Somewhere along the line we bought into the lie of the devil that depending upon God is a form of weakness. Confessing our need for God’s help and guidance is looked down on by some. We do have needs that we are unable to meet, needs that only God can meet. We were created in such a way that our needs would lead us to God. Our quest for self-sufficiency is out of the will of God. God is the only one that can meet our needs. If we reject this, we are doomed to lives full of confusion, frustration and finally destruction.

If we will seek the Lord personally and as a nation, we will find peace, joy and love. God is willing to equip us with all that we need. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

As we seek God let us be reminded of the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:3-12. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

In these previous words the world finds weakness. To the Christian they are a strength to live. The kind of strength we need as a nation.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray a prayer that speaks of our utter dependency on God in Matthew 6:9-13, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” Isaiah 55:6

Blessed are they who are bored with the minister’s mannerisms and mistakes, for they get nothing out of the sermon.

Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church for he is part of the problem instead of the solution.

Blessed are they, who gossip, for they cause strife and divisions that please me.

Blessed are they who are easily offended, for they soon get angry and quit.

Blessed are they who do not give their offerings to carry on God’s work for they are my best helpers.

Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister, for he shall be with me forever.

Blessed are the troublemakers, for they shall be called children of the devil.

Blessed is he, who has no time to pray, for he will be easy prey.

Then it hit me “Yes, I can-Cer.” Then He asked, “Can I trust you with cancer to praise and give Me glory no matter what the outcome is?” My answer was, “I hope You can, Sir.”

I love it when He gives me a play on words that I can understand. I hope I will learn to let my life give Him glory in everything.

All of us are dealing with some kind of cancer that takes joy from our inner being. Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that you might have peace. In this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” James 1:2 “Count it all joy when you face all kinds of trials.” Be of good cheer. Count it all joy. Why do I struggle? Why can’t I just obey these words and leave the rest (or my rest) to God?

Praise is my shield of faith. It takes faith to sing when all your hopes are at the mercy of something you cannot control. Praise throws up an invisible shield to keep others from spewing their bitterness into our hearts. God inhabits the praise of His people and I so need Him to inhabit everything I think, say and do. Can I trust Him when my prayers are not answered the way I hope? Yes, I can-Cer. Oh, I know I can Sir! For my life is based on Romans 8:28 “For I know all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” So I sing joyful praises to my King for this trial shall be my song of praise.

Our friend, Lisa Knupp was sharing in church about her eleven month old baby, Logan. He had been diagnosed with a brain cancer that had wrapped all down his little spine. It was found on Friday and they operated Saturday morning. The doctor said a miracle from God was their only hope for Logan to live and would give no promise of his motor skills because of the location and size of the cancer.

God increased Lisa’s faith when she cried out in prayer. He said, “Look at Me, let Me be all you see.” Immediately her mind remembered saying those same words to her 2 year old, Tyler. She was trying to make him understand and firmly spoke with his little cheeks in her hands, “Look at me! Look at me! Let me be all you see.” At that moment God lifted her head and helped her understand. He didn’t promise her anything, just commanded her to look at Him. She had God’s Word and God could trust her with cancer.

“Look to Jesus”
© 2002 Mary Etta Mohan

The young mother cried out knowing a miracle was their only hope.
God lifted her heart as He gently spoke,
“Look at Me. Look at Me. Let Me be all you see.”
Immediately she remembered trying to make her toddler understand.
Scrunching his little cheeks in her hands she said,
“Look at me! Look at me! Let me be all you see.”
There may be things in your life you don’t understand.
Listen as God speaks and lifts your head with His almighty hands,
“Look to Jesus. Look to Jesus. Let Him be all you see.”

Look to Jesus. Look to Jesus. Let Him be all you see
And you will find every time He’s all you need
Alpha Omega Beginning and the End
Almighty Comforter – the broken hearts Best Friend

(Logan Knupp is 5 years old and completely cancer free. He was featured on last years Miracle Network for Children’s Hospital. The Pittsburgh Doctors said Logan is the miracle they always hope for. Praise the Lord for His Word.)

Like a doctor examining a sick patient, the customer service manager cupped the lifeless plant in her hand. “The answer,” she said, pointing down the aisle of plant food and nutrients, “is not in the container, but in the soil.” How true this is for us as believers, also!

So often, we get overworked and nearly overtaken by the never-ending demands of job, family, and church. As a result, we cry out to God as if we were complaining to the customer service desk, “Change my job (then I’ll be a better employee)!” “Change my kids (then I’ll be a better mom)!” “Change my husband (then I’ll be a better wife)!” “Change my house (then I’ll keep it up better)!” “Change my church (then I’ll be used more by you, oh God)!”

Like the wilted plant, we appear to be in need of something different-a better job, new kids (like the neighbors’!), a new house, a bigger and more high-powered church that will use us and display our gifts.

