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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #890 August 23, 2003 Whole Lotta Shaking Going On If you were in Bruderheim yesterday, you will recognize this morning's message as coming from the sermon I preached there. I don't normally pull Gleanings from a sermon, but felt called to share this again with our readers. My grandmother died and my father in law isn’t expected to live much longer. He has a variety of aggressive cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems and a degenerative bone disease. My other set of grandparents are not well and I don't expect that they have much longer to live either. My youngest son Kyle has been vomiting for months and the doctors have no idea what's wrong with him. They call him an enigma. There are spiritual battles raging with my parents, siblings and their families because most of them don't know Jesus and don't want to know Him at this point. Sometimes there's enough shaking going on that it feels like we're in the midst of one of those glass snow globes. Let’s face it, life can be hard at times. We shouldn’t be surprised by that idea. Jesus told us it would be. In John 16:33, Jesus says “ In this world you will have trouble.” That’s pretty definitive. There is no maybe, might or possibly. The reality of life is that we all live in a fallen world and everyone, whether they believe in Jesus or not is going to have seasons of trouble. We all face death. We will all be rejected by someone at sometime, be unjustly accused, be treated unfairly and be hurt. We’ll suffer illness and pain. Our lives are going to be shaken at times. There’s no promise of smooth sailing. There’s no magic that says become a Christian and you’ll never have another problem or experience another loss. In this world we're having trouble. Every imaginable trouble and then new ones to add to the mess. So much for the bad news. What's the good news? Now let's look at the entire verse from John. It says "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NIV Jesus has overcome the world. We're told to take heart in the midst of the promised trouble. He brings us peace in the midst of turmoil. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 NIV We're to rejoice in the Lord always. Even in the midst of turmoil and shaking. Satan can do his worst to shake us up. It doesn't matter in the end because we have overcome the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 NIV Let the world shake. Our foundation will not be moved and we have one the victory. When your world is shaking, sing His praises. When it shakes, pray. When it shake even more remember we've won. After Calvary there is nothing left but little aftershocks. Until next time, whatever is shaking your world, remember God is in control and we have the victory. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are an overcomer. for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:4-5 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you. HELP FOR THE HURTING Life is hard, no question about that. It's much harder when you face it on your own. With Jesus you will overcome whatever life throws at you. All you need to do is to make Him Lord of your life. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
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