His Love Endures

In Tricia Lott Williford's book, This Book is for You, she suggests making a list of your life's headlines. So I did and soon I realized life is a road full of miracles!

I was born October 24, 1959 to teenage parents.
                             His love endures forever.

At three I learned the 23rd Psalm only instead of I shall not want, I said I ain't a gonna do it.
                            His love endures forever.

At seven my Granddaddy died of a massive heart attack.
                            His love endures forever.

My Great Grandma Whitfield died two days after my birthday.

                            His love endures forever.

At 13 my Daddy left my mom for a truck stop waitress.
                            His love endures forever.

At 14 my mom was diagnosed with cancer.
                            His love endures forever.

At 17 I graduated high school.
                            His love endures forever.

At 18 my mom died.
                            His love endures forever.

At 21 I graduated college.
                            His love endures forever.

At 21 I got m first teaching job in Springer, Oklahoma.
                            Hiss love endures forever.

At 23 I met Dan at Southwest Baptist Church in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
                            His love endures forever.

Our first kiss was at my Dad's house.
                            His love endures forever.

At 24 I married Dan at Southwest Baptist Church.
                            His love endures forever.

At 25 my grandmother, Mymomma, died, and my world changed.
                            His love endures forever.

At 25 we had Drew after a long difficult labor.
                            His love endures forever.

At 28 we moved to Gunnison, Colorado and met life long friends.
                            His love endures forever.

At 29 Drew was burned by a cup of coffee.

                            His love endures forever.

At 30 Matt was born.
                            His love endures forever.

At 31 we moved to Pennsylvania. (Norris was saved)
                            His love endures forever.

At 32 we moved to Madison, Georgia. Matt turned two the day we moved!
                            His love endures forever.

At 34 we moved to Macon, I started work at Central Fellowship Christian School and again we found life-long friends.

                            His love endures forever.

At 36 Gabe was born in Macon, Georgia.

                            His love endures forever.

At 37 we moved to Jackson, Georgia. I found friends closer than a brother!

                            His love endures forever.

At 41 I was the first teacher at Mary Buttrill Day School.

                            His love endures forever.

At 43 I started work at Piedmont Academy.

                            His love endures forever.

At 44 Drew graduated high school and started college at Berry.

                            His love endures forever.

At 45 I started work at North Mulberry Elementary School.

                            His love endures forever.

At 49 Matt graduated from High School.

                            His love endures forever

At 49 we filed for bankruptcy. My heart was broken.

                            His love endures forever.

At 50 my grandmother's ring was stolen from our house.

                            His love endures forever.

At 50 we bought our first house together.

                            His love endures forever.

At 52 Grandma Hestad passed away and the next week Dad moved in with us to start cancer treatments.

                            His  love endures forever.

At 55 our first grandbaby, Remington Belle, is born.

                            His love endures forever.

At 55 Gabe graduates from High School.

                            His love endures forever.

At 56 Linda passed away. Even though she came into my life in a traumatic way I loved her dearly.

                            His love endures forever.

At 57 Grandpa Hestad passed away. We found out Grandpa had a financial secret.

                            His love endures forever.

At 57 Royal Rose Hestad is born.

                            His love endures forever.

At 58 Rex Atlas Hestad is born.

                            His love endures forever.

At 60 I retired from public school.

                            His love endures forever.

At 60 started teaching at Gordon and Piedmont during a pandemic. 

                            His love endures forever.

At 61 Matthew Boomer Hestad is born.

                            His love endures forever.

At 61 started back teaching full-time at Piedmont.

                            His love endures forever.

        

                            

What is your brook?

 After my devotions this morning on the supremacy of God and Elijah I opened up my computer to Psalm 46:10 on the screen saver. It seemed very appropriate.

In The Attributes of God it spoke of how the God of the 20th century doesn't even resemble the God of the Bible. On page 31 it states, "Here then is a sure resting place for the heart. Our lives are neither a product of blind fate nor a result of capricious chance, but every detail of them was ordained from all eternity, and is now ordered by the living and reigning God."

This was followed by the study on Elijah by Priscilla Shirer. I Kings 17:2-4 says:

2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

Now I highlighted brook or wadis in Hebrew. Brooks were notorious for drying up. Yet, Elijah didn't hesitate he trusted God! And like Elijah God is our ultimate source of provision! 

Humility

 As professing believers when did we stop seeing God's hand at work? When did we become skeptics?  How many of us have left the house late for an appointment only to travel a few miles down the road and see a horrific accident and said, "God was looking out for me"? How did we develop a "deist" view of God and believe he is just sitting up there twiddling His fingers? How many of us demand answers, but refuse to assume, whatever; our issue may be was filtered through God's hands? When did we stop looking to and for God?

