way, too.

Your child is a blessing and so are you. Each person is always special to someone - especially God. Psalm 139:14 and beyond proves it. You are "fearfully and wonderfully made." You got pregnant because God wanted to bless you. You haven't ruined your life. You just have added responsibility now, but God can and will use you.

I'm sure some will read that and say, "All I want right now is for him/her to be healthy." That's great - but God's promise is for now and the future. Because you can and should pray for your child even when they are wee little so you can model it and teach them of Jesus' love. As I share here, you can share anything on your heart, just trust God to change your heart to be more like Him, too; that's part of intercessory prayer. And, why it's so powerful.

​​​​​Others may wonder how to ask. Maybe things have been really hard for you. Maybe people let you down. Remember, though, God is real and He's there for you. But, like a child who needs something, we have to communicate to God or otherwise it's like we're trying all on our own. And, we can't do that well without Him, since He has perfect love, wisdom, goodness, etc..

I'll be typing a longer prayer at the end of this. Your prayers, especially to start, don't have to be that fancy. Just saying like above, "Lord, cause my baby to be healthy," is good enough to start.

But, like a child, you need to grow in that relationship. And, you can. He wants to give you life and life more abundantly.

How to have a relationship with God

I'm not perfect. Nobody is. Most people aren't really horrible like some we see in the news. But, I've used the example on here before of a person who gets mad at someone speeding and cutting them off in traffic - yet that person might be rushing to the hospital to see a sick loved one, or rushing their own child there, or something else vital. You'd say that person who got mad and cursed at them was wrong, correct? We should not be a Pharisee when dealing with others.

We need to be known for the love, justice, mercy, etc. we stand for - not just what we're against.

I always tried to be kind, polite, help others, etc.. But, my thought life was a mess, and Matthew 5:48 - "Be ye perfect even as My Father in Heaven is perfect" - and other verses convicted me that I needed to trust Jesus to save me personally. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom. 3:23)

Of course, we don't like it when someone bullies us or doesn't listen when we try to explain things or whatever, right? But, we don't always act like we should, either - we've all told lies or cheated someone or been selfish, for instance. There is none righteous, no not one. (Rom. 3:10)

Because I was not perfect. I didn't deserve God's perfect Heaven because no sin can be there. Same with anyone else.

God made a way for us to be there, though. He'll forgive any sin by making that person new inside, by coming to live in them.

I'm writing near the time of Jesus' birth, which started the process. God "became flesh, and dwelt among us."(John 1:14) He lived a perfect life, yet God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us.(2 Cor. 5:21) The wages - what we earn - for sin is death - separation from God forever in a place called Hell. But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom. 6:23)

And, the great thing is, it was "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."(Rom. 5:8)

He then rose from the dead on the third day, . The disciples saw Him  and would go on to die horrible deaths and suffer great persecution for Him; even Thomas, who doubted so much, believed when He saw Jesus alive again.

But, it's not just knowing those facts that matters - you have put your trust in Jesus to save you from your sin.

So, we can't get to heaven on our own. Salvation is by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves as the gift of God. Not of Works lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Receiving that gift is as easy as ABC.

Admit you're a sinner. That just means that you're not perfect, that you've lied or disobeyed rules or been mean to someone or just wanted your own way selfishly sometimes. We've all been like that because of our sin nature.

Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. He did all that was necessary to get you to heaven.

Call on Jesus to save you from your sins and to make you new inside so he can transform you into being more Christ life, more loving and compassionate and everything else like God wants us to be.

You can pray a simple prayer like this. "Dear Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I can't reach your perfect heaven myself because of my sin. But I know you made a way for me to get to heaven. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. Today Lord Jesus I trust you to save me from my sins. I call on you with all my heart to forgive me and come live in me and make me new inside so I can get to heaven and so I can have life forever with you here on Earth too. In Jesus name, thank you for hearing my prayer saving my soul and coming into my heart, amen."

You can go to https://godlife.com/en/gospel/read and learn more about God's love and even talk to someone who will help as an online missionary. Tell them of the decision you made if you made one. They have wonderful lessons that will help you grow in the Lord also.

Okay, so now what?

 God is personal, and wants to fix your stress and help you through rough times. You can read my previous blogs​ at prayercallamerica.blogspot.com​ on various topics. (Also see one with a few different ones at questfortruthradio.blogspot.com) I talk about things like forgiveness and love and peace and how we need to come together as a country and pray and everything else.

Share that Godlife.com site and the gospel with others so they can hear the gospel and trust Jesus to save them also. Pray for them first because there is a great spiritual battle going on.

But, also, God living in a believer is the key to that person having life more abundantly here on Earth. So many who rely on cell phones at such a young age need to hear and I love trying to use anything I can, however God calls me, to share His love. After all, He came that we might have life and life more abundantly. John 10:10. That doesn't just mean in Heaven. It means right here, living with a peace and freedom from anxiety and fear and so much else that grips today's young people.

 So, living for God is all about letting Him use you to impact your world - starting with being a Godly parent and having right priorities in life. (Because prayers don't work if we don't have repentance, as I explain here.

Once you are doing that, you can use the most powerful thing possible - prayer. You can also know that you have God in you to guide you and give you hope, peace, etc.. 

Your soul is free to focus on good things like Philippians 4:8 teaches, because - like other things where God warns us - He wants us to have that abundant life that comes from a life lived for Him. You can meditate on all those things - remember, meditate on something, don't clear your mind and let the devil come in.

Doing the above and building the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23 will help you to be a more caring parent, too - you won't yell at your kids all the time like some do, you'll discipline and enforce limits with love and meekness.

It will also help you to remember good times, it is vital that you catch your child being good and praise them a lot also so they will know it is possible to be good.

Those good thoughts will also help you to avoid the pitfalls of relationships that can hurt your child - if you're not married, you need to keep away from boys (if you're a female, which 99.99% of teen parents are) till you have found one who is so on fire for God that he truly loves you as Christ would; don't settle for anything less. Be so lost in God that a boy needs to seek God with all his heart to find you.

Because there is safety in following God. And, you want safety for your baby, right?

See, that's all God is saying when He tells us to be pure - He is sharing with us how to be safe. For your child. And, for you. You can easily commit to remaining pure from now till your wedding day.

You may have added responsibility and priorities have changed for you, but life isn't over.

Find a church where unconditional love is practiced, where older mothers will help you, where you can be sure that your baby is safe and cared for, where that child will not be considered a mistake but a blessing. But, make sure it's a doctrinally sound church as shown here which preaches the Gospel and where peope are truly getting saved.

Timing might be off on something, but that doesn't mean God is finished using you. He is just going to use you differently now - as a parent, as a praying mother, as someone who can impact your community, your city, your nation, for good.

