Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Bouts of Doubt
In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.... Titus 1:2 (NKJV)
It all starts with God's character. That's what Paul understood as he wrote what we would come to know as the book of Titus. In this brief, three-chapter epistle, the apostle penned a plethora of precious promises. But he knew these would just be words on a piece of parchment unless they were backed up by something more substantial than the moral fiber of man. Therefore, he directed Titus' attention to the fact that God is the One behind these promises and that He cannot lie.
Titus needed to be reminded of this truth, and so do we. The circumstances of our lives are beyond our control and constantly changing. As they do, we may be tempted to question God's character: If God is so good, why did He let that person pass away? Where was He when I needed Him most? How am I supposed to trust Him again? We ask ourselves these questions from time to time when faced with seasons of uncertainty in life.
But we can always be sure of this: God cannot lie, which means He will never go back on His Word, and we can always trust what it tells us. We can trust that the Lord will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), He will be with us until the end of this age (Matthew 28:20), and His ways are always just and true (Revelation 15:3). God is forever faithful, and if He can be trusted to make good on a promise as important as eternal life, He can surely be trusted in matters pertaining to this life.
God's impeccable character is the basis of the book of Titus, and it's also the unshakable foundation of our lives. When we find ourselves going through a bout of doubt, we need to know what God has promised in His Word and remember that His promises must be true because He cannot lie.
It is impossible for God to lie.... Hebrews 6:18 (NKJV)
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Crisis is a Catalyst
There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick...he went to Him [Jesus] and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. John 4:46-47 (NKJV)
Imagine you're the nobleman in this passage. Your beloved son is seriously sick; in fact, he's on the brink of dying. Helplessness and hopelessness begin to overwhelm you. But then you hear that there's a Man about twenty miles away who has a reputation for miraculously healing people. His name is Jesus, and you pursue Him in hopes of convincing Him to come heal your son.
The clock is ticking, and after an anxious journey you finally find yourself face to face with Jesus. You share your need and ask Him to return with you to your son's bedside. But Jesus' answer catches you off guard, "Go on back home. Your son is OK."
This father takes Jesus at His word, turns around, and makes the return trip home. Along the way, some of his servants intercept him with good news, "Your son has been healed!" He asks when this happened, and it becomes clear the healing occurred at the same time Jesus pronounced his son to be well, over twenty miles away! In response, the nobleman and his entire household believe in Jesus, recognizing He's much more than a mere man (John 4:53).
Now notice the progression. The crisis of the son's sickness became the catalyst for spiritual salvation. If the son had never gotten sick, then the nobleman and his household would not have placed their faith in Jesus. But because the son was so close to death, a chain reaction was set off that eventually led not only to the physical blessing of physical healing, but the eternal blessing of eternal salvation through faith in Christ.
Crisis is often the catalyst God uses to accomplish His good-and greater works in our lives. It comes to us as an unwelcome guest but fulfills a key role as the Lord uses it to work all things together for our good.
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
Imagine you're the nobleman in this passage. Your beloved son is seriously sick; in fact, he's on the brink of dying. Helplessness and hopelessness begin to overwhelm you. But then you hear that there's a Man about twenty miles away who has a reputation for miraculously healing people. His name is Jesus, and you pursue Him in hopes of convincing Him to come heal your son.
The clock is ticking, and after an anxious journey you finally find yourself face to face with Jesus. You share your need and ask Him to return with you to your son's bedside. But Jesus' answer catches you off guard, "Go on back home. Your son is OK."
This father takes Jesus at His word, turns around, and makes the return trip home. Along the way, some of his servants intercept him with good news, "Your son has been healed!" He asks when this happened, and it becomes clear the healing occurred at the same time Jesus pronounced his son to be well, over twenty miles away! In response, the nobleman and his entire household believe in Jesus, recognizing He's much more than a mere man (John 4:53).
Now notice the progression. The crisis of the son's sickness became the catalyst for spiritual salvation. If the son had never gotten sick, then the nobleman and his household would not have placed their faith in Jesus. But because the son was so close to death, a chain reaction was set off that eventually led not only to the physical blessing of physical healing, but the eternal blessing of eternal salvation through faith in Christ.
Crisis is often the catalyst God uses to accomplish His good-and greater works in our lives. It comes to us as an unwelcome guest but fulfills a key role as the Lord uses it to work all things together for our good.
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
Monday, March 12, 2012
He Can
With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)
As we come to a principle as profound as the one presented to us in Romans 8:28, we need to begin with a basic understanding about something: God's ability to make good on the claim to work all things together for the ultimate good of His people. If we don't believe God is actually able to do this, then we'll have a hard time believing He actually will.
That's an uncertainty we don't need to be held captive by because the Bible tells us two things about God that prove His ability to fulfill Romans 8:28.
First, the Bible tells us that God is omniscient. "Omni" means all, and "science" means to know. There is nothing that can be known that is not known by God. He's fully aware of every event and happening that has ever taken place from one end of the universe to the other. He has absolute awareness of every fact and factor. The atomic number of hydrogen, the height of the Empire State Building , the way your co-worker looks at you, the crack in the driveway six doors down, the thoughts you're thinking as you read this...God knows it all.
