“All things are possible to him that believes” (Mark 9:23). 

Real moral fibre is developed through discipline of faith.

You have made your request of God, but the answer does not come.
What are you to do? 
Keep on believing God’s Word.

Never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed. The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God’s Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line. 

Often God delays purposely.
And the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes. 

In the lives of all the great Bible characters, God worked thus.
Abraham, Moses and Elijah were not great in the beginning-
– but were made great through the discipline of their faith, and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them. 

In the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt-
“The Word of the Lord tried him.” 

It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him.
But it was the Word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honour which were greater than his brethren were to receive; it was this which was ever before him, when every step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfilment, until he was there imprisoned, and all in innocence, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left to languish alone. 

These were hours that tried his soul, but hours of spiritual growth and development, that, “when his word came” (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself. 

No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these.
When God has spoken of His purpose to do, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard; but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.

(PR)
 

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Some days everything seems to go wrong!

Every phone call brings bad news. The mails are demanding… The children come home from school with some kind of injury or a bad report. Work is frustrating. Health is disturbing. Friends are leaving… Foes are threatening… What do you do when you have one of these days?

Here’s a man who was fainting and failing. The psalmist! He was like a wineskin in the smoke. Wherever he walked there was a pit for him to drop into. What did he do? He turned to God!

His source of hope was His Word. “My soul faints for Your salvation…For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, yet I do not forget Your statutes…. The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your law” (Psalm 119:81-83,85).

He told God!! “My eyes fail from searching Your word, saying, ‘When will You comfort me?”

People will fail you, but God never will. The psalmist clung to the comfort, hope and faithfulness of God, and as a result he experienced revival.

“Revive me according to Your lovingkindness” (v 88).

God came with a Breath of fresh, heavenly air –
– the Holy Spirit –
– and revived him.

He trusted in God!!!
“…but I hope in Your word”.

“All Your commandments are faithful” (v 86).

If you hope in circumstances, you will be disappointed, because they change.

The psalmist hoped in the Word and trusted in God’s faithfulness, and God comforted him.

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence…” (Proverbs 3:24-25).

Thank God for His faithfulness! If you are having a rough day, remember that you can depend on Him and Him alone!

God is your Confidence! And He will revive you, release you and reward you!

(PR)

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Have you ever faced the problems of
– Dullness, darkness and dryness?

Certain days come to us that are simply dull. There may be sameness and tameness about them.

And sometimes we have to go through periods of darkness, and we wonder what in the world God is doing.

Or we experience dryness – we are so spiritually dry, hungry and thirsty.

What is the answer to dullness? The Word of God.
“Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them” (Psalm 119:129).

Life cannot be dull when we read and obey the Bible. It has a way of taking the ordinary things of life and making them wonderful. When our minds and hearts are filled with Scripture, everything we see appears different.

What is the answer to darkness?
“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (v 130). Entrance means the opening up, the expounding, the unfolding of God’s Word. As Scripture is explained to us, it illuminates us.

If you find yourself in darkness today, read your Bible, and it will give you light.

What is the answer to dryness? Sometimes we feel so dry and needy.
“I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments” (v 131).

The Word of God is like fresh air when we feel smothered, like water when we are parched, like food when we are famished. If you are having a dull, dark or dry day, turn to the Word of God.

Its truths will brighten your soul, and its promises will encourage you. God designed the Bible to meet your needs. So when the discouraging days come, feed your mind and heart with the Word.

(PR)

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What does it mean to have the Word of God as light?

Psalm 119:105 gives us four statements that answer that question.

The Word is a light that shines from above! It is revelation. We know that God is Light (1 John 1:5). He gave us the Word, just as He gave us the sun. The sun is at the center of our solar system; if it ever burned out, we would die.

Likewise, God is the center of our universe through His Word.

Like a ray of light going into a prism, the Word of God gives us a multicolored exhibition of His grace. It provides whatever kind of light we need. But if you turn your back on the Word, you’ll walk in darkness.

The Word is a light that shines among! Paul uses the Old Testament story of creation to illustrate the new creation (2 Cor 4:3-6; Gen 1:1-3). God formed that which was formless and filled that which was empty. That’s a picture of salvation. The light shines in our hearts, and then God begins to form and fill our lives. He works on us through His Word and the power of His Spirit (Ps 119:130).

He has given the Holy Spirit and the gift of teaching to help us understand His Word. The devil tries to confuse us. How tragic it is that some people radiate darkness! Everything they touch is made dark. It’s so important to study and read the Word, because the unfolding of the Word brings light and understanding to the simple.

The Word is a light that shines around! The life of the believer is dangerous. Satan is a roaring lion and a deceiving serpent. He, the world, the flesh and other pitfalls surround us. We need God’s Word (Ps 43:3), for it guides us (Prov 6:23; Eph. 5:8).

Don’t walk in this world without a lamp. And remember that human teachers are fallible. Depend ultimately on the Spirit of God (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20).

The Author of the Bible lives inside you!

The Word is a light shines ahead! We can see what is coming: Jesus will return for His Church. Only in the Bible do we have assurance about the future, so walk in the light of His Word.

The Word of God is indispensable to the believer (2 Pet 1:19). It shines from above, among, around and ahead of you.

Avoid the hidden snares and pitfalls of the world. Improve your vision! Use the Word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path!

(PR)

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“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

God’s Word! – a source of strength and wisdom and peace that we often neglect… How many times this week have you flipped through-
– a magazine, or newspaper, or aimed the remote control?
– How often did you surf the web? In comparison-
– how many times did you pick up and read the Book God wrote?

We make all kinds of time for the words of men
– And yet we’re often too busy to open the Word of God. It’s not doing any good on your desk, shelf or your computer. It doesn’t matter if you have a really impressive one sitting on the coffee table.

In order to benefit from the Bible
– You’ve got to make it a priority in your life to read it and meditate upon it.

You’ve got to get:
– what’s inside it,
– and inside you!

Promise yourself: “I will not lay my head on the pillow at night until I’ve taken time to feed myself from God’s Word.”

Or do it in the morning: “I won’t check my cell, I won’t get on the computer, I won’t head off to work until I’ve had some time with God in His book.”

Make time! I challenge you in Jesus’ name to spend at least an hour reading and meditating upon the Scripture every day this week and every week.

I guarantee
– This Book will absolutely change your outlook!

(PR)

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The “all things” do not always come simply for the asking-

– for the reason that God is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith,

– and in our training in the faith life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith.

Real moral fibre is developed through discipline of faith.

You have made your request of God. But the answer did not come yet. What are you to do? Keep on believing God’s Word. Never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed.

The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God’s Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line.

Often God delays purposely. And the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes. In the lives of all the great Bible characters-

God worked thus. Abraham, Moses and Elijah were not great in the beginning-

– but were made great through the discipline of their faith, – and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them.

For example, in the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt, we read in the Psalms: “The word of the Lord tried him.” ​Psalm 105:19.​

It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him. But it was the Word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honour which were greater than his brethren were to receive.

​I​t was this which was ever before him, when every step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfillment, until he was there imprisoned, and all in innocenc​e​, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left to languish alone.

These were hours that tried his soul. But hours of spiritual growth and development, that, “when his word came” (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself.

No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these. When God has spoken of His purpose to do-

– and yet the days go on and He does not do it,

– that is truly hard;

– but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.

(PA)

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