So many are seeking true love - and God's love is truly unconditional when we come to Him, and He won't just let us languish but will work in us to make us better. If you know him personally as Savior, then Phil. 1:6 promises "He who hath begun a good work in you will  be faithful to perform it."

Let's pray. "Lord Jesus, thank you for this teen mother who is reading this. Lord, give them love and hope and peace as they raise their child. May they be Godly influences on their child,and ive them the wisdom and patience as they rear this child so they can help that child make good choices in life - help them keep their child safe from any predators, safe from any men who would do them or their child harm emotional or spiritually as well as in other ways. For you want them to protect their child from those who would turn them away from you.

"At the same time, Lord, guide them toward a loving church - even if it's just a home church - which preaches the Gospel but which also shows God's love to them and helps them to grow as mothers - and fathers if a boy is willing to be the dad and is safe for that child.

"Lord Jesus, may their son or daughter grow to honor their parent(s) and especially to honor you. May this teen mom grow to love you and if she is not saved may she call on you now and trust you as Saviour. May her child grow to love you and trust you as Saviour at an early age.

"Lord, we are all sinners, we still have that flesh nature even after we trust you, so when she messes up, as we all do, may she turn to you for forgiveness and know that once she has forsaken that sin it is forgotten forever. May she teach her child that, too, so they keep in right relationship with you and you can guide them most effectively. May they have a family altar they can go to and pray whenever they need.

"Lord Jesus, may you protect and guide them in the difficult things of life. May their lives be filled with worshiping and honoring and showing the unconditional love that you have for each of us if we'll only come to you by faith.

"Lord, help these parents, when times get rough, to realize that their lives are different now with a child, but while they may miss some parties they don't have to miss everything, they just have to find sitters and make decisions that are more of an adult nature, like someone almost twice their age might, but help them to be surrounding by friends who care and understand and support them.

"Lord, may this mother reading this and any teen mom surround themselves with people who will bring them closer to you, and help them to be redy physically, mentally, and spiritually for raising their child. Lord, when they struggle with patience, guide them to walk away rather than mistreat their child, give them people they can call to come help them and take the load off them. Lord, I remember my uncle's new bride was in her mid-20s when she first had a baby - actually twins - and she needed grandparents on both sides of the kids helping, so of course it's okay for this mother to seek help. Don't let the Pharisses and backstabbers inflict their wounds of the devil on them, but instead help them to be surrounded with those who will help them be Godly mothers.

"Lord, help this baby of theirs to also have good friends and great help and support in growing up.

"Lord, help this mother to avoid going afte rthe first boy she sees, but instead direct her to the right one, a boy or young man sold out to Jesus who will show Christ's love, and until that time help her by surrounding her child with male roles models - then and after she might find a guy if she does.

"Help her teach her child to pray and to follow you and may this teen mother lead family devotionals effectively.

"Help her also to to find good books that are wholesome for her child to read, do not let her use the TV or DVDS as a babysitter but help her to be involved in the education of her child, to read and talk to her child consistently and even sing if she can. May she expose that child to so much joy that the love of Jesus just abounds in her and her baby grows up to say, 'My mom is a praying mom, she knows God personally.'

"Lord when this child misbehaves, may the mother be a Godly mom and discipline in love, showing grace and mercy and comforting as well, encouraging that child and showing them they are still loved.

"Lord, help this mother to make wise, Godly decision about education, too, and sitters, and everything, so that she can have the Godly wisdom you promise to anyone who asks, as James 1:5 says in Your word.

"Lord Jesus, there are surely more things that can be prayed, help her to pour her heart out to you for everything, praying for and with her baby. Help her to be a Godly woman who can overcome all the problems she faces. May her own education be a good one, and may she one day find employment somewhere and be able to help her child in a lawful way without turning to evil things, without having to commit sin. Lord, help her to steer clear of all those with drugs and other things which can cause such harm.

"Lord, help this teen mom to keep all doctor appointments and to have all the help she needs to overcome anything. Not in her own strength, though she will feel like it is all her sometimes, Lord, but in your strength. For your Word says that with You, all things are possible. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves for revival to happen

More is happening with the previous post and other warnings, as one can see with this video by JD Farag.There is great deception coming we must avoid, as noted in the previous post, with much danger from our fallen world that will leave us fooled if we're not careful.  Even such facts as that the God of the Bible is not the same as that of Islam are hidden by our sinful world.

The most important wisdom is that God wants a person relationship with you, something that isn't taught elsewhere. It isn't about what you can do, it's about what God already did for you.

All you need is to:

1. Admit you're a sinner and fall short of the Perfection of God, and while your sin separates you from Heaven God created a way for you to get there;

2. Believe thatJjesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and,

3. Call on Him to forgive you and to save you by Calling on Him, repenting of your sin and trusting Him to make you new inside.

Being wise, then, means knowing what is right and wrong. After all, if you are going the wrong way you wont' get where you're going, right? You want something reliable, right? Here is a good site, by the way, on how we can know the Bible is reliable. (Read below, too, for an answer ken Ham says has help many believers with just a simple verse.)

Jesus told his disciples 2,000 years ago to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. This is important to do even today. How do we do that to survive in this confusing world?

Center wisdom on the God of love, comfort, mercy, etc.

Sometimes people don't notice words. Some see "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" and ignore that word, "beginning." (Some also ignore that the word "fear" means a healthy respect, like when you choose not to put your hand into a fire because you will get burned. You're not scared of it.) That's really dangerous because it can make a person sound like a Pharisee if they act like there is nothing more to know. I wrote a lot here on not being a Pharisee. We can open our minds to so much as long as we remember to keep the Lord's wisdom at the start of what we know - that's why it's the beginning of wisdom.

That ties into salvation - you get saved because you have a healthy respect for the fact you're a sinner in need of a Saviour because you can save yourself through good works, since we have all sinned; nobody is perfect. Once you are saved you can easily live by getting other wisdom as long as you keep that salvation and God's Word, the Bible, in general as your foundation.

Here's an example of other wisdom - germ theory. It was laughed at when it was first proposed because it was unlike what people had known before. However, it didn't contradict the Bible. As a matter of fact, Hebrews 11:3 says that things which are seen were "not made of things which do appear." In other words, they are made of things which don't appear to the eye without help. The Bible sometimes talks of the invisible meaning the spiritual realm, which Chuck Missler notes in a number of places is proven to exist by scientists; there may be as many as 10 dimensions or more. (He is in those links and some in a few of the links above.) However, unseen things can just as easily mean things we can't see with our own eyes, as it does in this case meaning atoms and electrons. (This is likely a verse with a double meaning, physical and spiritual.)

So, after a while science established germ theory. it was not part of science "falsely so called" as Paul warns Timothy of; germ theory is proper science. It doesn't conflict with the Bible. On the other hand, there are many things which do, as just a study of Answers in Genesis can show.

