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Q2. (2 Corinthians 1:9-10) How does facing a harrowing crisis help us grow in the Lord? How has a crisis helped your spiritual life? What is the value of learning not to rely on ourselves? What does this do to our pride? How does this improve our effectiveness as God’s servants? Facing a crisis helps me to cry out to the Lord because I know He is the only one who can help me. As I look back on situations in my life, I can say with 100% certainty that He has never failed me. He has never walked away from me. He was there when I didn't know it; He was there when I thought He wasn't. Sometimes you don't realize His presence until the situation is over. But by being vigilant and growing closer to Christ you will feel His presence more and more. Every time I tried to rely on myself, I messed things up because they were not according to the will of God. He never gives me more than I can handle and sometimes takes things or people out of my life because it would be too much for me to deal with at the time either because it was not in HIs plan or because it would be harmful to me in some way. He loves me and wants only the best for me. It is very humbling to turn our will and our lives over to God, especially in a crisis when we think that we know better and we know how to fix things, but time and time again He was right and I was wrong. The more I learn to trust Him, the more effective I will be in sharing the Good News with friends, family and all the people in my life. Trust is something that you learn by seeing results and there has never been a time when I trusted the Lord that things didn't turn out O.K. And then there's faith..........that's believing without seeing. And that's HIs gift to us and is strengthened more and more by growing closer to Him.

The comfort that I receive the most from God is the knowledge that He is there and that I am not alone. I try to tell my son who is suffering from depression that He is there for him, too. And I tell him and show him that I am there for him as well. I am learning that not everything is about me. God uses us to be a part of other's lives for His purposes. It is comforting to know that God trusts me to be part of His plan for the betterment of someone else's life. With this knowledge comes acceptance of circumstances in my life and the lives of those I love. God will see us through everything. When I am uncomfortable about something, that is a clear sign that I am not following God's will. God is a God of clarity, not of confusion. That's when I need to get back on track through bible study, prayer and meditation. The uncomfortable feelings push me in that direction and back to His will for me.

Hi everyone, I'm Linda. It's been a while since I've participated in one of these studies and my life experiences show it. Having learned my lesson in thinking that I can "do it alone", I'm back to learn and grow and allow Christ to be the center of my life. I'm looking forward to this study and getting to know all of you.

To be incorporated into Christ means I am in Him and He is in me. His Spirit dwells in me--in my soul, in my actions, in my thoughts. It is why it is important that I walk with Him in everything I do. When people look at me if I am right with Christ, they will see Him and I can then be a testament to His goodness, His love, His mercy, His forgiveness.

Hi, I'm Linda from Maine. I have taken other JesusWalk bible studies and have enjoyed them. I'm looking forward to yet another in-dept study of God's Word.

When my son and his family were homeless last year I went to my church for help and was refused. Even though my son was doing everything he could possibly do to remedy the situation and I also was trying to help, they refused because they said they don't help people in situations like that because they never know it they're being scammed or not. So they donate money to an organization so they can help people. They wouldn't even bring food to the hotel to help them. I was appalled. Wouldn't it have made sense for the pastor and wife and church members to have prayed for discernment in this situation? My son, who is not a Christian missed an opportunity to see Christ at work. And they missed a wonderful opportunity to witness to him and his family.

If faith is unaccompanied by action we are not showing what we believe. There are many instances in which we are the only way someone who does not believe sees Jesus. If we are not acting as though Jesus is truly living inside us, we have missed the opportunity to share His love and example.

