​Sometimes God seems silent.
Frustration can set in when we have prayed to the Father and heaven seems to be out to lunch.
I have been there, done that, and have the T-shirt. You probably have a frustration T-shirt too.
So, what are you and I to do? Let us look to God’s Word, the Holy Bible, to see what happened to some righteous folks who struggled with Jesus’ silence.
The Silent Setting      
I encourage you to personally study and meditate on John 11:1-46.
When Jesus traveled to Bethany, He stayed with Lazarus, Martha and Mary. He loved them and they loved Him. (Verses 1-5)
Jesus was away when Lazarus fell seriously ill. The sisters sent for Jesus to come right away.  The Lord replied through a messenger the illness was not unto death, but for the glory of God and His Son. (Verses 4-10). Jesus traveled to Judea for ministry for two days. (Verses 9-10).
 Silence from Jesus.
The sisters were very concerned that Jesus did not answer their request immediately. They believed Jesus had power to heal Lazarus. They yearned to hear from Him that He would come. Eventually He did. Upon His arrival four days later, they both declared “If you had been here, our brother would not have died” (Verses 21 and 32). Their broken hearts were grieving because their beloved brother lie dead in a tomb and Jesus had not come to raise him up from the sick bed.
Jesus did the following: He assured them Lazarus’s death was not final. He wept with the sisters and crowd. He taught about resurrection life and belief in Him as the Savior. Then He calmly, confidently and powerfully called Lazarus forth from the grave!!! Lazarus’s grave clothes were removed. Brother Lazarus was fully alive and reunited with Martha and Mary. (Verses 11-46).
MIRACLE OF MIRACLES!!! Lazarus was raised from the dead! People were astonished. Many believed in Jesus, and of course, some doubted Him.
LESSON FOR YOU AND ME: God’s silence does not mean He is not answering our prayers.
Whether a silent season is short or long, Jesus hears and answers our prayers (Matthew 7:7-8). He responds on His terms and time, not ours. His time is the right time. The Lord’s timing is always the right on time. His timing is always better than yours or mine. Why? Because He is God and we are not!!!
In his devotional, My Utmost For His Highest, for October 11th, Oswald Chambers comments about God’s silence.
“If God has given you a silence, praise Him. He is bringing you into the great run of His promises. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. Timing is.”
“If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for glorifying of the Father, He will give you the first sign of HIs intimacy—silence.”
“Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.”
Mr. Chambers thoughts are worth thinking about and applying to our silent situations.
What Not To Do During Silent Seasons

• Refuse to push the panic button. Panic opens the door of doubt.
• Renounce worry and wondering if you asked for the right thing.
• Resist the temptation to question your faith. Keep your belief simple and strong.
• Reject advice from people who do not manage silent seasons well.
• Let me say it again. Do not focus on feelings when heaven seems out to lunch. Keep focused on the Word of God.

What To Do During Silent Seasons.

• Remember how God answered previous silent seasons.
• Rejoice that God is at work on your behalf. Jesus always answer prayer.
• Be still. Quiet. Rest in the Lord. Trust God that He knows what He is doing.
• Praise and thank God for the good answers to your prayers that are on the way.
• While you wait for the answer to your prayer happily do the will of God before you.

Lazarus, Martha and Mary experienced a miracle! A glorious resurrection of a brother and assurance for two sisters that Jesus’ silence was purposeful. Jesus was right on time when He raised Lazarus from the dead!
The next time God seems silent, keep silent and still. While you wait for His response, try not to wiggle. Trust Jesus for His best for your life. He is answering your prayer!
Silence is golden when God is answering prayer.
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
A Word For Your Week: Trust God for the silent seasons.

​Sometimes life can rain on our parade.
 
The Apostle Paul obeyed the Lord’s leading and preached in Europe, Opposition raised its ugly head. Paul and his faithful gospel sidekick Silas suddenly find themselves incarcerated behind bars in a Philippian jail.
 
Acts 16:22-34 describes the rain on their parade. Beaten with rods, many harsh blows were mercilessly inflicted on their bare backs. Shocked and bleeding from their flesh-tearing wounds, they were then thrown into the inner prison with their feet locked in the stocks. Not the best ministry day.
 
Midnight rolls around. Most prisoners in their painful predicament would be licking their wounds, cursing men and God, and trying to sleep it off.
 
Not Paul and Silas.
 
“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”  Acts 16:25
 
They were singing in the rain. Praying and praising their Creator instead of crying. Worshipping instead of whining! Singing instead of sighing. Rejoicing in jail. Amazing!
 
It is important to note as they sang hymns of praise and fellow prisoners listened to them (verse 25). They sang loud enough to be heard. No shame there! No muted or muffled vocal music. They sang boldly from their hearts so they could be heard.
 
Paul and Silas could not keep silent about God.
 