Change, mind you, is healthy and good. Sometimes God calls us to change environments and friends and circumstances. Sometimes He wants us to do a new thing. Sometimes He wants us to walk away from past bondage and abuse. But often, instead of having us change “containers” – people and environments – God has us stay put and work with the soil at hand.

Jesus reminds us that our lives are rooted in Him. He says: “‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing’” (John 15:5, NKJV). That means that no matter what container – or circumstance – you or I are in, no matter what we are walking through as believers, we are grafted into Jesus, the life-giving Vine. That connection with Jesus places us in good soil.

Like any soil that supports living things, our life in Jesus has to be cultivated, watered and tended to. As believers, we must live life daily in Him-spending time with Him in prayer and reading His Word. Soil needs nutrients and “working with.” A life in Jesus, in this darkened world, needs our commitment to growing in Him if we are to walk in His presence and power. The Scriptures bear out this truth. In Matthew 13:3-23, we read the parable of the sower who scattered seed. Some seed fell on stony places, not surviving because of insufficient soil. But other seed survived, took root and yielded a crop because it fell on good ground.

When you and I “take in” God’s Word daily, we receive seed in the good soil of a life in Jesus. We grow in Jesus and, consequently, in His likeness and in the power of His might.

The answer to feeling as if the life is drained out of us, like that wilted plant, is not always in our seeking to jump to the new container of a better job, different boss, bigger house or flashier car. Often the answer is in cultivating the soil of a life in Jesus – simply digging in and experiencing His presence and practicing His ways.

PRAYER POWER

Ask the Lord to deepen your roots in Him so that your faith grows and remains unshaken. Exercise that faith when you pray for a global harvest of souls. Pray for holy fire to penetrate the very core of the church and spread to young and old alike. As you pray for the peace of Jerusalem and surrounding nations, continue to ask for godly leaders who stand for righteousness in this country and around the world. Isaiah 61; Eph. 1:17-23; Rev. 21:22-24

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This made Jake think about his best friend Mike Johnson. Mike was the kind of person that would do anything in the world to help someone out, but Jake knew that Mike had never been saved. For the next week, the minister’s words never left his mind.

He constantly thought about his friend not knowing Jesus. So at work one day, he decided to invite Mike and his wife to dinner. So he called Mike up and they talked for a few minutes; the whole time, Jake heard God saying “Tell him now,” but Jake had decided he would just tell him at supper.

But Mike said, “Tonight’s not a very good night, but if you want, you can come over here and Jennifer can fix supper.”

“Alright, that’ll be great.” responded Jake.

That night, Jake went over and ate supper and visited. He started thinking about how much easier it would be to talk to Mike on the phone. He could still hear God saying, “Tell him now,” but what would Mike’s reaction be?

Maybe the phone would be better. The next day, Jake decided to call, but he started thinking trying to make an excuse not to call. “Maybe in person is better. I mean, it’s hard to really tell how someone feels while you’re on the phone. I’ll just tell him at the restaurant when we go to eat tomorrow at lunch.” So he sat the phone back down. He could still hear God saying, “Tell him now.”

The next day at lunch, as he drove to the restaurant, he could hear God saying “Please Jake, don’t let me down.” When he walked into the restaurant, he noticed it was really crowded. He began to make an excuse again. “Maybe I should just wait and tell him some other time. It’s not like he’s sick or about to die.”

For two days, God was constantly saying, “Tell him Jake.” Finally Jake decided to pray. He prayed, “Father, if you really want me to witness to Mike, show me a sign.”

About five minutes later, he heard a knock at the door. He went to answer it and to his surprise, it was Mike. Jake was freaked out to say the least. He wanted a sign, but something a little more simple. He could hear God saying, “Right now Jake,” but he ignored Him. What would he say? He hadn’t had a chance to prepare.

“It’ll take Mike about 30 to 40 minutes to get home. I’ll practice what I’m going to say and then I will call him and tell him.” He even promised God.

So after Mike left, he started practicing what to say. After about an hour and a half, he decided to call. He started to reach for the phone, but right as he was about to pick it up, it rang.

“Hello?”

No one said anything, but he could hear somebody crying their eyes out.

“Hello? Who is this? What’s wrong?”

The person at the other end finally managed to say, “This is Jennifer.”

“Jennifer, what’s wrong?”

She cried and stuttered, “Mike was on the way home from your house when his car had a blowout. He rolled it four times, finally being stopped by a tree.”

Jake interrupted, “Will he be alright?”

Then she started crying even harder and finally managed to say, “He…,He…didn’t make it.”

If you’re saying that this will probably never happen, think again. I based this on a true story of a close family friend and his friend.

First, Jesus is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes people may persecute you for loving Him and taking a stand. But you shouldn’t worry about what people think. What Jesus thinks is what really matters. Do you know someone that isn’t a Christian? Has God called you to witness to them? If so, have you said no?

If you answered yes to the last three questions, I hope that you have decided to talk to this person. You may be the only person that ever shares the Message with them. Remember, you may not get a lot of chances. How many have you already wasted?

