Wisdom For Life's Trials: Dr. Charles Stanley On What It Means To Count It All Joy

In this 30 minute message, Dr. Charles Stanley helps us to understand what God means when he tells us to count it all joy when we struggle and suffer in difficult times.

It really blessed me, especially when he said that God knows that we don't like him at all at certain times. When he said that we may as well tell God exactly how we feel because he knows anyway, that is a practice that I've developed.

When I pray and throughout the day as I talk to Our Heavenly Father, I share with him exactly how I feel about everything. It takes such a burden off of me. I'm still working on doing better.

We, in this world, have been so used to shouldering feelings and attitudes that it's automatic. Just like when we attempt to solve our issues ourselves, we just don't think about telling God. When we have bad feelings, we don't think about telling him.

I don't lift up any preacher, teacher, pastor, minister or anyone with a Christian title as being a model of perfection. I don't promote anyone who shares Christian knowledge as someone whom everyone should listen to and follow. I do enjoy sharing messages, and occasionally music, when I am blessed.  

Dr. Stanley has always had such a calm and comforting voice. He is a teacher who will help you ascend to the next level of your walk with Christ. I like to learn from his son also, Andy Stanley. This is an interesting story that defined his impression of his father.

His dad was the Associate Pastor of First Baptist in Atlanta when the senior pastor was asked to resign. Charles Stanley was asked to preach on Sundays until a suitable replacement could be found. As he preached, the pews began to fill, young couples started to return, the youth ministry started to grow and volunteerism grew to an all-time high. There was a new excitement in the church.

Yet some of the longtime members of the church resented Charles Stanley's growing influence and popularity. It didn't help that there was a grass roots movement started to elect him as pastor. The old guard thought he was too young, too evangelistic and too spiritual, emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus.

The powerbrokers started to politic to have Charles Stanley removed. People started to take sides. Two weeks before the vote to hire or fire Charles Stanley, Deacon Myers walked up to the pulpit as the Wednesday night service began. He started to talk about the growing controversy and as he did, horror upon horror, he used the word damn.

Charles Stanley calmly walked to the pulpit and said, Now you need to watch your language. With clinched fists the man responded, You need to watch yourself or you might get punched. Charles Stanley didn't back down or step away and then all of sudden Deacon Myers reared back and punched his dad.

His dad didn't retaliate. It was his dad's response to all this that marked Andy for life. He stepped right back up and stood by Deacon Myers. Andy Stanley said, In that moment I wanted to be that kind of man. From that moment on, it didn't matter what anybody said. Because actions speak louder than words.

That event revealed his dad's character. When we open the pages of scripture, we discover that character is defined by the very nature of Jesus Christ- a stumbling block for some but a rock solid foundation for others. Character is the will to do what is right, as defined by God, regardless of personal cost. Andy Stanley SermonCentral 

How To Easily Memorize Scriptures

 

It's important to memorize scriptures in order to hide God's word in our hearts. Being able to accurately recall his word gives us power to think like God and to resist the devil. With all of the unrest in the world, we can't be sure that the time will not come when we will be persecuted for reading and carrying Bibles. One day, if Jesus does not come back before, it could become a crime to possess a Bible. It's also a good feeling to be able to quote scriptures. The Word of God is alive and springs into action when we have it within us. 

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it will be done unto you. John 15:7 Abide means to live, stay or remain.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! Psalm 119:11 In order for something to be hidden it has to be claimed, possessed and kept.

The Word that we read and hear has to be claimed, possessed and kept so that it will remain, stay and live within us.

The Word tells us about ourselves and what to feel and how to think. When we read or hear the Word, then walk away and forget that Word that we've heard, it's hard to walk in the light, be transformed and receive God's best. James 1:23-25 

Jesus did not hesitate in quoting God's word to Satan. He didn't fumble around, try to quote it or misquote it. He spoke it with confidence and power.

 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 

"It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God."  

"Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."  Matthew 4:4-10

The main way that I memorize scripture is to put notes or print-outs on my bathroom mirror or wall near the sink. I started with pieces of paper, then index cards, then I started designing printable graphics. This keeps the scripture that I want to memorize in front of me each morning or whenever I do my daily toiletries. Whenever we get up, we have to prepare for the day, so posting them in the bathroom is a good way to begin memorizing them.

When I want to learn a scripture passage (several scriptures in a book), I look at my note or graphic and start by reading the scripture reference. It's also important to know where the scripture is found. Then I look away and repeat it. I then read the first scripture or part of it if it's long, look away and repeat it.

