look at what HE’s promised…

another way to trust GOD every moment is to learn and memorize the promises of GOD.

to overcome worry, learn and memorize the promises of GOD.  promises like isaiah 26.3 (kjv), THOU wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on THEE.  psalm 23.4 (kjv), i will fear no evil, for THOU art with me.  philippians 4.19 (cev), don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. with thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to GOD.  cast all your cares upon GOD.  all through scripture, there are over 7000 promises in the bible. mark 11:24 (niv), therefore i tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  all through the bible, promise after promise... 1 john 4.4 (niv), the ONE who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. learn those promises.  they’re like blank checks. 

the bible is GOD’s contract to us.  HE says, “this is what I’m committing MYself to regarding your family, your finances, your health, your life, your past, your present, your future...”  when you know it’s covered in your contract, you can relax.  HE’ll make good on it. 

what’s got you worried?  the economy?  your job?  a personal problem?  your marriage?  health?  a problem with friends?  a problem at work?  

JESUS CHRIST has made it possible for you to live without worry. there’s absolutely no reason for you to live with worry in your life.  it is simply a matter of coming to CHRIST, putting your life in HIS hands and trusting HIM on a day by day, moment by moment basis.  you can live without worry, anxiety.  but you must put your trust in CHRIST.

just a thought from the front porch…

a great promise…

there’s a great promise that goes with this prayer of surrender from the LORD’s prayer – YOUr kingdom come, YOUr will be done.  if i pray that and live that what does GOD promise?  matthew 6.33, GOD will give you all you need from day to day if you live for HIM and make the kingdom of GOD your primary concern.

what is the kingdom of GOD?  HIS will in your life and HIS will in the world.  if you say, YOUr will be done and you live that, HE says I’m going to take care of all your needs.

i accept GOD’s plan for my life, i surrender to GOD’s control for my life and i trust GOD’s care for my life.  then GOD says I’m going to take care of all your needs.

are you really at peace today?  or is there turmoil going on in your heart?  are you experiencing anxiety and turmoil and stress over some area that has not been yielded to GOD? 

question: what in your life do you need to surrender? 

i don’t know what it is but you do and GOD does.  and aren’t you tired of being at war with GOD?  aren’t you tired of being in turmoil? 

you can have – GOD promises – the peace of GOD.  you can have that.  you must make peace with GOD before you can have the peace of GOD.

how do you make peace with GOD?  romans 6:13 give yourself to GOD.  surrender your whole being to HIM to be used for HIS righteous purposes. 

HE wants you to live with a purpose.  HE wants you to surrender your whole being to HIM, saying, “GOD, i want to live for YOUr purposes, YOUr plan.  YOUr will be done in my life and on earth as it is in heaven.”

just a thought from the front porch…

does He need it?...

we need to realize that everything we give on this side of eternity is being accredited to our account on the other side of eternity.  so our giving is to be regular and it is to be consistent.

1 corinthians 16.2 (niv) on every LORD’s day, put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for the offering.  the amount depends on how much the LORD has helped you to earn.

it’s proportional.  the bible says in deuteronomy 14.23 that the purpose of tithing is simply to teach us to put GOD first in our life.  GOD doesn’t need our money.  HE’s wealthy.  but HE wants us.  HE wants what our money represents.  HE wants our lives.

i believe the scripture teaches that GOD wants us to be financially free.  if your finances are in a mess right now, GOD has promised over and over that HE will care for us if we place our financial burden in HIS care and follow HIS principles.  these principles are all throughout scripture.

when you think about it unmanageable finances are really a symptom of a much deeper problem – an unmanageable life.  that is, trying to live without GOD’s guidance.  if we try to live without the principles of this book we’re going to get into trouble.  unmanageable finances simply means misplaced priorities.  we’re putting physical things before our SPIRITual relationship.

the starting point for financial freedom is to make JESUS CHRIST the manager of your life.  you start to live abundantly by letting HIM come into your life and making HIM the manager of not just your money but of your time, home, past and make HIM number one in your life.

just a thought from the front porch…

it makes your day more productive…

another thing that will help us with our conflicts is to grow closer to GOD.  james 4.8 (nlt), come close to GOD, and GOD will come close to you.