When I was alone…
And had no shoulder to cry on;

When I was hurt…
And had no one to apply a bandage;

When my heart was broken…
And had no one to mend it;

When my tears flowed…
And I had no one to catch them;

When I was empty…
And had no way to be filled;

When I needed ministered to…
God met my need – through YOU!

When I was in need…
And had no one to turn to;

THERE was the Body of Christ.

Pastor Lynn Leach is the Pastor of Mars Hill Baptist Church in Irwin, PA

I showered and shaved, adjusted suit and tie,
Got there and swung into a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in humble prayer before I closed my eyes,
I saw that the shoe of the man next to me was touching my own and I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side,
I thought, “Why do our soles have to touch?”
It bothered me so; he was glued to my shoe,
But it didn’t seem to bother him much.

Then the prayer began: “Heavenly Father,” someone said -
But I thought, “Does this man with the shoes have no pride?”
They were dusty, worn, scratched end to end.
What’s worse, there were holes on the side!

“Thank You for blessings,” the prayer went on.
The shoe man said a quiet “amen.”
I tried to focus on the prayer,
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren’t we supposed to look our best when walking through that door?
“Well, this certainly isn’t it,” I thought, glancing toward the floor.
Then the prayer ended and songs of praise began.
The shoe man was loud, sounding proud as he sang.

He lifted the rafters; his hands raised high;
The Lord surely heard his voice from the sky.
Then the offering was passed; what I threw in was steep.
The shoe man reached into his pockets, so deep,

And I tried to see what he pulled out to put in,
Then I heard a soft “clink,” as when silver hits tin.
The sermon bored me to tears – And no lie -

It was the same for the shoe man, for tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service, as is custom here,
We must greet the visitors and show them good cheer.
But I was moved inside to want to meet this man,
So after the closing, I shook his hand.

He was old, his skin dark, his hair a mess.
I thanked him for coming, for being our guest,
He said, “My name’s Charlie, glad to meet you, my friend,”
And there were tears in his eyes – but he had a wide grin.

“Let me explain,” he said, wiping his eyes.
“I’ve been coming for months, and you’re the first to say, “Hi.”
I know I don’t look like all the rest,
But I always try to look my best.”

“I polish my shoes before my long walk,
But by the time I get here they’re as dirty as chalk.”
My heart fell to my knees, but I held back my tears,
He continued, “And I must apologize for sitting so near.”

“But I know when I get here, I must look a sight.
And I thought … if I touched you, our souls might unite.”
I was silent for a moment knowing anything I said
Would pale in comparison, so I spoke from my heart not my head.

“Oh, you’ve touched me,” I said.
“And taught me, in part, That the best of a man is what’s in his heart.”
The rest, I thought, this man will never know. . .
How thankful I am that he touched my soul!

Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday morning that he would meet that evening with all members who had “mountain moving faith.” They would hold a prayer session asking God to remove the mountain from the back yard and to somehow provide enough money to have it paved and painted before the scheduled opening dedication service the following week. At the appointed time, 24 of the congregation’s 300 members assembled for prayer. They prayed for nearly three hours. At ten o’clock the pastor said the final “Amen.” “We’ll open next Sunday as scheduled,” he assured everyone. “God has never let us down before, and I believe He will be faithful this time too.”

The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock at his door. When he called “come in,” a rough looking construction foreman appeared, removing his hard hat as he entered.

“Excuse me, Reverend. I’m from Acme Construction Company over in the next county. We’re building a huge new shopping mall over there and we need some fill dirt. Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the church? We’ll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away. We can’t do anything else until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly.”

The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned and there were far more members with “mountain moving faith” on opening Sunday than there had been the previous week!

Before long, she picked up the tray of brownies and began naming the expenses written on the papers.

As we gave her our expenses, she redeemed each one for a brownie. “Car payment” she announced. I jumped up to get my brownie from the pan.

Finally the last brownie had disappeared. But one boy named Donald still held his unredeemed slip. “God!” called Mrs. Baughman.

Donald came forward hoping the teacher had one more brownie hidden some where. With a knife Mrs. Baughman scraped the crumbs from the bottom of the pan into Donald’s napkin. He got a pretty raw deal, I thought. Just crumbs.

“The brownies represent your money,” the teacher explained to us. “If you don’t give God his share right away, He probably won’t get anything except maybe the crumbs.”

I never forgot that illustration. The day my friend Donald got only the brownie crumbs, I learned that God should have the first right to everything I have even as a child. In the years since Mrs.Baughman class I have struggled with giving and priorities, but whenever I recall the “Crummy Sunday School Lesson,” I know who should and must always come first in my life!

The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need You. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t You just retire?”

God listened very patiently to the man and then said, “Very well, but first, how about this, let’s have a Man-making contest.” To which the scientist replied, “OK, great!”

But God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”

The scientist said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God just looked at him and said, “No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!”