I move to the second scripture, read it and then repeat it. I'm not trying to memorize the scriptures, I'm impressing them on my mind. Eventually, I can quote them without looking. It's really amazing. It doesn't matter to me how long it takes. I know that one day I will have committed the scriptures to memory. 

I always select scriptures that have special meaning to me or that help me with struggles and difficulties. If you do this, you will have a better incentive to do your reading and repeating exercise each morning.

Remember that God is always willing to help us. If you feel the importance of memorizing scriptures, it doesn't matter if you've always had a problem doing that. Just ask Our Father and he will help you through His Holy Spirit. Write out on a piece of paper or an index card, a scripture that means a lot to you, or print it from the internet. Start committing God's Holy scriptures to memory, or start again, and realize new power each day.

  

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary VI

Answer for sluggish weariness and hopelessness.

I know you feel so sluggish emotionally, so down, so weary, so hopeless. Make yourself get on your knees. Do you go down on your knees to talk to God? If you are in the habit of praying like that first thing every morning, then you know that feeling of reverence that it instills towards Our Heavenly Father.

If you don't do that, then please start. Pick a throw pillow for your prayer pillow so your knees won't hurt. I dedicated one for this and keep it slid under my bed, handy for me to reach under and slide out in an instant.

Thank God now for all that he has done for you when you were not aware of it. Thank him for what he is doing now of which you are not aware. You're speaking to God in faith that he is right now working on your behalf. You're choosing to believe it though you don't feel it and don't have any hope of ever feeling it. You are choosing to believe that God is moving and shifting things on your behalf. You are choosing once again to believe that he is closing some doors and opening others.

Our prayers at this time do not have to be long.

At times like this we must force ourselves to repeat things that we believe about God and his kingdom, no matter how we feel. Our prayers at these times do not have to be long. We may feel bad when we pray these short prayers, almost like our prayers are fake. We may feel like we are not giving God a fair amount of prayer time to ask or believe him for anything.

After all, we've been led to believe that in order for prayers to be authentic they must be long, drawn out and we must be exhausted when we finish. We are reminded of the scriptures where Jesus asked his disciples why they could not tarry with him for one hour. (Matthew 26:40-45) There is a time for long prayers but this is not one of those times.

You are holding on for dear life. Your faith is in jeopardy. A sentence or two or prayer here and there will carry you through to understanding answered prayer. Pressing your body and spirit to do this little bit is a sign that your prayer is not fake but sincere. Take the baby steps that show that you are a devoted person who refuses to give up on God.

Thank God now for all that he has done for you when you were not aware of it.

Don't allow the devil to convince you that it has to be a long prayer or no prayer at all. His intention is to stop you for good. We battle the world, the flesh and the devil. Thank God now for all that he has done for you when you were not aware of it. Thank him for what he is doing now of which you are not aware.

Resist the devil and he has to flee for a season! God's word declares it! (James 4:7) If those two sentences that I've said for you to pray are all that you can say for days, weeks, do it! Fight for your prayer life! Build up your most holy faith and God will faithfully increase it!

When you get stronger, don't forget to ask God for something one time only. If you forget and do it again, that is ok. Our Father understands. Get back on track. From then on, thank him for it whenever you feel the desire to pray about it again. Also remember to always ask for his will to be done too, like one of my readers who said,

I DID need to stop begging for certain things. I actually started praying more for God's will to be done and not for my own desires. I know that's best and once I came to terms with that, I had (have) a whole new outlook on life.

 

Gather Strength Through My 

Tired Of Praying & Weary

Series:

 

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary II

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary III

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary IV

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary V

 

 

 

 

How To Store Up Faith

You will notice how much more satisfied you are with your responses to challenges, how much better you overcome obstacles.

It is important to store up faith everyday. Read some of the Word each day, according as your schedule allows. Do this as soon as possible when you get up each morning. If you can't do it first thing, be sure to do it later in the morning.

It's best, though, to get up a tad earlier if necessary to do it before you start anything else that day. It doesn't matter how much you read, but I would hope that you'll read more than "Jesus wept". Whenever you can, read more than you normally would.

Pray every morning, in fact, before you get out of bed. Say something to God when you first open your eyes each day. Speak a faith statement, or thank God for something. This is a type of prayer, just as thinking is also.

When you get up to start your day, pray first, just as you determine to read the Bible first. Pray before, or after you read, whatever helps you to feel most comfortable. This is your formal prayer, where you open yourself and your life to God's direction each day. This is when you arm yourself, and set your mind to receive the goodness of God.

