FAITH THINGS HAPPEN
There
was an article in the paper some time ago that told of contact
lenses being developed when fighter pilots were shot down in
World War II and it was discovered that the plexiglass often
embedded in their eyes did not cause infection or damage.
The late Dr.
Roy Plunkett, at twenty seven years of age, accidentally
discovered Teflon while trying to develop a new refrigerant. It
changed the way people cooked and became a multimillion-dollar
product used in the chemical industry as well as in the home.
Rubber
vulcanization was discovered in 1839 when Charles Goodyear, a
Connecticut hardware merchant accidentally dropped a mixture of
rubber and sulfur into a fire.
Alexander
Graham Bell discovered the telephone while trying to develop a
hearing aid for his wife and Thomas Edison discovered the
phonograph while working on an entirely different project.
Kellogg’s Corn
Flakes were discovered when someone accidentally left boiled
wheat in a baking pan overnight and paper towels came into
existence when a toilet paper machine got out of whack and
started putting out too many layers of tissue.
A while back
there was an article in the newspaper about a garbage truck
driver, Craig Randall of Peabody, Massachusetts. He picked up a
bag of garbage and it contained a Wendy’s soft drink cup worth
$200,000.
Happenings
like these just give us more assurance that the God of Heaven
and the maker and owner of all still works in human lives. He is
working with us in our labor, our leisure and at times, even in
our dumb mistakes and wanderings. He cares more than we know.
When Gideon
was threshing wheat by a winepress, doing what he could with
what he had, he got a visitation from heaven and was on his way
to a destiny that was far beyond his fondest dreams. He was
elevated from poverty to a deliverer of his people. (Judges.
6:11) We never know when the Lord is going to change the tide in
our lives. Saul was looking for his father’s asses and the next
thing he knew he was being anointed for kingship. (1 Sam. 9:3)
When Joseph
was sold into Egypt by his brothers and month after month of
imprisonment and bondage followed; the great miracle of God and
good arriving on the scene simultaneously happened. When the
struggle was over and he was elevated from a felon to the second
highest level in government, his summation of the ordeal was, “..Fear
not, for I am in God‘s place. But as for you, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it
is this day, to save such people alive. Now fear not: I will
nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and
spake kindly unto them.” (Genesis 50:19 & 21 KJV)
The Apostle
Paul, with a lifetime of suffering and sacrifice proclaimed
right in the middle of his hurt, “… We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to his purpose.” (Roman 8:28) He also
said that, “… I reckon that the
sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” (Roman 8:18)
One of the
most dangerous things that can happen to a growing Christian is
for him or her to be removed from their wilderness or trial
before the proper time.
There was a
wine company that used to advertise on television very
frequently. Their motto was, “We will sell no wine before its
time.” If good wine takes time you can bet the farm that you
and I are not going to get a three-minute microwave treatment
from the Lord and be on our way.
I am finding
that getting older really has some great advantages when it
comes to strong faith. As we look back over the years we can
count over and over again what miracles the Lord of Heaven has
performed in the circumstances of our lives. The situation that
we find ourselves in at this moment is just one of the
ingredients that God is using to perform His miracles. Miracles
that will give us our necessary boost, strengthen our faith and
also spill over into the lives of others.
Some time ago
I was talking to a ninety-year-old lady who lives in a very
depressed neighborhood and has confronted three robbers, on
separate occasions, alone in her own home. She said she stood
her ground (without a gun) in the name of Jesus and the robbers
fled. She told of reading her bible through seventeen times. I
thought, my God this woman has the faith and boldness to stare
down a rattlesnake. When I hung up the phone I was charged with
a new level of believing. With every heartbeat, God, in his way,
is developing us, with all of our flaws, into his masterpiece.
The scriptures teach that: “The path of the just is as a
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
(Proverbs 4:18) They also proclaim that, “The steps of a
good man are ordered by the Lord.” (Psalms 37:23) We used to
sing the old chorus in church, “Every day with Jesus, is
sweeter than the day before …”, and if our believing is
really right that statement is true. He is working things out,
and He is working them out well, even as we speak.
LIVES THAT ARE RADICALLY CHANGED
A few months
ago Candy Barr, at age 70 died. She was famous for her life as a
stripper, porn star, going to prison, shooting her husband,
driving getaway cars, drugs and about everything else you can
think of pertaining to the wild side of life. She was linked
with Jack Ruby the night club owner who shot President Kennedy’s
alleged assassin, Harvey Oswald. She was also romantically
connected with Los Vegas gangster Mickey Cohen.