SUDDENLY, their prayer and praise service elicited a supernatural response. “A great earthquake” shook the prison foundation, thrust open the doors, and every prisoner’s chains fell off (verse 26)! The jailer was so shook up that he drew his sword to take his life (verse 27). Paul assured the jail keeper everyone was present and accounted for. Deeply moved and in awe of what he was witnessing, the jailer brought the prisoners out and asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (Verses 28-30).
 
Paul preached (after midnight!) the good news, the jailer and his entire family was saved and the jailer fed Paul and Silas in his home and “rejoiced greatly” (verses 31-34)
 
A MIRACLE AT MIDNIGHT! God’s servants were miraculously delivered, imprisoned souls heard the Gospel, and a jailer and his whole family were converted! No small stir in Philippi. Not a bad ministry day after all!
           
How could all of this have happened?
 
PAUL AND SILAS WERE SINGING IN THE RAIN!
 
When life rains on your parade, what is your typical response? Pit-party or prayer? Suck your thumb or sing God’s praises?
 
Paul and Silas’s midnight praise party teaches us three things.
 
1. Our body may be imprisoned, but our spirit is always free.
2. Our body may be wracked with pain, but our spirit can still sing.
3. Shackles cannot keep God’s songbirds from singing!
 
For Paul and Silas, even though it was cloudy and gloomy in their prison cell, the Son was shining brightly inside their hearts.
 
So, I ask you today: Is your parade being rained on? Has life turned upside down? Have your plans fallen through? Has someone you counted on left you holding the bag? Have you suffered an unexpected setback? Is your heart hurting because you have lost someone or something? Has a hope been dashed? An expectation unrealized? A desire unmet?
 
When dark gray storm clouds roll over your life, thunder booms, lightning flashes and rain dumps on your parade, do you feel like saying rain, rain go away…and please do not come back another day?
 
Our natural feelings will resist praising God in a challenging time. To our natural man praising God in the rain DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. Singing when hurting seems so ridiculous. If we are to be honest, sometimes we would rather cancel the parade rather than sing in the rain!
 
But faith is not to be ruled by feelings.
 
Paul and Silas were men of faith. They trusted God when it was raining on their parade. When it is raining on our parade, our spiritual man must rise up, overrule the natural feelings and make the decision to sing with faith.
 
When rain is pouring down, as Christians, you and I need to stop ringing our hands in worry and fear and start singing and raise our hands in faith to praise our Lord and Savior.
 
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
 
 You never know who might be watching when rain pours into your life. The prisoners, jailer and his entire family were positively influenced by Paul and Silas’s midnight song service. And God is watching how you handle adversity too. Are you in the habit of singing in the rain? Who knows who may come to Christ because you sang in the rain!
 
When the rain is falling, raise your hands, open your mouth and praise the Lord! Then expect a miracle!
 
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.”                                         Psalm 34:1-3
 
A Word For Your Week: Singing God’s praises paves the way for deliverance from difficulties.
 

​Is it possible that one thing can keep people from coming to Christ and serving Him? Or can one thing keep a Christian from becoming increasingly like Jesus?
The above are possible. You and I can fall short in our relationship with the Lord if one thing trips us up in our faith walk.
In Luke 18:18-23 Jesus is confronted by a rich young ruler.
The wealthy man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responded, “You know the commandments.” The inquirer replied, “All these things (commandments) I have kept from my youth.”
I am sure the rich young ruler felt rather good about his response. In his mind he gave himself a nice pat on the back! In essence Jesus, I have kept the requirements of the Law, so I must be ready for eternity. Interesting, if he were so sure that keeping the commandments would get earn him a pass to heaven, why did he ask Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus laid it on the line what he must do. “One thing you still lack; sell all your possessions, distribute them to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.”
I would like to have seen this guy’s face when Jesus laid this truth bomb on him. Verse 23 tells us “And when he had heard these things, he became extremely sad, for he was extremely rich.” Jesus answered his question. His response: sadness. Why? Because he had a lot of stuff and money but would not part from it.
Observations

• There is nothing wrong with being rich.
• The young man of means asked the right question we all must ask: What about eternal life? How do I get it?
• He erroneously thought being a good religious boy would be his ticket to paradise.
• Jesus said one thing, just one thing, was keeping his heart from Christ: his possessions
• Jesus’ words made him sad, not glad. Too bad young man. You had the opportunity of a lifetime to receive the free gift of eternal life by coming to Jesus and following Him.
• The wealthy man’s material goods and money which he possessed, possessed him.
• Jesus did not want his possessions. He wanted his heart. Oh my, rich man, give up what enslaves you to receive the free gift of eternal life.
• His stuff stood in the way of salvation.
• Jesus, in verses 24-30, then taught the disciples who had to be in shock at the rich ruler’s sorrowful exit, what it takes to follow Him and go to heaven. The main point of His discourse to the curious, confused disciples: WHOLEHEARTED BELIEF IN JESUS IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN.

