I am normally not a fan of ten steps to this or five ways to do that. But for one of my recent talks I came up with these six things to remember about being around those who may not yet be Christians, and thought some of you might find it useful.

1) Assume everyone is searching for God. Why? Because everyone is. We were created this way. God has purposely frustrated humanity by creating us with eternity in our hearts, yet with an inability to fathom what that is or what it means (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11). He has done this so that we might reach out for him and find him though He is not far from any of us for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:27-28).

2) Come alongside. This is really the crux of it all. Just walk alongside people and enter into their lives. Listen. Talk. Laugh. Cry. Find out where you can contribute and what you can learn. There’s something to give and something to receive in every relationship.

3) Point. You don’t tell someone what the truth is; you point to it. “There it is over there,” or “Here it is in my life.” This is why we need to learn to identify truth in the context of the world around us. Truth isn’t religious. You don’t have to get into a certain posture to see it. It’s not something that hasn’t been there all along.

4) Find out what people already know before you set out to tell them anything. Don’t ever think you have to clear the table and start over. This is why it’s so important to listen first. Find out what’s already on the table that you can use.

5) You don’t have to tell everything you know. Just the next thing.

6) You don’t have to correct everything someone says that is wrong. You are not the protector and defender of truth. You don’t have to decide where to draw the line. You don’t even have to be concerned if someone may be walking away with the wrong idea. You are not that smart anyway because you don’t know what’s in someone’s head. As long as they have something to think about, that’s a good thing.

And now here’s the one final thing that makes all this possible. It is the most important of all. (This is the one thing that makes all six of these make sense.) We don’t save anybody, convince anybody, “win” anybody to Christ or close the deal. All that is God’s business. The Holy Spirit is doing this all on His own terms and timetable. We are not salesmen, marketing reps, counselors or prosecutors. We are just friends who come alongside.

by John Fischer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Friends of God

Amazing Friendships

How to Foster True Friendships

The post Coming Alongside appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Never underestimate the power of prayer!

Five high school students began to sense their responsibility to God.  They wanted to help fulfill the Great Commission on their campus. Each made a list of three friends whom they wanted to claim for Christ.

The first week they met daily to pray that these friends would sense their need for Jesus. The second week they prayed to be instruments of God. The third week they prayed for opportunities to speak to their friends about Christ. That same week 15 students for whom they had prayed invited Jesus into their lives through prayer!

Dear friend, the more frequently you share your thoughts and desires with Christ, the closer you come to Him.

Prayer is powerful and pleases God.  That’s why He says, “Keep on praying.”  And I say, “Amen!”

By Vonette Bright
used by permission

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Hold On a Little While Longer

How To Be Sure God Listens To Your Prayers

Praying with Confidence

The post Amazing Prayer appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”  Romans 8:6

The peace of God can be directly linked with our obedience to God.

For years I had asked God to use me in a specific area of my life, but when He finally opened the door, I didn’t walk through. Instead of being obedient to what He was asking of me, I chose not to, and as a result, I lived with a sense of restlessness for a period of time. Stress and anxiety can often be self-induced due to our own choices that we make apart from God’s will in our lives. Lesson learned.

In John 4, Jesus told the Samaritan woman, who was drawing up water from the well, that He had living water for her by which she would never thirst again. What He was saying was that what He had to offer was far superior to what she currently needed. What He had to offer was something no one else could. What He desired to give her was authentic, eternal, and would never leave her wanting for more.

The things of this world leave us void, giving us fleeting emotions only to deceive us and keep us from the very nature of God. However, He longs to give us Himself ? leaving us feeling fulfilled and truly content if we hear His voice and follow Him.

When we give our life to Jesus and walk in God’s ways, we will have the peace of God no matter our circumstances. Apart from God and doing what He asks of us, we will never experience the fullness of what He has to offer us.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are always with me and have given me Your Holy Spirit so I may know you and live according to Your Word. Amen.

