spiritualsnippets.com

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

Aug 20

Keep the Faith

by Brenda Poulos

2 Timothy 3:13-15~ “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

“What a week,” my friend said. “I knew things were getting bad, but I didn’t realize they’d get this bad.”

Sharon was referring to something she read this morning on the internet and later was reported on the midday news report.

Christians, especially, shouldn’t be surprised to hear such comments because we have been warned in the Bible that the “last days” will be filled with all kinds of things that we have never heard of before– language and behaviors opposite of the way we were taught.

The encouragement in 2 Timothy is a reminder for us to keep following the words recorded in scripture—to remember what we learned as children and stay true to the Biblical Truths.

While we may be appalled by things we see and hear, now more than ever we need to pray for those who might be influenced by social media and those around them.

Prayers of righteous men “availeth much.”

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Apr 2

Ways To Help Ourselves Remember

by Brenda Poulos

Deuteronomy 6:12- “…be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Something happened in my life today—something I had been praying for more than thirty years! So that I wouldn’t forget this special answer to prayer, I wrote about it in my Bible and put the date beside my words.

Just as in our world today, many people in “Bible times” often forgot what God had done for them. In Deuteronomy, Moses warned the Israelites of doing just that and there are other stories in the Bible on the same theme.

Oftentimes, as in this story, God told the people to place a stone(s) in certain places as a memorial of a specific event or person.  You can see examples of memorials in many state parks and cemeteries around the world.

Memorials serve three purposes:

  1. Cause use to remember what a person has done. For Christians, it might mean remembering God’s answer to prayer and of His provision. God instructed Joshua to build a memorial so each time the Israelites saw it, they would be reminded.
  2. Memorials are a form of communicating past occurrences with next generations. Memorial stones in Bible times were a basis of sharing faith with their children.
  3. Memorials spur us to renew our personal commitments, whether it be to a cause, to our family, or to our God. They give us a new sense of purpose.

Has God led you through a rough time in your life?

Has He blessed your family with a newborn or a new job?

Whatever it is, finding a way to remember God’s blessing will help you focus on His goodness and faithfulness.

It could be the planting of a tree or unveiling a statue or hanging of a commemorative plaque. 

Or it could be something as simple as writing a few words of praise in the Bible next to the date when a specific prayer was answered.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Jul 31

He Hears

by Brenda Poulos

I John 5:14- “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

From time to time, I like to read historical fiction. 

The main character in a book I read recently wrote faithfully each month to her fiancé during the war—even though she never got confirmation that he’d received her letters.

I thought of how comforting it is that Christians are assured of God hearing our prayers. He is concerned with our day-to-day lives, providing for our needs and guiding our steps.

We don’t have to worry about Him hearing us. His Word is truth and it assures us this is so.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 5

Mount Up!

by Brenda Poulos

Isaiah 40:31– “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Admit it.

You find it difficult to wait patiently for answers to your prayers.

Me, too.

When I questioned why God often made me wait for so long, my pastor said it was so I would learn patience.

I accepted that, knowing I certainly did need to work on patience in many areas of my life.

However, I recently discovered another purpose to waiting.

The verse in Isaiah reveals that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

We are all aware of the mighty eagle…its powerful wings.

So, next time you are waiting, draw on the strength of God’s Word. You’ll not only receive your answer, but the strength to deal with anything that comes your way.

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Jul 1

Pray for Our Country

by Brenda Poulos

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Proverbs 29:2- “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.”

 

As more and more newscasts are filled with biographical information about candidates and their stands on the issues concerning citizens of our great country, need we even ask if God cares about politics?

There is a lot of talk in the Bible about Kings. There are details regarding lineage, how they came to be Kings, their performance, and so on. Scripture tells us some did what pleased God. Some did “evil in the sight of the Lord.”

As we read, we learn how certain actions led to peace, while others started wars. We learn the difference in how Godly leadership and unholy leadership affected the lives of ordinary people.

Leaders who are humble and submissive to God can bring great blessings upon citizens. If we want our nation to truly have peace and prosperity, we must seek leadership that follows Christian principles.

I cannot imagine God devoting so much of the Old Testament to this subject if it wasn’t important to Him. I think God cares immensely about leaders around the world.

It’s not that long until Americans will again exercise their right to vote. In the days and nights leading up to casting our ballots, we need to pray as never before that God will guide us and that HIS choices for all of the offices will be elected. And, afterward? We need to continue to pray that their decisions and actions will be wise and honorable.

We cannot let up. 

Our prayers are important because our leadership matters… because God will act on behalf of His people if we earnestly seek His will in every circumstance.

Complacency or defeatist attitudes have no place in the lives of Christians. (Remember God’s warning to the church of Laodicea in Revelation that He would rather they would be hot or cold than to be lukewarm? That if they didn’t change, He would spew them out of his mouth?) 

May our pillows be hard and our beds uncomfortable from this day forward if we go to bed without praying for our country. 

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Mar 4

No Language Barrier

by Brenda Poulos

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Acts 2:5-8 “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”

 

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went to a Valentine celebration—complete with wonderful Mexican food and Mariachis.

We had a great time visiting with English-speaking friends, but it was difficult to talk with the other guests that did not speak “our” language.

There was only a certain amount of smiling and gesturing we could do to communicate with our gracious hosts. The language barrier prevented us from letting them know just how much we appreciated the invitation and enjoyed the evening.

Driving home, I thought of the scripture above and how nice it would have been for us to have heard each other in our own language.

You know, God hears our prayers—and our praises—no matter what language we speak…and through His Word and His Holy Spirit, He communicates with us.

With God, there is no language barrier.

No matter what our nationality, each of us hears Him in our own language.

Utterly amazing.

 

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May 18

24/7

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 139:8- (David says of God) “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

My husband and I enjoy doing things with friends and family. Since our weekday evenings are generally filled with meetings and other obligations, we try to use our weekends to schedule time for eating out, movies, and having friends over.

Whether we use a scheduling system on our cell phones or an “old-fashioned” calendar, it is just a sign of the times that we are all very busy and need to keep track of our activities.

You wouldn’t think it would be so difficult to come up with workable dates for everyone in a group, but even when we plan things a month or two in advance, somehow we still run into scheduling problems or something comes up at the last minute which necessitates changing the date or time.

Even though we think we are busy, God must be even busier. Think about all of the prayers He must listen to—and act on—in just one given day! How about all of the world events, weather, planets, etcetera that are in His control?

And, yet, the Bible tells us that He wants to spend time with us each day! But, there are millions of us. How can He possibly do this when I have difficulty even getting the schedules of four friends to mesh?

His Word tells us that He is omnipresent (present in all places at all times) and omniscient (knows everything and his knowledge is complete). This makes it possible for Him to listen to my prayer at the same time He offers peace to earthquake victims and comforts the parents of a lost child. He doesn’t have to consult His calendar if you and I decide to pray at the same time or if catastrophes happen, simultaneously, around the globe.

He wants us to spend time with us and He’s available 24/7. Whenever we call on Him, He’ll be with us—on any given day, at any hour of the day or night.

He is able to meet with us at a moment’s notice. NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY.

Brenda

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