Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Chapter 1 A light in the dark
STRESS!!
Who has not heard of it or experienced it. There are 101 ways to become stressed.
Whenever I am in a stress situation, I feel just like a boxer who blindfolded tries to beat his opponent. I’m overcome by the situation and find it difficult to solve the problem on my own.
Restlessness takes hold of me and the problem that causes stress occupies my mind.
It becomes a giant.
I guess that the soldiers of Israel must have felt the same way when they met face to face with Goliath the Philistine giant. They were overwhelmed by the sight of him and lost their courage to fight him.
Its interesting to see though how young David the son of Isai looked upon this giant.
He was not impressed or overwhelmed by Goliath’s appearance. No! For the image of the greatness and the wonder of God had forever consumed his heart, soul and mind.
Nothing else could come quite near to the perception he had of God.
That’s why Goliath did not cause him to fret and flee. He believed that the power of Gods Spirit would enable him to overcome this problem. So, instead he got rid of the giant who had deviled the God David held so dear.
What this event tells us, is that it’s very important to look at every problem the right way.
When you are a Christian, the guide along the road should be the bible.
As David says in the psalms:” Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pad.”(Psalm 119:105)
When it’s dark it’s hard to see and you might get the wrong impression of things.
But if you look at things through the light of God, His word, you will have the right perception of the situation. And you will not enter the ring blindfolded anymore.
You will know how to deal with the situation.
That’s all there is to it. I might as well end this book right now.
However I know, that when it comes to things of the spiritual realms we find it harder to understand and experience them than we do with things of the flesh.
So I will try to help you get to the point where you soar above the clouds of stress as if you have never done otherwise.
The Bible provides us with enough examples to do so. So let the journey begin!!!!!
Chapter 1 The golden rules
In dealing with stress you have to stick to the golden rules.
Rule number 1: “ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Rule number 2: “No, in all these things we are more then conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37).
God’s word is true and He always keeps His promises if we abide in His will.
In rule number one God speaks about those who love Him.
Those who love Him can be sure of Him keeping this promise to them.
In rule number two, God promises victory over all problems to the ones He loves.
God doesn’t just go around giving His promises to everyone, no! He is good to all people, but His special promises and salvation are for those who love Him, who have received Him as their Lord and savior. He loves them and takes care of them.
Both rules speak of love, our love for God and His love for us.
What they really show us is that there needs to be a relationship based on love between a person and God in order to receive the promise of the golden rules.
The essence of the gospel is a relationship with God.
Jesus died on the cross just to restore the unity of men and God.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ and He gives His power to those who follow Him. We have the power of the Holy Spirit of God to overcome every attack of the enemy. (Matthew 28:18)(Mark 16:15-18)
A relationship with God is necessary in order to know who God is. Only then will you be able to understand what He can do for you and what He can do through you. Only then will you be able to handle stress.
If you have to walk through a dark deserted alley and a friend wants to accompany you, you would feel a lot saver if he were a boxer. Then he suddenly reveals to you that he is an undercover policeman, your fear disappears and you just lean on his arm and let him take you through the alley.
If you knew what God is capable of, you would lean on Him forever. There would be no room for stress. Ofcourse you will have feelings of fear but you can give it all to Jesus, He will carry your burden for you.
You need to keep in mind that knowing God means loving Him. Because He will not reveal Himself to you otherwise.
Your relationship with Jesus should be based on love and respect. Both parties talk and listen; give and take.
It’s very important to ask ourselves if we really love Him. Sometimes we are so convinced that we love Him, but in reality we love the gifts that He can give us. So we love Him for what He can do for us and not for who He is. In other words we don’t really love Him.
If you marry someone only because of the comfort he or she can give to you, you are definitely not in love with him or her but with his or her gifts. This is not fair to the other person and not fair to you. You’re missing out on a wonderful experience.
In the following paragraphs I will try to show you how to establish a sound relationship with God through Jesus Christ His Son. Because this is the key to dealing with stress in your live.
Chapter 2 Trust put into action [back to top]
In the book of Daniel you can read about Daniel’s relationship with God. He trusted Him in every situation for He knew who He was. You will see how Daniel puts the golden rules into action.
Now here’s a man who knows the meaning of stress better than anyone.
As a teenager, he was brutally taken from his royal family in Jerusalem and was brought to the palace of king Nebukadnessar of Babylon.
The king of Babylon forced many bright and intelligent young men of Jewish royalty to come and serve him with their knowledge.
Imagine how Daniel must have felt. All his dreams were gone up in smoke and he was a slave of some brutal pagan king. If that’s not something to stress about then I don’t know the meaning of stress.
But as young as he was, he had established a sound relationship with God.
He prayed three times a day because as you will see, he loved God more than anything or anyonelse in the world. He was willing to fight for his belief in the almighty God.
The first test of faith came immediately as they were brought to the palace.
The king ordered them to eat and drink at his table. Daniel was not allowed according to his faith to eat and drink the things that the pagan people of Babylon used, for they were unclean to him. Disobeying the king would be punished by sentence of death. Still he decided that he would not have the food and spoke to the chief official about it. He knew that God would provide a way out of this problem for him. He knew, because he had a relationship with God.