By Brigitte Straub
Used by Permission

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The Peace of God by Violet Tse

The Peace of God by Phil Ware

God’s Peace by Alec Niemi

The post A Direct Link appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. (2 Corinthians 4:1-2)

You and I are alive today on this earth for a purpose. We are here to introduced the gospel of welcome—grace turned outward—to everyone, everywhere. That’s a tall order, but that’s why we are students of the new covenant. The new covenant teaches us how we are going to do this. We’re going to do this by relying totally on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in us. We are not doing this on our own.

And the new covenant also teaches us what we don’t do. We don’t distort the word of God to make it more palatable, nor do we try to trick anyone into believing, or use underhanded methods to achieve the results we want. Instead, we simply tell the truth about God and His word, and let it stand at that. Those who are truly seeking will find; and those who are not won’t get it anyway, because they don’t want to know. This is why the passage goes on to say:

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

Those who don’t get it can’t see it, and there’s nothing we can do about that. That’s why the first verse of this chapter says, “we never give up.” Why? Because those who respond (at any given time) and those who don’t respond are beyond our control. We are not responsible for anyone’s reaction to what we present; we are only responsible for telling the truth before God in front of anyone who will listen.

We are agents of the Holy Spirit.

No tricks; just truth. No manipulation, just honesty. No coercion, just “the glorious light of the Good News.” The rest is up to God.

by John Fischer
used by permission

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To Be Spirit Led

The Holy Who?

Walking in the Spirit

The post Agents of the Holy Spirit appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“And since, when we were his enemies, we were brought back to God by the death of His Son, what a blessing He must have for us now that we are His friends, and He is living within us!”
Romans 5:10

Marilyn had a very poor self-image. She hated the way she looked and felt that her personality was so bad that she could never expect to have true friends. She was concerned especially about marriage. How could she ever find a man to love her since she was so unattractive (in her thinking).

I was able to help her see how much God loved her, and how great was His blessing for her as a child of God. The supernatural life-style was available to her, and she was the one to determine whether or not she would measure up, as an act of the will by faith, to what God had called and enabled her to be. Her part was simply to trust and obey Him.

With God’s help, she determined to be that kind of person, the kind of person God created her to be.

We who are Christians can see ourselves as God sees us and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit become what we are in His sight. With the eyes of love, He sees us covered with the blood of Christ, which was shed on the cross for our sins, and, as expressed in Hebrews 10, He sees us as holy, righteous and totally forgiven. He holds nothing against us. The penalty for our sins has been paid – once and for all. There is nothing which we can add.

Now we have the privilege of becoming in our experience what we are already in God’s sight.

Bible Reading: Romans 5:11-15

Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will begin to see myself as God sees me: loved, forgiven, holy, righteous, spiritually mature, aggressive and fruitful for the glory of God. Today I will live by faith the supernatural life which is my heritage in Christ.

By Dr. Bill Bright
Used by Permission

Learn more about how to be filled with the Holy Spirit

The post We are His Friends appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23

Giving thanks to God can be a hard thing to do,

….especially when things happen that make us more likely to say, “Why, God?” instead.

Thank offerings come easy some days. The sun shines and we feel the blessing of the Lord. Thanksgiving is our natural response.

On other days, thanksgiving is truly a sacrifice. In the middle of writing this devotional, our home was broken into. Thanksgiving was not my first response. Yet here in this verse, God tells us an amazing truth. He says that when we offer thanks and praise to Him, even when it’s a sacrifice to do so, we honor Him. This prepares the way for Him to work on our behalf. Thanksgiving is actually a door.

I pondered how to thank God in the midst of this violation. I was not thankful for the loss, but I discovered I could be thankful in it. As I intentionally shifted my gaze to God and not to the mess around me, I became aware of being thankful for several things: our personal safety, that certain items were not taken, the immediate help and care from family and friends, and the reminder that God is our Warrior, working, even fighting on our behalf. As a result, God’s peace settled over our hearts and minds and over our home.