1 Peter 5:6 says to "humble yourselves", but the whole world tells us that is ridiculous. Humble having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance. I dare say I'd be hard pressed to find a Christian who is willing to humble themselves. As we've been told, "There ain't nobody buying that." Really!!! Philippians 2 says that was the example Christ gave us,  "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Shouldn't our lives reflect Him?

What if I truly humbled myself, acknowledged my sin, and waited on the mighty hand of God to exalt me? I want to see a move of God! Perhaps it needs to start with humbly thinking He is in control!

Sermon from Charles Stanley

 Why Do We Waver In Our Faith?

Key Passage: James 1:1-8

Supporting Scriptures: Deuteronomy 31:6 | Luke 6:38 | John 8:44 | John 16:13 | Romans 8:28 | Ephesians 2:8 | Philippians 4:19 | Hebrews 13:5 | 1 John 1:9

Summary

Faith is essential because it’s required for our salvation.

However, even after accepting Christ, believers are to continue living by faith. Some of us may have great faith while others have only a little. But we can also be characterized by wavering faith—up one day, down the next. Genuine faith is the confident conviction that God will do what He promised. However, if we take our eyes off Him and start looking at our circumstances, our confidence in Him could start to wobble. We will all experience situations like this because the Lord tests our faith in order to make it stronger.

Sermon Points

The short book of James contains practical advice for those whose faith fluctuates because of difficult circumstances (1:1-8).

When we start doubting, we’re driven and tossed about like the surf of the sea. James says a doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways and should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. To be double-minded is to go back and forth in our thinking. We may begin with strong confidence in God, but as time goes by and the difficult situation continues, we may start to doubt that He will do what He’s promised.

Doubting and questioning are not necessarily the same thing. Questioning is seeking to gain further information or understand whether we’re accurately hearing from the Lord. Doubting, on the other hand, involves believing what we think, see, or feel rather than what we know God has said. It’s natural for us to question or doubt when we’re suddenly overwhelmed by a distressing event. The Lord understands our struggle and wants us to come to Him with our pain and confusion. We may have to take time to pray, listen, and evaluate before we know what He’s saying. Sometimes God has to sift our thinking by reminding us of His truth or His faithfulness to us in a similar situation.

Why do we doubt?

Even if we’ve trusted the Lord for many years, certain conditions may cause our faith to waver.

• A situation goes against our human reasoning. A good example of this is Peter’s experience of walking on the water. He started out confident, but as soon as he looked away from Jesus and saw the waves, he started thinking humanly—people can’t walk on water—and his faith faltered. We are just like Peter when we know what God has said but try to add our reasoning to His commands. For instance, if we give part of our income to the Lord, it seems like we won’t have enough. But Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38). Anytime we rely on our own logic, we’ll miss God’s best for our lives.
• We allow feelings to overcome our faith. If the Lord calls us to do something that seems impossible or unreasonable, we can be certain that He will equip us for it. However, if we let feelings of fear, inadequacy, or unworthiness cause us to doubt His promise, we could miss the opportunity through disobedience. Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we can live a supernatural life in His power if we’ll just obey Him. We’re called to live by faith, not fear.
• We don’t see God in certain circumstances. The Lord has promised to take care of us, but it may not be in the way we want. We may think that the Lord couldn’t possibly be in the midst of a difficult or painful situation, but He is. According to Romans 8:28, He promises to work all things for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose.
• We listen to negative counsel. When we’re trying to discern the will of God, we must be careful whom we ask for guidance. Some friends might offer to help us seek the Lord’s direction through prayer, but others may simply tell us what we want to hear or what they’d do in that situation.
• We focus on the circumstances. Little problems can become huge when they dominate our thoughts. That’s why we must always consider every situation in the light of our great God. He can handle anything and everything. Worry and fretting demonstrate that we do not trust the Lord.
• We may be ignorant of God’s ways. When Lazarus fell ill, Mary and Martha called for Jesus because they believed He could heal their brother. They thought they knew how God should work in the situation, but Jesus had something greater in mind. He delayed coming in order to raise Lazarus from the dead. Spiritually speaking, we must ignore our watches and calendars because God’s timing is not ours. He alone knows what to do, and when to do it. His delays do not mean He’s forgotten us.
• We might feel guilt over past sins. Sometimes we doubt that God could possibly forgive us for something we did in the past. Even after we’ve confessed it, we still carry a heavy load of guilt. The problem is one of unbelief because 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” As believers, there’s nothing we have to do to earn His forgiveness since Christ paid for all our sins on the cross. Although we may still have to deal with the consequences, our guilt has been removed.
• We could be listening to the devil. He’s always trying to deceive us and put doubts in our minds so we won’t trust the Lord (John 8:44).