listen, the more time you spend alone with GOD, the better you will get along with other people.  count on it!  when the argument level rises in our marriage it means that someone is not spending time with the LORD.  it’s that simple.  grow closer to GOD.

isaiah 26.3 (nlt), YOU (GOD) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in YOU, all whose thoughts are fixed on YOU!

when you spend time with the LORD, your turn your thoughts to HIM, then you get along better with others because HE keeps perfect peace in your heart and you’re not as irritable. 

have you noticed some people only draw close to GOD when they’re in trouble?  they only pray when they have a need.  you need to spend time with HIM, bible study, sunday, daily quiet time – make times for these things. 

you say you’re too busy?  then maybe you’re too busy.  maybe you need to cut some things out of your schedule to make more time to spend time with the LORD.  the more you spend time with the LORD, the more you’re going to enjoy the rest of your time.  it will be more productive, more beneficial.  you’ll get along better with others, have fewer arguments because you’re spending time with GOD.

draw closer to GOD, HE’ll keep you in peace.  get up 15 minutes earlier each morning.  maybe start with the book of john, that’s what i am reading right now.  read and pray and notice the difference in your attitude and the relationships the rest of the day.  i challenge you to do that.

the conflict in your life is in direct proportion to the time you’re spending with GOD.

there is a great promise here too.  when you in genuineness draw close to GOD, HE will come close to you.  HE doesn’t back off, HE draws close to you.  when you move toward HIM, HE moves toward you.

you give in to GOD, get wise to satan, draw close to GOD.

just a thought from the front porch…

stand up to the devil…

james here in chapter 4 gives us another practical step in dealing with arguments and conflicts in our lives when he says in the last part of verse 7 (nirv), stand up to the devil.  he will run away from you.  first of all, give in to GOD and then get wise to the devil.

in other words, be aware, be alert.  realize what the devil’s doing.  realize where the conflict comes from and that he’s the source behind it.  . 

listen, the devil wants to destroy your marriage.  he wants to destroy every good relationship in your life.  why?  because he loves conflict, arguments.  he wants confusion, stress, hurt feelings, disappointments, anger, chaos.  he loves to do it.  james says you’ve got to give into GOD, let HIM have control. 

then you’ve got to do some defensive action.  you’ve got to stand up to the devil and realize what he is doing.  if you get up in the morning and you don’t run into the devil head on, it means you're already going in the same direction.

2 corinthians 2.11 (msg), we don’t want to unwittingly give satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!

paul the writer of this letter to the corinthians says, wise up!  recognize his tactics.  know how he operates.

so how does the devil operate?  he plays on our pride, particularly wounded pride.  when you’re in the middle of an argument, he starts whispering in your ear, things like, “you don’t have to take this stuff.  retaliate.  who do they think they are?  get even.  assert yourself!  don’t put up with this kind of stuff.  show ‘em who’s boss.”  he tells you all the things your pride would love to hear.  but you need to say, “satan, i know that’s you.”  stand up to him.

so how do you stand up to the devil?  same way JESUS did.  HE quoted scripture.  memorize proverbs 13.10 (niv), pride leads to arguments.

the next time you get into an argument, that scripture can be brought to your mind by the LORD and you stop and think, “how am i being prideful here?  what am i not willing to compromise?  where am i only thinking of myself and not the other person’s needs, desires and attitudes?” 

there is a great promise here.  it says, stand up to the devil.  he will run away from you.  you don’t have to put up with him.  give in to GOD and get wise to satan.

just a thought from the front porch…

let GOD give you strength…

some things you need to do when you’re overwhelmed is you let go of control, you let other people help you and you let GOD give you strength.  you let GOD give you strength.

some of you know GOD will give you strength but you won’t let HIM.  you act as if it all depends on you.  you keep saying, “if it’s to be it’s up to me.”  or “GOD helps those who helps themselves.”  GOD didn’t say that!  ben franklin said that.  neither of those statements are in the bible.  in fact, GOD says the exact opposite.  it’s not up to you.  it’s up to GOD.  GOD says, “let ME help you.  why won’t you let ME help you?”  there are over 7000 promises in the bible.  there are hundreds of them where GOD says, “I’ll help you if you let ME.”  you need to plug in to the promises of GOD. 

