“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”– 2 Corinthians 3:18
Wouldn't it be great if God would just send out some sort of supernatural bolt from the blue and in an instant completely remake our character? If you're old enough, you may remember the Ajax laundry detergent television commercials that featured the White Knight. He would come charging up on his shiny white horse and zap anyone who was dirty. A woman is waiting at a bus stop on a rainy day when a careless driver comes by and splashes mud all over her. The lady has somewhere important to go, but now she's covered with mud! What's she going to do? Never fear. The Ajax White Knight is here. Zap! He points his lance at her and she's as clean and fresh as can be!
Those were effective commercials, and I'm sure they sold a lot of soap for the Ajax Company. But that's not the way Ajax really works, and it's certainly not the way God works. He is willing and able to help you remove all of those troubling areas from your life but He wants you to be involved in the process. He wants you to grow and become stronger, and He'll help you do that. He'll even guide you through the process if you are willing to have Him do that.
At the same time, it's pretty much true that "no pain, no gain." Oftentimes it takes time for us to get to the point where we are ready to see those things in our character that need to change and if we want to see them removed from our character altogether, we have to approach the situation with earnestness.
I have seen men and women instantly transformed by God's power. I've seen men who were consumed with anger and hatred become instantly loving and open when they were confronted by the living God. I've seen people who seemed to be hopelessly addicted to drugs and alcohol set free in an instant. Yes, that sort of thing can and does happen. But such events are the exception rather than the rule, and to count on something like that is not wise. The rule is that God doesn't want to make changes for you – He wants to do it with you!
Not until we quit resisting, fighting, denying, analyzing, or rationalizing are we ready to let God do His transformational work in our lives. So my question to you today is: Where are you in the "readiness" process?
Let God be the controller and life-changer in you and others.
* * * Holy Spirit, show me where I am resisting, fighting, denying, or rationalizing my need for change. Give me eyes to see and a heart that is willing. Amen.
"In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." – 1 Thessalonians 2:19
As I was writing my book Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do, I received a beautiful letter from a person I had never met but whom I had admired from a distance – Mary Martin. Her picture appeared on the cover of Life magazine six times. America loved her as Peter Pan, flying across the stage on Broadway, as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, and as Maria Von Trapp in the original Broadway production of the Sound of Music.
I saw her as a positive, joyous, optimistic person. Yet I was completely unaware of the personal tragic paths she had walked quietly and faced prayerfully. Then an unexpected letter arrived from her. She told me how our television ministry had changed her life and said that she would like a chance to tell the world about it.
We met over lunch and she shared with me how the principles of possibility thinking had helped her accept the loss of her beloved husband, how she had lost her voice and thought she might never sing again, and how she had recently come out of the hospital following a car crash that had claimed one life and almost two others.
"I think the car accident was one of my toughest times," Mary told me. Without losing the twinkle in her eye, she continued, "But as you say, 'tough times never last, but tough people do.' And I'm a tough Texan, you know!"
What gives some persons the power to fight on after the loss of a precious loved one, after experiencing torturing physical pain day by day? There is no substitute for deep, abiding faith. If we hold on, we will win out! Unquestionably, profound faith and the beautiful providence of God produce a strong and unquenchable optimism. It's the spirit that heals diseases, redeems lives from destruction, and brings sunshine after the rain. Tough people have it. With faith and optimism they can weather the worst storms of life. They can rough out the toughest times. They come out on top.
Every adversity contains the seed of a glorious possibility.
* * * Even in the midst of suffering, Lord, Your Spirit increases my faith and gives me joy. Thank you.
To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Philippians 1:29
On a teaching trip at a Bible institute in another country, my colleague and I were saddened to hear of legislation before the parliament that sought to outlaw the evangelical church. We shared our fears with our students that tough we had come to train a generation of pastors, we might insted witness a new wave of persecution. We then joined with the studentes in prayer and worship to God about the mastter.
After we concluded, one of the student said to me, " Thanks for being concerned for us, but don't worry. we've learned that it's not enough for us to preach the golpel or live for the gospel. It is necessary that we suffer for the gospel" His words were not flippant but honest. Living for Christ often exact a price.