Secondly, Scripture also assures us that God is omnipotent. Again, "omni" means all, and "potence" means power. God is all-powerful. When He determines to do something, there is no question about it being done because His power knows no limitations. The earth needs the sun to sustain life, and God is able to provide it according to His power. Mankind requires redemption, and God's power provides it. No matter how massive or monumental the task, God's power is always sufficient.
Now, put these two attributes together and you can see how God is able to work all things together for our good. He knows every detail about everything happening in our lives, and His limitless power allows Him to control them in a way that always benefits us in the end. Regardless of how impossible things might seem, all things are possible with the God who is able to use them for our good.
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
As we come to a principle as profound as the one presented to us in Romans 8:28, we need to begin with a basic understanding about something: God's ability to make good on the claim to work all things together for the ultimate good of His people. If we don't believe God is actually able to do this, then we'll have a hard time believing He actually will.
That's an uncertainty we don't need to be held captive by because the Bible tells us two things about God that prove His ability to fulfill Romans 8:28.
First, the Bible tells us that God is omniscient. "Omni" means all, and "science" means to know. There is nothing that can be known that is not known by God. He's fully aware of every event and happening that has ever taken place from one end of the universe to the other. He has absolute awareness of every fact and factor. The atomic number of hydrogen, the height of the Empire State Building , the way your co-worker looks at you, the crack in the driveway six doors down, the thoughts you're thinking as you read this...God knows it all.
Secondly, Scripture also assures us that God is omnipotent. Again, "omni" means all, and "potence" means power. God is all-powerful. When He determines to do something, there is no question about it being done because His power knows no limitations. The earth needs the sun to sustain life, and God is able to provide it according to His power. Mankind requires redemption, and God's power provides it. No matter how massive or monumental the task, God's power is always sufficient.
Now, put these two attributes together and you can see how God is able to work all things together for our good. He knows every detail about everything happening in our lives, and His limitless power allows Him to control them in a way that always benefits us in the end. Regardless of how impossible things might seem, all things are possible with the God who is able to use them for our good.
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
Friday, March 9, 2012
How's Your Vision?
How’s your vision?
The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance Acts 10:9-10 (NKJV)
Yesterday, we discussed how Paul received a vision of a man begging for his help in Macedonia . This vision was instrumental in Paul discerning a door that God had opened for him. But this isn't the only instance where God used a vision to reveal His will.
In Acts Chapter 10, Peter went to the top of a house to pray, where he suddenly fell into a trance and was given a vision by God. Up to that point, Peter had assumed Jesus came to save Jews but not Gentiles. The vision God gave Peter showed him it was just as much God's will for Gentiles to be saved through faith in Christ as it was Jews (Acts 10:11-16).
It was an important step forward in God's will for both Peter and the Church.
"So, should I expect my life to be filled with visions?" Let's go back to that word trance, which is "a condition where a person's normal state of mind is temporarily suspended." While we see that a vision can be biblical, we also need to see that by very definition it's not normal.
Here's the balance we need to strike when it comes to visions: We need to be open to the possibility that God may use them in our lives, but we need to temper this with the understanding that they are unusual.
It's a big red flag if someone is constantly talking about a "vision" or "revelation" God gave him or her. Again, it's not the norm. However, if someone with the reputation of being stable-minded receives something similar to what Peter and Paul experienced, and if it doesn't contradict anything we see in scripture, then it's quite possible God gave it to them.
Visions should never be the primary or only means of discerning God's will, but they can be used to get us to see things God's way.
Think about it…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance Acts 10:9-10 (NKJV)
Yesterday, we discussed how Paul received a vision of a man begging for his help in Macedonia . This vision was instrumental in Paul discerning a door that God had opened for him. But this isn't the only instance where God used a vision to reveal His will.
In Acts Chapter 10, Peter went to the top of a house to pray, where he suddenly fell into a trance and was given a vision by God. Up to that point, Peter had assumed Jesus came to save Jews but not Gentiles. The vision God gave Peter showed him it was just as much God's will for Gentiles to be saved through faith in Christ as it was Jews (Acts 10:11-16).
It was an important step forward in God's will for both Peter and the Church.
"So, should I expect my life to be filled with visions?" Let's go back to that word trance, which is "a condition where a person's normal state of mind is temporarily suspended." While we see that a vision can be biblical, we also need to see that by very definition it's not normal.
Here's the balance we need to strike when it comes to visions: We need to be open to the possibility that God may use them in our lives, but we need to temper this with the understanding that they are unusual.
It's a big red flag if someone is constantly talking about a "vision" or "revelation" God gave him or her. Again, it's not the norm. However, if someone with the reputation of being stable-minded receives something similar to what Peter and Paul experienced, and if it doesn't contradict anything we see in scripture, then it's quite possible God gave it to them.
Visions should never be the primary or only means of discerning God's will, but they can be used to get us to see things God's way.
