I opened the first article about dealing with doubt by saying that doubts are a part of life, even when we come to faith in Christ. There are “Road Blocks” to faith that happen to all of us, even strong believers, because we have imperfect sight and information. One of the main reasons we are encouraged to read scripture regularly is because all scripture is like a chain link fence of interconnected verses, stories and principles. If we are missing verses, or even whole chapters, we get only a partial understanding. Then we can come to distorted perspectives of who God is and what he is trying to do in our lives. Faulty assumptions don’t just come from things that are untrue, but also can come form misapplied information or truth.

We have been exploring the significance of Elijah the prophet of Israel in 1 Kings 17. We are dealing with the events and repercussions of Elijah’s prophecy that there would be no rain in Israel until he prayed again. The drought went on for three and a half years, which enraged king Ahab who was a most wicked man. Our title focuses on “When The Brook Dries Up,” so I want to ask the question, “How Do We Handle” when God’s provision is taken away? How we answer this question will, in a large part, determine whether we move forward in our relationship with God or as some have coined the phrase, “Backslide” in that relationship. Please read the first two articles before proceeding.

I am always amazed when I learn that todays Christians hardly ever read from the Old Testament, other than the books of Psalms or Proverbs. There is such a wealth of information about how and why God moved in individuals and groups of people, not to mention the nation of Israel. There is a reason why the Old Testament is so much larger than the New Testament. One reason is that it can guide us in our own personal walk because it gives us a detailed history of people’s lives.

Recently, I started to teach a six-week class at church on the book of Colossians and was reminded of the disconnect many Christians have regarding who they are meant to be a believers. I have often heard pastors and teachers say we are “Sinners” saved by grace in one sentence and then move on without giving an explanation of what they meant by that statement. For the average Christian believer, they get a “Mind Set” that that’s who they are and will always be until either Jesus returns or they die and go to be with the Lord. This, however, is far from the truth and often cripples the believer to always live in either a guilt ridden state or a weakened resolve to live as Jesus intended, which is free from a sinful lifestyle.

When I was a kid I never liked walking in the dark, especially alone. Something about not knowing what was out there caused my imagination to run wild. Fear would rise inside my chest even though I knew there was nothing “real” to be afraid of but we all know that fear is often not about facts and reality.

During the Christmas season many stores, as well as individuals, burn candles that have amazing fragrances. These fragrances warm the heart of the people experiencing them and actually provide an “Attitude Adjustment” that’s healthy for body, soul and spirit. It’s a scientific fact that smells can change people’s mode and disposition without the person actually realizing it.  The question is do we take advantage of this fact and use the affect of fragrances during our interaction with people during the holiday season?

You would think sharing the love of God with others and telling how God sent his only Son into the world as a baby would be an easy thing to do and yet many believers never share Christ, even during the Christmas Season. In this article we will be looking at just some of the reasons why so many struggle with expressing their love for God even when the season sets the stage for communicating their own salvation experience.  If you haven’t read the first article on “Christmas Time” please read that one first as there are some important things to consider before reading this second part.

When I travel around, especially in airports or overseas, I see many people who are paralyzed from various debilitating diseases and it hits me how fortunate and blessed I am to only have a few things wrong with my body that hinder my life experiences at this age. When I see a person who is partially broken or paralyzed I pray a simple prayer for them and myself. First, I apologize to the Lord for my complaining over small pains and problems and I also ask the Lord to bless that particular person with the obvious difficulties. That he or she would be healed both physically, emotionally and spiritually. So often I recognize they do better with their disabilities than I do with my seemingly normal life.

Ever wonder why some people seem to have stories of God doing extraordinary things in their lives while the majority of believers don’t? Things like providing great jobs, healing sickness, finances from seemingly nowhere and so on. The four gospels are full of not only Jesus performing miracles, but many of his close disciples as well. To be truthful, I believe the miraculous is meant to be a part of each believers daily life. So why the disconnect for many of us in experiencing the miraculous? The best way to answer this important question is to go back to the scriptures and see what Jesus said about it.

Life has a way of showing us just how complex things are. I think when we are young we expect we can do almost anything until we have accumulated some failures under our belts. As bad as failure often feels, it teaches us what will and will not work; at least in the simple things. As we grow in knowledge and wisdom, we discover that some things can be challenged even when past experience has taught us otherwise. Failure is not always going to be failure if new elements are added, just as success doesn’t always work because something new has been added to change the outcome.