This is hard-hitting truth. One thing can keep unsaved people out of heaven and professing Christians from maturing in Christ. Not a bunch of things. ONE THING. One thing like unforgiven sin. Material possessions. Money. Lust of the flesh. Immorality. Relationships. Power positions. Popularity. Legalistic religion. You can add some other one thing to this list.
Oswald Chambers wrote “One thing you lack.” The only “good thing” from Jesus Christ’s point of view is union with Himself and nothing in between.” Well said!
The Apostle Paul used the words one thing in Philippians 3:13-14.
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid of it yet, BUT ONE THING I DO, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul was once Saul, a legalistic Pharisee of the Law, a persecutor of Christians, a blasphemer of the Lord… a lost soul who came to faith in Jesus on the Damascus Road in Acts 9. He surrendered his life to Christ, believing in Jesus and receiving Him as his Lord and Savior.
What he believed as a legalistic, self-righteous, Christ-hating Saul was his one thing that kept him from eternal life. After receiving the love, mercy and grace of God, Paul’s one thing became forgetting his unsaved past and now reaching for his future, pressing on to the upward call of God in Christ. No sadness in former that Pharisee!!!!!!!
I love Paul’s one thing! It should be ours also.
So, let’s get serious. Examine ourselves (I Corinthians 11:28, Psalm 139:23-24). Has the Holy Spirit been pinpointing and convicting you of one thing that keeps you from progressing in your relationship with Jesus?
Take a hard look at your heart. Be honest with yourself. Answer the following questions. Find freedom from any one thing that is holding you back from a victorious, joyful, powerful, useful and fruitful mature life in Christ.

1. What is “one thing” that is separating you from wholeheartedly following and serving Jesus? ____________________________________________________________.
2. What do you plan to do about this “one thing”? ________________________
3. 1. How will you keep that “one thing” from creeping back into our heart, hindering you from becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ? _________________

 

1. How will others know that your “one thing” is no longer an issue in your life?
2. 1. How will you celebrate and rejoice that your “one thing” no longer hinders your spiritual life? _______________________________________________________.

Decide to let go of anything (one thing) that keeps you from going forward in faith. Then, decide to forget the past and reach forward to experience the abundant and eternal life the Lord Jesus Christ has purchased for you through His Atoning sacrifice on the Cross.
My fellow Christians, choose “One thing I do” as Paul did. What a wonderful way to start and live every day!
A Word For Your Week: Never let one single thing separate you from Jesus.
 

​Whenever you are watching a war movie and one of the battlefield generals issues the order to “sound retreat,” you know whose side is losing.
 
Israel was perfectly positioned. Right where God wanted His people. Behind them Pharaoh’s bloodthirsty army was in hot pursuit. In front of them, the Red Sea’s white-capped waves presented an impenetrable wall of water impeding further progress.
 
Stage set for a miracle. Israel was poised to witness a powerful deliverance from God’s mighty hand.
 
So, what did God’s hand-picked people do? Sound retreat.
 
For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people” Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.” Exodus 14:12b-13
 
Crying out to Moses, the people whined “Why in the world did you bring us out here to die in the desert? Can’t you see oh fearless leader that it would be better if we were slaves again in Egypt? Pharaoh would take better care of us than God.” (Roll paraphrase of verse 12).
 
Moses’ rebuttal was straightforward. “Straighten up gang. Stop being so scared. Stand by, look and see what the Lord is going to do for you today. Keep your mouths shut while God fights for you. Exercise faith. Trust God. Go forward. Then look back to see Pharaoh will never harm you again. He and his army will be lying dead on the bottom of the sea.” (Roll paraphrase of verses 13-15).
 
Read verses 16-31 for the rest of the story. Moses, by faith, held his staff toward the Red Sea and God parted it! Pharaoh and his pursuing army were drowned. Israel was delivered. Moses was vindicated, God was glorified. His chosen people Israel learned a lesson, at least for a while.
 
When you know what God’s will is and He directs you to go forward, never retreat.
 
To retreat is to invite defeat.
           
Retreat is always the path of least resistance. Anybody can go backward. But death hovers over the backdoor. Live in reverse and you will end up in a hearse!
           
Advance is the path that requires the most persistence. Not everybody goes forward because it always costs to be successful. It takes guts to leave the narrow, deep ruts of the past to plow a new, wide highway to the future where God’s richest blessings are found.
 
Retreat is the choice of losers. Advance is the choice of winners.
 
Reasons For Retreating
 
            1. Challenging circumstances suggest making a U-turn.
 
            2. Going forward by faith does not seem to make sense.
 
            3. You feel pressure from the devil to go back.
 
            4. Retreating seems easier than advancing.
 
            5. People around you are retreating.
 

• If you choose a lifestyle of retreat, you will end up in the land of regret.