God did exactly as Daniel knew He would, for He caused the official to grant Daniel his wish. In the end the king preferred Daniel and his friends above all the other young men.
Notice how Daniel acted. He knew that God was standing behind him. There was no need for stress no matter how big the problem was. God is greater!
He was convinced that whatever happened concerning him, would only be of benefit to him.
A giant killer
One day the king decided to kill all the wise men of his kingdom, because they were not able to tell the dream he had and to explain the meaning of it.
Another giant killer for Daniel. But because he knew the golden rules, to him it was a dwarf.
He went to the official of the king and asked for some time to solve the problem.
Daniel and his friends prayed to God to reveal to them the dream and its explanation.
And of course keeping His golden rules God granted their wish.
This was too much for Daniel. All this love of God for him was so overwhelming.
He praised God and said: “ Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
Wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness and light dwells with Him. (Daniel 2:20-22)
In other words Daniel was aware of the fact that God was almighty and that he had knowledge of all things.
He knew that everything was under Gods control.
So He went to the king and told him that God had revealed the dream and its explanation to him. He told him everything that God had shown him. The King was perplexed, he fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor. The king placed Daniel in a high position. He became ruler over the entire province of Babylon and was placed in charge of all its wise men. At Daniel’s request the king appointed his friends Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego administrators over the province Babylon.
This problem had clearly worked out for the good of Daniel and his friends.
Stress at the office
Talking about stress at the office, have you ever been thrown into a lion’s den by your fellow workers? The king’s jealous administrators threw this humble, wise man into the lion’s den. Daniel distinguished himself among them by his exceptional qualities and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. So they plotted against him and at the end he was thrown into the lions den.
Was that the end of Daniel? Absolutely not, you see God never stops to amaze the ones who love Him. He never leaves us.
Because Daniel trusted God, He sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions and they were not able to hurt him.
The king gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den the next morning. Then at the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were thrown into the den instead. The lions overpowered them and crushed their bones. Daniel also prospered during the reign of this king.
You have clearly seen that God always keeps His end of the deal when we keep ours.
We have to come to the point where we can fall asleep in a lion’s den and wake up to see the glory of God. The secret of it all is to trust in God. In order to do so you have to get to know Him. You need to seek His face in prayer and worship every day.
Chapter 3 Getting to know God [back to top]
Most of us have heard about God and have heard the Christmas story.
But in order to have a relationship with God you will have to become involved with him.
God created us out of love. He wanted to fill us with His love. And He wanted us to love Him forever. He made the earth a perfect place for us to be. If you look at the book of Genesis, you can see that God used to go for a walk with Adam and Eve in the garden. Just like good friends like to do, so they can chat a little bit and just enjoy each other’s company. But when Adam and Eve committed their first sin it separated them from God for God is Holy.
So when He walked in the garden that day longing for them to be with Him, he cried out their name and wanted to know where they were. Disobedience had separated them from the best friend they had ever had. (Genesis 3)
Ever since God has been calling men to be reconciled with Him through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ, who died in our place. Jesus Christ is the radiance of God’s Glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. (Hebrews 1:3)
Getting to know God means getting to know Jesus.
Who is Jesus Christ?
If you are interested in starting a relationship with someone you should try to first get some information about that person.
The Bible is the best source of information about Jesus. You can read about His birth, the things that He has done, the words that He spoke and in doing so you will have an idea of who He is.
You will notice that I keep saying ‘who He is and not who He was.’ This has to do with my experience with Him through our relationship. I know that He is alive and sits at the right hand of the throne of God just as the scriptures tell us. But this is for you to find out.
If you want to know Him you will have to believe that He exists and that He will reward you for your efforts to know Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Throughout my life I have met a lot of interesting people and some of them impressed me a lot. However compared to the image that Jesus left in my heart all other impressions seem bleak. He is an inexhaustible source of the most wonderful and divine impressions you can ever imagine but it takes time and trust to experience this. He only reveals His heart to you if He is sure of your love for Him.
As you are determined to get to know Him His Holy Spirit will explain the bible to you.
Your relationship with Him will grow steadily and He will fill you with His Spirit. The flower of love will blossom and you will spread the scent of God.
The Word of God
Jesus Christ is the Word of God. According to the gospel of John He is God.
He created the world
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things are made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:4)
God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. Do not try to understand the trinity of God because faith has nothing to do with the human understanding. God is a supernatural being and our minds cannot comprehend Him. You will have to accept Him through faith. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. He is Spirit and like the wind that remains unseen but whose presence can be felt, He moves through our lives.
The Lord Jesus taught the disciples to do the will of the Father. (Matthew 6:10)
It was the will of the Father who loves us, that the Word of God would become flesh in order to sacrifice himself for our sins. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
The Father loves the son and the Son loves the Father. Because of His love for the Father and for mankind Jesus laid down His glory in heaven to become a man of flesh and blood.
‘The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” (John 10: 18-19)
Gods love for us is so great that He wants to sacrifice His life in order to save ours. For the punishment for sin is the fiery place called hell.
He obeyed the will of the Father. The Father honors the Son and says: ”Your throne O God, will last for ever and ever and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8)
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. (Hebrews 1:10)
Jesus is not a weak son of the Father who stands in the shadow of His Fathers almighty presence. No, He is God almighty Himself.” I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”(John 13:9b)
The Holy Spirit loves us also. The Holy Spirit of God is God. “God is Spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
“ And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32)
Gods Spirit is love. He is the very essence of God.