It's important to note that you don't have to be a Creationist to be saved from your sin, of course. That will be discussed later when I talk about sharing God's love and salvation with humility and care for others. For now, I'll just link this very good site if you are interested in the discussion and scientific evidence for Creation, and go back to the idea of centering wisdom on God's Word.

Just like the germ theory example, there are other things the Bible is silent on, but that isn't a problem. Even though the Bible is not a science book, it is still true in everything it says about science - indeed, it warns against science falsely so-called(1 Tim. 6:20), that is things that are called science but are not.

It's like a person who has not studied history for a living can still know George Washington was the first president. There are other things one can learn. One must use the Bible as a guide to the truth of such things, though - just like that non-history student needs to look at the list of American presidents to find others and not at the list of British monarchs. :-)

Wisdom means applying knowledge, too. Now, unless you are a time traveler, you don't need to rely on George Washington being the first president for more than a test answer. However, other wisdom can be used.

Like germ theory, things come up that didn't in the old days. Traffic safety rules, for instance, have a basis in Scripture - put others before yourself - even without laws being passed about them. Something like post-traumatic stress disorder, for instance, is not mentioned but we know that we are to be compassionate toward others and tenderhearted, understanding that some need treated differently as we see in Jude 22-23. (I suppose 1 Samuel 30, where David pursues and enemy and lets those who remained behind to take part of the spoil, could be an instance of those with PTSD,  but I think those are simply people who were not physically capable of fighting. However, this is a good example of where Christians can easily agree to disagree.)

The ones in first Samuel and those mentioned in Jude also are good verses to show how we need to be very kind to others, and Jude demonstrates how with some we must share the gospel as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery, not condemning but simply loving and understanding she needed saved. That will be covered more in the second part of this post on not being a Pharisee, though.

Back to the person with PTSD, we also have to realize that there are ways to help a person recover from it and to deal with what they are going through that are Biblical and some that are not. This, then comma shows that need to have a Biblical foundation, how following the Lord needs to be the beginning of wisdom so that when you go out and find all the other things that are out there, that you have that foundation that can leave you being a Godly person and faithful follower.

Be harmless as doves

One big aspect of wisdom is knowing how to figure things out. This requires using be praying that God gave you. Not everyone has the same brain. Some, like Ravi Zacharias, have incredibly deep minds. But, you don't have to be someone like him to be able to use Godly wisdom. as noted aboveAny believer can determine how to act even in areas where the Bible is somewhat silent, like post-traumatic stress disorder, which was discussed before, or totally as with the aforementioned Germ Theory, becasue of the power of the Holy Spirit in that believer. We can't do it in our own strength, but God can and will strengthen us when we trust Him to.

Being harmless as doves is one command of Jesus that will greatly help as you interact with others - and, since Jesus is God, He will give power to obey that command. (Yes, the context is that He tells His disciples this then, but there is clearly a spiritual aspect where we must do it today, too.)

One important thing to remember is that we should not be Pharisees. I wrote this post looking at some of the major problems with being a Pharisee and why one should not do that. There are others, too, though.

Pharisees, by definition, are not as harmless as doves. Jesus says they of their father the devil, among other things. They do nothing to draw people to Christ.

In today's world, Pharisees keep people from Jesus by not being kind, understanding, and so on. Of course, we must take a stand against sin, but we must also love the sinner, just like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

How do we do this?

Loving Others to Jesus

While we have to take stands against sin, we don't know peoples' hearts, so we can't even presume they are committing specific sins unless we see them doing it. Even then, the simple ABCs above need to be done in such a way that draw people, not repel them. A dove is a symbol of people, and is a very harmless bird - it doesn't go around attacking others like, say, a blue jay.

In other words, admit you're a sinner, too. We all are. We all fall short of God's perfection. So, it doesn't help to just accuse the person of sin -the Holy Spirit does that well enough anyway. (Yes, john John 16:712 it says the Spirit is even there to convict unbelievers.) They need to know that sin is a problem impacting all of us, ut that there is a remedy so that God doesn't have to keep us out of Heaven, and that in fact He desires a person relationship with each of us.

That relationship is the key. A person who is having a discussion about Creation might be convinced that God created the world, but what good does that do if they don't trust Jesus Christ to save them? It is worthless. However, if they trust Jesus Christ to save them, they have a erlationship with God and they can then pray and read the Bible and have the Spirit convict them, or they can just go to Heaven someday and have a very stunned look ont heir face, as if to say, "Wow, I never realized that."

You can even tell them, "One of us will have an amazed look on our faces, and wouldn't you want to be there to see mine if you're right?" It's just like if you are witnessing and you tell someone, "If I'm wrong, I have lost nothing, I have pleased many by being amoral, upright person who loved and helped others. if you are wrong, you have lost your soul, and it won't matter what you havd in this world. Because, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

In the same way, you can be friendly and engaging with others while keeping the Gospel the main thing. For instance, that person with PTSD may struggle with ordinary life. Even such thigns as getting out of bed can be a struggle for someone suffering from depression. They may have suffered horribly in a war, or maybe just because of issues growing up. Certain thigns you say may have little meaning to you or even be very positive things but may bring very negative reactions to them.

In cases like that, you need to keep an open mind. Don't make it so open your braisn fall out, as the joke goes, but remember to approach the situation from their perspective. If you hd, for instance, been mistreated growing up by people who claimed to be Christians but weren't, how would you be able to be won to Christ? Isn't it by being told calmly and gently that God isn't like the abusive people they knew, but that God is instead a loving God who never acts out of spite, malice, etc.. Just explaining that anyone can claim to be a Christian can help.

No, the Bible doesn't talk about PTSD or some of the worst things people can have done to them or germ theory or other things, but the Bible does have principles that can govern our lives, like being tenderhearte, acting just like Jesus does throughout the Gospels.

His itneraction with the woman at the well in John 4 is a great example of how He interacted with someone He encountered ina  way that drew her into the conversationa nd got her thinking about spiritual things. And, there are ways you can get others thinking, too.

Answers You Can Use for Everyday Encounters

One example I've used here before concerning people who claim to be Christians is the King of Belgium example. If I say I'm the King of Belgium, whatever I do, good or bad, has no bearing on what the real King of Belgium is like. In the same way, people can't define what Christians are based on their own ideas, it has to come fromt he Bible, jsut in the same way the definition of "King of Bekguim" isn't, "anyone who claims to be King of Belgium is automatically King." it is, "The person who was born into the royal family and succeeded to the throne after the previous King's death."

Of course, some might just complain about the hypocrites in general, but with that, you can say something like this: If you are a dog lover, and you want to hang out with other dog lovers, does the fact not everyone love dogs impact your love if them? No, it shouldn't if you really love them. You might hang around people you think are really goofy, in fact - they say "Here is a picture of my dog" and you look and nothing is there, or they pull a leash around with a hamster cage attached and pretend it's really their dog. You would still love your dog the same, though. In fact, these crazy people should inspire you, if you hang around them enough, to say, "Hey, don't just talk about dogs, get one, they're so awesome!"

