MEETING REAL LIFE ISSUES

Teaching on Anxiety


– Teaching On Anxiety –

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not
lean on your own understanding.
(Proverbs 3:5)

3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect
peace, Because he trusts in You.
(Isaiah 26:3)

34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow
will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:34)

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common
to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide
the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
(I Corinthians 10:13)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:6-7)

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(I Peter 5:6-7)

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Seek God’s Strength!


ICEA – “Church at Study”

My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
– Psalm 62:1-2

David was the writer of Psalm 62 above. He was also a great warrior who had strength and ability to lead the nation of Israel. Israel’s army rallied behind him and, together, they won many victories against their enemies. By all accounts the nation trusted him as a victorious and strong leader. Where did David’s strength come from? Reading from (no doubt) David’s writings, it’s safe to say that he SOUGHT God for his continual strength:

Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
– Psalm 105:4

He wrote from pages in history to tell us what had been his success in leading God’s great nation. It had little to do with his ability to amass chariots or to strategize on a human level, but his directive came from his abiity to SEEK GOD and get His STRENGTH.

From Psalm 62:2, he writes:

“I won’t be greatly moved.”

Using David’s example, we’re talking about getting to a place where we come to trust God’s strength and allow His strength to be infused and channeled through what strength we possess.

As a result of David being victoriously engaged with his opposers (Psalm 62:1-2), it makes sense why he wrote verse 3:

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man?
ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall
shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

As great and confident as David was, he knew his limitations and taught Israel the reason for his successes (vs. 8):

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your
heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

The strength that David possessed came from his two-pronged approach to everything that he did. He had the ability to “trust” and “pour out his heart” to God. David also used the word “refuge” in the verse above. Similar biblical words used in scriptures are: high tower, fortress, defense, and stronghold. These words are used as places of security from an enemy. David had built such a relationship with God that he knew SEEKING HIM was next to being strong and “fortress-like.” Only through continually seeking God can we acquire strength and see our foe’s defense as being like bowing walls or weak fences. Throughout this Psalm he speaks similar words (vs. 5-7) because he’s sure God will meet his expectations with STRENGTH and he is even more resolved in his stance not to be overthrown.

As a teacher to Israel, he taught that human strength and resources are frail and don’t last (vs. 9-10):

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men
of high degree  are a lie: to be laid in the balance,
they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery:
if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

David, the strong but limited warrior, had heard from God (vs. 11) and early in his life he had come to understand that God was the source of his strength:

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard
this; that power belongeth unto God.

Many of us are not warriors in the sense that David was. We are average people with families and lives to lead. Yet, we have been called to engage in everyday battles with real problems that can amount to devastating consequences if we are not strengthened by the things of Christ. It would be our wisdom if we would take frequent times to SEEK THE LORD and HIS STRENGTH, and to SEEK HIS FACE evermore!

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Living In The Moment!


ICEA – “Church at Study”

At the heart of this article are the words: “Living In The Moment.” The author defines this statement as: “God…who suddenly makes Himself real in a moment…despite what conditions consume our thoughts — whether it concerns our past, or our uncertain future.” Nothing else matters at that time but the MOMENT when we are experiencing the “realness” of God!

 

Many of us have experienced times when God has been so real.  These are brief moments when we are impressed through revelation, meditation, prayer, or some other means when the Spirit of God overwhelms our spirit. During these times God has helped us to regain confidence and renew our faith in Him. We need moments with God —  times to reflect on what He has done for us in the past and to be assured of a successful future in Him.

In Genesis 32, Jacob experienced “a moment” with God that forever changed his life. But…before his life-changing experience, he had lived many years as a deceiver and con. It’s hard to understand how, even as an infant at birth, Jacob seemed to want to position himself for mastery (Gen. 25:22) over his twin brother Esau:

Gen. 25:24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, [there were] twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac [was] threescore years old when she bare them.

Jacob was named after this experience. His name means “holder of the heel” or “supplanter.” Supplanter means “one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another.”

Then…there is the account were Jacob and Esau were young men in the field. Jacob, with his cunning ways, tricked Esau out of his birthright:

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he [was] faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I [am] faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised [his] birthright.

There are other biblical accounts when Jacob tricked his uncle Laban, even though God was orchestrating these events to Jacob’s advantage.

