Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonours Christ, that He will withdraw His visible presence if we insult Him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we an never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting Him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, He may well cry out, “Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.” This is crowning His head with thorns of the sharpest kind. It is very cruel for a well-beloved wife to mistrust a kind and faithful husband. The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given the slightest ground for suspicion, and it is hard to be doubted by those to whom our conduct is uniformly affectionate and true. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unbounded wealth; it is shameful to doubt Omnipotence and distrust all-sufficiency. The cattle on a thousand hills will suffice for our most hungry feeding, and the granaries of heaven are not likely to be emptied by our eating. If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust His fulness, but who can drain a fountain? Myriads of spirits have drawn their supplies from Him, and not one of them has murmured at the scantiness of His resources. Away, then, with this lying traitor unbelief, for his only errand is to cut the bonds of communion and make us mourn an absent Saviour. Bunyan tells us that unbelief has “as many lives as a cat:” if so, let us kill one life now, and continue the work till the whole nine are gone. Down with thee, thou traitor, my heart abhors thee.

The following is an excerpt from one of my favorite devotionals, Streams in the Desert.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

I kept for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibers having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all–and it never is without great labor and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth’s body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects.

I happened to witness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibers were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo! immediately, and with perfect case, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvelous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one’s eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colors which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father’s love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. –Tract.

The most important encouragement I could give you is to devote each day to God. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Ask Him to use you in new fresh ways this year. Surrender your agenda for His agenda.  17^th Century French cleric, Francois Fenelon, often wrote about this daily surrender and listening to God’s direction.  He wrote:

“God is our true Friend, who always gives us the counsel and comfort we need. Our danger lies in resisting Him; so it is essential that we acquire the habit of hearkening to His voice, or keeping silence within, and listening so as to lose nothing of what He says to us. We know well enough how to keep outward silence, and to hush our spoken words, but we know little of interior silence. It consists in hushing our idle, restless, wandering imagination, in quieting the promptings of our worldly minds, and in suppressing the crowd of unprofitable thoughts which excite and disturb the soul.”

May we turn our hearts and minds to Him continually and experience His peace in the coming year. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Reprinted from Streams in My Dessert, by L. B. Cowman  1925

I served in the optical area helping our guests find a pair of reading glasses to help them see the written word.  It was a wonderful blessing to help open up there world by being able to see words again.  As I touched their scarred hands and gave them encouraging words of hope, I recognized their deep needs and the difficult life these men and women experience every day. It occurred to me that just as much as they live in physical poverty with great physical discomfort, so all of mankind suffers from spiritual poverty. We are all born destitute spiritually- speaking and there is only One who can satisfy the hunger of our souls.  That’s why Christ came.  He is the One who comforts our spiritual poverty.

The apostle Paul described the glorious riches of the mystery of God with these words, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Christ came to bring us spiritual riches and heal our hearts. As we place our faith in Him, He brings us hope and comfort from our burden of sin. This Christmas, rejoice in the fact that this gift of salvation is available to all who believe in Him.  We no longer live in spiritual poverty, for God has sent His Son Jesus to redeem us.  Oh tidings of comfort and joy!

Have a Merry Christmas my friend!

Let us be a blessing to those around us by giving the following gifts continually throughout the season:

A loving smile.

A kind word.

An encouraging note.

A hug.

A servant’s heart.

A cheerful spirit.

Forgiveness.

Comfort and Rest.

A grateful attitude.

May we be less demanding and more delightful as we bring joy and not bitterness to our family and friends. Think deliberately of ways you can be a gift, a blessing and a strength to the people God puts in your path each day.  Begin your morning by thanking God for His many blessings, then pray for those who need your encouragement, love and support.  Ask God to help you be a genuine blessing to this world.  He is the expert on giving, as He gave the ultimate gift.  Jesus left the comfort of heaven to offer His life for us. He demonstrated what true sacrificial love looks like, and we ought also to love freely and sacrificially.  May others see Jesus in us this season!