It all seems confusing for us to understand the trinity of God, but if we have the faith of a little child this wonderful God will work miracles in us and through us.
The apostle Paul says: ”Now we see but a poor reflection, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall now fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
A declaration of love
The Word became flesh so we could feel Him, see Him, hear Him in a way that is natural to us. He wanted us to know who He is in a way we could comprehend it. He didn’t mind becoming a human being because He loves us so much. He was ready to sacrifice His life just to save us from hell.
God is spirit and we cannot behold Him in the flesh only in the spirit. So He came to us in the flesh, not only to die in our place because of the sins we have committed, but He wanted to get to know us also. He wanted to feel the way we feel, that’s why He was tempted just like us in every way. This enabled Him to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)
He is love. He spoke words of wisdom and performed great miracles. Even now He is still doing so. The message He brought to us from God the Father is a message of reconciliation. He is gentle, humble and compassioned, He is your most wonderful dream come true.
The bible lets us see that Jesus has emotions just as we do. He can cry, laugh, hurt, love and be happy. We are dealing with a real person here.
God created us to be loved by Him and for Him to be loved by us.
Many times we think that He is a cold unfeeling being, who sits on His throne somewhere up in the sky. This is so far besides the truth.
Jesus is the most compassioned person there is and ever will be. You have to be burdened with great feelings of love to give away your own life for the sake of your enemies.
So when you approach Him you will have to know that he has feelings too and that a relationship with Him has to be based on respect and love.
You see most times we get carried away by our problems and all we do is talk about them with God. Sometimes we are so self-centered. This is not good to our relationship with Him. You have to give and take, to maintain the proper balance in a relationship.
This does not mean that we cannot tell Him about our worries, on the contrary. He wants us to cast our burdens upon Him. (Psalm 55:23). But he also says that we have to take up His yoke: ”Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29).
Give and take! In other words He wants us to also listen to Him and to take His yoke upon us.
Oh no you say, my situation will not get any better if I still have to carry a burden.
If I had a glass of nice cold lemonade on a hot summer day and you had a glass of warm water wouldn’t you like to trade it with me if I offered it to you?
The burden that Jesus speaks about is so wonderfully light you will just take off to the sky.
It’s a special burden and trust me you will want to have it and trade it for your own burden.
What is this burden? Ok, I will not keep you in suspense anymore.
The yoke of Christ
When you accept Jesus as your savior you receive the right to become a child of God.
You call yourself a Christian, which means you bear the name of Christ.
The family name of a woman changes when she marries a man, she will bear the name of her husband. They become as one in the eyes of God. And it is clear to the world that they are a unity.
The Christians are the body of Christ; He is the Head of the body. We are His bride.
We have become one with Him and bear His name, but He also wants us to bear His character. He wants to teach us how to be like Him, through the Holy Spirit.
The fruit He bears is the fruit of His Holy Spirit: “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).
He wants us to bear the same fruit. He is the vine tree and we are the branches on the tree. (John 15)
The branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. You will not have to worry about bearing fruit by yourself because if you love Jesus and listen to what He has to say, His Spirit will be poured out over you and you will bear His fruit. “ God has poured out His love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Romans 5:5b).
His yoke for us, is His command to love each other. (John 13:34). This is easy since it is His Spirit who teaches us how to do it and who enables us to really love one another. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides us into all truth and reveals Jesus to us. (John 14)
The branch does not have to worry about getting water out of the soil; it’s the vine that does it all. She just has to let it flow from the vine into her and allow it to create the fruit.
That’s why the yoke of Jesus is light. You can just rest and let it all happen.
The purpose of this yoke is to give us rest for our souls. You see love is such a wonderful thing it’s good for your body mind and soul. Hatred stirs up dissension; it’s like a disease that destroys you. (Proverbs 10:12) It definitely causes stress. But besides all the benefit you get from it, its Gods plan to reach out to the people in the world who are aching and in need of His love and care. He can touch them through us. I personally think it’s a great plan. While He is attending to our needs, He can use us to attend to the need of others. He is burdened with love for all the people in the world and wants them to be made whole through the gospel.
Am I my brother’s keeper?
The newspapers are filled with articles about war; flooding, famine and sometimes hundreds of people die because of these terrible events. We are horrified by these messages but I have noticed that we are getting used to them. It seems like we have grown insensitive to the horror and the devastation that takes place in this world and we are no longer suprised to hear about the number of people who have died. Sometimes it seems our love for one another has grown cold. This is so wrong for we should care about each other even if we live on another continent or speak another language.
We often say to ourselves:” Well the UN will take care of them, and we happily go on with our lives pretending that everything is ok.”
It’s like we ask ourselves this question:” Am I my brother’s keeper?”
This was the same question that Cain asked the Lord when He asked him where Abel was.
From the very beginning, man has shown to be unconcerned about his brother’s
wellbeing. God wants us to care for eachother. In the parable of the Good Samaritan we clearly see that God wants us to be concerned about all the people in the world and to pray for them.