 
Reasons For Advancing And Resisting Retreat
 
            1. Jesus Christ is bigger than circumstances.
 
            2. Christians walk by faith, not by sight.
 
            3. The devil travels backwards. God travels forward.
 
            4. The price to go ahead is always less than moving backwards.
 
            5. Men can miss God’s will. Resist the herd mentality.
 

• Never retreat from who you are, what you believe, what you do and what you are dreaming.

             
Are you facing a challenging situation? Are you tempted to retreat and run away from the opportunity before you? Are others around you sounding the retreat and inviting you to go backwards with them?
 
Decide that your future is forward, not backwards.
 
Discipline yourself to trust in God’s plan, not man’s. Look forward to going forward and discovering what the Lord has prepared for those who refuse to retreat.
 
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER RETREAT when God has called you to GO FORWARD!!!
 
“I will in travel in any direction as long as it is forward.”   David Livingston, Missionary
 
“Then Joshua said to the people “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the Lord.”                                                     Joshua 6:7
 
A Word For Your Week: If you do not RETREAT, you will not be BEAT!

​Who does not like a good celebration?
 
You and I love to celebrate events like birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, accomplishments, graduations and whatever else is a good idea (or excuse!) for throwing a party!
 
I want to suggest today that you and I as followers of Jesus Christ celebrate God’s goodness. Often.
 
Our scripture comes from what is called the Song of Moses that Israel recorded in Exodus 15.
 
“Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11
 
God’s chosen people had just been miraculously delivered from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army (Exodus 13-14). Redeemed, relieved and rejoicing, Israel threw a sanctified party as they headed for the Promised Land. Slavery and poverty behind them—freedom and prosperity ahead of them—it was time to celebrate.
 
What Almighty God had done for them was worth singing and shouting about!
 
Israel rehearsed WHAT GOD HAD DONE “the horse and rider He hurled into the sea” (verses 1-5), and HOW GOD DID IT “Thy right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power, Thy right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy” (verses 6-10). Then the jubilant people gave credit where credit was due. With singing and dancing, Israel declared God’s glory (verses 11-21).
 
Their celebration reaches a fitting crescendo or climax in verse 11. A question is posed. “Who is like Thee—majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? Among all the gods men worship, who is like the God of Israel?” The answer is obvious: NO ONE!
 
Why? Because only the Living God could and did part the Red Sea for His people and save them from the enemy’s sword. What a DELIVERANCE and what a DELIVERER!
 
Regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, J. Sidlow Baxter remarked ‘There is no substitute because there is no equivalent.”  For Bible believing Christians, there is no God but Jesus. He is the true and Living God. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords, all creatures, in heaven, earth and hell will one day confess His name and bow in reverence to Him (Philippians 2:8-11).
 
Why? Because only God’s only begotten Son died for our sins and is risen from the dead! Believers have been delivered from Satan, sin, death and the grave! Because He lives, we live! What a DELIVERANCE and what a DELIVERER!
           
How about you? When God has been good to you, do you celebrate and shout His praises?
 
Are you born-again? Filled with the Spirit of God? Delivered from sinful habits? Healed from sickness or disease? Have finances been provided? Relationships been restored? Then you have plenty to shout about!!
 
Praise Him! Unashamedly and joyfully declare with your lips Lord Jesus, there is absolutely nobody like You. You are holy, majestic, all-powerful, and have worked spectacular wonders on my behalf. Therefore, I give You the awesome praise due Your name.
 
By the way, make some noise when you praise the Lord! Celebrations in scripture are not silent or secretive. Search the Word. Praise parties are open and public, vocal and vibrant. So, get with it Christian. Make some holy noise because of what your Holy God has done for you.
 
Whenever you need a spiritual boost, rehearse what good things God has done for you, then rejoice! Be a celebrator! Shout His praises! Tell somebody how good God has been to you. They and you will be glad you did!
 
“With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord, and in the midst of many I will praise Him.”                                                                               Psalm 109:30
 
A Word For Your Week: When you feel tempted to pout, SHOUT! Never doubt His work in your life. SHOUT His praises for helping you out.

​Do you know that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to do something significant for you?
He does. The Bible tells us so in Luke 18:35-43 and Mark 10:46-52.
Scenario. A blind man named Bartimaeus is begging along the roadside. He heard a multitude passing by. Bartimaeus asked what the commotion was about. The crowd told him Jesus of Nazareth was on His way to Jericho. Bartimaeus called out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The leaders of the procession told him to be quiet. In other words, shut up. Bartimaeus cried out even more, upping the volume, declaring once again “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Jesus stopped. He commanded Bartimaeus be brought to Him. Jesus questioned him. Then He said to the boisterous, hopeful, blind beggar, “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?” Bartimaeus’s response “Lord, I want to regain my sight.”’
Jesus said to Bartimaeus “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. When the people witnessed the miracle, they also praised God.