Prior to his experience with his uncle Laban, Jacob (with his mother’s help) tricked his father, Isaac (Gen. 27). They fooled the old and dim-sighted father into thinking Jacob was Esau, thereby stealing the blessing Isaac would have given to Esau:

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou [be] my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice [is] Jacob’s voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

This experience made Esau furious and he sought to kill Jacob. Jacob’s past had finally caught up with him, so he escaped and ran for his life some 400 miles away, residing with his uncle Laban. He lived with Laban over 14 years, until Laban also sought to do him harm. Even though God told Jacob to return to his homeland, he felt Esau would certainly be waiting to take his life. Nevertheless, Jacob took all his belongings and fled from Laban to returned to meet his fate. Jacob was now on the run with no established past and his future seemed uncertain. Somewhere between where he had left and where he was going, he met “a man”. This man was shrouded in mystery, but it’s safe to say from the scriptures, the “man” had power with God! Maybe he was an angel, veiled in the form of a man. Or…maybe…this was a rare occasion when God was in the person of Jesus Christ! Without any further speculation — the real thrust of this article is JACOB EXPERIENCED THE PRESENCE OF GOD SUDDENLY, or IN A MOMENT. He knew this experience would change his life forever! Similar to Jacob’s experience…there are times we have to live in the moment: without regret for our past and no regard for an uncertain future. THIS IS THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU SENSE THE REALNESS OF GOD’S PRESENCE. This is the moment, despite conditions, God thunders in our spirit that everything will be alright! With this assurance, we get up from where we are to go forward in faith to meet a destiny led by God. And if God is for you, no one has the power to stand against you? Also…times will change our circumstances and conditions, but God will always be waiting for us to find His comforting presence and assurance when we truly reach Him “in the moment!”

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A Reason to Intercede! (Shedding More Light on Intercessory Prayer Through the Scriptures.)


These all continued with one accord in prayer
and supplication, with the women, and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
(Acts 1:14)

It’s good to know why anyone would intercede for another. The scriptures below teach us why those in the bible prayed for others. We are given reasons why we are to pray for others, as well.

Scripture ReferenceScriptures
Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Ezekiel 22:30-31And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.  Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.
Hebrews 7:25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Luke 22:32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Jeremiah 9:17-18 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Romans 8:26-27Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Genesis 18:23-33And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.  And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.  And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.  And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Jeremiah 7:16Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
II Corinthians 1:11Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
I Thessalonians 5:25Brethren, pray for us
Joel 2:17Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Isaiah 53:12herefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalms 106:23Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
Romans 15:30-32Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;  That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.  
Jeremiah 14:11Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
Acts 12:5Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Lamentations 3:48-50Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.  Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission. Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Isaiah 62:6I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,
Matthew 5:44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Philippians 1:19For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
I Thessalonians 1:2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
I Timothy 2:1-4I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
Genesis 17:18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Jeremiah 29:7And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
I Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Nehemiah 9:32Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
Colossians 1:9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
James 5:13-16Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Job 16:21O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
Ezra 10:1Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
Hebrews 5:7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Romans 10:1Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
I Chronicles 21:17And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
Daniel 9:16-19O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
I Kings 13:6And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
Jeremiah 27:18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
Colossians 1:3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
I Samuel 12:19-23And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; 21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. 23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.
Revelation 5:8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Matthew 18:19-20Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Luke 23:34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Job 42:8-10Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.  So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: the Lord also accepted Job.  And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.  
John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Psalms 122:6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Numbers 12:13And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
I Samuel 7:5And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.
Numbers 21:7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
James 5:14-16 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 1Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Acts 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Philippians 1:9-11And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Exodus 32:31-32And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
Colossians 4:3Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Jeremiah 11:14Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
Romans 1:9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Numbers 14:13-19And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

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A Lesson On “Recovering From Shame”


ICEA – “Church at Study”

I Timothy 3:6-7 reads:

And not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.  And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

These are the Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy concerning qualifications for ordaining Bishops in the church. Similar qualifications trickle down to other church leaders, as well. The church needs leaders who are above reproach, but the devil, our adversary, constantly seeks to discredit the reputation of those who shepherd and lead God’s people. Likewise…everyone who serves God should strive to have a good reputation. Why? Because everyone is subject to disgrace and coming under the trap of the devil. We see the first account in Genesis 3:9-10. God asks Adam, “where are you?” Many people know the context surrounding Genesis, chapter 3. Both Adam and Eve have transgressed God’s commandment. So…In answer to God’s question, Adam says, “I was AFRAID…I was NAKED…and I HID MYSELF!” Imagine a man who had uninterrupted fellowship with God — How blessed he and Eve must have been! Now Adam and Eve are faced with intense feelings they had never experienced before. These feelings are so intense that the ones who once enjoyed God’s fellowship are trying to flee from His presence. Oh the shame they must have felt! Thank God, there is a remedy for our shame! Jesus Christ has experienced the separation and rejection that is the result of sin (Heb. 12:2) and He knows shame first-hand. According to the scriptures: “He who knew no sin has become sin for us!” This may be hard to explain, but simply stated: He knows our deepest feelings of rejection! The shame of our past can absolutely cripple our efforts in going forward. Millions have experienced shame and guilt and are in such vulnerable conditions today. Isaiah, chapter 42:3 reads (with the focus being on vs. 3): “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3 “A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

Our Lord has nurtured even the most fragile out of the millions who have faith and believe in Him. From the most exposed plant stem to the smallest flickering fire, Jesus will restore bruised things back to health, and cause the flicker to burst into flames!

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