Thank You, Lord God, that thanksgiving is so much more than a trite “attitude of gratitude.” Thank You for the truth of Your word that when we do give You our thanks, even when it’s hard to, we honor You and it opens a door for You to work and to bring Your peace and wisdom. Thank You that we can always offer thanksgiving for who You are and all You are to us — even in the midst of challenges. We praise You and ask this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
used by permission

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Thanksgiving Day Sample Prayers

Thanksgiving Quotes

Let Thanksgiving be the Habit of your Life

The post Thank Offerings appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.  I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2

We are given amazing privileges when we trust in Jesus. Recalling these promises is a good way to maintain a thankful heart, even when facing challenges in other areas. Consider four such blessings:

1.    Christ’s gift of salvation. No matter what trial we’re facing, it is microscopic next to the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. The cross was a steep price to pay, but the Savior willingly took our place in order to offer us forgiveness and eternal life.

2.    Assurance of God’s love. The Lord cares for us unconditionally–that is His very character (1 John 4:16). Unfortunately, the storms of life can cause us to question this, but Romans 8:31–39 unequivocally tells us that nothing can separate us from God’s love.

3.    Answered prayer. We have the awesome privilege of talking to the Father about anything burdening us–and He never grows tired of listening to His children. Our omnipotent, omniscient God is not only able to help us in any situation; He also knows the best possible way to do so.

4.    A personalized plan. The Lord has a will, plan, and purpose for our lives that He will accomplish if we obey Him. No one is exempt from adversity, but we can trust God to bring good from everything He permits to come our way.

Hardships, temptations, and tests will touch us all, but the Lord allows difficulty for a reason–even when we don’t understand why (Romans 8:28). Therefore, submit yourself to the Father, thank Him for His wisdom, and be confident that He will accomplish His purposes for you.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission

https://www.intouch.org/

If  you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws

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Thanksgiving in Our Hearts

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A Thought about Gratitude

The Cure for Ingratitude

The post Remembering God’s Blessings appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”  Acts 2:38

My husband likes to give and receive practical gifts. For instance, in January, he had snow tires put on our daughter’s car for her birthday. I don’t remember this being on my daughter’s “wish list” for her birthday, but she obviously needed them for winter weather.

He is a very active person who tends to misplace things like keys and his cell phone, so I thought I’d surprise him with a gift that would help him find lost stuff … these amazing little disks that attach to items and will beep when activated.

My husband can continue to search for his keys and phone on his own, or use the gift he received. In the same way, you and I can continue trying to “do it all” in our own wisdom and strength, or ask the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.

The choice is up to us.

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what someone else actually needs, but God knows how to give amazing gifts to his children! New believers need God’s help to find their way forward, especially in the face of persecution, so he gives them the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, sometimes even God’s greatest gifts go unused because in order to fully benefit from them, we need to admit we need help. We can all humbly use the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, relying on him moment by moment.

The choice is up to you.

Holy Spirit, I do need you. Please help me confess my sin and pride each day, acknowledge my inability to live the Christian life in the way that I should, and trust you to work in and through my life in such a way that God is glorified for the gift that he has given us. Amen.

By Karen Woodard
Used by Permission

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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Bible Studies and More

Going Deeper with God

Making a Difference

The post The Gift We All Need appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.”  Psalm 77:19

How often have you heard the comment, “I didn’t see it at the time, but now I recognize how God was leading me”.  When young Joseph, (eventually to become a Hebrew patriarch) was thrown into a desert pit by his brothers and later sold into slavery, observers could rationally have argued that God was not in the picture. Yet years later, after enduring the suffering of misunderstanding, abandonment, treachery and prison, and now in a position of authority, he would confidently say, “God sent me. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

It takes faith in a sovereign and loving God to believe that even when His footprints cannot be seen, He is leading through the thrashing waters of the sea of life. And because He is sovereign and loving, His plans for us include a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Loving Father, help me see your footprints with the eyes of faith when I seem to be drowning in the swirling waters that seem to be sucking me into their depths. Thank you for your love even when it cannot be seen.

By Marilyn Ehle
used by permission

Jeremiah 29:11

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The post God’s Foot Prints appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…” Philippians 4:11,12

“Mom, you find pleasure in the smallest things,” my daughter laughed.