• Don’t you love this blind man’s determination? Bartimaeus would not be denied. He had something on his mind and heart. He plowed through the disapproving crowd to get the Lord’s attention.

 Observations

• Bartimaeus’s need was real. He had lost his vision. Blindness made life very difficult.
• People tried to shout Bartimaeus down. They did not care about his need.
• Bartimaeus believed Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah.
• Bartimaeus, hopeful and determined, asked Jesus to show him mercy.
• JESUS STOPPED. In the middle of the throng following Him, He heard and singled out the voice of one man who had a need and was brave enough to ask for help.
• Bartimaeus had a private conference with Jesus. The Lord asked questions about his request. One on one with Jesus. What an afternoon for Bartimaeus!
• Then Jesus fulfilled Bartimaeus’s request to regain his sight. IMMEDIATELY BARTIMAEUS’S VISION WAS RESTORED!
• Jesus restored the formerly blind man’s sight because of his faith.
• Bartimaeus followed Jesus and gave God glory for the miracle he received!
• The crowd stood in awe, praising God for the miracle they witnessed.

 Application

1. People like you and me have legitimate needs that Jesus wants to meet. The Lord always responds favorably when we ask with faith according to His will found in the Bible.
2. Jesus knows what you and I need.  He wants to hear from us in response to His question “What do you want Me to do for you?” Simply, tell Him what you need! What you want Him to do for you!
3. There is not anything too big or complicated for God to manage. Jesus is willing to do things for His followers who look to Him with simple, childlike faith.
4. The Lord is no respecter of persons. My need is just as important as Bartimaeus. And so is yours.
5. When Jesus asks us what He can do for us, frivolous, fanciful, fantasy, selfish requests are not what He is looking for. He longs to fulfill the needs we have that are based on the Word of God.
6. Just a thought: Is our miracle on hold because we have not responded with faith when Jesus asks “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Could it be that some of our needs go unmet because we do not really believe that Jesus wants to do something for us? Just asking.
And is it possible that God wants to do more for us than we think He wants to do for us. Just asking.
Rubber Meets The Road
Jesus is waiting for you to ask Him with faith to do something that will dramatically change your life! Small, medium or large…. Jesus wants you to know He loves you cares about your needs.
If Jesus said to you today “What do you want Me to do for you?” what would you ask for?
Are you living close enough to Jesus so that when He asks you what He can do for you, you will hear and answer?
Seriously and humbly, what do you want the Lord to do for you?
Go ahead. Tell Him what you need. Be straight up. Jesus cares about you and your request.
I challenge you to ask with faith according to His will and watch what the Lord will do!
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2
“And this is the confidence we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him. “I John 5:14-15
A Word For Your Week: Jesus is waiting to do something significant for you.

As dawn was breaking on the horizon of the morning of October the 6th, 1972, sitting alone in his 1947 Chevy parked alongside the Spokane River, a depressed, distraught, emotionally and spiritually lost twenty-year old young man was overwhelmed by the love of God and surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That guy was me.
Fifty years ago this Thursday my life changed for time and eternity.
“For God so loved the world (including me!) that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16
As I write, my heart is overflowing with unspeakable joy while warm tears of humble gratitude flow down my cheeks. Every single day I rejoice remembering that moment when I realized that Jesus shed His life blood on a cruel Cross and rose from the dead to forgive me of my sins and graciously grant me the free gift of eternal life. I am so grateful God gave me the grace to say yes to His Son Jesus!
One year later, October 1973, God called me to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Are you kidding me? Steve Roll a preacher! God has a hilarious sense of humor! No one who knew me before I became a Christian would have ever imagined or guessed I would be a man of the cloth. I marvel that my heavenly Father put me in the ministry.
It has been my priceless privilege, undeserved honor and inexpressible joy of lifting up the name of Jesus to thousands of people for forty years of full-time Christian ministry.
The Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” is my all-time favorite worship song. John Newton, once a slave-trader who gave his life to Christ, wrote these immortal words. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
 In the movie “Amazing Grace,” which I highly recommend you view, Wilbur Wilberforce asked Mr. Newton, “What do you know about being a Christian?” Newton replied “I know two things; I am a great sinner. Christ is a great Savior.”
I get what Newton meant. I, Steve Roll, is a great sinner. Once I was spiritually lost and blind. But now I see what God’s will and plan for my life is because of my great Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus saved Steve Roll from sin and himself.
 