In fact, that's a part of this I hadn't thought about till just now: The presence of hypocrites should make us want to live for God even more so we can show people just how wonderful it is to truly live for God in our walk and not just in our talk.

People will have questions, of course. For instance, Ken Ham has said that he has found lots of people become believers when he answers a specific question with a specific verse. That quesiton is, "Where did Cain get his wife?" The answer is found in Genesis 5:4, Adam and Even had sons and daughters. (According to a historian, Josephus, an old tradition said Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters, but this shows it could have been a lot more.

Other people might have questions about all the evil in the world. We have some very good radio shows here about that, among other shows, but a good simple answer is that God doesn't want us to be mindless robots. He would, in fact, have to use cartoon physics to stop our free will. he wants us to choose to love Him because we want to, because of His great care for us - for it was while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.(Rom. 5:8) thankfully, he then rose triumphantly fromt he grave, but He had to humble Himself and come down here to do that. He chose to do it willingly, becuase you and I and every single person was on His mind.

He suffered in all ways like us(Heb. 4:15-16) so we can go to Him with anything. In fact, when I first started reading the Bible I would ask questions about lots of things, and He would always assure me in prayer that He cared for the exceptions, for the handicapped like me, for those who were unique. He loves each and every one of us.

Because of this, He doesn't want us to act like rules are the only things that matter. We need to show grace and mercy. Jesus knows each of our hearts, just like that woman caught in adultery whom He set free because He would soon take the punishment for her sin and for everyone's sin. (Including the guy - the Pharisees were so much into show but they didn't want to take responsibility themselves - the guy committing adultery should have been in the temple condemned with her since they were caught in the act, but he was nowhere to be found.)

Jesus hated that attitude of the Pharisees. They would criticize the fact that He healed on the Sabbath, even though they would stop and do things like pull an animal out of a ditch or something; as Jesus asked them, "is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath?" God was making a point that He didn't want people to be overly burdened, and the Pharisees were taking what God meant for rest and recuperation (the Sabbath) and making it all about themselves and their rules.

Yes, rules are vital to make things run smoothly, like traffic rules or rules in the home. However, we must be careful that rules do not become our gods. God Almighty loves and cherishes everyone, even those who don't follow the normal pattern for things like a two-parent family with the dad being a Godly leader. God accepts and cherishes exceptions - a Godly parent isn't going to mind if you're 5 minutes late because you stopped to rescue a baby from a burning building, after all; they'll be proud of you because you sacrificed yourself for the Lord; nyou've honored your parents by following what God called you to do. I once heard of a 3YO who - during a fight between his parents - was able to recitehome rules like "be nice," "say you're sorry," etc. to help them to settle down and possibly prevent what could have spiraled down to divorce. (Probably not, but the point is that God used that child for His purposes.)

While the Bible's examples aren't quite as drastic, the Bible does show people like David, to continue something like the curfew analogy, who was almost surely expected back right away from taking food to his brothers in the field, and instead he stay around and killed Goliath.(1 Sam.) Gideon tore down the idols his father had put up because they dishonored God and his father was worshiping them instead.(Judges 6) And, we see people such as the Shunemmite woman, who He calls great for leading her household when her husband was unwilling.(2 Kings 4:8 and onward) That's because God loves each of us, and wants to help us grow into people who will be like Him regardless of our circumstances and who will seek to dow aht is right in His sight, not their own.

Be the kind of person who will draw people to the Lord

I wrote an entire blogged book about that Shunemmite woman and how women or even children/teens/youth can be used by God to lead. It can be found here and should be printed out and shared via print or online with everyone.

The key, then, is to be kind, friendly, the kind of person who people will see that love and faith resonating in. That doesn't mean that you have to be perfect. People  should be able to see that you accept you're not perfect but that you know the one who is and that He is guiding and directing your path to help you to become better.

When you show that love, you accept people. It's like a guy in a t-shirt and jeans bringing his family to church - nobody should care what he wears, it's the person on the inside that counts. Now, if his t-shirt is filled with cursing you can politely suggest that he's sending the wrong message, but you don't have to have your "Sunday best" - especially if you don't have such clothes. The idea of wearing a suit and tie is a cultural thing, and another problem that can arise which is like the Pharisees is that people mistake cultural norms for Biblical ones.

When we accept each other as beggars telling other  beggars where to find bread, we will be able to be humble and loving and to the thigns the Bible commands - e4dify (build up and not tear down) one another, exhort (strongly encourage/urge to do good things) one another, love one antoher, pray for one another, consider one another better than ourselves, etc..

Each of us is better than somebody else at something and worse at something. Maybe you're not as outgoing but you can share the gospel in other ways, simply by being therefore someone and maybe not talking as much as just listening. Others, like me, overcome handicaps and other adversities without complaints, sowing a confidence that can only come from God.

The important thing is, remember that others might not be able to verbalize their questions. We do need to use words to share the Gospel, and in fact ask people if they know for sure they're going to Heaven. A really good way to put it is, "If you were to stand before God and He were to say "why should I let you into my perfect Heaven, what would you say?"

Be wise as serpents, so you can keep your main focus, your beliefs, your attitude, your life, centered on the Lord. And, be harmless as doves, so people will want to be in God's perfect Heaven, where there can be no sin, selfishness, etc.,. God will make each of us new on the inside continually as He works in us, and will perfect us when we get to Heaven. But, it makes sense that we follow His perfect plan for our lives so we can have those blessings and rewards for doing so.

Humility, equality, common sense key to stopping violence

A rash of assaults on women and other complaints have dotted the landscape in and out of sports. While the previous post on coming together for racial equality contains keys to solving this problem, as do posts on things like the good thoughts of Philippians 4:8 and other posts in this blog, this is a specific problem which has troubled people since man brought sin into the formerly perfect world,and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Rom. 5:12)

That need for humility, of course, is crucial. That post shows how we must never see one race or any group as superior, something discussed more in show 143 here. Here, it means one must not see one gender as worthy of more respect than another. However, it is much more than that.

A desire to be better can be used in a positive way when it leads to hard work, learning new information, strategies, and skills, etc., in order to improve one's lot in life. However, those all deal with raising oneself up in ways that please God, so His perfect plan for your life can be fulfilled, not putting others down. They involve honing God-given things to improve one's abilities to glorify God.

Not only that, but not since Ben Franklin's time has it been possible to know everything there is to know. There will always be someone better than you at something and someone worse than you at something. Hence, there is a need to accept that God has given skills and talents and accept His perfect plan for your life, That perfect plan is fulfilled when you grow in Godliness and develop those rather than letting lust rule and tear others down or wanting what isn't yours.