God created us all and we must love one another for we were created in His image and He is love. Because of sin we are separated from God and we don’t look like Him anymore. Through the blood of Jesus however we are born into His image again.
“ A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Showing love to eachother is the sign that we are His children.
God also placed a mark on Cain when He sent him away because he had killed his brother Abel. It surely wasn’t the sign of love but of hate. (Genesis 4)
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. (1John 3:15)
Cain not only became a restless wanderer on the earth but spiritually he also wandered in the darkness. He was blinded by hatred and did not know where he was going.
Man without God still carries the sign of Cain. We are not capable of loving eachother the way we should. Only the blood of Jesus can wipe away the mark of Cain and put on the sign of God in our hearts.
We have to be alert and strife to be filled more and more with Gods love. This will enable us to love people who are near or far away.
Many people in church often feel lonely and nobody seems to care. In the end these people leave because they are disappointed for they expected to see the love of Christ in us.
He loves us and takes our burden upon Him, if we love Him we will take His burden on our shoulders. This reminds me of the reinstatement of Peter by the Lord. Jesus asked Peter three times if he really loved Him. Everytime Peter confirmed this, Jesus told Him to take care of His sheep by which He mend the people of the world. (John 21: 15-18). If we really love Him we will do the same.
So far you have seen that in your relationship with Jesus you can be sure of His lovingkindness for you. Can He be sure of your love for Him?
Chapter 4 How are we related to Jesus? [back to top]
The relationship between a man and his wife is very sacred to God. In Ephesians 3:22-33 God shows us through Paul that He compares the relationship of Christ and us to the relationship of a man and his wife.
When God created Eve, He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and closed up the place with flesh. From that rib he build Eve, his wife. Adam was the first man and Eve the first woman. He became a living being.
Eve was taken from the side of Adam; this is symbolic for the position that God had prepared for her. She was supposed to help Adam with taking care of the world God created. (Genesis 2: 19-22).
Because of her sin God placed her in a different position.
No longer would she rule over this world side by side with Adam, but he would be in charge. He would rule over her and her desire would be for her husband.
Adam also was punished for his sin for because of him death had entered the world of men.
He was separated from God and did not have eternal life.
God however had already made a plan to restore the position of the man and his wife.
He created the last Adam, Jesus. He would sacrifice His own son for our sins. Through this sacrifice man regains everlasting life in Christ and he has been given a place in the spiritual realms to reign with Christ. Jesus was the last Adam; a life giving spirit. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15: 45-49).
So what about the last Eve. Is this last Adam a loner? No!!
The answer to this is the mystery that Paul referred to in Ephesians 3:32 and
Ephesians 3:6: “This mystery is that through the gospel the gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus”.
Ephesians 3:10: “ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
The last Eve is born. Ready to rule in the name of the bridegroom over all that God has given Him. ’And God raised us up and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians 2:6). The power of His Holy Spirit flows through the body of the bride and once more the new Eve will take care of Gods creation side by side with the last Adam.
Even as Eve was made from Adams rib, we also are born out of the last Adam.
By His stripes we are healed, the blood that brought us salvation poured out the wounds in His hands and feet. What is the meaning of the wound in his side?
Water and blood poured out of the wound in the side of Jesus. This is symbolic for the birth of the second Eve.
She came out of His side just as the first Eve came out of Adam’s side. For through the blood she is born and by the water, the Holy Spirit, she is made whole. Everyone who receives Him has the right to become a child of God. Behold the church, The bride of Jesus, the last Eve.
Shower Him with your love
When I think of all He had to do just to make us His bride it makes me want to hold Him and never let go, for He is so wonderful! I just love Him; He truly is the most wonderful person I have ever met.
It’s not hard to fall in love with Jesus, just read the bible. It will show you His true identity.
He really is love!
Jesus loves to be showered with our love. He really appreciates it.
When Mary of Magdalene poured an expensive perfume on Jesus feet and wiped His feet with her hair, she showered Him with her love. (John 12:3)
Jesus said that she had done a beautiful thing to Him. (Matthew 26:10b)
His feet had walked many miles just to bring love and healing to all people. Everyone needed Him, took from Him all He had to give. Mary just came to care for Him, to say thanks for all He had done for her. She poured perfume, her love, on His tired feet. She didn’t mind the rejection of the people around Him. All that mattered was her love for Him.
To show us the importance of showering Him with our love, He told them to mention this wonderful deed of Mary wherever the gospel is preached.
Jesus loves the company of people who shower Him with their love. He loved to visit Mary and her brother and sister because they loved Him very much. Mary liked to sit at the feet of Jesus and just listen to all He had to say. Such a devotion to Him. She drank every word from His lips. Imagine someone sitting at your feet just to hear what you have to say, imagine someone wiping your feet with their hair. Before He died she again anointed Him; the Holy Spirit had led her to do so. Imagine the pain she must have felt when they nailed Him to the cross. Even when He was dead she kept on showering Him with her love, for she went to anoint His body.
She was the first to see Jesus when He arose from the dead. Jesus wanted to show her that He appreciated her love for Him by appearing to her before appearing to anyonelse. It must have sounded like music in her ears when He spoke her name. She was touched by His love and her heart was overflowing with joy. He bestowed on her the honor to be the first to spread the gospel. “He is alive forever!”
