His Presence Through the Trials - Purity 1457

Welcome to the MT for Christ 24/7 podcast. I'm M.t. Clark, and this is today's photo. To see today's photo, go to mtforchrist.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or you can watch us on YouTube. Good morning. Today's photo of a magnificent sunset shining over an expanse of harvest-ready farmlands and my canine pal Harley comes to us from yours truly as I capture this idyllic September scene during yesterday's early evening stroll. Well, it is Saturday, and I'm rejoicing that the weekend has come, and I'm revitalized after a good night's sleep and a successful week of work and ministry. Although the week was busy, I was blessed by it because I was able to share the Freedom in Christ message and counsel others in the practice of walking in the Spirit each night this week. And I did it with enthusiasm because I am completely healed of my recent bout with pneumonia, and I'm re-energized to pursue good spiritual, physical, and mental health on the path of Christian discipleship. I was tested during this latest trial, but God was with me throughout my illness, and I feel I have grown through the experience as I have a deeper appreciation for my health. Life and ministry. Today's In Touch, uh, with Dr. Charles Stanley devotional addresses dealing with trials, and I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us all and to help us understand how God will help us. And Dr. Charles Stanley writes, Through the Trials: We will all face trials. Realistically, you're either in a storm, just getting out of one, or about to enter one. That is the bad news. Here's the good news. We serve a God who provides beautifully, especially during the dark periods of life. Today's passage tell, uh, which is Matthew 14:22-34, tells of a stormy night on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus provides for us today just as he did for his disciples then. Today, let's look at some ways he does this. First, the Father offers us his presence and the promise that he will never leave. Deuteronomy 31:8. We are able to live with a sense of comfort, courage, and confidence no matter the circumstances. Second, the Lord blesses his children with a pathway through, through trouble. He is in total control of our storm and will use the trial for his purpose. He may not— we may not understand, but we can trust his hand to guide us and accomplish good. Third, the Father offers believers the potential to grow. Hardships are exercises in trust and times to learn more fully how great God's power and love are. No one enjoys hard times, but remember to express gratitude for God's hand in your life and the way he will use the adversity. Even through trials, even though trials are painful, they offer us the chance to trust our Creator and know him better. That was from our— well, somebody we highly respect, Dr. Charles Stanley. Um, and I say amen to that. I can attest that when we go— when we follow the Lord, he will indeed help us in times of trouble with his presence with a way to make it through the trials and with the opportunity to grow and mature in our faith. God works all things together for good for those who love him and are, who are called according to his purposes. And he blesses and helps us through the trials of our lives to prove that he is with us. So whether you are in the midst of a trial, about to enter one, or have just made your way out of one, thank the Lord for his love and presence in your life. Draw close to him at all times and seasons, because it is only through a close relationship with him that we can grow through the tough time— go through the tough times of life with peace, grace, and joy. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's Bible, um, verse comes from, uh, comes from the section on the forgiveness of sins. And today's verse is Acts 10:43, which says, 'Of him all the prophets bear witness that through his name everyone who believes in him receives the forgiveness of sins.' Today's verse falls under the 31st point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on the forgiveness of sins. And that 31st point is, 'All the prophets testify that through faith in Jesus we have forgiveness of sins. Today's Bible verse reveals the answer to the mystery that all the prophets of God were speaking about, that it was only through the Messiah, who was revealed to be Jesus of Nazareth, that we could have the forgiveness of sins. Today's verse comes from the, the Apostle Paul, uh, Peter, who preached the gospel to a group of Gentiles. In the previous verses, Peter's Peter explained that he was an eyewitness to all of what Jesus did in Judea and Jerusalem, confirmed that Jesus had died and was resurrected, and that he had spent time with the resurrected Christ after he was raised and was ordered by him to preach the truth that Jesus was who he said he was, and it was only by faith in Jesus that we could be saved. In this episode, and Gentiles came to faith in Jesus, and the authenticity of Peter's message was proven when they received the Holy Spirit, which was another fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. In Christ, God's kingdom came to earth, and forgiveness of sins and a new eternal life is available to all who put their faith in Jesus. As always, we encourage everyone to go to mtforchrist.com, where we always share insights and pro— uh, insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to, uh, assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament by Stephen F. Alford. And in Alford's devotional, he prompts us to read a chapter of scripture, and today's chapter is Hebrews 12. And from Hebrews 12, he shares a portion of verse 7, which says endure chastening. And Stephen Alford writes, oh Lord, there is a message to my heart today, for I can say that my hands hang down and my knees are palsied. It seems to me that I am being chastened for what I do not really know, but Lord, I do know that it is for my good, and I would endure chastening until I became I become a partaker of your holiness. I yield peaceably— peaceable fruit of righteousness. I am healed. If this is the way to this threefold blessing, Lord, I will go all the way. So glorify yourself in me for your precious name's sake. Amen. Amen. And you know, I can relate to Stephen Alford's entry today because, uh, you know, during the illness that I recently suffered, pneumonia, uh, I really felt like I was being chastened. Um, you know, I've, uh, I, I suffer from food addiction and I've, um, you know, yo-yo, yo-yo weight, uh, changes, you know, they go up and down and, uh, that fighting of the flesh. And before I got sick, I sort of was struggling with, you know, going back to comfort eating and, you know, losing all self-control in terms of my food plan in the name of vacation or pleasure or whatever. And you know what, I wasn't walking as I should. It didn't feel good, even though, you know, sometimes you can give yourself comfort food and you don't get comfort. You sort of get sick. And then I got physically sick with an illness and really felt like I was chastened. And on the other side of it, you know, I saw how, how precarious my health was. And now that I've been healed, I really pressed into my workouts and my food plan and have a week of food plan success. And now just want to continue to follow the good practices of good health. And, you know, I think the Lord worked this trial, or at least that's how I'm taking it, to move me to appreciate my health and to take steps to, you know, keep going in the positive direction for that. So, you know, if you have trials in your life, we can grow through them. And sometimes it is a chastening. Sometimes things are brought to us to, you know, to slow us down and to teach us, to follow Jesus. So, or yeah, to correct our course. So, um, let's do that. And when you get chastened, um, you, you usually get called to surrender to God. And that's why we ask the question: have you fully surrendered to God? Um, you know, what we know about God is one thing, uh, choosing to follow him with the way you live your life is another thing. That requires surrender. Um, but it's a good— we recommend it because it's— it puts us on the pathway to peace. And, uh, when you surrender to the Lord, he usually gives you something to do. And in my case, one of the things I get to do and I'm blessed by is the, uh, I get to lead the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church, which meets on Wednesdays, uh, at 6:30. So anyone in the upstate New York region who can get to Clifton Park on a Wednesday is invited to, uh, join our fellowship, uh, for Christian recovery and discipleship. Where we teach how to, you know, walk in the Spirit and overcome those hurts, habits, and hangups. Um, but beyond what we do locally, we, we, we podcast and we do the YouTube thing, um, uh, because we believe, um, that you can find or increase your freedom in Christ by, uh, connecting with good, good Christian teaching. And, uh, so we offer our podcast classes for The Bondage Breaker, Victory Over Darkness, Freedom in Christ, and our very own Celebrate Freedom discipleship course to encourage you, uh, to find your identity in Christ and to, uh, overcome those, uh, uh, problems of the past through, uh, through Neil Anderson's Steps to Freedom in Christ. And these, these teachings prepare you for that process. So we encourage anyone who's not in Upstate New York to check out our YouTube channel and to, uh, plug into the resources that we have there. Um, well You know, we always ask the question, are you empty for Christ too? Well, if you're walking and talking with God, we say God bless you, uh, keep going. And, uh, if you are suffering a trial, we say draw in his presence and receive his strength and guidance. And, uh, if you're not there, we, we say, you know, maybe you should pray about that, uh, pray to have God, you know, ask God to reveal himself to you. And, um, listen to what he says and keep your eyes open to what he might show you. Um, you know, when we seek the Lord, we'll find him. And, um, yeah, we, we encourage that most of all, uh, to seek him at all times, in all seasons. And one way we do that is by talking to God in prayer. So let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. We thank you so much for all that you've done for us. We appreciate you being with us through the trials, Lord, and, uh, for giving us a hope and a future through our faith in Jesus Christ. We pray for anyone who's listening or reading today's message or watching us on YouTube, Lord, that you come alongside them and bless their, their prayer request and their walk of faith, because we all need your help, Lord, and, um, we're asking for it. So, Lord, we pray for you to go before us today, open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and lead us in the way we should go. Because all we want to do is represent you in your kingdom, and, uh, we, we need your help with that. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.