But there is
another side to her life. In the late seventies, after about 25
years of her running wild, I picked up the morning newspaper and
there on the front page was a picture of an older and much
different looking lady in a wheelchair. It was Candy Barr and
the headline read, “She Turned From Drugs To Jesus”. The article
went on to tell a little of her life story, how a bullet from
the jealous wife of one of her clients had severed her spinal
cord and paralyzed her from the waist down. Then it told how she
was preaching the gospel.
Some time ago
there was a story in the news of David Berkowitz. He was known
as The Son of Sam, a serial killer, who in 1976 and 77 stalked
the streets of New York City killing six people in cold blood
and paralyzing the area with fear. He was arrested, convicted
and sentenced to 365 years in prison. This newspaper article
told of his conversion to the Lord and how he was preaching on
public access television in the same city through which he sent
horror.
When someone
really knows the Jesus of the Bible, stories like these are not
surprising. They just keep surfacing over the years and over our
lifetime. We learn that not only little sins can be forgiven …
we learn that all sins can be forgiven.
A television
commentator speaking about Larry King, the talk show host, said
“He treats the great people average and the average people
great”. That has to be a God characteristic; he levels the
playing field for all. Jesus knows that greatness lies within
all and he longs to bring it out. He recognizes your hidden
abilities and the longings, desires and dreams in your heart.
Candy Barr and
David Berkowitz did what we all have to do in order to be
genuinely clean and motivated. When we repent; when we really
get serious about the wretched life that we have lived and turn
our sins and failures over to a loving and forgiving Lord a
transformation takes place that is inexplicable to the world.
The agony, the suffering, and the shedding of the blood from the
Savior’s veins and arteries is the one agent that will make all
things new.
This man of
men that walked the streets of pain, bondage, evil, guilt, sin,
frustration, death and sickness is alive and well and His arms
are open to all that dare to make a step of faith in His
direction. It doesn’t matter if you stole a piece of bubble gum
when you were a child or if you are in the depths of
unmentionable wickedness with no way to go but up; this Lord of
the Bible is awake every second both day and night and is
longing for your return to your childhood purity. You can have a
radical change and you can have it this very day!
WE
HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY
In a rerun of
the late Ann Landers favorite letters is the following classic:
Dear Ann Landers:
A few days ago, my best friend died. He was my
teacher, my idol, my symbol of strength and protection. He was
also my father.
Last year on my 17th birthday, I
obtained my driver’s license. Three weeks later, I had a minor
accident. I was scared to death of what my father would say when
the police called him. I wasn’t hurt, but I had a few scratches
and was dazed by the impact.
The moment he saw me, he hugged me and tried to
calm my ragged nerves. I kept repeating, “I’ll never drive
again”. He said, “Oh, yes you will. In fact, you are going to
drive me home.”
Then he told me about Thomas Alva Edison and how
he made the first electric light bulb. After seven years of hard
work and experimentation. Edison handed the precious bulb to his
laboratory assistant to put away. The assistant accidentally
dropped it. Of course, the bulb broke into a thousand pieces.
Edison went to work on the second bulb. After he had completed
it, he handed it to his assistant again, to prove that he had
confidence in him. I knew how the assistant must have felt when
I was behind the wheel of that car, driving my dad home.
This was only one of the lessons I learned from
this remarkable man. I am thankful to have had him for eighteen
years. I hope you will find room in your column for my letter.
Perhaps after reading it, the lucky ones who still have a dad
will appreciate him a little more.
– A Loving
Daughter
Some years ago
the God of Heaven placed something precious in your hands and in
mine. It was life. Whether we want to admit it or not … we
dropped it and it broke into a thousand pieces. We still drop
it. Most of us need forgiveness not too long after our day is in
progress. The good news is, we can have it. Why should we carry
a load of guilt? Why should we live without the proper
restraints that the Holy Spirit from Heaven places upon us.
A few years
ago a radio station in Texas publicized the finding of J.R.
Richards, the great fastball pitcher for the Houston Astros. At
the time he was broke and living under a bridge. He went from on
top in the big leagues to on bottom under the big bridge; a very
common happening in our everyday world. I am sure that as J.R.
lay under that bridge and listened to the traffic roaring by in
the wee hours of the morning his mind wandered back to happier
days.
It is so
important for us to remember that things can go bad and they can
go bad fast if we do not develop a strong and positive faith.