Sing to the Lord
King David loved to sing to the lord. He showered Him with his love. If you read the psalms you will have to conclude that He loved the Lord with all his heart. God also loved him and called him a man after his own heart. (Acts 13:22b) Their relationship was very special. God blessed him in every way. Through all David’s trials, God was always with him and delivered him out of them. David’s life was as a wonder, for he was in love with a wonder. God loved Him so much that He promised the messiah, Jesus Christ, to be born out of David’s descendants.
Music is a wonderful gift from God to us. With it we can express our feelings to Him.
He just loves to listen to our voice as we sing to Him. We are honoring Him and preparing the way for Him to show us His salvation (Psalm 50:23).
That’s why David conquered every stress situation in his life. He was filled with love for God and constantly expressed it to Him through his music.
So start singing hymns, psalms and spiritual songs to the Lord. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5: 19)
I could go on and on telling you about Abraham and all the wonderful people, who showered God with their love. It’s all in the bible. If you read about their lives you will have to conclude that a relationship with God is all we’ll ever need to overcome every problem and that God keeps His promises to us.
Alone with Him
You need to find a quiet place where you can be alone with God. It doesn’t matter where. Worship Him and tell Him how much you love Him. Pour out your love on Him like the expensive perfume of Mary.
If it is possible put on gospel music, while you’re praying. It can help you express your feelings to God, even as David used to do. If you are sincere His love will flow down from heaven and you’ll be swept away in His warm embrace
Pour out your heart before Him. Give Him all your pain and sorrow. He’ll assure you through His Spirit that He will take care of you.
As you take the time to come into His presence every day, He will reward your love and devotion to Him.
If you are in love with somebody, you want to be with that person every day. You want to just hold each other real tight and wish for the moment never to stop.
It is important to express your feelings to one another; it keeps the flame burning.
With Christ it’s just the same. He loves you and wants to embrace you with His Spirit. He wants to express His love to you and He needs you to express your love to Him everyday.
When we fail to do so because we are occupied with other matters, the flame of our love starts flickering and gets weaker. Our love grows cold.
The more you give your love to Him in worship or just by sitting quietly at His feet, the more He will reveal Himself to you. Your relationship with Him will grow deeper and stronger.
You will finally learn to rest in Him. He will give you peace of mind and you will be free of stress.
Chapter 5 The Master plan [back to top]
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
God has a beautiful plan for your life. He wants to reveal it to you if you are willing to take the time to listen. He wants to take care of the needs you have in this natural world and also of your spiritual needs. You see man is not only flesh but also spirit.
We are born into this world in the likeness of the earthly man. We inherit the sin and are strangers to God.
“The first Adam became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first but the natural and after that the spiritual. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15: 45-46,48).
Gods plan for your life involves both the natural and the spiritual world. We are
going to reign as kings with Jesus our bridegroom forever after God has created a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness will reign.(2 Peter 3:13 )
Yes, everything will be made new.
We are being prepared on earth for that great task that God has for us and while travelling through the earth He meets our every need. God is teaching us to trust Him as He reveals Himself to us. He constantly watches over us.
We were made in the image of God. He is Spirit. The spirit of man never decays but stays forever. Sin has caused man to part from God and God took away the opportunity for man to have everlasting life. We are spiritually dead. That does not mean that mans spirit will be destroyed, no. The spirit of a sinful man will be thrown into the second death, the fiery flames of hell forever.
If we believe in Jesus as being the savior who takes away our sins, we are reconciled with God and are born into the spiritual world. Our spirit is alive for eternity. We will bare the image of the man from heaven, Jesus. Where He is that’s where we will also be forever.
Jesus said:” I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 10: 25)
The natural body dies but since we are spiritually alive we live forever. Our final destiny is a place in the heavenly city of God
The perfect timing
Sometimes it’s hard to wait for the solution of our problems and we are desperately crying out to Him wondering if He has forgotten us. We are confused because it seems that the enemy is stronger than we are.
“ Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”(Isaiah 49:15-16a)
We live in an instant world, instant meals, instant this and that and are not taught to be patient. The world is caught up in a crazy whirlwind of economics where time is money. We hardly have time to cook a decent meal or to get enough sleep. We have been made to become impatient people who do not live but are lived by society.
When we pray we expect an instant solution for our problems. For we are used to living in the natural realms where time is money. But in heaven there is no need for money. Its most valuable possession is God. In the spiritual realms things are quite different from the natural world.
Our natural body has a biological clock and knows exactly how to adjust our growth to its time. At a certain time in our lives it stops certain growing activities and we start decaying. Time will soon be no more for our natural life. The clock stops ticking.
“From dust thou art and to dust thou shall return.”(Genesis 3:19)
We need to get used to living in the heavenly realms where things are quite the opposite of the natural world.
There is no biological clock there, the only one who has the time there is God He is eternity. He is the great I Am. We need to adjust our watches to His time and learn to walk upon the roads of heaven, for His ways are higher than ours are. (Isaiah 55:9) As we grow spiritually we will look more and more like Jesus.
Nobody likes to wait. Yet in the spiritual realms time takes the time.