Think about it…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Brotha Magazine's Best Book of 2011
Brotha Magazine is proud to announce that Patrick Shaffer's book "Love Again A Spirtual Memoir" has been chosen as its BEST BOOK OF 2011. "Love Again dares to express what most men feel, but fear to say-and what every women longs to hear. This book challengens preconceived notions about the depth of masculine emotion whil paving a pathway to self-recovery and healing."
Charles Clark, Brotha Magazine's Publisher/Editor says ....
"Whether you are single, dating, married, separated, or divorced Patrick's book is a must read. His transparency will help you uncover what you have tried to bury and help you to know that you will LOVE AGAIN"
For more information about "Love Again" visit: www.patrickdshaffer.com/
For info on the Brotha Magazine please visit Brotha Magazine @ www.brothaonline.com or email us at info@brothaonline.com. A press release will be available shortly.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Jeremiah
The words of Jeremiah...to whom the word of the LORD came... Jeremiah 1:1-2 (NKJV)
Of all the books of prophecy in the Bible, Jeremiah's is the most personal. Large sections of Jeremiah are descriptive of what was happening in this prophet's heart as he follows through with the task that God had called him to...and it was one of the most difficult tasks the Lord had ever assigned to someone.
From the start, God told Jeremiah his audience wouldn't receive him, and his ministry wouldn't appear successful to outward eyes (Jeremiah 1:18). That didn't matter, however. Jeremiah was to speak for the Lord, no matter how unreceptive the people were. And he did. He faithfully carried out his duties as a prophet of the Lord for more than forty years.
But as hard as Jeremiah's ministry was, he had a secret weapon. He had something that always overcame the adversity he faced. He had an uninhibited connection with God. Over and over again, the Book of Jeremiah gives us snapshots of the back-and-forth between the prophet and the Lord. And what we see is a man who was real with God when he was truly suffering. Here's just a small sampling:
"Let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously...woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me...Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?" Jeremiah 12:1, 15:10, 18 (NKJV)
Do you see how real and raw Jeremiah is with the Lord? He doesn't approach God in a detached or cold way but speaks to Him like a real person...because He is.
Sadly, a lot of people don't have that kind of connection with the Lord. Even many Christians never feel the freedom to be this honest when they pray to Him.
Don't let that be true of you. Be respectful and reverent towards God, but at the same time be as real with Him as Jeremiah was.
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div., C.P.E.
Of all the books of prophecy in the Bible, Jeremiah's is the most personal. Large sections of Jeremiah are descriptive of what was happening in this prophet's heart as he follows through with the task that God had called him to...and it was one of the most difficult tasks the Lord had ever assigned to someone.
From the start, God told Jeremiah his audience wouldn't receive him, and his ministry wouldn't appear successful to outward eyes (Jeremiah 1:18). That didn't matter, however. Jeremiah was to speak for the Lord, no matter how unreceptive the people were. And he did. He faithfully carried out his duties as a prophet of the Lord for more than forty years.
But as hard as Jeremiah's ministry was, he had a secret weapon. He had something that always overcame the adversity he faced. He had an uninhibited connection with God. Over and over again, the Book of Jeremiah gives us snapshots of the back-and-forth between the prophet and the Lord. And what we see is a man who was real with God when he was truly suffering. Here's just a small sampling:
"Let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously...woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me...Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?" Jeremiah 12:1, 15:10, 18 (NKJV)
Do you see how real and raw Jeremiah is with the Lord? He doesn't approach God in a detached or cold way but speaks to Him like a real person...because He is.
Sadly, a lot of people don't have that kind of connection with the Lord. Even many Christians never feel the freedom to be this honest when they pray to Him.
Don't let that be true of you. Be respectful and reverent towards God, but at the same time be as real with Him as Jeremiah was.
Think About It…
Answai T. White, B.S., M.Div., C.P.E.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
God Doesn't Bail
But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. 2 Timothy 4:17 (NKJV)
Chronologically, the Book of 2 Timothy is the last letter written by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. It's an interesting and invaluable letter because it gives us a snapshot of what things were like for him towards the tail end of his prolific ministry
.Now, here is what may come as a surprise to many of us: While Paul impacted countless lives over the course of his missionary journeys, and although he had a healthy following of helpers and supporters throughout most of his life, many (if not most) had turned against him as his ministry came to a close.
That's hard for us to fathom. But Paul is the one who tells us that aside from Luke, all of the closest companions who had been by his side had forsaken him (2 Timothy 4:10-16). Process that for a second. After all the blood, sweat, and tears, Paul found himself with several knives in his back, courtesy of those he had trusted and invested in most.
Undoubtedly, Paul shed more than his share of tears, but he didn't crumple under the weight of this heartbreak. He had something stronger that supported him through it. Man had done the unthinkable to him, but there was a greater reality at work in the Apostle's life. Despite being forsaken by his closest earthly companions, the Lord stood by his side and didn't go anywhere.
God doesn't bail on us even when everybody else does. Regardless of how many turn their backs on us, the Lord never will. Every friend may abandon and betray us. Yet even if that should happen, we'll still be able to say as Paul did, "But the Lord."
For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV)
Think About It...
Answai White
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