Only Jesus
knows the disciplines that you and I need in our everyday
existence. When He speaks, the peace that passes all
understanding floods our being. He will satisfy our hunger with
His multiplying hands. When we finally realize that every breath
of air, every crumb of bread and every drop of water comes from
His supply; we will then have the eternal security for which we
so strongly desire. We must know that it is he that “Openest
thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” (Ps.
145:16) He always stands ready to give; at least one more
opportunity.
We not only
received the gift of life and the gift of eternal life when we
were reborn; we received an awesome responsibility of doing
God’s labor.
Roy Angel was
the senior pastor of Central Baptist Church, in Miami, Florida
from 1936 until his retirement in 1962. He was a precious man of
God that was gifted in his ability to both speak and write for
the Lord. In his book, “Baskets Of Silver”, Broadman Press,
Nashville, TN, he relates this story:
“…In a little village in France after World War,
a detachment of soldiers had been left as occupational troops to
keep order in town. Time hung heavy on their hands. One day they
decided to help the villagers restore their bombed homes and
city. They started on the church. It was a big job, for the
church had received a direct hit. They worked joyously and
cheerfully, cleaning up debris, putting back the windows, and
rebuilding the pews. Amid the debris they found a marble statue
of Christ. It was badly broken, but they managed to cement it
together and set it up in the niche in the wall. But search as
they would, they could not find the hands of the statue of
Christ. And so when they had finished arranging the statue in
its place, a moment of inspiration came to one of them. He made
a placard and hung it on the statue. These simple words were
printed on it, “He has no hands but yours”.
When I read
these words, I can’t really say that they make me feel good.
When we really take inventory of our lives and we survey our
labors that really count in the end, most of us come up too
short. It makes me want to change. You and I are endued with a
very heavy load … we must perform His labor.
BRACING FOR THE ATTACK!
Earl Campbell,
the hall of fame running back for the Houston Oilers and the New
Orleans Saints, in 1989 after four years of retirement from
football was doing fine. One day while riding down the highway
he was attacked by fear and anxiety. This giant of a man that
seemed to have everything going for him was suddenly rendered
helpless, panicked with fear and unable to even leave his home.
After months
of agony and being examined by doctors and psychiatrists, Earl
found that what was happening to him was also happening to
millions of others in America. He found that this condition can
cause irrational fear, dizziness, rapid heart beats, shortness
of breath, trembling, hot flashes or chills, abdominal problems,
loss of confidence and depression. It can also trigger substance
abuse problems. It is a horror of hell that is spreading over
our nation like a gas fed forest fire.
Our Bible
teaches that there is a spirit of fear; a demon that will get in
our face and do unbelievable acts to destroy our lives. It also
teaches that there is a Holy Spirit from God that gives us power
and power to spare to defeat these attackers. The scriptures
say, “Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil.” (Acts 10:38 KJV)
There is a
storm on the horizon of your life and mine. Things are coming
over the hill that are horrifying if we should see them in the
spirit. I don’t know what Earl Campbell knows about the spirit
world, but I do know that an attack of the devil is much more
powerful than the hit of an NFL linebacker. When these demons
from Hades get into a life; only suffering and hell can follow.
Fear and torment are not on the daily menu of the victorious
Christian. Hell and all of its fury cannot and will not dominate
the lives of real believers. When our hearts are right, when we
know that our sins are forgiven, when we are filled with the
Holy Ghost; we have the power. We have the power to walk through
the blackest darkness that hell itself can cast upon us. We can
brace for the attack and we can attack back. We can and do have
the power over all evil. Jesus himself proclaimed,
“I beheld satan as lightening fall from heaven.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy that nothing
shall by any means hurt you.“ (Luke 10:18 & 19)
ALL
WRAPPED UP
What is on
your mind? The Apostle Paul, writing from the very depths of his
soul and inspired by the Holy Spirit, penned these words: “…
having your loins girt about with truth”. (Ephesians 6:14)
Our loins represent our reproduction capacity. How is our mind
running this machine that will make us productive soul winners?
We all have our number one. Something or somebody is dominating
our thought time. Our spiritual reproduction is directly related
to what we are wrapped up with in our thoughts. There are
thousands of subjects with which we can waste our time and
energy. Many are not really bad, but what is their value when
placed on the eternal menu?