In Gods eyes one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8)
Still God made everything beautiful in its time. There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1,11)
We need to wait upon the Lord’s perfect timing for answering our prayers.
The creator of the universe knows exactly what He is doing. He is the great I Am and we cannot comprehend Him. We have to trust Him. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9b)
Just in time
The life of Joseph is a good example of Gods perfect timing and planning. (Genesis 37)
As a young boy God showed Him in his dreams that He had a wonderful plan for his life.
He was going to reign as a king in order to save his people. I guess he could hardly wait to fulfill the great task God had revealed to him.
But as you read about him you will see that the road to his final destination lead trough a lot of hardships.
One day his yellous brothers threw him into an empty cistern. There he was at the bottom, crying out to his brothers, maybe crying out to God thinking He had forsaken him. “God what about the dreams, what about your promises?”
God had not forsaken him. This was the way He had planned it. From this moment on he was on his way to the place God wanted him to be. Precisely at the right time.
God caused a caravan of Ishmaelites to pass by and they bought Joseph as a slave from his brothers. The Ishmaelites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar an official of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. The Lord didn’t leave Joseph but was with Him and gave him success in everything that he did. Joseph must have understood then that all he had to go through was only to bring Gods plan to a completion.
Remember Rule number 1: “ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
So no matter how bad the situation seems, it will work out for the good if you love Jesus.
People will see that the Lord is with you despite of your situation.
The captain of the guard noticed that God was with Joseph and he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned. From that moment on God blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.
After being falsely accused by the wife of Potiphar the captain, Joseph was thrown into prison. But even there the Lord was with Joseph; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. He put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison and he was made responsible for all that was done there.
One day he explained the dream of the cupbearer of the Pharaoh and told him that his position with the pharaoh would be restored in three days. He asked him to remember him and to mention him to the Pharaoh in order to get him out of prison for he was innocent of the crime they had accused him of.
On the third day, Pharaohs birthday, he restored the cupbearer to his position just as Joseph had said. But the cupbearer forgot Joseph. It was not Gods time yet for Joseph to be freed from prison.
After two years God gave Pharaoh two dreams and Pharaoh send for his magicians to explain the dreams to him. But no one could interpret them for him. Then at the right time, the cupbearer remembered Joseph and mentioned him to the pharaoh. Joseph was brought to the Pharaoh and interpreted the dreams for Pharaoh. He told him that both dreams were one and the same and that God had revealed what He was going to do for the next fourteen years. There were going to be seven years of great abundance coming throughout the land of Egypt. After that seven years of famine would follow. These would ravage the land and all the abundance in Egypt would be forgotten.
Joseph advised the Pharaoh to look for a discerning and wise man and to put him in charge of the land of Egypt. He also had to appoint commissioners to take a fifth of the harvest during
the abundance and to store them under the authority of Pharaoh. This stored food should be used during the famine.
I guess you know what Pharaoh would do. Yes, he put nobody else but Joseph in charge of his palace and his people. Joseph reigned as a king and was able to provide food for his father and brothers when they came to Egypt to buy food during the famine. He reconciled with them.
God had fulfilled the plan he had for Joseph at the right time. The road to this fulfillment however was filled with hardships. But through it all Joseph kept believing in God and trusted Him completely. God knows what He is doing. You see Joseph learned to take care of things when he was in charge of the captain’s household and at the prison. He was learning how to be a good ruler. After He had done a good job he was fit for the position God wanted him to take at Pharaohs side. He was molded into the likeness of Jesus. Gold needs to be refined by fire. Our faith will also be cleansed from impurities through all kinds of trails and presented pure to God. (1 Peter 1:7)
His ways are higher than ours are and though they seem difficult God knows what is best and will help us through it all in order to fulfill His plan for us.
Even as Joseph we have to take care of the people of the earth. We need to teach them who God is and set them free from captivity through the Holy Spirit of God, remember the yoke of Christ. He sends us into this world even as His father has send Him to preach the gospel. Through all the hardships He will be with us, take care of us and His plan for us will be completed when we sit besides Jesus on His throne. (John 17: 24)
Chapter 6 Beyond all hope [back to top]
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
(Hebrews 10:23,35)
If your relationship with Him is based on love and respect, He will keep His promises to you. As you come to know Him you will find rest for your mind and soul in the midst of trials and tribulations.
So far we have seen that God provided for Daniel, David, Joseph and many others. He is still doing so for us because He is the same yesterday today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
But if you study the bible you will read about people who did not get the fulfillment of the promises during their lives. Even now people pray for many years to get a solution for their problem and it seems that God does not listen. Did the golden rules fail to work for them because they were sinful, did they lack the power of God, or is there favoritism with God? There can be several reasons for God not to grant the solution immediately. With God however there is no favoritism.
In trying to find an answer to our seemingly unheard prayers most of us think immediately that sin is to blame. Sometimes that is the true cause. In that case you have to repent and follow the Lord again because sin separates us from Him.
Many times we doubt the Lords power and are unbelieving, in that case we have to seek His face and get to know Him.
Sometimes there just is nothing wrong with us. We have a good, sound relationship with God and love Him very much. Why doesn’t He answer us?
