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4/27/2007 Found this to be inspiring & insightful Live It <Live_It@crosswalkmail.com> wrote: Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 03:25:59 -0500 (CDT)
From: Live It <Live_It@crosswalkmail.com>
To: "powerofprayingwife@yahoo.com" <powerofprayingwife@yahoo.com>
Subject: Crosswalk - What Can You Do when You Wonder "Why?"
 | | | | Live It! Thursday, April 26, 2007 | |
Welcome to the Live It!, a free newsletter from Crosswalkcom, the world's largest Christian website. We honor your privacy and time If this newsletter no longer meets your needs, please use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this newsletter and you will be removed immediately.
What Can You Do
when You Wonder "Why?" Whitney Hopler If you’ve lost your job, received a devastating diagnosis from your doctor, or seen your spouse walk out of your marriage, you know well what it’s like to suffer and wonder why this is happening to you. No matter what challenge you’re facing, it can be hard to carry on in the midst of suffering. But God is holding out hope for you to grab onto, even when you don’t know why He
has allowed you to suffer. Here’s what you can do when you wonder “Why?”: * Seek wisdom instead of answers. Acknowledge that, sometimes, God doesn’t reveal His specific reasons for allowing suffering into your life, and there are no immediate or obvious answers to your questions. Understand that, while much of the spirit world is beyond your comprehension this side of eternity, you can trust God’s promise that He will use any suffering He allows to accomplish good purposes for you. Rather than seeking answers to why something is happening to you, ask God what He wants you to learn from it. Count on God to give you all the wisdom you need to grow from tough experiences. * Remember that God is with you. Know that God is present with you in the midst of every situation, no matter how difficult, and that He cares about what you’re going through. Ask Him to make you aware of His presence with you whenever you need
encouragement. Trust God’s promise that He is ultimate control of what happens to you. Understand that, when you can’t understand what’s going on, God is still at work behind the scenes, with your best interests at heart. * Don’t be surprised by troubles. Recognize that, in this fallen world, suffering comes into everyone’s lives. Expect to encounter challenges, but also expect God to help you through whatever comes your way. Know that God isn’t punishing you when you suffer, but simply allowing you to experience something He knows will help you grow in good ways. Realize that God won’t change your circumstances until the circumstances that He has allowed in your life change you. * Avoid negative responses. Make a conscious choice to refrain from resentment, bitterness, envy, and worry as you deal with challenges, because all of those negative responses will poison your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your
mind and help you focus on all that’s positive and helpful. * Fight the battle of emotions. Don’t allow your emotions to control you. Instead, overcome troubling emotions like discouragement, fear, loneliness, anger, depression, anxiety, and disappointment expressing them honestly to God in prayer and asking Him to give you the peace that only He can give. Cope with your emotions one day at a time, staying connected to God through prayer and relying on His unlimited strength. * Expect God to fulfill good purposes through bad situations. Rest assured that God has a purpose for every challenge you face, and a good plan for your future. Don’t fear the unknown; instead, hand your situation over to God and invite Him to create something beautiful out of the broken pieces of it. Understand that there aren’t any shortcuts to suffering; you must go through it to receive the benefits of transformation. Ask God to develop
patience, perseverance, and endurance in you. Keep on loving God and others as you deal with your challenges, and expect to see God at work in your life as you do. * Pray often. Every day, pray about what’s on your mind, listen to what God says to you through His Spirit and His Word, and embrace the encouragement and hope He offers you. Ask other people to intercede for you in specific ways. Pray with others (such as a prayer partner or members of a Bible study group) whenever you can. Make your prayers personal, being honest with God and building intimacy with Him. Thank God for what He has done and is currently doing in your life. Approach God with an attitude of repentance. Make specific requests. Express your confidence and trust in God’s ultimate control of your life – including your suffering. * Embrace comfort. Don’t try to tackle too much at once or let anxiety about the future consume