Yes, I used lust there. Envy, jealousy, and so on could all be placed there. However, what are those but certain kinds - envying someone with better clothes or cars or something is just a lust for those things, for instance. The Bible sums up sin by referring to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.(1 John 2:15) Certainly, we want to live, but we don't want to have such pride in it that we think that we have a better plan than God, because God's perfect ways are much greater than our imperfect ways.

Good Thoughts and Attitudes to Ponderr - Putting Others First

This is why, as in Philippians 4:8 above, we must "flee also youthful lusts"(2 Tim. 2:22); this isn't just about physical affection, it is about fleeing that selfishness that causes a person to lust for power and therefore to mistreat those less powerful than them.

This brings us to equality a little more first, to move forward to common sense by making a few comments about the body from the above links, namely that we all perform different roles in that perfect plan, but they all work together to move the body forward along the right path.

To use a silly example, let us suppose that the eye decided it wanted to do something different than the legs says the person was walking along. So comma the eye starts moving the head a different direction. Then comma di convinces the arms to move one of the legs into that direction. Of course, that is silly, although at first you might have thought of a person distracted by something, turning their head, and walking right into a telephone pole. Indeed, that happens sometimes. The point is that this is causing the body to lose focus. There are, of course, timesthe eye see something and realizes that the legs are moving in the wrong direction. That is where the brain as a central processing unit is so important, such as when you are walking around trying to find something, and suddenly you see it out of the corner of your eye.)

Let's use that analogy with the brain as the central processing unit and explore the area of common sense. However, it will not be common sense as imperfect people see it, but as God created us, because His ways are perfect.

There are many reasons that the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) includes things like temprance(self-control), longsuffering(patience), etc.. We need these things to be Godly people; He calls us to be holy not just in our actions in refraining from certain sins but in all manner of conversation, a word which means conduct.

I'd like to take a moment to praise a few boys; these 6-8 year olds are in our church's Wednesday night AWANA program at the same time as a similar-aged girl who has some autism traits. Because of this, she pushes hard at times. She has only done this a couple times, and we as a staff and her parents stay on top of things, but the point is that this girl can't control herself as well as most kids that age.

So, a few times she has pushed these boys playfully, not realizing how hard she is doing it. And, these boys either just stare at her and then walk away or just ask me, "What's her problem." They don't fight back. I have praised them quite a bit for not pushing back, let alone hitting. They know quite well there is no reason to hit this girl. Other workers and I are rightfully proud of their self-control at those times.

All that is to say this. It should be very easy for us to get in our minds an image of a person just walking away from a situation. At their age, of course, it helps to know someone is going to praise them for their self-control, and that praise will sink in and - in the future - help them remember that self-control is a positive thing. Even if a person hasn't had that self-control praised before - or even practiced  it - self-control is still required.

Why? because women are built differently, just like the parts of the body are different. You wouldn't put eye drops in your ear to try to get ear wax out, nor would you put hydrogen peroxide on your skin to make an insect bite stop itching. Things need treated differently depending on where they are - eye drops go int he eye, hydrogen peroxide goes in the ear, etc..

Of course, it's also wrong for women to bully men, but the vast major5ity of this selfishness in hwo they treat others is done by males in a relationship. This is why Jesus kept pushing meekness, another Fruit of the Spirit - thsi is power under control, not overpowering people but tenderly guiding.

Not only that, but men and women are equals, we just have different general attributes, with each individual having their own and needing to be accepted for how God made them.

We have shared that some but as a church generally failed to speak out strongly against abusive behavior, a failure we must repent of, as I've noted before, in praying for revival. Of course, it can also be argued that the Holy Spirit convicts people of the evils of such things, and that people who do them are not going to be in church or will just sit and pretend to be Godly because their hearts aren't right or perhaps they never trusted Jesus Christ to save them in the first place.

Whichever the case is, domestic violence is an evil which must be stopped. The way to do it is by changing our attitude toward others.

Proper Attitudes About Relationships - Eliminating Lust

Before, such as here, the need was discussed to center our focus on others and not ourselves. That is certainly part of it. When we realize other people matter, we will be kinder and more considerate and realize that some people have handicaps, for instance, like I do with several physical and developmental ones. However, it goes beyond just helping a blind person see something that you can see perfectly well.

The important part is to recognize that while we refer to girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, and children as "ours" in one sense, they really aren't in another sense. Oh, relation ally, there is a logical sense that, yes, you are related to someone in such and such a way - "this is the computer's mouse" means that mouse is used by that computer - but relation does not equal possession. Any mouse could be used as long as it's compatible, to use that example further.

Relationships were created by God before the fall of man - Adam and Eve are married in Genesis 2:24-25, while sin doesn't come into the world till the next chapter. After sinc omes in, there is suddenly disputing and arguing and the chance for all sorts of things. Physical lusts suddenly existed when they didn't before. Instead of automatically being a perfect situation, a relationship takes work on all parts - A healthy relationship requires communication, and that communication is easily broken if we're not careful.

This is where that lust comes in. Even without that problem in language, there is that desire to make a relationship everything we want rather than working together toward a common goal. It's as if the eye and the ear, working together in a body, suddenly decide they want to do different things. Or, worse yet, the left leg and the right leg try to go off in different directions.

Some central processing unit is needed. God provides that processing unit through his Word, the Bible, which tells us to love one another, to edify (build up) one another, to be subject to one another  and to work with one another. The Bible never commands one side to boss the other around and doesn't even allow it, in fact. As that one link said, Eve was created from Adam's side, not his head or foot.

And, parents are to be examples of Godly love, compassion, gentleness, kindness, and so on, teaching their children to be part of that loving unit by co-operating and becoming kind, caring people who will not act selfishly. Just as most if not all of the boys have been taught who were being so kind when that girl was being so pushy.

If one party is not able to be a spiritual leader, that God commands, another shoudl take over and try to work themselves out of a job jsut like a missionary would. This free blog book, based on the Shunemmite woman's story beginning in 2 Kings 4:8, shows how, and should be widely distributed.

We need the courage to stand up for woman and children because they need protection. Yes, at times we must sand up against female abusers, too; we should always look at the facts of a case as well. However, we must be willing to take a stand for the absolute right and wrong that God commands us to have in protecting those who are mistreated, so that they know they can feel safe in coming to us and that we will stand for them and against abusers. Look at it as getting an abuser help if you must, but we as a society should not accept what is really just a form of lust - a lust for power, power that is not our right to have. There is never any reason to hit a woman, and in fact even nonverbal abuse is wrong because we are not meant to force others to do anything in a relationship. We are supposed to lovingly guide. (Yes, even discipline of children, though it may have to be harsh at times, should NEVER be about brutality and power but has to be about showing Godliness by guiding them in a Christlike manner to be examples of Godly character themselves, by showing those fruits of the Spirit so they will want to copy and will know how. You might, as that blog book shows, even be able to be the one a kid copies who isn't your own, becasue we all need role models and some kids need to use other adults as those models of good behavior.)