How do we deal with doubts?

When we face situations that cause our faith to falter, we should ask ourselves the following questions:

• Where do these doubts come from?
• Has God ever failed me in the past?
• Didn’t the Lord promise to meet all my needs (Phil. 4:19)?
• Did He give me the Holy Spirit to enable me to believe Him and do whatever He requires of me (John 16:13)?
• Did He not promise to be with me at all times (Heb. 13:5)?
• Is anything too difficult for God?
• Will my unbelief cost me a lifetime of regret?

Response

• How would you describe your current faith? Is it strong, weak, or wavering? Is anything presently causing you to doubt God? If so, what can you do to strengthen your confidence in Him?
• What kinds of situations typically tempt you to doubt the Lord? What Scripture passages address these issues?
• Have you ever faced a fork in the road that determined your future? If so, did you believe God or allow your reasoning or feelings to govern your choice? What happened as a result of your obedience or disobedience

 

        I remember when my mother died I went to the preacher and said, "How do I learn to trust God again?" The old pastor was shocked and had no answer. I guess since then my whole life has been about learning to believe God is who He says He is. 

        Today, forty-three years later,  I can attest to miraculous ways God has shown Himself to me. That out of the deep cries of my heart He heard me! Me a mere mortal!!! The Psalmist said it best, "What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"

        Today, I stand at a place where a body of believers must answer that question. Will they accept and believe that God is in charge - not them. I don't have the answer. I hope they feel the need to repent and beg God's forgiveness, but I don't know. Isn't that a sad statement?

       Psalm 46:10  He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

1/5/2021

 The ending of a prayer by an ordained minister should have enraged the American people, but alas welcome to 2021! I grew up in a time when preachers preached that Hell was real and you didn't want to go there. It may be time for us to "get woke"!

Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver from Missouri opened the 117th Congress in prayer yesterday, but he closed his prayer by saying, “Amen and a-woman.” I suppose he was trying to use this time of prayer to make a political statement about equality or gender issues that are on the table. Sadly, this is where we are today. Not a great start for 2021. The word “Amen” simply means “So be it,” and that’s why it is said at the end of prayers. It has nothing to do with gender. Regrettably, even prayer is no longer sacred to some in our halls of Congress. One thing is obvious—we need more of it. Amen!”

— Franklin Graham

As a young girl I saw a Billy Graham film that has haunted me for years. In the movie the Rapture has occurred and the girl makes her way back to her church. She walks in and the preacher is crying at a long table with a Bible open. She looks at him and asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" He answers, "I didn't believe it was true!" One of the most powerful scenes in a movie I've ever seen, and here we are living it! I can't tell you how many times of late things have been said by "church" folk that scare me, because the words indicate they have no idea what the Gospel is.

Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived God will not be mocked."

1/4/2021

 Right now in this political culture we have two choices...trust God or worry. I am a leaky vessel and vacillate between the two in spite of my best efforts. Therefore, at this time in history, I'm constantly leaning on God. Socialism and its ramifications scare me! There are many Christians that rely on the belief that God will just rapture his church when things get bad and we won't suffer, BUT what if God allows us to suffer. He has allowed many to suffer in the past, take Bonhoeffer as an example. So the answer needs to be that no matter what happens in this country, tomorrow or 10 years from now, may God give me the strength to stand with and for Him.

Like

Comment

Share

1/3/2021

 One thing through this season of life I've noticed in my circle is an underlying fear of Covid. As Christian's perhaps we have fallen for the belief that if I do all these things (go to church, pray, help the homeless, etc...) God will bless me abundantly. We fail to look at Hebrews 11, we fail to remember the fate of the disciples (except for John who was just exiled), read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, or look up the life of John and Betty Stam. Yet, God told us we would face trials and tribulations in this world, BUT fear not He overcame this world. My grandmother used to say, "Why not us?" when trials came our way. She also said, "Where are we going to go but to the Lord?" She was so wise!

Bonhoeffer said, "In our meditation we ponder the chosen text on the strength of the promise that it has something utterly personal to say to us for this day and for our Christian life, that it is not only God’s word for the Church, but also God’s word for us individually. We expose ourselves to the specific word until it addresses us personally. And when we do this, we are doing no more than the simplest, untutored Christian does every day; we read God’s word as God’s word for us."*

Today remember these are God's promises to us...today.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. God Is in the Manger (p. 85). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition. *

14Melissa Jones, Amanda Reimold and 12 others

4 Comments