you; go easy on yourself and just take one day at a time. Look for signs of God’s grace around you every day, such as through the hugs of friends and family members and the inspirational messages of songs. Read your Bible often for encouragement. Let people who care about you know how they can help you, and accept their help with gratitude. Reach out to God for comfort whenever you need it. * Reach out beyond yourself to others. Know that every challenge you face helps prepare you to help others. Use the lessons you’ve learned in your own suffering to positively impact other people’s lives. Ask God to turn your tragedy into a platform to share His hope and love. Pray for Him to open your eyes to notice the many people around you who are struggling. Remember that no matter what you’re going through, there is always someone else who is experiencing even greater suffering. Show compassion on others by praying for them, financially supporting
charities, doing volunteer work, and in any other ways God leads you to serve. Discover your passions for ministry and follow them. Ask God to shine His light through you into suffering people’s darkness. Share the story of how God has worked in your life whenever you have an opportunity to encourage someone else. Point other people toward Jesus and the hope and love that He offers them. * Recognize gifts in disguise. Understand that your challenges can actually be gifts disguised as burdens. Be thankful whenever your challenges cause you to grow closer to God, focus on what matters most in life, or help you mature into the person God intends you to become.  Adapted
from Why?: Answers to Weather the Storms of Life by Vernon Brewer, copyright 2006 by World Help. Published by World Help, Inc., Forest, Va., www.worldhelp.net.
Vernon Brewer is the founder and president of World Help, a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian organization that is uniquely qualified and strategically positioned to meet the spiritual and physical needs of hurting people around the world. World Help exists to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment through partnering, training, helping and serving, especially in the unreached areas of the world. Vernon is also the author of The Forgotten Children: Hungry. Hopeless. Running for Their Lives.
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Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out
new cars at Yahoo! Autos.4/5/2007 Just wanted to pass this thought on since so many seem to get discouraged & give up when the major holidays come around & this message says it all as to what God can & will do for us if we'll just allow God to do His pruning & healing work in us first remember God is no respector of persons what He has done for Bob & Charlyne He'll also do for us as well but in His Time & in His Way Rejoice Ministries, Inc.
Bob and Charlyne Steinkamp
P.O. Box 11242
Pompano Beach, Florida 33061
(954) 941-6508 RESIGNATION LETTERS
"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:6-7 At some time or another, all of us have had to write a resignation letter. People resign from jobs. People resign from church committees. Even presidents and pastors find themselves writing resignation letters. Some resignation letters are many pages long, and others are only two words in length; "I quit." Regardless of the length, or the wording, someone is saying they no longer desire to do the job they were hired to do. Some people even resign from doing what God has called them to do. Why do people resign? In most cases, it is because something has changed
in their assignment. The job has become a disappointment. They feel cheated out of money, job satisfaction, recognition, advancement, or some other area. Other people resign to take new positions. It is amazing how an individual can resign to accept a new job with double the pay and half the hours, but before long, many of that group are wishing for their old job back. A few people resign to do the will of God. Charlyne resigned after 25 years with the same doctors to enter into full-time ministry. Executives and janitors have both written resignation letters, after much prayer and soul searching, in order to be able to carry out the work of God. For my wife, and for all of this group, a resignation letter is something positive. It is allowing that individual to better carry out the revealed will of God for their life. Have you ever resigned
from a job? Think about your resignation letter? Was it thanking the organization for their part in your employment? Did it take a final slam at those around you? My wife and I desire for each stander God entrusts to work with us to always be growing upward, to be more like Christ. I sense in my spirit that some standers need to be making apologies for the way they have left their jobs. God has called you to do a job for Him. It is known as standing for the salvation of a prodigal mate. The hours are long and you may have little contact with others. The compensation may be small, but the true rewards are eternal. This work of standing can affect generations to come. It can mean success or failure in life for your children. The continuing education benefits are endless, as God reveals more of Himself to you.