 
What Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Means To Me

• First and foremost, I am going to heaven, not hell! There is a space reserved in heaven for me. (I Peter 1:3-5). Jesus is preparing my place in glory even now (John 14:1-3).
• My Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally. Jesus loves me period. No if’s, ands or buts! His never-ending love for me has shown me how to love myself and others.
• God’s magnificent, precious promises in the Bible are for me. Yes, me. Jesus is the promise keeper I have needed throughout my life. I am so thankful He keeps His Word!
• God has never disappointed me. Life has. People have. I have disappointed myself. But my Heavenly Father never has and never will. It is not in His fatherly character to disappoint His sons and daughters (romans 10:11). I wish you could know what it means to me that God will never let me down, fail, forsake or abandon me. Security in Christ is a wonderful thing! Great is God’s faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23).
• Jesus believes in me. His Word says so. The Holy Spirit reminds me that I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). I can and choose to comeback from setbacks in His mighty name! Before I met Jesus, I spent too much energy and time not believing in and beating up on myself. No more beating up on me because Jesus took a beating for me and empowers me with His resurrection power to life victoriously!
• Jesus has given me His joy (John 15:11, 16;22). His joy is my joy and is manifested through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I like being a Christian who daily strives to walk by faith in the joy of the Lord!
• I thank God for grace that covers my flops, failures and fumbles. I know how imperfect I am. How weak my human flesh is. I am so grateful the Lord picks me up when I fall and He has taught me how to pick myself up (II Corinthians 12:7-10, II Corinthians 4:7-11, 16-18)
• I am at peace with God and myself (John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7). With the help of the Holy Spirit, I am constantly working on Christlikeness and spiritual maturity. Being at peace with God and yourself is indescribeable!
• Without question one of my greatest joys has been to have Jo Ann, my beloved wife of forty-eight years, by my side. She is the godly, virtuous, Proverbs 31 woman. Her simple, straightforward, steadfast, unshakable, faith in God has taught me volumes about trusting in the Lord.
• I wake up every day looking forward to the day the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24). I wonder if this might be the day when the Lord splits the eastern sky and returns in His glory to take His chosen people home to heaven. “Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

Having walked with the Lord for five decades, I am realizing more and more that God’s love for me in Christ is an endless, bottomless, inexhaustible well of His grace, mercy and lovingkindness.
 There is so much I still yearn to learn about His saving grace to me. There are two things I choose to do in whatever time I have left on earth. One, I will spend the rest of my life getting to know my Lord and Savior better. Two, I will share my faith with lost souls and do my best with God’s help to win them to Christ!
My reader, if you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, rejoice! Share your faith with others. If you do not know Christ, seek Him right now and receive Him into your heart by faith.
Paul’s confession of faith is my confession. “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed in and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him util that day.” II Timothy 2:12
A former wretch like me is now an unashamed, blood bought, born-again, Spirit-filled, heading for heaven son of the Living God! Thanks be to God for so great a salvation!
My faith journey continues. Having believed and received salvation through Christ, I long for the day when a once lost twenty-year old but a now found seventy-year-old sees Jesus face to face in heaven (I John 3:1-3). What a glorious day that will be!!!!
“Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole. Thank You Lord for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.”
On my 50th spiritual birthday, my spirit cries out Hallelujah! Glory to God!
​

​The Early Church in the Bible was confronted with a relationship hindering, unity busting issue in its congregations: Christians complaining against Christians.
 
Sad to say, it is no different today. Churches are packed with complaining Christians.
 
Everything from the length of the Pastor’s sermon, his personal style, his family’s lifestyle, the worship team’s performance, ministry workers care for children, to campus décor, expenditure of God’s funds, fellow church members apparel, and on and on and on…. all are subject to subjective judgment by self-righteous, sanctimonious believers who take upon themselves the mantle of judge, jury and verdict.
 
The word complain means groan, murmur or bear a grudge. Ouch! Do we really realize what we are doing when we complain against a brother? I think not. For if we did, I think we would think twice before murmuring against our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
You and I should be deeply ashamed of ourselves. I will admit I have done my share of complaining over the years. I am not proud of my murmuring and complaining. But goodness gracious, how much damage have I, and maybe you, inflicted on our relationships with fellow believers in Christ because we have complained against them?
 
I have concluded there is no biblical justification for me passing judgment on any Christian brother by complaining about them.
 
James had a word from God for the Christians in his day and ours. It is important that you and I heed his admonition.
 
“Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.” James 5:9
 
James might as well as said, let me be perfectly clear, DO NOT COMPLAIN AGAINST ONE OTHER.” Complaining and murmuring was and is out of bounds according to God’s Word.
 
Brothers, do not complain against your brothers. Why? Because when you do, you will be judged. The Judge, God Almighty, the Judge of all judges, will pass judgment on you for passing judgment on others. Note “the Judge is standing right at the door.” The Judge is Johnny on the spot! Right at the door. Listening to our words.
 