Paul, writing from prison, said, To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29). His statement is daly lived out by believers around the world who experience hardship and persecution for no greater crime than living openly for the Name of Jesus. Let's pray God blessing and provision for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are payin an expensive price for embracing a salvation that is free. O for a faith that will not shrink Though pressed by many a foe. That will not tremble on the brink Os any early woe.
THOSE WHO LIVE FOR GOD CAN EXPECT TROUBLE IN THE WORLD
"Then I let it all out; I said, 'I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God.' Suddenly the pressure was gone – my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared." – Psalm 32:5 (MSG)
An acquaintance who's an associate pastor of a large church on the East Coast told of a man who came to his office one afternoon, desperate to talk to someone about a problem that was "eating away" at him. This young man – in his early thirties – had been in the community for only a few months but had already proven to be a dedicated and hard-working member of the church. He seemed to be one of those people who have it all together.
That's why my friend was so surprised when the young man admitted, with great pain in his voice, that he had embezzled several thousand dollars from his previous employer in another state. Because of his position with the company he had found it fairly easy to manipulate the books, and nobody had suspected a thing.
But he knew what he had done, and he was having a very difficult time trying to live with it. In fact, he couldn't live with it. The time had come for him to confess, even though it would mean the loss of his reputation and possibly a lengthy stay in jail, separated from his wife and two young children.
He had considered the alternative – continuing to struggle with the guilt that was consuming him – and jail seemed to be the better option.
He had confessed his guilt to God on numerous occasions, but that wasn't enough. He knew that he had to confess to another human being, as well as to those he had wronged. He was enlisting his pastor's support as he underwent what was sure to be an unpleasant experience of confessing and then facing up to the consequences.
I would like to tell you that because he voluntarily turned himself in his former employer was quick to forgive him and that he got off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Not so. He wound up spending nearly a year in jail, and he spent years struggling to repay the thousands of dollars he stole. Nevertheless, the young man has never felt so good about himself, so optimistic about the future, or so full of joy about life in general. For him, the consequences of confession were quite severe – but they weren't nearly as painful or as damaging as carrying around a two-ton load of unconfessed guilt.
Is there something this big in your life that you need to confess? Probably not. But we've all been guilty of wrongdoing from time to time. After all, we're only human and human beings make mistakes. When we do make mistakes, confession to God, ourselves, and others is tremendously important. I'll tell you why tomorrow.
Open confession is good for the soul. – A Scottish Proverb
* * * O God, I've been hiding something from You and others and it's been eating away at me. But You already know all about it. I'm here – now –letting You know that I want to come clean. Free me from this sin and my guilt. Amen.
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."– 2 Corinthians 7:10
Feeling guilty can be a good thing – if it doesn't get out of hand. Guilt can serve as a self-imposed guidance system to keep us from doing what we know we shouldn't do.
Imagine what society would be like if there were no such thing as guilt: people would be doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to do it, without giving a single thought to how their actions would affect others. It doesn't take much imagination to picture how difficult it would be to live in a society like that.
But then, guilt is not always a good thing. It can be very destructive – a load that is impossible to carry, a burden that can cause men and women to stagger far off the path they ought to follow.
The Bible speaks of "godly sorrow," which leads to repentance, and "ungodly sorrow," which leads to death. Guilt that is handled in the right way – it is admitted and dealt with – can be a corrective measure in a person's life, a catalyst spurring the guilty person on to greater strength and achievement. But guilt that is left unattended will fester like a splinter left in a finger and cause all kinds of problems. It is also likely to be the root of all sorts of aberrational behavior – behavior that begins as an attempt to hide from guilt and the pain it causes.
Over the next couple of days we will take a closer look at guilt and see how confession offers us a way out of guilt into freedom and joy. Be sure to meet me here tomorrow, won't you?
Guilt attended spurs us on to better things. Guilt neglected becomes a spur in the hide of life.