God is infallible
In the book of Job we see that he had the same question as us. There was no one more righteous in those days than Job. Still as we know, he went through so many disasters. His children all died, his wealth was taken from him and he became ill. His friends thought
he was sinful and that God had punished him. This was not true. God was teaching Job to trust Him through it all. He wanted him to hold on to the golden rules.
Rule number 1: “ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Rule number 2: “No, in all these things we are more then conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37).
God will keep His promise to you even when it seems impossible. “Nothing is impossible for
those who believe.”(Matthew 17:20)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
(Hebrew 11:1)
Job held on to his faith in God still at one weak moment he started to doubt and questioned God. God answered him and questioned him. He told him about the wonder of the creation, and showed him that He is almighty and infallible.
Job replied to the Lord:’ I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.”
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-2,6)
Was this the same man of whom God had testified that he was blameless and upright and that there was no one on earth like him? (Job 1:8) What made him say the above words?
God is so much greater than we can imagine. His ways are divine. We need to trust Him all the way even in the darkest of valley even in the shadow of death.
If you have a sound relationship with Jesus He will reveal His glory to you and He will let you know why your prayer has not been answered the way you would like it to be.
Job saw the glory of God and knew right then that God is so much greater than he had ever imagined. God will always take care of us and will lead us into His glory.
Eventually God provided for Job and changed the situation he was in.
We need to trust in Gods omnipotence and His infallibility.
Call on Him in your distress He will answer you maybe by just putting His hand on your shoulder to let you know He has not forsaken you. His peace will fill your mind body and soul.
Job however did get his solution for his problems here on earth.
Some Christians who lived a blameless life, who firmly believed in Jesus die of cancer or in an airplane crash. Some just choose to give their lives for the sake of the gospel and they take the gospel to places where it is forbidden. “The world was not worthy of them, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”(Hebrews11: 39-40)
Why!!!!!
Chapter 7 The final destination [back to top]
As I have said earlier, God made a new Adam, Jesus and a new Eve, the church.
(1 Corinthians 15:45-50)
Even as He made the first paradise for the first Adam and Eve to rule, He will create a new heaven; a new earth and the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven. This will be the final destination for the church. “ He who was seated on the throne said, ”I am making everything new!” (Revelations 21:5)
The children of God are strangers on this earth (1 Peter 1:17). This is not our home. It’s a place where we are taught who God is through His Holy Spirit. For we were ignorant of the ways of God (Ephesians 4:18)
Our final destination is the holy city of God that will come down from Heaven on the new earth. (Revelation 21:2)
The first man was made to live eternally but because he sinned eternity was taken from mankind. Jesus, the second Adam is a life giving spirit. If you believe in Him you will have everlasting life. This earthly body will be changed on the day that God has appointed and will not perish eternally.
God has a plan for your life. His aim is to bring it to a completion. He meets our earthly needs but of more concern to Him are our spiritual needs. He considers them to be of more importance than the earthly and He will not grant us our wishes now, here on earth, if they would endanger our eternal life.
Getting us to our final destination is the main objective of God. He will get us there by any means. Jesus said:” If your hand or your foot cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye then to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. (Matthew 18:9)
He knows us and loves us. But sometimes it is necessary for God to grant some of us our wishes in the new earth and not during our old earthly life. The blind will see, the ones who died will live forever and there will be no tears or sorrow. (Isaiah 35:5,10)
Your wish will be granted however not on this earth because God knows that being whole could lead some people directly into unholyness and His wish for you is eternal life.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I obey your word.”
(Psalms 119:67)
He has set a date when He will destroy the earth and the sinful people on it through the fire, because of all the iniquity they have committed. The world and its desires pass away. (1 John 2:17)
He doesn’t want us to be condemned along with them and will do anything just to give us eternal life. Even if it means not to have your dreams come true right away.
A thorn in the flesh
The apostle Paul had prayed three times to God to take away the thorn in his flesh, a messenger from satan who tormented him. But God didn’t take it away because it was necessary in order to keep Paul; from becoming conceited because of the surpassingly great revelations he received from God. God didn’t leave him in distress however but promised him that His grace would be sufficient for him because His power is made perfect in weakness. In other words if he relied on God, being aware of his own weakness, God would reveal His power to Paul.
Paul was a devoted disciple of the Lord. We are constantly blessed by the revelations God gave him. He had a sound, loving relationship with God and yet God didn’t grant him his wish.
God did so because He loved Paul very much and His purpose was to have Paul with Him forever by His side. This was Paul’s main objective too. That’s why God had to make sure for Paul’s sake that nothing would come between them even if it meant not to take away his torment. He did promise him to take care of him in his weakness. (Galatians 12)
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
We are constantly under attack by satan and his demons for they wish to destroy our unity with God in order to get us condemned with him to the second death the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14)
Still Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
Killed in action
Earth is a battlefield. Some devoted children of God will not spare their earthly lives to bring the gospel to people. Yes, some of Gods people did not get their earthly wishes granted because they died in action, for the glory of God. They are martyrs. (Hebrews11: 32-39)
But their spirits will live eternally and God will grant them a new body that never dies. (1 Corinthians 15:42)
They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. They were longing for a better country, a heavenly one.
(Hebrews 11:13b, 16)
‘Moses the man of God regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because He was looking ahead for his reward.