I was reading
where Charles Cook, from San Francisco, for eighteen years
dreamed and worked on his experimental airplane. The article
said, “He took little bits of Styrofoam, glass fiber and wood
and painstakingly crafted them into an airplane, spurning
manufactured kits to build each piece his own way …”. And then
on its maiden flight crashed into flames killing Charles and his
dream. The article went on to tell how he died doing what he
loved to do.
I think we
could all write a better script to the ending of a person’s
life. What good is a dream that crashes and burns you to ashes?
Things could have ended much better. He could have listened to
the ones who had built and studied thousand of planes. He could
have followed the directions of an expert and still be flying
his dream … but he did it his way.
Frank Sinatra
and Elvis Presley both sold hundreds of thousands of recordings
of a song entitled, “I Did It My Way” and we can see lives in
every age group that are still echoing this philosophy. It may
not sound real bad, but when we place it in the proper
perspective … it is real bad. We have a Lord. We do not
know how to live and we will never know how to live. We need
directions for every millisecond of our lives. The last two
words Frank uttered before going into eternity were, “I’m
losing.” I hope he was talking about his life here on earth and
not his eternal home.
We are as
helpless as newborns when it comes to knowing our future. Our
Bibles say, “I will instruct thee and
teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee
with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which
have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and
bridle..” (Psalm 32:8 & 9 KJV)
The wisest of
the wise men wrote, “In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6
KJV)
So we can be
wrapped up in the right stuff. We can get all wrapped up in the
Lord where permanent failure becomes an impossibility and
happiness is for certain.
GIVING FAITH
If you
happened to know of two people that were retiring next week and
you had to choose which one’s shoes in which to walk, who’s
would you choose if one had never gave any money to the Lord’s
work but saved one million dollars; or would you choose the next
one who had not saved a dime but had given one million dollars
over the years to the Lord’s work?
It would take
a real giver about one tenth of a second to make this decision.
Anyone that gives knows that it brings benefits like no other
activity can bring. I believe that giving puts money in your
pocket, health in your body and comfort in your soul. Giving
will make new friends, keep old ones, and give you good health
so you might outlive them all. I well remember the first time
that I gave blood. At that time I was underweight, a little
frail and I sure did not feel that I had any blood to spare. The
girl that was about to draw the blood from my arm started
telling me how underweight and sickly she was before she started
giving blood. She was a picture of health; she believed, and
convinced me, that her health came from giving blood.
There was a
story in our local newspaper just before Christmas that was a
perfect example of what happens when someone just opens up and
gives.
Rene Robinson,
an artist from Atlanta was here in Tampa buying groceries at a
local Sweet Bay market. As the clerk, Rebecca Harmon, was
checking her out Rene was suddenly horrified because she
realized she did not have enough money with her to pay the bill.
She started removing groceries from the belt but Rebecca stopped
her and continued to finish the checkout. The total came to $100
and Renee had $90. Rebecca reached for her pocketbook under the
counter, retrieved $10 and told Renee to be on her way. The next
evening Renee was in a local Wal-Mart being checked out and was
sharing her story with the clerk. The lady that was next in
line, who was listening, rolled her eyes and said, “Things like
that always happen to other people; it has sure never happens to
me.” Renee said she decided to put the “Sweet Bay” on her. She
told the clerk to check her out and she would pay her bill too.
She not only
paid her bill but she followed her to the bus stop across the
parking lot and gave her her cell phone number and offered to
help with whatever need she could.
It doesn’t
stop here. Renee headed back to Rebecca’s store to pay her the
$10 back and to give her a big fat tip.
When she
arrived she told the store manager what had happened and he gave
Rebecca a fifty dollar gift certificate and entered her name in
the “Spirit of Santa Award” contest sponsored by the Florida
Retail Federation.
It gets
better. Unknowing, she won and they sent a professional Santa
through Rebecca’s line. When she started ringing him up, it
happened again; Santa was short of money too. Rebecca reached
for her pocketbook but this time Santa stopped her, reached in
his pocket and gave her the money to pay the bill, $500 in cash,
a $750 gift certificate and a gift certificate for Rebecca and
her family to spend three days at Dayton Beach.
I believe that
giving will bring a blessing no matter if it is a pint of blood,
a piece of cake or as in this case, a ten dollar bill. Jesus
looks into the eyes of the very poor, the very rich and all of
us that are in between. He sees our needs and our longings; with
his thundering words of unlimited power he says,
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over …”
(Luke 6:38)
Giving makes
you feel better, look better and act better. It is good medicine
for whatever ailment you may have. It is a step of faith that
will give you a knowing that something is going to come back and
it is going to come back good. I feel sorry for stingy people.