This iswhy such violence is wrong - communication must be the center of every relationship, and adults are able to verbalize their concerns without such threats against someone who is less able physically. If a person has trouble, they must walk away till they're calm; against part of that meekness Jesus had and that we should have, too.

In fact, I'll go a step further and say that the entire appetite for lusts is way off. There are many better things to do than that, and it should be an honor to be a virgin. Sadly, not everyone will be, but there is no excuse for any man to be taking advantage of someone. If one man wants to do stuff with a woman outside marriage that's one thing, even though it's sin and cheapens it, but life is not a video game and there should be no competition or guys getting together in what was created to be a very special time for one man and oen woman to share! God created that stuff to be done within marriage as a special thing between a husband and wife, in fact! No woman should ever be put in a situation where she feels pressured into doing something she doesn't want to - and no man should, either!

After all, God gives freedom, the freedom that He provided on the cross when He died to take the punishment for our sins and rose from the dead. Each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life. It's a prayer one can pray right now - just Admit you're a sinner and fall short of God's protection, Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead, and Call on Him to save you, Choosing to let Him make you new inside and forgive and cleanse you and come live in you.

Once you trust Him to save you, He makes you new inside.He will grow the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) in you. You can do it right now where you are. And, go he to e-mail with someone and get gerat encouragement.

Trust the Lord to raise up Godly people, be willing to let Him use you

A good beginning for this post - given its timing - would be what was stated in the post on being a role model. Or, perhaps on teaching others to overcome difficulties or forgiveness - after all, all these things, firmly standing for the right things, and numerous other posts in this blog all relate to Father's Day.

Instead - yes, I know this sounds silly - but, here's a question about dictionaries. If you had a choice between a perfect definition and something people made up, which would you choose?

Hopefully, the perfect one, otherwise you could pick up a pile of mud and leaves and define it as whatever your favorite meal is. Or, you could define a random squirrel as a nation's capital. The first one would taste bad, and the second could lead to jokes concerning nuts that are in bad taste - and are likely pretty old, anyway. The point is that neither definition makes any sense.

We do the same with the word "father" for various reasons when we use only human definitions - false pride, selfishness, and so on. This is why God's definition of a loving, personal man who always gives of himself is vital - after all, God is personal and desires a relationship with us. It is also why the focus here will be how anyone can fill that role, just like Mordecai raising Esther. This doesn't mean the way the world says it - because the world only focuses on the physical - but the tenderhearted, unconditional love God has for us, whereby we call Him "Abba" - that word really means "Daddy," not just "Father." This is a term of great tenderness and trust, the way a small child should see a father.

Of course, as noted before, the devil counterfeits everything God makes. We need to help others overcome and become more resilient, be role models, etc., as the above links said. This post links several former posts ideas together with some other things to help show how we can pray for - and sow seeds of - repentance revival.

Humbling Oneself to Take the Spiritual Lead

God's Word recognizes that. Take 2 Timothy 2:1 or any other verse which speaks of being strong in the Lord, or the call to stand in Ephesians 6:11-13 before the full armor of God is discussed showing us how to fight the battle. The verbs for being strong, standings, etc. imply a continual action from outside. It's a continual action of letting the Lord strengthen us, or help us to stand (through the full armor of God) so we can stand in that evil day and, having done all, to stand.

 As I note in my free blogbook for all, the story of the Shunemmite woman lays the groundwork for how anyone, even a child, can be a spiritual leader when nobody else is willing. It requires that the person be a Godly example as she was and not follow the ways of the world. It's very easy for a person to be drawn away when their minds and hearts are not focused on Jesus.

That's why it's vital that any leader be humble and let God be the one to guide through His Holy Spirit. I'm not going as far as I've heard some preachers go - they say that people were never meant to marry (and thus conceive) apart from being born again believers in Jesus Christ who are led by Him to be Christlike individuals. Books could be filled on debate about what the alternatives would be and how God might or might not use such institutions for His purposes. Not only that, but we are all sinners in need of a Saviouir.  We must rely on Him to have the strength to overcome our weaknesses, and on others to help us to do so, because He uses otehrs to help us.

That is how the devil has counterfeited fatherhood and families in general over the years. There have been ideas such as a refusal to admit one's wrongs and apologize to an insistence on phsyical toughness to many other things that have nothing to do with Godlness as it shows in the Bible.

Indeed, Biblical manhood has nothing to do with toughness - men are called to be tender, affectionate with their words and actions, and so on. Look at how Paul spoke of the way he nursed the Thessalonian church.(1 Thess.2:7-12)

For there to be a Revival in America or anywhere, we need leaders. God's Word clearly says that His people can pray, call on him, turn from their wicked ways, etc.. So, it doesn't take a ruler to do so. A couple of businessmen in 1857 devoted to prayer begin a Revival in New York City. They simply met and prayed at lunch each day, and brought more and more in to join them. These prayer meetings and the subsequent turning away from sin and adopting honest, fair, etc. business practices and honoring God in all they did spread from New York to Chicago and elsewhere.

However, we do need people to step up and lead like these men did. They don't lead because they are rulers, they lead because they are following Godly principles and encourage the people to follow Christ like they do.

This, then, is what we must Honor on Father's Day, not the fact that a person has a title, but the fact that a person leads with Godly character and the unconditional love, compassion, and so on that Christ exemplifies. 

Remember that Jesus Christ is God in flesh.(That is what Sonshi means, not physical relations.) In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.(John 1:1,14) Jesus Christ is God in flesh, so we must use His example as to how to live our lives. Yes, He took bold stands against sin, but He also loved the sinner.

This is why it is possible to say that anyone can provide that kind of Godly leadership, the kind a father should. Some people will struggle because they lack certain things. Some might not have learned how to provide for others or remain committed to something or show that love, but that is why God provided the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to every believer, so He can teach them. That just means relying on Him to do so.

An example to us

 

A perfect example is my great-grandfather. He spoke in glowing terms about his mother all the time, but never mentioned his father once. My great uncle says that even if you got him to where he would spout off about everything he wouldn't mention anything about his dad. His dad died in an accident, and it was sad for him in his late teens, but his mother died in a much worse accident, a house two years earlier, yet while he never shared about that accident he would about what she was like before then.

The family figures that my great-grandfather's dad was either never there or not very nice. My great-grandpa never learned how to be a loving, caring father who children always talked about how wonderful he was and looked up to him so consistently. And yet, he was that way as a father himself, a wonderful, gentle, loving man who his children, my grandma and her siblings, would often talk about so lovingly.