* * * Dear Heavenly Father, I can see in my life times when I've experienced both kinds of guilt described here. Help me see where I need to leverage my guilt to do right and to let go of false guilt that impairs my relationship with You. Amen.
"Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you." – 2 Corinthians 1:6 (NLT)
Some time ago I was on a plane and overheard a stewardess say, "I've been out of this for a year. I'm just back on the job today."
As she pulled her cart up alongside my seat I said to her, "I'm curious. I heard you say that you've been gone for a year. I hope it's been a happy holiday."
Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she said, "No, not really. I lost my little boy."
"Oh my," I said, "I'm so sorry." I reached out to her and gave her a little hug. "What helped you get through your pain?" I asked.
She said, "So many people meant well, but what they said didn't help. They told me things like, 'God wanted your little baby, so He took him.' That didn't help – it made me angry at God. Others said, 'Your little baby is now a bud in the bouquet of heaven.' That didn't help me, either. Maybe these things help some people, but they didn't help me."
I asked again, "What did help you?"
She said, "A couple I didn't really know well came to visit me. They told me they had lost a little boy. I had heard about their loss. It was tragic. But then they just sat there with me. They didn't say anything. They simply reached out and hugged me and we cried together. That did it for me. That's what helped the most."
Silence has a language all its own. It can help. It can heal. Next time someone you know is grieving a loss, do what this couple did for the young stewardess – just be there. Be still. Let silence speak for itself.
To those caught in the grip of grief, say little and love much.
* * * Lord God, how often You have brought others to comfort me in times of grief. It has often been their silence, not their counsel that has helped me most. Today may my presence, support, and silence comfort others in the same way I've been comforted.
"Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned."– Psalm 32:1
What happens when we hold our wrongdoing inside and don't confess it? Psalm 32:3-4 tells us: "When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long….My strength was gone as in the summer heat." Can you relate to these words of King David? I can.
But God is gracious and kind, loving and just, and as the Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Whatever you've done in your life, God knows all about it already. When you confess to Him, you're not telling Him anything that's going to make Him angry. He will be happy that you have not tried to hold back from Him, and you will find peace in the love and forgiveness He offers you.
How does God feel about sin? "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1.8. God knows that every one of us has fallen short of perfection in one way or another, and what makes Him angry is when we deny that fact – not when we face up to it.
We gain the virtue of integrity by admitting our wrongdoing first to ourselves, then to God, and finally to other people. For those of us who have spent most of our lives building fences or wearing masks, working through this process is never easy. But it is essential if we want to find the happiness and peace we really desire.
So…are you ready to take the next step?
Sin saps. Confession calms. Forgiveness frees.
* * * When I refuse to face up to my wrongdoing, Lord, I'm miserable inside. You are faithful and have promised to forgive my sins. Humbly I come to You and ask You to forgive me. Replace my guilt with Your peace.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid…for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." – Deuteronomy 31:6
I ran into a young man in an airport in Texas who was carrying a copy of my book Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do. He recognized me and asked if he could have my autograph, which I gladly gave him.
He said, this book has really been helping me. I started my own business but recently lost everything I had. I'm absolutely bankrupt!"
With tears in his eyes he continued. "You know, my business was going pretty well. I expanded by opening additional plants and adding more equipment. I was making good money. But suddenly the people who owed me money didn't pay. First the little businesses went down the tubes; then a couple of my bigger businesses. I looked at my Accounts Receivable and came to the realization that everything that I had expected to take in had evaporated. I ended up worth nothing. And when that happened, I went under, too! That's where I am today. But I saw this book and it's helping."
I said, "Well, son, you haven't lost everything you had. Before you had a business you had a dream. And you had the nerve to try. You haven't lost that."
He replied, "Oh, but I think I have."
I said, "You haven't lost your courage. Courage isn't something you lose. Courage is always an option. It's a choice! You can always choose to start over. And to choose to try again is to choose courage."
Next time you're going through a tough time and you feel like you've been knocked down or maybe even knocked out, look to God and ask Him to give you new courage to try.
Tough times come and go, but courageous people never quit.