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the kings anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.’ (Hebrews11: 26-27)
People who have seen the glory of God know what He has in store for His children. They know that Gods final destiny for them is to be with Him in His heavenly place for all eternity.
God reveals His plan to them and shows them that the world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God will live forever. (1John: 17)
‘They were stoned, they were sawed in two; they were put death by the sword.
They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated, the world was not worthy of them.’
‘These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.’(Hebrews 11:37,38b-40)
All these people longed to be with God forever and they wanted to see the new earth and the new heaven. All their longings will be satisfied in the arms of Jesus. ‘All my fountains are in you.’ (Psalm 87: 7b) They will receive the ultimate fulfillment of their dreams and wishes.
Yet the time was not right for their wish to come true. They persevered because they knew that dead was not the end of life, God would give them a new heavenly body. They had everlasting life because they loved and obeyed Him. Even as Moses they saw Him who is invisible. When Stephen was stoned to death he looked up and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He knew that death was not the end of his dreams. God would still keep His promise. (Acts 7:55-56)
‘For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command , with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
This is the event the martyrs waited for. God’s plan is to bring all His children together, the dead and the living, to meet Him in the air. Only the father knows the exact time.
Chapter 8 Gods secret wisdom [back to top]
‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.’(1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
God’s secret wisdom is a wisdom that has been hidden and that has been destined for our glory before time began. The world does not understand it. God reveals it to us by His Spirit.
Jesus said:” Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:25-26)
No one knows the thoughts of God than the Spirit of God. God gave us His Spirit so we could freely understand what He has given us. Through His Spirit we are able to understand Him.
We are taught to think as Him, to have the mind of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
THE COUNSELOR
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)
After He sacrificed His life for us, He was taken to heaven to sit at the right
hand of God. (Acts1: 9) He is our High priest, appointed by God who intercedes for us. (Hebrews 5) He is preparing a place for us there. When He comes back He will take us to be with Him forever. (John 14:3)
Jesus did not abandon us but He promised to send His Holy Spirit to be with us forever.
He is the Counselor who will guide us into all truth and who will reveal Gods thoughts to us. (John 16: 5-16)
On Pentecostal day The Holy Spirit made His entrance into this world in a special new way. It was an event that would change the lives of men forever. He came to live in our hearts. Moved by the Spirit the disciples of Jesus are performing the signs and wonders of God. But the most wonderful part still is that God can make His thoughts known to us. We truly can have a relationship with Him.
God gives His Spirit to those who love Him. “The fruit of the Spirit of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5: 22-23) He is very sensitive. We can hurt His feelings if we choose to sin even though He lives in us.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
Our relationship with God must be founded on love and trust.
We need to make time for Him everyday to shower Him with our love, to tell Him our needs and to get to know His thoughts, through His Spirit.
We need to love Him more than anything or anyone else and to love all people, as we love ourselves. Do not neglect your family, it is important to spend time with them. Loving them is what God wants us to do. Shower them with the love of Christ so they will be made whole. We have to let the world know that God loves them and wishes to set them free from every burden.
When the Spirit reveals the thoughts of God to you, you will be able to stand and speak the words that Habakkuk the prophet spoke;
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior.
The sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a dear,
He enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakuk3: 17-19)
Before he could speak these words, Habakkuk had struggled with feelings of doubt about Gods infallibility and goodness.
He had complained to God about the violence in the place he was living.
He said:” How long, o Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?” (Habakkuk 1:2-3b)
Why, why, why? His heart was filled with questions and God didn’t seem to want to answer.
Doesn’t this seem familiar to you? We often wonder why God does not answer us.
Then Habakkuk stationed himself on the ramparts to look what God was going to say to Him.
Many times we are so overwhelmed by our sorrow; we are unable to hear Gods voice.
If we want to hear the voice of God we need to turn our eyes from the problem for a moment and stand on the heavenly ramparts to hear what God has to say. When you’re standing on the ramparts you have a clear vision of the situation below. You can look at the problem from a different view; Gods view.
In Isaiah 51:6 God said:” Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and it’s inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever my righteousness will never fail.”
God wants us to look at the things on earth through His heavenly eyes. Because He has an unshakable plan for all mankind.
Even if the heavens and the earth are no more, His goodness and righteousness will never fade away. He will never fail you.
We must not doubt His righteousness and His capability to rescue us from our distress.
We only need to come into His presence and let the Holy Spirit show us the thoughts of the Father. Habakkuk finally opened his heart to the Spirit of God and God was able to speak to him. As the Lord spoke to him, he started to see that God keeps His golden rules; He is infallible. He knew that no matter how terrible the situation was, God would make everything new. Habakkuk finally came to know that he had no reason to doubt God, and he made the most amazing statement I mentioned earlier. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)
You need to trust in the Lord completely. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Seek Him and you will come to know His thoughts for your life.
When you do, you will understand His will for your life and you will be free of stress despite of the situation you’re in, even as Habakkuk. God will give you the victory through your faith in Him.
Let Jesus be your strength let Him make your feet like the feet of a deer.
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
‘He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. (Psalm 37:6)
Jesus says: ”Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28).
Jesus reaches out to you, open up your heart. Let Him touch you;
LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN
Monique Braam