“0 Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul.” –Lamentations 3:58

Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, “I hope, I trust, I sometimes think, that God hath pleaded the causes of my soul”; but he speaks of it as a matter of fact not to be disputed. “Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul.” Let us, by the aid of the gracious Comforter, shake off those doubts and fears which so much mar our peace and comfort. Be this our prayer, that we may have done with the harsh croaking voice of surmise and suspicion, and may be able to speak with the clear, melodious voice of full assurance. Notice how gratefully the prophet speaks, ascribing all the glory to God alone! You perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is “thou“–”O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.” A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by the Christian; and especially after deliverances we should prepare a song for our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints, and every day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while he records the Lord’s mercy. How triumphantly he lifts up the strain! He has been in the low dungeon, and is even now no other than the weeping prophet; and yet in the very book which is called “Lamentations,” clear as the song of Miriam when she dashed her fingers against the tabor, shrill as the note of Deborah when she met Barak with shouts of victory, we hear the voice of Jeremy going up to heaven–”Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.” O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord’s lovingkindness, and when you have it, speak positively of it; sing gratefully; shout triumphantly.

Paul used the analogy of a runner in a race to relay a picture of his own personal pursuit of Christlikeness. Paul had a deep desire to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.  He counted anything that might bring him pride or glory as rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ and even becoming like Him in his death.  Paul used running as an illustration of perseverance in living a Christ-like life as we head toward the finish line. He had just finished saying that he wanted to become like Christ in his death and eventually attain to the resurrection from the dead, then he reassured his readers that he wasn’t ready to obtain the prize of heaven yet. Here’s how he put it:   

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. [i]

He wasn’t in glory yet, but he was headed in that direction. Until then, he planned to “press on” toward the finish line. Like a marathon, the journey may not have been easy for Paul, but he had the end goal in mind and he was going to persevere till the end.  He didn’t want his past to weigh him down. He looked forward, not backward! His eyes were on the prize when one day he would hear those words, “Well done good and faithful servant!” Let us run with diligence the race set out before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

This blog includes an excerpt from Karol’s new book, A Woman’s Passionate Pursuit of God (Harvest House, 2011)

“Large streams from little fountains flow, tall oaks from little acorns grow.” D. Everett  

They say everything is BIG in Texas.  From Big Tex at the state fair to big hair at the salons in Dallas to big burgers at our restaurants, in many ways “big” seems to define Texas. Big is good when it comes to big ideas and high aspirations and goals for our life, but there is also wisdom in paying attention to some of the small things that can make a huge difference.  In business, the companies that recognize the value of attention to details in the areas of service and responsibilities build a loyal client base for the long run. When it comes to our actions and interactions, we must be faithful in the small things as well.

Gentle words, a thoughtful smile or a random act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s day. Small actions are easy to downplay and ignore, but it is these very things that can build toward personal as well as business success.  Consider the relationships in your life. When someone keeps their promises in the small things you can depend on them in larger responsibilities. Yet when you can’t rely on a friend’s words, trust is soon broken.  When someone builds you up with a simple word of encouragement, you feel strengthened to carry on, but a discouraging word brings you down and slows you down as it rumbles around in your mind.

Recognizing the strength of small things also creates a healthy caution. It’s the little things that can also generate large problems. When it comes to integrity, it is easy to listen that little voice that says, “Oh it’s not that bad.” Yet, little indiscretions can grow into rather large scandals.  What may seem like a simple delicious morsel of bitterness or tidbit of unforgiveness can  easily develop into full blown anger and resentment which destroy relationships.  Plant seeds of  love, purity honesty and reliability and you will grow strong relationships and a beautiful confidence.

Certainly we must maintain a focus on the big picture in life and not get ruffled and stressed about meaningless details, but there is a healthy balance as we must also pay attention to the small things. In the long run it is the little things we do which build our character and our reputation.  Mother Teresa said, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”  May the Lord give us wisdom as we walk faithfully in the small things. The one who fed 5000 with the five loaves and two fishes, is able to take what we offer and use it in a big way.

Do not be afraid….

your very great reward.

Genesis 15:1

            God is not only
our shield, He is also our very great reward.
Notice that He did not say He would give Abram a very great reward, rather
He is the great reward. Those who know Him and abide with Him have the
most wonderful blessing, the great reward of the God of all creation participating
in their lives.

What more could we want? What greater reward could there be than
experiencing a love relationship with the Lord God who is the creator of the
Heavens and the Earth? We are rich indeed when we recognize that we have
received the greatest reward in all eternity.
The Lord God is our reward! His Spirit dwells with us. He is our shield.
We do not need to be afraid for He is all we need. Father, thank you for
your presence in our lives. In You we have the greatest reward man can ever receive
– Your Spirit within us.

This is
from my new devotional coming out in December, Pursuing God in the Quiet
Places.