* * * Life has handed me some sudden and seemingly devastating blows, God. But You are faithful. You have promised You will never leave me or forsake me. I'm clinging to Your promise now.
"The people were amazed at His [Jesus'] teaching, because He taught them as one who had authority." – Mark 1:22
I will never forget the time I stopped by a Fannie May candy store while at Chicago's O’Hare Airport. I had gone in to buy my wife some candy and noticed another customer standing near the candy counter. She was an older woman with a bag, a bunch of gifts, and a little suitcase. The clerk behind the counter was waiting for her to decide what she wanted. I asked the sales clerk, "Do you have chocolate-covered nuts in one-pound boxes?"
Before the clerk could respond, the elderly woman answered, "Sure, they have chocolate-covered nuts in one-pound boxes. They also have them in two- and three-pound boxes, and they're very good."
Turning my back to the older lady, I asked the clerk, "By any chance, do you have turtles? You know the caramel and walnuts with chocolate over them. My wife loves turtles."
Again, before the clerk could answer, the busybody bystander said, "Oh, sure, they have the turtles in one-, two-, and three-pound boxes." She continued, "I suggest you buy a one-pound box of the Colonial assortment. It has chocolate-covered nuts, the turtles, and crèmes, too."
I tried to ignore the woman, but to no avail. She persisted. It was a very awkward situation until all of a sudden the woman said, "I have to go or I'll miss my plane." She quickly gathered her bundles and suitcase and walked out of the store. I breathed a sigh of relief as did the clerk who turned around and shouted to the back room, "Okay, girls, you can come out now. Fannie May is gone!"
I exclaimed, "Fannie May! That was Fannie May?" The clerk answered, "Yes. Her name is not actually Fannie May. Her husband died and left her a candy store. She decided that instead of feeling sorry for herself, she would invent some new chocolates. So she made up all of these recipes herself, opened more stores, and today she has 117 stores. All she does is fly around the country and check on her stores. She calls them her 117 children."
I had been looking to the sales clerk as the authority on chocolate when the real authority was standing right there! Similarly, many people look to Dr. Schuller or some other minister to interpret the Bible for them. But my counsel to you is this: Let Jesus Christ be the real authority of truth. In Him, you will find all the answers for life you need.
The sweetest delight in life is to experience Jesus Christ as your Real Authority.
* * * O God, You sent Jesus to earth and gave Him authority over all things. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no greater authority in life or in death than that. I trust in You!
"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." – Psalm 18:19
It happened on January 6, 1982. Allen Phillips was driving through the Guanella Pass, going from his home in Bailey, Colorado, to Georgetown, Colorado. He believed he could easily make the trip at the 11,669-foot elevation. He was expecting the road to be clear, so he had no snow chains on his tires. But an enormous storm struck suddenly and Allen found himself in a blizzard in which he got hopelessly stuck. Darkness fell and he knew snow had closed the road. There was no way he could get out. He didn't have enough gas to keep the car running, and he knew that by morning he would be dead. Then a thought came into his mind – a crazy, impossible thought.
He remained cool. He did not panic. He thought, What if I use the headlights of my car to signal an S.O.S. – three shorts, three longs, and three shorts? Even though I'm surrounded by trees and mountains, maybe somebody will see me.
A Rocky Mountain Airways commuter plane was flying high overhead at about the same time Allen was signaling and one of the passengers – a local deputy sheriff who knew Morse code – just happened to be looking out the window and saw his three shorts, three longs, and three shorts. He went to the pilot and said, "I think I just saw a Morse code in headlights. Someone must be in trouble down there." The captain circled around and made another pass over the area where the sheriff thought he'd seen the S.O.S. Indeed he had. There is was again – three shorts, three longs, three shorts. The pilot radioed the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA called the Clear Creek sheriff's station and they sent out two snow vehicles and rescued the stranded man!
Nothing about your life catches God by surprise. He loves you. So trust Him to provide even when it seems impossible.
A loving God reads all our signals for help. Trust Him!
* * * Father in Heaven – when I find myself unexpectedly and impossibly stuck in life, You come to my rescue because You love me. Thank You for Your love and mercy.
