spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

He’ll Be There for You

48626182593_3d81903331

Proverbs 3:25,26-Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.”

 

Clarissa’s husband divulged a serious problem after dinner one night last month. With no forewarning, the sudden confession caused her to panic and sent her fleeing from their home.

Never had she known such a mixture of despair, shock, and utter helplessness.

She grabbed a sweater and left the house. Tears nearly blinded her as she walked out of her neighborhood and onto the busy streets of El Paso. By the time she tired, she didn’t recognize any of the streets or buildings. 

It was getting dark as she slipped into a convenience market and asked a sympathetic clerk for directions. As she walked, she prayed fervently for direction of another kind—what to do with her broken life.

Returning home, she picked up her Bible and closeted herself in her guest bedroom. She spent time with the Lord, reading verse after verse until she was “spent.” She asked the Lord to take away her hurt and pain and to replace all of the empty places with love and peace. 

Within hours, her burden lifted and she was able to sit down with Frank and talk things out. Within days—and by the encouragement of the Holy Spirit—she was able to forgive him. 

Things are not perfect. They may never be. But God met her every request and brought her into a close fellowship with Him during that time of trial.

If you are experiencing an overwhelming loss or painful break in trust with someone close to you, let God meet you where you are and then follow where He directs.

Proverbs is a great reminder that the Lord will be there for us, each step of the way.

2 Comments »

Give Them a Nudge

6899465702_07850c9710

 

Mark 1:14,15- “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

 

I do my grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons following church, assuring my husband has fresh vegetables, fruit, deli meat, and bread for his lunch Monday thru Friday.

As I was entering my favorite supermarket today, I heard part of an announcement for a coupon give-a-way at a specific table at the far end of the store.

I watched as men and women alike, hastily turned their carts in that direction. “That’s worth eight bucks,” I heard someone say.

I’m sure I looked bewildered because someone gave me a nudge and shared the necessary information. “They are giving free rotisserie chickens to the first-twenty-five shoppers!”

What is there about the word FREE that sparks elation in our hearts?

I wonder why Eternal Life, Salvation, and Heaven—free gifts from Jesus—aren’t always met with the same sense of awe and jubilation… 

Is it because people cannot believe such wonderful gifts could be true, I asked God?

For some.

Do others feel they are undeserving? 

Are there some who don’t believe there is a God, so a gift from Him has no basis in their reality?

Maybe there are those who are unrepentant of their sins and want to keep the status quo?

Or, could it possibly be that they simply need to hear the announcement?

Give someone a nudge and tell them the Good News.

1 Comment »

EXPUNGED

40191880713_b5f473e8e0

 

Romans 6:6-  “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with…”

 

I recently received the good news that a person we’d been praying for for many years has accepted Jesus as his Savior—in a prison cell. 

I praise God for his new life in Christ—a life filled with new friends, interests, purpose.

Sam Adeyemi, Nigerian pastor and motivational speaker, has said,“Real and sustainable change in a person’s life begins with a change in their sense of identity.”    

There will be many changes ahead for our friend, but one of the greatest will be the realization that he is a child of God. That he is loved and forgiven.

The man he was before no longer exists. He is no longer defined by his mistakes… the laws he has broken… the people he has disappointed.

Those things are now a part of the past—a past that has been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus.

Leave a comment »

Welcome to the Household

47902956421_546fb5f235

 

Ephesians 2:18,19- “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.

 

 

One of the most exciting and talked about movies of the 1970’s was The Godfather. Mr. Corleone was an important man. A lot of people were indebted to him.

It was difficult to get in to see The Godfather. His house was gated. He had bodyguards and lots of men to keep him and his family safe.

If you or I wanted to see The Godfather today, we couldn’t get inside—we couldn’t even talk to him on the phone. 

But, God isn’t like that. He wants us to not only visit him, He wants a relationship with us in which we are automatically granted access to Him. He grants believers citizenship in heaven.

We don’t have to wait in line.

We won’t be turned away.

We can enter into His presence at HIS INVITATION.

That means He’s available 24/7 through prayer while we are on this earth. And, our eternal home is ready for us when we pass from this life to the next…

Because, as verse 19 says, we are members of his household!

 

Leave a comment »

He Is Doing a New Thing

Patterdal - Lake District, England - Landscape photography

 

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

 

I heard a popular christian song on the radio, yesterday. It was about regret. I listed out some of the things in my life that I’d love to forget.

I have repented of them… confessed them to God… and He has forgiven me.

But, according to Isaiah, it doesn’t end there. God is doing a new thing in my life. His Spirit has changed me and my new path is not one of regret, but of looking toward the future and my new life in Christ. 

And this new thing He is doing is springing forth like a river in the desert.

How amazing!!!!

Christians, we are new creations.

Believers, we can be rivers in the desert to those who are spiritually parched and thirsty.

God created us to offer Christ, the living water to those who have never heard the gospel.

When they receive it, they will thirst no more.

1 Comment »