Opportunity for promotion are promised, as you grow as a Christian to become more like Jesus Christ. God promises that He will provide everything you need for this job of standing, if you will only follow His Manual, the Bible. It is critical to this job of standing that you maintain daily contact with God through prayer.You will be a representative of the largest, most powerful group of people to have ever lived, namely the church, so much will be expected of you in matters of behavior, dress, and attitude. Why would anyone ever write a letter of resignation for the God-called work of standing for a prodigal spouse? We do not know, but we receive them weekly. Someone feels that God has not done what He promised, so they fire off an email to a marriage ministry, declaring how they are giving up on standing for marriage restoration.
We have never understood why these resignations come to us. After all, we are only the assistants, carrying out the tasks that God has directed us to do. They do not resign from us; they resign from God. I wonder if they have told God what they tell us in their resignation letter. Most of them use many of the same phrases: "This is too hard!" - What is too hard? Living the Christian life and obeying the Bible, praying for a prodigal spouse to repent (turn) and to come to a personal relationship with Jesus?
"I am hurting too much." - How will giving up on God make you feel one degree better?
"Everyone says I should..." - Why are you listening to everyone? You
should be listening to God. What is He saying to you?
"How do I know that...?" - Has God made you any promises?
"I deserve to be happy." - You certainly do! That is exactly why God is at work, moving mountains that you cannot see so that your marriage can be restored.
"I deserve someone better." - Yes you do. That is why God is changing your spouse (and you) day by day, in every way.
"I...; I...; I..." - The number one trademark of every stander's resignation letter we receive is the excessive use of the personal pronoun, "I". What about Him? Is your happiness more important than your family's holiness? Which will matter two generations from now?
"I have to move on." - Will you be moving on toward God, or away from Him? Come on, let's be honest. It is highly unlikely that your resigning from standing will cause you to be more like Jesus one year from now.
"I met someone." - Have you met my Jesus, who heals marriages and changes hearts? Have you encountered what His Word says about marriage and divorce, ("What His Word says" is not what someone is telling you the Word says, but what you have discovered in your time alone with God.) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
Charlyne and I have been involved in ministry to abandoned spouses for over 15 years. Based on our observations, may we give you a composite of the people who send us resignation letters? In two or three years, when they anticipated being so happy, they are miserable. Many even take up their stand once again, but with baggage from their detour. Some have entered into another relationship, even when knowing the truth about remarriage. Right now, eight people come to my mind. They were each once prodigals, but are now standers? What happened? The mate standing for them resigned, and after the prodigal “Came to their senses,” there was no one to come home to. Your circumstances right now are nothing compared to the years of the Enemy's destruction that always seem to follow a stander's resignation letter. When you resign from standing, you are openly announcing to Satan that you feel God has no power. What will follow will be attack after attack upon you, your spouse, and your family. If you stop praying for your prodigal mate, who will? How will they ever come to Christ? There is far more at stake here than your present happiness. My first resignation letter was written when I was eighteen years old. I was quitting my job with a large chain of funeral homes. Like many standers, I envisioned something better, so I was giving up. On the day the owner of the funeral homes read my resignation letter, he took me to the ambulance dorm and sat down on the bed across from me. Looking me straight in the eye, he said, “Bob, I want to talk to you like a son.” He did not attempt to persuade me
to stay, but laid out some facts that I was overlooking. In half an hour, my resignation letter was torn up. That event was 41 years ago this summer, and I will never forget that man's words. To think that someone that important had a personal interest in my long-term best and my success touched me. Is that where you are today? Have you started your resignation letter from standing a few times? If so, I pray that you will allow God to look at you and to say, "I want to talk to you like my child." It is my sincere prayer that you will realize that God is on your side, and that you will tear up that letter. Now, let's get back to the work of standing! Charlyne and I are here and ready to carry our share of the load if you will be faithful to the
work God has called you to do. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12 Hang in there, Bob Steinkamp
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