Taming the tongue is a true test of religion for me because sometimes it's difficult to do. It takes real trust in the Lord to be able to hold my tongue because I want validation of what's on my mind. I don't need validation from anyone other than God. He knows what's in my heart. He hears my plea. He hears my defense. Not taming the tongue can lead to all sorts of problems. Once we say something it can never be unsaid. This is especially true of gossip. Gossip is hurting to all involved. Not only to the person we are talking about but also to ourselves. I know that when I gossip, I harbor all sorts of feelings along with the gossip--most likely anger, and sometimes envy, jealousy, or bitterness creep in. When I'm acting like that I am truly not in the image of God. Caring for the poor is doing something and expecting nothing in return. If we are fortunate enough to have an abundance we should always share it with those less fortunate. It's also a wonderful opportunity to witness. While the quality of our quiet time and worship is important to our spiritual growth, it is known only to the Lord as it should be. A "test" means something is to be measured. In the case of taming our tongue, non-Christians are always watching us. If I am to be walking with the Lord, I must act accordingly-not in a show-off manner, but in a sincere "this is how I live for Christ" manner. It must be natural because Christ lives within me and everything I say or do should be done knowing that I am in His presence.

The perfect law is love. Everything revolves around love. Relationships, giving, forgiveness. The royal law is "love your neighbor as yourself". Jesus wants us to love each other just as we are-with all our faults and shortcomings. I believe He does not want us to judge one another. Loving your neighbor as yourself brings liberty because we stop judging others and thus stop focusing negatively on others. The time we spend then is spent on our relationship with God and what we can do to help those around us.

What a wonderful question! It is so easy to log onto Bible studies like this one, go to church, watch In Touch, Hour of Power and whatever else comes on the Christian TV station, listen to and sing praise music and think that we are following God's Word because our lives are full of "Christian busyness". Not only is the 'busyness" the root of our deception, it's also the need or desire to let other people know what good Christians we are. While, we can set an example to non-Christians, it's the motive that counts. If the example we set is to draw others to Christ, our motives are pure. And that should be the only reason we should let people know who we are. It shouldn't be because they will think that we are holy or some how above everyone else. That's spiritual pride. It's important at the end of the day to take an inventory of our life with Christ for that particular day. One of the books I read and treasure is The Imitation of Christ. It's a wonderful way to check our Christ-like character.

When we are born again, we are given spiritual truth by the word of truth. The Word is a blueprint for our lives. I remember when I first started reading God's word. I always had a Bible in my house, but it was only when I entered AA and was taught that I should turn my life and my will over to God that I actually took it out and read it. I figured that if I was going to turn my life and will over to God, I wanted to know who He was. That was 26 years ago and I've been reading the Bible ever since. At that time, I read the Bible for comfort. I was not born again, however until after the Oklahoma City Bombing. That had an impact on me like nothing else in my life since. I remember picking up my Bible and for some reason, I turned to Isaiah and read and read and read. It was shortly after that night, that I asked Jesus to come into my life and accepted Him as my Savior. I think I realized even then that the answers were to be found in His Word. I've always been the kind of person that needed someone to show me the way. I found what I was looking for. Not only did I have a Savior and Redeemer, but I also had a blueprint for life--something that said to "do this--ok-now do this". In my spiritual life, there is no confusion as to what is to be done and what is not to be done. There are, however, times when my will gets in the way. His word is clear. There's no mistake about the direction I should go in. But I must pray daily, that my will--and it can be strong at times--is put aside and the word of Truth will prevail. It's absolutely amazing to me how if I have strayed from His word and then when I pick it up again--usually because of extreme pain in my life as a result of walking away from God--I receive INSTANT peace and comfort. I read here in this forum and I have friends who seem to have found a place of continual daily communion with God. I pray that through His word and by doing what it says, I will achieve that place in my life, too.

We are promised that if we ask God, He will give us wisdom. He gives it to us generously however, we must not doubt when we ask. Looking back on the trials I've endured I can see how they are somehow all connected. Many times I've thought, "Oh, now I know why this happened--this couldn't have happened without that happening first". When we pay attention to the trials and also good things from God we start to see the whole picture. It's like watching a movie of your life. But when we doubt or don't obey, we interrupt God's plan for us and it seems that it takes a long time to get back on track. Sometimes, I wonder if it's really doubt that we go through, but the unwillingness to accept God's will. Sometimes I get what seems like very clear instruction from the Lord but I fight it because it is not consistent with my plans. I can also see that sometimes the Lord uses me for things that have nothing to do with me. He places me where He needs me for His purposes. Prayer can help me ask God for wisdom. Meditation can help me listen to His answer. When the mind is quiet, the answers come.