Criticizing, complaining, murmuring, gossiping, griping, groaning and moaning against one another is an unholy scourge and demonic curse in the church. Complaining is immature at best, sinful at the worst.
 
James tells us in chapter 3, verse 17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.” We know as Bible-believing Christians to complain against our brothers is not right. So, if we do it, according to God’s Word, it is sin. Pure and simple. It is sin because we are judging one another and we are commanded not to judge each other. (Matthew 7:1-5).
 
How many of our brothers and sisters have been hurt and disheartened by complaining? How many churches have been torn apart by strife and division because of complainers? How many pastors have been discouraged and burned out having to deal with constant criticism from the people they serve?
 
News Bulletin: Criticizing and complaining is not a spiritual gift.
 
Ten Simple Steps To Cease Complaining
 
            1. Do you like it when others complain against you? Probably not.
            2. Take your complaint to God and pray for your brother.
            3. Forgive your brother for all offense against you.
            4. Control your tongue. Resist the fleshly temptation to murmur against a       `                      Christian. (James 3:1-12).
            5. Never, never tear down your fellow Christians. Always, always build them up.
            6. Speak highly of your brother or sister in the presence of others.
            7. Check your motivation. Why are you complaining against a brother?
            8. Is it Christ-like to complain against fellow Christians?
9. Stop and think. What will my complaining against a brother or sister do to him/her, the body of Christ, and my witness to an unbelieving world?
            10. Remember:  you are accountable to God for your treatment of your brother.
 
Think with me for a moment. If Christians stopped complaining against one another:
 

• The devil would have one less opportunity to divide the body of Christ.
• Strife, unity and division in the body of Christ would expire.
• Believers would have clear consciences toward one another.
• Energy given to complaining would be directed to soul-winning.
• The world would be attracted, not repelled, by Christians and the church.
• The Lord would be pleased with how we treat one another.

 
Are you a complaining Christian? Do you have such a critical attitude toward others that you hardly realize that you complain against your fellow Christians? Would those who know you best say you are infected with a complaining spirit?
 
Is there someone you need to go to with a humble heart and ask for forgiveness for complaining against them? If so, go.
 
Maybe, just maybe, spiritual revival and renewal would come to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ if we stopped complaining against our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
Just a thought.
             
“And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against another, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”                                                                                 Colossians 3:12-14
 
“Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye” and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye? Jesus, Matthew 7:1-5
 
A Word For Your Week: Stop judging other Christians by complaining about them.

​How you ever felt like no one cares about you?
 
I have been there, and it is a scary place to be.
 
The Psalmist David was passing through a deep, dismally dark, depressing valley in his life. Psalm 142:3-4 reveals the depth of his despair: “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Thou didst know my path. There is no escape for me, there is no one who regards me, no one cares for my soul.” Psalm 142:3-4
 
Overwhelmed in his spirit by circumstances beyond his control, David knew God was watching out for him. But his human heart cried out for someone besides God to care for him in his time of desperate need.
 
Real life enemies had surrounded him. Alone and hemmed in, he felt lonely. David could not find a way of escape from the intense, spirit-crushing pressure he was under. Feeling frustrated that his situation was bigger than his ability to cope with by himself, he called out, wondering if anyone cared for his soul.
 
 David needed a friend to care about what he cared about.
 
My friend, have you ever felt overwhelmed by life? Have you ever wondered if anyone cared about your soul…what you think, what you feel, what you need?
 
Despite our 21st century explosion of social networking technology, in every survey, Americans rank LONELINESS at the top of the list of their personal concerns. People can be in a huge crowd and feel desperately alone, unnoticed and uncared for.
 
Our technological toys are impressive and serve a purpose in our society. Admittedly, I do not know how to use most of them. Ask my family. Technology is not my gift!
 
For all the good it does, technology can leave many people feeling alone, isolated and wondering if anyone really cares about them.
 
 FaceBook is not face to face. Tweeting is not meeting with someone. Instagram is not spending quality time with another person. MySpace is not sharing mutual space. Cell phones may connect us with an ear and a voice but not always with a heart. Blogging is not jogging with someone down life’s trail sharing who we are and what our life is all about. Texting is not getting next to someone and letting them know that someone cares about them.
 
People, like you and me, and everyone we know, want someone(s) to genuinely care about our lives. We think we may be in touch with people more than ever. But I believe many people feel out of touch and wonder if anyone cares for their soul.
 
“No one cares for my soul.” Say this phrase a few times aloud and let the despair of such a statement sink deep into your soul. Oh my! No one should be left alone to feel that way. No one that you and I know. No one that God may direct us to. As Christians, we are the embodiment of Christ’s love and care for people. If anyone should be caring for people who think no one cares, it is us.
 