the reason why mary, this young little thirteen, fourteen-year-old peasant girl was not blown away by the overwhelming fact that she was going to become the mother of the SON of GOD is  because she was a woman of the word.  she claimed the promises of GOD.  she knew them and she claimed them.

the bible says this in luke 1.45 (gw), talking about mary, you are blessed for believing that the LORD will keep HIS promise to you.  she was calm and composed because she had the promises of GOD in her heart.  that gave her strength.

just a thought from the front porch…

the promise: GOD will give it…

if you want to receive anything from GOD you’ve got to believe in advance you’re going to get it.  that’s faith.  and then the promise: GOD will give it.

james 1.5 (niv), if any of you lacks wisdom he should ask GOD, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him.  GOD wants to give you wisdom and HE is eager.  GOD is a giving GOD.

look how GOD says HE’ll give wisdom…

continually.  ask GOD who gives…  in the greek that is in the continuous tense.  HE keeps on giving.  HE doesn’t run out of energy.  HE never wears out.

next generously.  HIS resources are unlimited.  HE has enough resources for everybody.  HE’s got plenty.

then without finding fault.  GOD gives cheerfully.

have you ever received a gift from someone you knew was giving it grudgingly and it took the joy out of it?  they knew they had to and there wasn’t any joy in it.   the bible says that GOD doesn’t give wisdom that way.  HE loves to give.  you never need to feel embarrassed.  there should never be any hesitation.  GOD does not resent your asking for wisdom.  HE is pleased when you ask.

just a thought from the front porch…

if you have a problem find a promise…

what have you been forgetting about GOD, how HE’s helped you so many times? 

the consequences of forgetting, the bible says is ...they would not wait.

so instead of forgetting you remember GOD’s promises. 

there are over 7000 of them in the bible.  whenever i have a problem, i find a promise.  when i face a problem, i look for a promise.  the promises are always greater than the problems you’re facing. 

psalm 103.2 (lb),  i will bless the LORD and not forget the glorious things HE does for me. 

the LORD is not being slow to carry out HIS promises but HE is being patient with you.  2 peter 3.3-8 (jb). 

you ask, why isn’t GOD fulfilling the promise in my life?  HE’s waiting on you.  you think you’re waiting on GOD?  HE’s waiting on you to learn to not fear, not fret, not faint, not forget.  HE wants you to learn that before HE brings the solution. 

HE has some things HE wants you to develop first, some growth patterns HE wants you to put into your life.  GOD’s never in a hurry.  HE can do things immediately, but HE’s working on a larger agenda.  the delays that come in your life do not destroy GOD’s purpose.  they fulfill GOD’s purpose in your life.  they make you a better person.

what is it you've been waiting on GOD to do?  for him to turn a problem around?  to answer a prayer?  to make a way in a place where it seems impossible for there to be a way, financially or physically or any other way?  maybe you’ve been waiting on GOD to bring that right person along?  maybe you’ve been waiting on GOD to turn a crisis into a solution?  GOD hasn’t forgotten.  and a delay is not a denial.  not yet is not the same thing as no. 

just a thought from the front porch…

you are going to make it…

another right response to difficulty is to claim a promise. 

there are over 7000 promises in the bible that you can claim when you’re going through tough times.  acts 27.25 (niv), so keep up your courage, men, for i have faith in GOD that it will happen just as HE told me. 

GOD will keep his promises.  GOD did not say the ship will make it.  GOD said, you will make it.  HE even said the ship will crack up and fall apart. 

some of you are going through a storm right now.  your ship may not make it.  you may lose the house.  you may lose the car.  you may lose the career.  GOD has never promised to keep all of your comfortables around you.  HE did say, you will make it. 

acts 27.41-44 (niv), but the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground.  the bow stuck fast and would not move and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.  now the soldiers’ planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.  but the centurion wanted to spare paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan.  he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.  the rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship.  in this way everyone reached land in safety. 