I had just described to her my joy at finding a spider web suspended outside my kitchen window. Raindrops caught in the web shone like beads of crystal in the early morning sunlight. What could be more beautiful?

A sense of wonder at the small things! How we need that today in our world of noise, speed, and consumerism. It’s easy to be sucked into the world’s way and to miss the many little blessings God scatters into each day for us.

Two things that steal my sense of wonder:

—Comparing myself with others who seem to have more of what I want–more book sales, more success in ministry…

—A feeling of entitlement–I deserve more than I’m getting. After all, I have worked very hard and given so much.

Paul could have gone that route. He had worked day and night to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had sacrificed everything: home, family, career, comfort, even a wage. Yet, he was in prison while others were free to preach.

What was his response? “I have learned the secret of being content.”

What was his secret? I think I know: Develop a keen sense of wonder at all that God is doing for you and through you. All the little miracles he is scattering into each day for you. Like a spider web outside the kitchen window.

Today, I encourage you to write down the little blessings that add to the pleasure of your day. See if you can come up with ten. Then share some of them with the rest of us.

Father, I thank you for the surprising ways in which you come to us. Today I want to be alert to the small blessings you’ve planted along my pathway.

by Helen Lescheid
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Contentment by Max Lucado

Secret of Contentment by Phil Ware

The Secret of Contentment by Charles Stanley

Contentment by Idelette McVicker

Contentment and A Broken Ankle by Katherine Kehler

The post A Sense of Wonder appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them.”  Romans 12:14 (NCV)

It would be hard to find someone worse than Judas. Some say he was a good man with a backfired strategy. I don’t buy that. The Bible says, “Judas . . . was a thief” (John 12:6). The man was a crook. Somehow he was able to live in the presence of God and experience the miracles of Christ and remain unchanged. In the end he decided he’d rather have money than a friend, so he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. . . . Judas was a scoundrel, a cheat, and a bum. How could anyone see him any other way?

I don’t know, but Jesus did. Only inches from the face of his betrayer, Jesus looked at him and said, “Friend, do what you came to do” (Matthew 26:50). What Jesus saw in Judas as worthy of being called a friend, I can’t imagine. But I do know that Jesus doesn’t lie, and in that moment he saw something good in a very bad man. . . .

He can help us do the same with those who hurt us.

by Max Lucado
used by permission

From: Just Like Jesus
Copyright (Word Publishing, 1998)
To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

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Betrayed by Judas

How to Love the Unlovable

Let it Go

How to know God – Four Spiritual Principles

The post Finding Good in the Bad appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping — believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, ‘That’s how many descendants you will have!’ And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead — and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.” Romans 4:18-20 (NLT)

It is highly frustrating when you are waiting on God and expecting your current state to change. God doesn’t always show you how things will turn out, but He often gives you a glimpse into what He has waiting for you. Let’s look at Abraham, the father of faith.

Even though they had passed child bearing age, God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son of their own. I can imagine the anguish I would have felt even after the promise was made. I am someone who needs to know the exact details. I need to know the “ins and the outs” of how it will all work out.

Unfortunately, this is not the walk of faith.

Faith believes that what God says will take place without a shadow of a doubt. Faith believes that we will see the promises of God unfold even when it looks impossible. Faith believes in what we can’t see, and knows it is there.

We learn a lot from Abraham as we watch him wait upon the promise of God to be fulfilled in his life. The Scriptures tells us that he hoped against hope, believing that God was faithful to perform that which he had promised.

As Abraham walked out his faith, we also learn what not to do. We learn that it is much better to wait on God rather than working out our own plans. When we believe we have the answers, we miss God’s best.

Father, I come today asking that You strengthen those who are still waiting for what You have promised. Grant them a glimpse of hope today. Help them to see what You are doing during the process as they await Your next move. You always have our best interest at heart. May we learn to trust You, just as Abraham did. In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

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Withholding Nothing

Abraham’s Journey of Faith

Do you want a Deeper Faith:  Here are some links for you

The post Faith Believes appeared first on Thoughts About God.