Get in the habit of praying throughout the day. These are your informal prayers. They are no more than talking to God, conversing with him about anything and everything. This is praying without ceasing, as the Bible instructs us to do.

As you practice these heart-felt procedures, you will be storing up faith. Often you will not feel any different, though you may feel satisfied that you are doing a very good thing. You may not necessarily feel stronger, or feel the power of God working in you at those moments of study and meditation. You will, however, notice how much better you handle daily occurrences.

You will notice how much more satisfied you are with your responses to challenges, how much better you overcome obstacles. This is because faith is being stored up in you. You are becoming strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, though you may not feel it during your daily practices.  

This is where your own faith comes in, and where you do the work of looking into the perfect law of liberty, of ingesting the Word (James 1:25 NKJV). This is where you get set up to deal with your day in a way that pleases God, and that will ultimately richly bless you. Even when you don't feel like it, even when you're tired, or discouraged, or sad and depressed, make yourself open the Bible and read it, everyday. Don't wait to read it when you feel thrilled. If it seems dry, read it.

Pray, everyday. Get on your knees whenever you can, subject and submit yourself to God, first thing in the morning, and throughout the day, everyday, day in and day out. Be faithful and do it! When happy, when sad, eat and drink the Word of God, and talk to God, always, continuously, everyday, about everything.

You will be amazed at how your barely detected, dormant and stock-piled faith will spring up and conquer like a lion, when needed. 

Trust In God

God Is Processing It For You

As we are believing, praying and waiting for various things to come to pass in our lives, it helps to understand that our God is a god of processes. The Free Dictionary by Farlex defines a process as  "A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result." We can see this behavior of God at the beginning of the Bible.

A process is "A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result."

We can see God's principle of processes by starting in Genesis, where we are told that He created the Heavens and the Earth in 6 days. The 7th day was also a process; the process of purposeful, scheduled rest. Even when we experience what appears to be an instantaneous miracle, it is the result of God's procedure of instigating processes to bring about a desired result.

I've heard it said that any person becomes saved because at some time in history, someone prayed for that person. That was a process. Angels were dispatched and the Holy Ghost commissioned to bring about the work. They attended to the drawing of that person to the salvation that God offers through the sacrifice of His only son, Jesus Christ. Some experienced that process when they fought with God before yielding to His calling. Others were not aware of God's process when they surrendered to God without a long battle.

A process is used "To prepare, treat, or convert by subjecting to a special process," or procedure.

Another illuminating definition for the word process is "To prepare, treat, or convert by subjecting to a special process." The word procedure also defines how God operates. "A process is a set or series of actions directed to some end or a natural series of changes; a procedure is a series of actions conducted in a certain manner, an established way of doing something."

"A procedure is a series of actions conducted in a certain manner, an established way of doing something." 

Understanding that God is a god of procedures and processes helps us to endure, with Godliness, the trials and tribulations that He allows to come upon us. It does not matter how small or how devastating a test, trial or training is. If it has the potential to discourage, depress and distract the servant of God, then we must embrace it as a process of God. In order to triumph in our walk with God, we have to accept that He always uses processes and procedures, whether He speeds up or slows down the realization of the end result.

Only in understanding this can the strengthening scriptures take root and empower us to overcome challenges and grow in the Lord.

Only in understanding this can the strengthening scriptures take root and empower us. Romans 8:28 means nothing without grasping hold to this operation of God. Isaiah 26:3 falls on deft ears without considering this principle of God. Romans 12:2 is useless without understanding that God creates change through processes. James 1:4 will bear no fruit without the hearer understanding that God is a god of processes. We need firm footing in order to cooperate with God when we are asked to endure. Only then can we obtain what He so lovingly wants to give.

One day is like a thousand years to God, and vice versa. Even so, it is still a process. Whether we feel the processing in our flesh, or whether our desires seem to manifest swiftly and miraculously, God began the process of delivering to us long ago. He will keep His promises to us, and His Word is true. If we choose to understand this simple principle of God and endure in the way in which He would have us to, then we'll reap all of our desires that we long for and ask for, according to His will.

We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him,

those whom he has called according to his purpose.

(Romans 8:28 GNT)

 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

(Isaiah 26:3 ESV)

 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

(Romans 12:2 NIV)

But let patience have her perfect work,

that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

(James 1:4)

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Image credit: plaum

Scriptures taken from: BibleStudyTools.com
All definitions taken from: TheFreeDictionary.com