To me trials are God's way of getting our attention. I know that when I get complacent and life is going good it's too easy for me not to have God in the forefront. I get involved in what I am doing and just go through life as though I'm the conductor of it. To me, that's doublemindedness. I know who's in control of my life but I take the driver's seat anyway. Only through daily bible study, prayer and communion with other Christians can I put God first. But when I slide away from these things, God does need to get my attention to bring me back to Him. During those trials, I cry out to the Lord in anquish at times, very well aware that I shouldn't have walked away in the first place. Through close connection with the Lord I have peace. Unfortunately, it's at those times when I'm closest to Him that Satan will do anything to distract me. And sometimes I fall. I thank God for loving me so much that He will do anything to remind me that He is there. I still have free will. I can still see Him and walk away, but nevertheless, He loves me enough to cause me to reach out to Him whether it be in love or anquish--through communion with Him or through trials. He never leaves me--ever.

Q2. (1:13-15) Why do people blame God for evil? Does God tempt us with evil? Does he tempt sinful people with evil? Why does he allow people to sin? Why does he allow evil to exist at all? People who blame God for evil don't know God or His character. God is incapable of evil. He does not tempt us with evil. That, too, is not in His character. We were born with free will, a freedom to choose between good and evil because God loves us enough to give us that freedom. In the beginning Adam and Eve knew only good. It was only when tempted by Satan that evil was introduced in their lives. When I was born, God chose me to be His child. And now, He asks me to choose Him through His Son Jesus Christ. He also asks me to choose between good and evil. I believe He loves me enough to trust me. So much is said about our trusting Him, that we forget that He trusts His children. I know the difference between good and evil from His word, from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and from the power of His love. I have no reason, no excuse, not to know the difference. He has equipped me with everything I need to know right from wrong. But sometimes when I take our eyes off Jesus, I make wrong decisions. Pride, greed, envy, jealousy creep in and before I know it, so do evil thoughts, words, or actions. It takes constant viligence in studying God's word, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians, and with Jesus to live in a state where good prevails. I don't know that God allows evil to exist exactly. I do know that sometimes as Christians it's easy to get off the right path--and we KNOW Christ. Imagine someone that doesn't know Him. If someone doesn't have God's word or prayer in their life, or if they don't know Christ, it must be that much harder for them to recognize the evil in their lives. Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony, perfect union with God, and yet, Satan was able to tempt them. But even they were born with the freedom to choose good from evil. I would assume that they didn't know Satan or that he even existed. The Bible says that Satan was crafty. He was able to make Eve sin by the use of doubt. "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" Gen 3:1. We need to pray constantly, study His word and heed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Satan is the ruler of this world, but He is not the ruler of my heart.

Most of the time the value from trials is seen months or even years later. And often, I go through the same types of trials, always having to do with relationships. Am I not listening to the Lord, am I not learning. My hope with this study is that I reach a point where I can go from step A to step B. As I'm sitting here thinking, I can tell that trust in God has a lot to do with it. I pray for discernment to hear the Lord's voice and not Satan's when it comes to relationships (people-pleasing, need for approval, aloneness vs. loneliness). I want to reach a point that Jesus is all I need. So often I say that, but since I keep coming up with the same problems over and over again, do I really believe that? I want to with all my heart.

Hi Everyone, I'm Linda from Maine. I have taken other JesusWalk studies and have gained so much from them. The book of James is one of my favorites because it is so practical. It also serves as a mirror. I'm also looking forward to interacting with all of you and learning from you as well as the study. God Bless You.