They miss so much and have a miserable existence. Their every
need is never met. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Not even God would
appear unto a hungry man except in the form of bread.” If we
will be honest with ourselves we will admit that needs keep
coming over the hill. And it isn’t always money. Rich people
have just as many needs as poor people; different at times but
they are just as, or sometimes more important. A real giver
knows that every crumb of bread, every drop of water and every
breath of life giving oxygen comes from the hand of our Heavenly
Father.
Place your
hand on your heart. If things are going right it will pulsate
about seventy times over the next sixty seconds. Do we have
control of this little wonder of wonders that will outwork
anything that man can make? No. It is controlled by the one that
made all. The man that saved a million dollars over a lifetime
would give it all just to keep this little machine going only a
few more minutes when the end is coming. I don’t believe in
buying the blessings of the Lord, but I can’t help but think he
favors those who favor him. I do know that I am on his side and
I want to learn a little more about being a good giver. We all
do. We all know that giving faith is the generator that will
energize and light every area of our lives! Right now, this is
my day off and I am working the wee hours of the morning. Do you
think I am doing this for anything other than a blessing that I
will need in the future? It is my simple way of giving so that I
may be a blessing to others and that my needs will be met as
they come down the pike. You cannot find a better deal! Giving
faith will detonate your dynamite and secure your future like no
financial arrangement that any professional can prepare. You can
start at any level and set any goal you wish. Giving helps us to
stretch ourselves and is one of God’s answers to the gambling
urge. Even our Bibles challenge us in this area. The scriptures
scream out, “Try it! Let me prove it to
you! Your crops will be large, for I will guard them from
insects and plagues. Your grapes won’t shrivel away before they
ripen”, says the Lord almighty. “And all nations will call you
blessed, for you will be a land sparkling with happiness. These
are the promises of the Lord Almighty.” (Mal 3:10 & 11 Living
Bible)
This is God’s
lottery and you win every time. You can stand in the rain and
not get wet easier than you can give to the Lord and not be
blessed. The givers are the livers; and I want to be lined up on
their side of the ball! Giving faith will revolutionize our
lives and knock out poverty forever; don’t miss out on this
weapon of weapons!
IN
REVIEW
It is so easy
to forget. Let’s go over the high points of the things we just
discussed. To stay positive is a very tough job. We must learn
to keep on reprogramming … over and over and over again.
Number one …
Something great can happen. It may happen while you are in
terrible trouble or while digging through the garbage. A miracle
can come our way at any moment and under all conditions. Stay in
your trial until you are prepared for the promotion! The God of
Heaven is looking over your shoulder.
Number two …
Radical change is the order of the day when we deal with Jesus.
He can and will turn it around. He can make a miracle in the
heart of a murderer and make a porn star precious. He knows how
to treat average people great!
Number three …
Failure only opens the door for another try. Edison had
confidence in his laboratory assistant and God has confidence in
you. Shake off that mistake or bad decision and go at it one
more time.
Number four …
Don’t go from the big leagues to the big bridge. Don’t let fear
come in when you can fill that space with the Holy Ghost.
Number five …
Our hands are His hands. There are some very important tasks
that are going undone. We can start right where we are and
change our world by changing our activities.
Number six …
Get wrapped up in the right stuff. Don’t build a dream out of
garbage that will crash into flames. Don’t be a loser in the
end. We can do it His way.
Number six:
Remember that the givers are the livers. Let us turn our penny
ante life loose and receive the King’s allowance. It just may be
a little better than what we are used to. Let us be a spark in
the land that is sparkling with happiness!
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly
Father … please teach me to live … the good life; the life that
you have designed for me to develop and enjoy. Give me wisdom
and understanding. Forgive all of my failures, shortcomings and
sins. Help me to have that clean feeling that seems to have
eroded with time. Jesus just be my Lord … all of the time and
every day.
Amen.
Gratitude
unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough,
and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house
into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of
our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for
tomorrow.
Melodie
Beattie Writer
“Let Not Your
Heart be Troubled!”
Jesus
“Only you can
be yourself, no one else is qualified”
unknown
“Give, and it
shall be given unto you…”
Jesus
“The game of
life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words
return to us sooner or later,
with astounding accuracy.”
Florence Shinn/Writer
“Believe in
yourself and there will come a day when others will have no
choice but to believe with you.”
unknown
Footsoldier Ministries/Jim Hobby