Sandtoad

Paul knew he was special to God and not just “one of many,” because God spoke to him to enable him and encourage him to continue his work of spreading the good news. We are special to God, too. God asks each of to tell others of the greatness of God and His love for each of us.

One of the ways God approaches us is in a personal way, softly, not loud and intimidating, although He can communicate in other ways to get our attention. His voice brought reassurance and comfort to Elijah when he needed it most. There are so many noises and busyness in our surroundings, that unless we provide and set aside a quiet time to listen to God, we can miss His guidance altogether.

Q 1: A still, small voice is a personal, loving presence of God to get our attention. Elijah realizes God cares for and has more for Elijah to do. So many times our mind is busy with everyday tasks, entertainment and unnecessary things, that we miss the whisper, nudge or any other way God is communicating. Just as we take time with a friend to listen, we need to take the time to be alone with God and quiet ourselves, so we can hear His voice of love, encouragement and what He wants us to do.

Jesus, the man, needed His Father just as we do. Jesus is the Son of God and also man. As stated in verse 19 & 30, Jesus does whatever His Father does. We must accept our reliance on God and follow Him as Jesus did and seek to please God as Jesus did, verse 30. Jesus would retire to a quiet place, pray and listen for His Father’s voice telling Him what path He should take.

Jesus had quiet with His Father to be refreshed so He could preach, heal and drive out demons. Quiet time serves as a praying AND listening time to learn what His Father desires. The disciples were relying on what they wanted, while Jesus listened to the Father. I do not have a scheduled time. I am a multi-tasker, which doesn’t go well with quiet time with God. In order to have quiet time, I am going to set a reminder on my phone at a pre-set, usually non-busy time. Focus first on a picture of Jesus in order to settle into my quiet time.

God's invitation to me showing His hope and plan for me to live with eternal glory and eternal life. In Christ: Grateful that I came to the Lord, later in life, which in my case I believe I appreciate my faith more. Looking forward to the end of suffering, that it is not permanent. While I am waiting, God assists me in endurance.

We aren’t to be fearful, but watchful because is always to take advantage of our moments of weaknesses. We are to be self-controlled, alert, resist Satan’s attacks with faith and courage while being willing to suffer because of our belief in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. 1 Peter and Ephesians both tell us to be strong and alert in resisting the devil, but Ephesians differs from 1 Peter because it is very precise in its directions, telling us what each piece of armor is for and how to use it.

Without this awareness, we can be overcome by the devil through temptation and our human failures. The devil is real and searching for prey (victims) to destroy. This is important so we are watchful/mindful that Satan and other devils are real and want nothing more than to see us fall into a sinful life devoid of our loving Jesus.

“Cast” or “propel” them to God. We do this with the realization that God loves us and wants us to rely on Him. I will remind myself to let God take care of all my worries and fears; I just need to pray and ask with confidence leaning on His care for me.

They shouldn't hold themselves up as having no faults or weaknesses. My pastors many times mention and give examples when they have failed. If we have known the person a long time, we can observe and remember when he acted with love and caring. It would be more difficult if the person is new. We can see how he reacts to those in need. If we fail to do this, the person may be a controller rather than a leader/shepherd who is loving and caring.

Talk to elders & tell them what you are observing. If that is met with denial and putting everything back on you, leave. DO NOT use frustration as an excuse to gossip and stir up trouble among other churchgoers. The danger is that the elders and pastors in their greed for power and money forget that are servants of God and people. They overlook the people they are to care for and consider only what they want. I am blessed with pastors who are biblically based and who care for us.

Coercing someone to serve as a church leader only serves to instill guilt and legalism into a person and removes their joy in their faith. That person may not be called by God to serve as leader. This can damage a church by driving people to other churches who aren’t legalistic, or even worse, embittering people and pushing them from the Christian faith. It can produce a leader who isn’t enthused about serving. This attitude is sure to be noticed by people who need to be drawn closer, rather than pushed away. The leader might put followers on a guilt trip as the leader was, thus producing a vicious circle of future legalistic leaders.