There are a few other things that point to his having trusted Christ as his Savior during a Billy Sunday Revival in 1912. I won't get into those, but suffice it to say that the man was changed on the inside at some point in his late teens, he learned to do things as he had not learned how to do otherwise because he did not have the example to show him.

Letting God show us how

This example is one of many which could be used to demonstrate the fact that God can and will teach us how to be the loving, caring people we should once we trust Him. The Holy Spirit works in people to change their hearts and help them to be more like Jesus.

This, therefore, means that we must trust him too guide us in the things that we have lacked for so long. Not only for the last 40 years, but the last 400, as I have often said in this blog.

 We must trust the Lord to heal this land by raising up leaders, but they must be the right kind; those who will be kind, loving, caring, etc., but will not wilt in the face of pressure.  person can certainly be emotional (like John Knox, founder of the Presbyterian church, when he punished his children), the key to strength Biblically is going through with it even when it is emotional. Some thigns can be difficult, but that goes back to the fact being strong in the Lord means a continual strengthening from outside.

leaders must be committed to what they do - that's why it's vital that a leader be able to show he or she cares in everything they say and do. It's why leadership is about showing that other people matter, as has been noted numerous times here, such as in this post. It's a joy, not a a burden, to be able to make a difference in the world.

Much of the problem we have in this lack of leadership is that we look at things the wrong way. We always have - we're imperfect people, and as sinners, we all need God's help to guide us in the right direction. Some, like I was, always try to behave well and the main problem is not realizing the problems that thought life can cause; that's what got me saved was realizing that even my thought life caused me to fall short of the glory of God, and I also didn't always do or say what was right. For others, it's a rebellious nature that they must trust the Lord to bring under control.

Whatever the problem is, we know this. We know God is a loving, personal God who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was God in flesh. He just chose to manifest Himself this way because it was easiest for us to understand, God gave that gave for a reason, Jesus came for a purpose. That purpose was to willingly suffer and die for each of us, taking on the sins of the whole world. Then, He rose from the dead, having triumphed over sin and death. Talk about a great task and greater victory! All one must do to have a personal relationship with Him is call on Him to save them from the punishment for their sins and forgive them and make them new inside. Because, He took the punishment we all deserve for our sins. You can see more abut this, and talk to someone to grow spiritually, here.

I noted before in this post that many people - through the Internet - have a desire to be connected, yet also seems to hide behind computer screens, perhaps because tehre is so much pressure in today's world. A relationship with God can give us the peace we need to make it in this world, so we don't just play video games or get online all the time. Each of us can step out and lead, sharing our faith in Christ and being able to withstand all that comes our way.

We need to be able to admit we make mistakes, but strive not to make them. Be blameless, as one of those verses in 1 Thessalonians says which I mentioned. That doesn't mean sinless, it means not being involved in eveil so if someone accuses you, people will know it's false because you wouldn't do whatever it is. Of course, that also means getting rid of sin in your life, such as addictions. Reformers Unanimous is a great group which offers help in a Christlike way for those; there are chapters in many churches.

It also means taking the lead in prayer, spending time with others, and so on even if you don't feel like it; I loved what one youth group girl said about how she felt really sick just before her group was to lead worship this Sunday. "I feel sick. Let's do this." She was determined not to let something little get in the way of serving the Lord - and, of course, serving others, too, but with the ultimate goal being to glorify God.

That should be our attitude, too;not only for our families, but for anyone who needs that role model, that encoruagement, whatever they need. This world provides lots of discouragement, we need to go out and build others up, not tear them down.

Helping others overcome difficulties and value life

This focuses on a huge prayer need in our world. As it gets more crowded, there is much less sense of community. People are seeking answers because it has become much harder for them to be resilient - to overcome difficulties. However connected people are to each other through technology, there seems to be much less valuing of life.

Sadly, a number of things cause one to value life less and be less resilient. These can include: 1. A lack of a caring community; 2. The apparent lack of opportunity to overcome a difficult environment; 3. The extreme attack nature of society; and numerous other factors.

So, this will discuss the problem of not valuing life and how to be resilient and help others to be, too.(Why not the news about Cruz dropping out and Trump causing distress even in his own party? Second Chronicles 7:14 says "If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves..." not a leader. There is no hierarchy to revival there or in Jeremiah 18:5-10. Praying for revival and acting on it must start with each of us; it's not a leadership or laws issue but a heart issue, which only God can solve.)

As with a few others, parts of this will be similar to a post on a ministry blog I do.(The blog is here if interested) It's a more ministry-specific post, but both have something important in common. How can people feel that sense of worth and community to overcome obstacles?

"Known By Our Love" - Valuing Life as God Does

 I've stated a number of times, such as here, that revival must begin with repentance - turning our own hearts away from sin and toward God, letting Him work in them. Psalm 139:14 says in part "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" - a constant reminder of how God sees us; we are always special to someone, especially God, so we should value life and build others up since they, too, are always special to God. However, at the end of that Psalm, David asks God to search him and point out ways he needs to become more Godly in his thoughts, words, and actions. We must be known by our love.(John 13:35)

One way our nation has failed - and we must repent for - is a lack of respect for life. Part of the problem is that people think that they have little or no hope. Therefore, quite a few places - like New Orleans with the recent murder of former NFL star Will Smith - see awful violence. Very close to some huge tourist spots are areas where people much poorer need reasons to avoid sinking into a cycle of violence. They may have acquaintances, but the sense of community isn't based on deeply rooted things like family like it is more often in villages.

Some will say there has always been violence. True, Albert Einstein, speaking in the late 1940s about the massive destructive power of the atomic bomb, said, "I know not what weapons we will fight World War 3 with, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones." However, with parts of entire inner cities like war zones, many people lose hope - some even go astray and join gangs because they feel a need for community, but that just adds to the violence.

God is personal, though, and loves us unconditionally - hence we should also be known by our love. God will guide those who know Him to be more Christlike so they can know they have hope. I blogged an entire free book here on how even young people can do this; free because I know many can't afford it, so they can jsut print it out and copy and share, as I've mentioned numerous other times. God wants a relationship with us - He values us and wants us to value others' lives just as much.

We are separated from Him by our sin - our choices to do, say, or think things that go against God's perfect standard. However, He made a way for us to have a relationship with Him despite our sin when He came to Earth in the flesh (Jesus Christ) and died to take the punishment for our sins before rising from the dead.

All a person needs to do is accept they're a sinner and call on Him to forgive and save them, believing He died to take the punishment for their sins personally and then rose from the dead. This site gives a bit more detail, and you can e-mail someone, too, and ask questions.You can do that right here if you haven't.

