March 2020 Newsletter
March
2020 Newsletter
Hello, my name is Bob, God is good all the time; all
the time, God is good, Lindenberger. This morning, March 1, 2020, I woke up and
immediately said, “O God, this is the first day of the rest of my short life
here on planet earth. I want it to be
the day You have planned for me, but I need help from falling into the pit of
self-pity and want to be in YOUR PRESENCE all day long.”
“We have some neighbors who believe a
false gospel,” a church member told his pastor.
“Do you have some literature I can give them?”
The pastor opened his Bible to 2
Corinthians 3:2, “you are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by
all men” . He said, “the best literature in the world is no substitute
for your own life. Let them see Christ in your behavior, and this will open up
opportunities to share Christ’s Gospel with them.”
The greatest weapon against the devil is
a godly life. And a local church that practices the truth, that “behaves like
it believes,” is going to defeat the enemy. This is the first essential for
victory in this battle.” 1.
Battlefield of the Mind. The American Heritage Dictionary “defines
battleground as an era where a battle is fought; a sphere of contention.” But
the pictures in the daily news make us think otherwise – that battlegrounds are
places where guns are fired, bombs are dropped, people are physically killed
and wounded, and landscapes are destroyed. The danger is that, if we look
around us and don’t see those things happening, we think we are not living on a
battlefield.
But nothing could be farther from the
truth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that our battle is not like the world’s
battles. Rather, it is a battle of ideas, fought on the battlefield of the mind.
Our enemy’s strategy is to tempt us to deny God’s truth and deceive the
discourage God’s people, so they lose faith and hope in the goodness and
providence of God. Yes, Satan stirs up the physical wars between nations and
peoples, but even those wars began with ideas.
Follow Paul’s admonition to take every
thought captive, submissive to the will of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians
10:5). Thoughts must be tested by the Word of God. 2.
Jesus says, My friend, I am good and “a strong refuge
when trouble comes” (Nahum 1:7). Come to me whenever it is not well with you.
When you are too slow to call
to me in prayer, this causes a lack of heavenly comfort. Before you earnestly
seek Me, you first seek after many others means of comfort. You refresh
yourself with outward things. So you find that all of these earthly things have
not helped you at all. You must learn that I am the only one you can trust to
deliver you. There is no strong help, no helpful counsel, or no lasting remedy
but Me. But now, as you recover courage following your storm, grow strong in
the daylight of Mei mercies. For, I know Lord, say that I restore all things,
not only as they were at the beginning, but more abundantly and stack higher
than they once were.
“I am the Lord, the God of
all the people of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
Where is your faith? Stand firm with perseverance. Be patient and strong.
Comfort will come to you at the right time. Wait for me. Yes, wait. I will come
and heal you. When temptation troubles you and unfounded fears terrify you,
remember this: “don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own
worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34). It is futile and
useless to be disturbed or brought up about future things that may never come.
But it is human nature to be
deceived by these fallacies. It is a sign that your mind is still weak as it is
so easily distracted at the threat of an enemy. The enemy does not care if he
can deceive you with something true or false, whether it is the love of the
present or fear of the future. “I have left you with a gift – peace of mind and
heart. And the peace I give you is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be
troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). When you think you are far removed from me, I
am often the closest. When you determine most of all is lost, then there is
often a more excellent opportunity at hand. All is not lost when something goes
contrary to your wishes. Do not judge something all according to your present
feelings or grieve at anything that goes wrong. Do not believe there is no hope
of escape.
Do not think of yourself as
being totally abandoned, even though I have sent you some trials and troubles
and even withdrawn some cherished comforts. No, this is the way to the kingdom
of heaven. Without a doubt, it is better for you – and for all my other
servants – that you should be proven by adversities rather than having
everything the way you would like it. I know your hidden thoughts. It is very
necessary for your souls how that you should sometime be left without joy, so
you won’t be lifted up by prosperity and will desire to please only yourself.
What I have given, I am able to take away – and then restore again – all from
my good pleasure.
What I have given is mine.
What I take away, I have not taken what is yours. “Whatever is good and perfect
[comes] down to us from God, our father” (James 1:17). These good things come
through me. When you experience grief or frustration, do not be angry, and do
not let your heart be sad. I am able to quickly you will and change every
burden into joy. I am just greatly to be praised when I do these things to you.
If you will look at this, the
right way with truth, you will never be there discouraged by adversity but will
rejoice and give thanks. Yes, consider it the highest honor that I do not spare
you from sorrows. As I have spoken to my beloved disciples, “I have loved you
even as the Father has loved me” (John 15:9). I sent them, not unto worldly
joys but to great conflicts, not into honors, but contempt; not unto ease, but
the hard labor; not to rest, but to bring much fruit through patience. My
friend, remember these words.3.
1.
Warren
W. Wiersbe, Be Joyful, p52
2.
David
Jeremiah, turning point, May 10, 2011
3. Thomas A. Kempis, The Imitation of
Christ, Book3 Chapter 30.
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