GOD said the ship isn’t going to make it but you are. and it began to break up in little pieces.  some of you are in a storm right now.  you’re going to have to get to shore on a broken piece.  you may have to dog paddle.  but you’re going to make it.  you may have to get there on a broken piece of the ship, but you’re going to make it.  none of us have completely whole lives.  we are all broken individuals.  but you’ll get to shore on a broken piece.  you may have a broken heart but you’ll make it.  you may have a broken home, but you’ll make it.  GOD says, “i will be with you.” 

the interesting thing about this story is that everything was falling apart in this storm except paul.  why wasn’t paul falling apart?  because his confidence was in GOD, not in the ship. 

you’re going through some storms.  if i brought the storm on my own life, i should repent – change.  i admit it and ask GOD to help me change.  if satan brought this problem in my life, i need to resist it – do a little spiritual warfare and resist what he’s trying to do to me.  if GOD brought this problem in my life, i need to just relax.  in fact, i need to relax regardless of what the source is and trust GOD.  ask GOD, “what do YOU want me to learn from this situation?”  put my confidence in HIM. 

just a thought from the front porch…

following a crazy plan…

daniel burnham’s famous statement, “make no little plans.  they have no magic to stir men’s blood.  make big plans.  aim high in hope and work.”  the truth of the matter is all of our plans, as human beings, are little plans.  all of them.  you may be thinking, “not mine!  i have big plans.”  and compared to everybody else, you may have big plans.  you may have tremendous plans, huge plans.  but compared to the plans of GOD, all of our plans are little plans.  HE’s the GOD of the universe.  HE made it all.  HE sees all time in a moment.  GOD’s plans are the biggest plans. 

the bible says in proverbs 19.21 (msg), we humans keep brainstorming options and plans but GOD’s purpose prevails.  you can count on that.  so plan based on what you can count on because that’s where the hope comes from.  that’s where the hopes aren’t dashed.  plan based on what you can count on.  make GOD’s promise your plan. 

something funny happens when we’re hopeless.  when we’re hopeless any plan seems good enough.  have you noticed this in your life and in the life of some people you love?  when you’re hopeless you’ll chase after just about any plan because you’re hurt.  because you’re trying to find some hope.  so you chase after anything and everything.  you run over here and get involved in this scheme.  you waste your money on this.  you do the craziest things and pick up and move in a day.  just crazy ideas because you’re trying to find some hope. 

in fact some of you this last week, some crazy idea came into your mind and you’re thinking about doing that.  hoping that it will make you feel better.  “i’m going to leave my husband (or wife).  it’ll make everything better.”  no, it won’t.  “i’m going to abandon my kids.”  i’m sure some of you even thought this last week, “i’m going to take my life.  i don’t have any hope left.” 

don’t do it!  don’t follow that crazy plan.  make GOD’s promise your plan.  GOD brought you here to the front porch to say to you, “i’ve got a better plan so make my promise your plan.”  instead of rushing off to do just anything, get on board with what GOD is doing in the world. 

just a thought from the front porch…

a different way of doing things…

the first thing that happens when noah came out of the ark is worship. he builds an altar.

and the second thing that happens is GOD makes a rainbow. and in that rainbow is a covenant and a promise. GOD says in genesis 9:12 (msg), this is the sign of the covenant I am making between ME and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting MY rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between ME and the earth. from now on, when I form a cloud over the earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember MY covenant between ME and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life.

this may have been very important in noah’s life. if it’s true that a canopy had covered the earth and noah had never seen rain, then it was going to rain again. the first rain that noah had seen, the first time those drops had fallen, it had destroyed the earth. how’s he going to feel the next time that happened? “GOD, last time it destroyed the earth. is it going to destroy the earth this time?” GOD said, “i'm going to make sure you don’t see that. I’m going to put a rainbow in the clouds to say I’ve got a different plan this time.”

you and i need to catch hold of that. the rainbow, the sign of GOD’s promise is GOD loves to do things in different ways. HE’s got a different plan for our lives. as you and i look into the skies and see the beauty of a rainbow, it should remind us that GOD has a new plan, a different way of doing things.

just a thought from the front porch…

a promise only for believers…

romans 8.28 (niv), and we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM, who have been called according to his purpose.

question: can GOD bring good out of evil? can GOD take even the sins that i've done in my life – even the wrong things, bad, dumb, stupid decisions – and somehow fit them into his plan? the answer is yes!