An elder is a shepherd (“leader”), someone who teaches and sets an example of right living. The term that stood out is to “care for”. Someone who leads shouldn't be controlling, but serve as an inspiration to his/her followers, showing the way of Christ.

Healthy Christianity during persecution means that we are willing to give our all because of our belief in our salvation earned for us by Jesus Christ. We are to find joy in our suffering. “Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering, it is the presence of God.” ~ Sam Storms Through consistent actions through faith, we show commitment to our Creator and our recognition of His love.

If I am never persecuted, people might think I have it so easy that it is simple to have belief in Christ. How I react to personal trials, too. If I grumble & groan about everything difficult, this doesn’t show Joy in the Lord. I love the thought of an eternal life & rewards even though I know my salvation doesn’t depend on good works.

When I really think quietly about what Christ suffered (willingly), I realize whatever I am going through (physically or emotionally), is minor. I feel very grateful for Christ's sacrifice. I had never considered that through my suffering, I am a sharer in Christ’s suffering. This gives me a whole new, fresh perspective to meditate on. Thank you, Jesus, for Your sacrifice for me.

Avoiding persecution or judgment by others can cause me to “back away” from sharing the truth about Jesus, thus missing out on opportunities to bring others to Christ. The enthusiasm I felt when first becoming a Christian showed me so many times to tell other about belief in Jesus. Unfortunately others didn’t feel the same way and said they “didn’t want to be preached to.” I have become very aware to not be “preachy” when I would like to say more. I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me on when and how to talk about my faith.

Promoting myself would be bragging about myself and not considering what gifts I have been given by God. It would be prideful. My self-worth shouldn’t depend on how many people notice my gifts. This would be a sign of spiritual immaturity. I believe I can show compassion when it is needed and can share what God has done in my life and how grateful I am for it.

Non-Christians don’t want to feel judged, particularly if they consider themselves “good persons.” As Christians we don’t like feelings of guilt and regret. Realization of judgment and accountability should inspire us to have a Christlike attitude of service. Also, we should live with a spirit of gratitude to have eternal life, not because we deserve it, but because Christ didn’t, but He gave His life for us.

Misery loves company and if someone else is sinning also, it helps prevent feeling so guilty . This is not limited to non-Christians. Sin can be fun at the time and we act on that temptation. Pray and focus on Jesus and how He wants to act.

Christ’s attitude toward sin was that He had paid it all and done with sin. “It is finished.” John 19:30. We need to emulate this attitude in order to grow in our faith and draw further from acting on our worldly desires and sin.

As I said in a prior post, I pledged my faith in Jesus when I was older (in my 60’s). Shortly after, I was baptized (immersion). That was one of the most exciting occurrences in my life. I had been baptized as a baby and raised in a very legalistic church. My present faith has so much day to day meaning to me and I am thankful and so appreciative of this call, maybe more so since I am older. This call to faith is so simple, but rarely easy.

My unrighteousness stands out because I am undeserving of Jesus’ pure and holy sacrifice. To know that I am loved that much is overwhelming and I am so thankful that I came to the Lord at an older age. Many praises.

I fear being “made fun of” or being put down, or causing alienation with someone else. Being a witness can be difficult because other person/s may be angry or say insulting things about me being a Christian. This puts me on the defensive and I want to strike back in like manner. Also I don’t want to push someone away by being too pushy and come off as “preaching” to them. I can’t say one of the 4 instructions is more important, they are all important. Depending on the situation, one may be more relevant at that particular time.

Harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, humble, grudge-free (forgiving), full of blessing. Since my church is quite large, there are many different groups so we can get to know one another and interact i.e. home/hospital visits, praying for those who request to be put on weekly prayer list. There is also a prayer room and a prayer hotline for some who aren‘t in a group. Church goers are asked to participate in donating food and clothes for those in need. There are Bible study groups and an annual “garage sale.” My church offers much to persons in the congregation. All they have to do is reach out. I believe the small groups are the most needed, since they provide a sense of community.