Once you know Him as your personal Saviour, you can talk with God in prayer anytime, anywhere about anything. This post discusses the greatness of that personal relationship with Jesus and how we have constant contact with Him and it'll help us as believers to be more loving, compassionate, etc.. And, if we fall into sin, we just have to confess and forsake it and know He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9)

So, it's easy to see why we should value life - Jesus gave His life willingly for us; nbody had to take it from HIm. He saw each of us as important; each of us was on His mind when He went to the cross. And yet, in America - and other countries - people aren't valuing others' lives, and that doesn't just mean physical life but emotional and spiritual as well. We must be known by our love. As we pray for revival wherever we are, we must also step out in faith and be good role models for others. It's not a chore, we should look at it as something we get to do; it's a blessing to be able to encourage others. That's part of valuing life, after all.

Stepping Out in Faith

Share His love. Of course, there's more, but it's a nice summary. :-)

Seriously, we can't just them part of a community and say, "Good luck in your walk." People need fellowship and encouragement, but some need it a lot more than others. People lack resilience for the reasons stated above because they often haven't had the examples of Godly or even well-adjusted people around them. James 1:2-5, 1 Peter 1:6-9, and other passages help a lot, but when a person has been torn down so much by mean stuff around them such as bullying, it can be hard to even find a starting point.

Of course, everyone has a slightly different mentality and way of coping that fits them, but those ways must still line up with Scripture as far as gentleness, love, tenderheartedness, etc.. Everyone has different levels because we're all built differently - not everyone has the resilience to survive the mission field, for instance, and some who can handle one field couldn't handle another. However, we are all called to our own personal field of our family, community, etc..And yet, people often don't realize how much they can do unless they step out in faith.

Others, of course, learn the wrong lessons from life because of what they see around them - they think they have to react in a very unhelpful way to things. Instead of not trying, they try too hard in their own strength when that just leads to more problems.


That's part of why it's vital to follow God's plan for our lives. He knows us better than we do ourselves. If David had never stepped out and killed the lion and bear attacking the sheep, he never would have developed the courage and faith to slay Goliath. And yet, some people wouldn't have been able to even kill a lion or bear. It's not a bad thing if a person can't, they are just different parts of the body of Christ, just as the nose is important but you wouldn't use it to lift things.

(To type if need be, yes - that is not it's normal use, but the notion is part of resilience. Little kids who try may just seem silly, but God is using such fun to help build resilience, because they learn how to improvise, that just because they might lack something doesn't mean God can't use them.)

For those who can, or at least haven't yet tried, it's important to encourge them that if they were mistreated or other bad things happened that they did nothing wrong, nothing to deserve such abuse, but that they can overcome. David didn't just give up because his brothers taunted him when he brought the food. And, let's not be too hard on his brothers, either - they may have been trying to protect David by keeping him away, not realizing what God had planned for him.

In fact, let me run with that a second. Suppose that David was, in fact, very shy as a child, someone who his family felt would be a great shepherd, marry someday and be a Godly farmer, but they never expected him to be able to accomplish what he did. God allowed him to build resilience by killing the lion and the bear attacking the sheep, but part of that was also because he had the background to know that one had to stand up for what was right and know God would support him. There are lots of people who - to continue this analogy - lack the tools needed to be resilient enough to even kill the lion and bear, let alone march up to the battle and say "Is there not a cause?" David is, in fact, more likely to have been that shy, timid boy because of how God chooses the less capable sometimes, knowing that they will have to rely completely on Him and not their own skills.

Knowing one is part of that great body of Christ - and an important one in some way, even if a small one - is crucial to help them learn to love others. God is the God of all comfort so we can comfort others who are going through tough times, so that is one thing we can all do. We might not be able to slay Goliath ina  great battle, but we can slay the giants in our own lives by letting God do the work and following where He calls and when.

That's what Ephesians 6:11-18 and spiritual warfare is all about, after all - "having done all, to stand." Some, unfortunately, have fallen and can't get up on their own.

Help Others Be More Resilient

So, we've seen there is a severe lack of resilience in some, especially in underprivileged areas but sometimes in very upscale areas, too, and we must work extra hard to build it in people from there if we are to fulfill God's calling to reach and minister to others. It won't work to just tell them they are fearfully and wonderfully mde, although examples like David above do help us as well as potentially help them. And, it creates a template for us to love others more.

The big question is, how do we actually help them to be more resilient - help to stand, as that passage says a few times in Ephesians 6:11-13?

First, of course, is by sharing the Gospel with them. Getting someone interested int he thigns of God can take a while at times. But, that longsuffering is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Sometimes it can hard to know where to start, but an excellent blueprint is that of Discovery Bible Studies. It allows you to use the questions and then just use the Bible from the original Antiochan texts (KJV) - I share here about the virtues and importance of it.

We need to come alongside others and help and guide them so they see the love of God and realize how much He cares. We need to be that caring parent that they never had. We need to have those Bible studies with them. We need to do all those little things with them sometimes so they can ee God in our lives and not only want to follow Him but want to serve Him.

Sometimes, there is such a lack of trust that the person may find it hard to trust the Lord, even when we share about how just because someone else claimed to be a Christian doesn't mean he was one. I know of a fellow who it took over a decade - and even then he finds it hard to use them labels others use for himself; as I told him, though, you can call yourself a hot fudge sundae if you want, if by that you mean someone who has called on Jesus Christ by faith to forgive and save them from their sins, believing that Jesus died and took their punishment for their sins and rose again.

For those in high crime or other troubled areas, that free blogged book I mentioned earlier provides some clues, but so does simply starting with helping them to develop positive attitudes and actions. Kids often learn by role playing - especially if the person is much more visually oriented, you can easily help them that way with how they might respond in a Godly manner rather than react to various situations. And, don't worry if the acting is really corny - it'll probably lighten the mood anyway. :-)

Just being there and showing you care by listening to them can help a lot, too, hence the comment about not just putting them in a church without anyone to mentor them. Sometimes that can be a ministry in the church, but many times, it can be a member who just steps out in faith an is a Godly example whom that person knows they can call on anytime with any questions. (Here is a great show, #114 where it's mentioned some; part 2 wil be up 5/12 or 5/13 as #117.)

Sometimes, in fact, one needs to go further  and be that family a kid doesn't hve, that safe haven where they feel comfortable and loved and accepted no matter what, thus valuing life because they have seen how others value them and learned how they should value others. We are, after all, sometimes the only example of Jesus Christ someone will ever see.

So, as we pray for our country, let us be committed to not just pray for someone to help all those who lack resilience to value life and to overcome with God's help - so those passages in James and 1 Peter mentinoed earlier make sense to them and they can slowly learn to do that. Because, it's something we all need. When we are told, in places like Ephesians 6:10 and 2 Timothy 2:1, to be strong in the Lord, it is a Greek word meaning a continual strengthening from outside. A strengthening that can only come frm the Lord.