example: matthew 1. the genealogy of JESUS. from abraham all the way to mary. outside of mary, there are only four women mentioned in matthew 1. in jewish history, they did the genealogy, the family tree, by the man. but there are four women mentioned in the lineage of JESUS. they are tamar, who was seduced by her father in law and bore a child; rahab, who was a prostitute; ruth, was a moabitess foreigner who married a jew illegally; and bathsheba, and we all know her story.

the point is, GOD even takes the mistakes we make and weaves them into HIS giant, great program and plan and brings good out of them. out of those four women who had terrible experiences in their life, GOD even used them to be in the lineage of JESUS.

isn't that incredible? isn't it good news to know that you don't have to be perfect the rest of your life to be in GOD's plan? isn't it great to know that even though you make mistakes, that GOD will fit it in. and there's no question that because of a mistake in your past you'll have to settle for GOD's second best the rest of your life? the phrase “second best” just isn't in GOD's word.

GOD has made it possible for us to live a life without miscalculation. that means everything works together for everybody? no. this is a promise only for believers. for those who love him, for those who have been called according to his purpose.

the fact is everything does not work together for good for unbelievers, for people who have not put their life in control of the LORD. everything does not work together for good. things work out wrong. but it's a beautiful promise for us.

just a thought from the front porch…

HE always has kept HIS promise…

proverbs 25.14 (msg) says, people who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain. could JESUS have been any clearer when HE declared in matthew 5.37 (niv), just let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” keep your word.

i think most of the time when we break our promises, we break them because we made those promises hastily. we didn’t think about our schedule or the schedule of others. we didn’t consider what might or might not happen. we just made a rash commitment, and because we didn’t plan ahead, we end up breaking promise after promise.

the bible talks about that too, in proverbs 3.21,22 (nlt), good planning and insight fill you with life and they bring you honor and respect.

have you ever noticed how valuable promises are to children? kids really want us to keep our promises. as a matter of fact, if you make a commitment to them, they’ll ask you, “promise?” and we’ll say, “yes.” but that’s not enough for them. they’ll follow it up with, “hope to die?” yes. that’s not enough for them, so they’ll follow it up with, “stick a needle in your eye?” i was wondering how cool that would be in a marriage ceremony. can’t you imagine in a corporate board room – an executive, a ceo – and they’re doing a deal, and one says to the other, “promise? hope to die? stick a needle in your eye?”

GOD models this idea for us because HE keeps all of HIS promises. every promise HE’s ever made, HE’s kept. all the way through the bible. start way back in the book of genesis, the first book of the bible. after the flood had destroyed the world, GOD told noah, “I will never again destroy the world with water. and to seal that promise,” GOD said, “I’ll give you a sign. that sign will be a rainbow and every time you see that sign, you’ll remember MY promise.”

keep turning pages in the bible. GOD comes to 99-year-old abraham and 89-year-old sarah, and HE promised that they would have a baby. and from that child would come many nations. and the entire world would be blessed through their lineage. think about it – 99 and 89 and a baby! there wouldn’t be a single tooth in the whole family! they’d be the only couple in target buying pampers and depends at the same time. to seal HIS promise to them, GOD said, “I’ll give you a sign.” it was the sign of circumcision. abraham could have said, “how come noah got a rainbow?”

GOD promised through the process that HE would send a SAVIOR who’d forgive us of our sins and be our friend and comfort and teach and lead us. and HE sent HIS SON, JESUS. and when JESUS came, HE made a promise that GOD would love us and would forgive us and would one day welcome us into heaven if we trusted HIM. HE sealed this promise of love, this new covenant, this new testament, with HIS blood when HE died on a cross. every time CHRISTians take communion, we reflect on that promise and we feel valued and honored by GOD.

folks you and i have great worth and you and i show value and honor to others when we keep our promises to them.

just a thought from the front porch…

honored and respected, or discounted and disrespected?...

an invisible sign you’ll see hanging around the neck of every person you’ll ever encounter is the sign, no u-turn. here’s what it means: keep your promises.

you tell people you’re going to do such and such, and they really want to believe you. she said this, so that’s the direction she’s going. but before you know it you have turned the wheel and squealed the tire and you’re going in an opposite direction from the commitment that you made to those people around you.

if you look at this encounter between JESUS and the woman in luke 7.36-50 you will find a remarkable promise being made. in verse 48 (nlt) JESUS says to the woman, your sins are forgiven, and JESUS keeps all HIS promises.

have you ever had someone break a promise to you? they told you they were going to do something that was very important, and they didn’t do it. did that make you feel honored and respected, or did it make you feel discounted and disrespected?

i heard a story of an 18 year old ministry student, who’s a really sharp guy. very aggressive. wants to be a pastor. one of his goals is to interview the leading pastors in america, but some of these guys are quite popular and their schedules are full and it’s tough to get an appointment with them. but this young guy is trying. he called a guy out of state. this guy didn’t know him. he’s 18 years old, a college student, but this pastor in the mid west at a large church not only gave him an appointment but it was a lunch appointment. this kid was thrilled.

it just so happened that this appointment was set the week after the 9/11 attack happened. on the morning of the appointment, he got up way before 6 a.m. to make the long drive across a couple of states to get to the church in time for lunch. after he’d already gotten on the road, the pastor’s assistant called to his home. the young man’s father answered. the assistant said, “the pastor was wondering if there was any way he could reschedule with your son.” the father said, “my son is already on the road, and he’ll be there in a few hours. he’ll understand if you just explain it to him when he gets there.” about 15 minutes later, the pastor himself called. he said, “i understand that your son’s already on the road. i just want you to know that i’ve canceled all my other commitments. i gave my word to your son. i’m going to be meeting him for lunch.”

that 18-year-old did meet the pastor. they had a two-hour lunch interview. afterward, the young man drove the pastor back to his church and dropped him off. a staff person was standing by. he walked over to the young guy and said, “i don’t know who you are, but i just wanted you to know that our pastor today had been asked to be on a nationally broadcast radio program that was going to go to every state. he was asked to talk for two hours about the crisis and the spiritual dilemma in our nation right now. but he canceled that because he made a promise to you.”

the young guy said, “i learned more about leadership and integrity in that moment than i did from all the things we talked about at lunch.”

just a thought from the front porch…

why doesn't HE do what HE promised?...

repeatedly in scripture the bible says GOD has promised to meet your needs – emotional needs, financial needs, physical needs, SPIRITual needs, relational needs, every need of your life. in fact, one of the hebrew names of GOD is JEHOVAH JIRAH, which means, “I am the GOD who provides for you.” over and over GOD says, “I will meet all your needs.”

one of the promises HE gives is in philippians 4.19 (ph), my GOD will supply all that you need from HIS glorious resources in CHRIST JESUS. that’s a pretty blanket statement. HE says, “I’ll meet all your needs.”

what does this include? everything. the problem is this. you look around and obviously not everybody’s need is met. in reality many times our needs seem to go unmet. what’s the problem? is GOD lying? is GOD exaggerating the point? why is it that sometimes my needs seem to go unmet?

well the bible tells us that with every promise there is a condition. there is a premise with every promise. one of the conditions for this promise is you have to trust HIM. the more you trust GOD, the more GOD is able to meet needs in your life. the less you trust GOD the fewer needs HE’s able to meet in your life. the bible says there is a faith factor involved.

matthew 9.29 (niv), JESUS said, according to your faith it will be done unto you. GOD says, “you get to choose how much I bless your life. it’s according to your faith. the more you trust ME, the more needs I can meet. the less you trust ME, the fewer needs I can meet.”

so the obvious question then is how can i learn to trust GOD more so HE can meet all of my needs? how can i learn to have greater faith?

well, faith is an interesting substance. you don’t get it by just thinking and hoping and wishing. faith is like a muscle. that means it develops by being used. the more you use the little faith that you’ve got, the more it gets stretched. and the more it gets stretched, the more GOD is able to bless your life.

we call the circumstances that GOD creates to stretch our faith, trials. and the bible says in 1 peter 1.7 (nlt), these trials are only to test your faith to show that it is strong and pure.

and the bible tells us that like fire when the heat’s on it purifies gold and silver that GOD tests our heart by putting us under the heat, those fiery trials of life.

just a thought from the front porch…