So, let us start to care and share God’s love with someone who thinks no one cares. How about a simple acrostic to get us started?
 
Connect with the person you care about. Touch base. Especially if you have not heard from them for awhile. Make that call. Set up an appointment to meet. Turn off your cell phone when you get together. Give them your sincere, undivided attention. Listen. Respond with an understanding heart and an appropriate human touch.
 
Assist them with their situation. Focus on their life. Find out what they need. Serve them. Offer to help them with practical things that will relieve the pressure they feel. Do something for them that demonstrates that you really care. Go out of your way to do whatever they need you to do to communicate that you care for their soul.
 
Renew your personal relationship. Catch up on each other’s lives. Resolve to keep your friendship relationship up to date. Make regular contact. Inquire how they are doing. Show interest in what interests them. Be honest and open. Gently but purposefully push their buttons once in a while to find out what is going on with them. Let them know that they matter to you.
 
Encourage your friend to call upon you when they need to. Encourage this by demonstrating to them that you will respond. Assure them you will be there anytime, any where, for any reason. You will not leave them alone. You can be counted on to show up when they throw up their hands in frustration.
 
Rubber meets the road: Who do you know that is struggling with whether anyone cares for them or not? If you are award of their emotional despair, are you praying for them? Have you contacted them? Are you willing to spend time with them on their turf? Are you willing to listen to them and show them the love and compassion of the Lord?
 
Would it not be wonderful if we knew that there was no one in our circle of relationships that felt like no one cared for their soul?
 
You and I can make that happen by caring for someone today in Jesus’ name!
 
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”                                                                                 John 13:14-15
 
A Word For Your Week: Take care to care for someone who needs to know you care.

​Today I share with you an outstanding devotion by Oswald Chambers in His devotional “My Utmost For His Highest” for August 31.
It is simply, incredibly powerful and worth meditating upon. I will make a few personal comments and share some insights after you read it.
“That My joy may remain in you, and that you joy might be full.” John 15:11
“What was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do “I delight to do Thy will.” Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?
The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happiness, not in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had.
The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares of the world, said Jesus, will choke God’s word. Before we know where we are, we are caught up in the shows of things. All that God has done for us is the mere threshold; He wants to get us to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.
Be rightly related to God. Find your joy there. Then out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a center for Jesus Christ to pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious. Stop being a sanctified prig (archaic: one who offends or irritates) and live the life hid with Christ.
The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes.
The lives that have been of most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it.”  
Observations Concerning Chamber’s Thoughts

• Happiness is circumstantial. Joy is relational. The joy of Jesus makes it possible for His followers to walk by faith in peace as overcomers through all life circumstances.
• Focusing on circumstances brings unhappiness. Focusing on Jesus and His Word brings joy.
• Self-absorption with my circumstances cuts off the flow of Christ’s joy. As long as I dwell on my situation, Jesus’ joy will be distant until I surrender the circumstances to the Lord.
• Biblical joy flows from the heart of Jesus. I do not manufacture or stir up my own joy. My joy is His joy in me as I trust Him with my life.
• Jesus’s joy is constant as we maintain a faithful, self-denying, self-sacrificing, obedient relationship with Him.
• Jesus’ joy is to be shared, not hoarded. Christians are witnesses of Jesus joy that flows from a personal relationship with Him.
• Jesus’ joy does not have to be advertised, paraded or bragged about. It flows naturally if you will through you and me to touch other hearts of others.
• The purpose of Jesus’ joy: fill us and flow through us to win lost, joyless, searching souls to the Lord. Salvation produces joy unspeakable and full of glory for time and eternity!

I say again, joy has nothing to do with circumstances and everything to do with Jesus Christ. Your and my joy flows out of our relationship with the Lord. What is amazing and spiritually mind-boggling to me is that Jesus’ joy is Steve’s joy.
Jesus’ joy is not just for me. His joy is yours too if you have surrendered yourself to Him and you follow Him as your Lord and Savior.
His joy that is my joy and yours is to be shared with joyless people who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
My friends, joyless, unhappy, depressed, anxious, fearful people are everywhere. Sadly, many of them attend church. Most never darken the door of God’s house. Where will joyless folks find joy if they do not see the joy of the Lord in Christians?
How about you? Do people see the joy of the Lord on your face? In your attitude and words? Are you a joyful Christian that people who know you are blessed by and drawn to Jesus who you love and serve? A genuinely joyful countenance will get people’s attention!
My fellow follower of Jesus, please do not be a professing Christian whose face looks like you were baptized in lemon juice! A sourpuss never wins anyone to the Christ. Why in the world would a person looking for the answer to life hook up with someone who says they serve a risen Savior but looks and lives like the walking dead? Just saying.
Is Jesus’ joy your joy every day? Do people see Jesus’ joy in you?
“Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat; drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
“Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.” John 16:24
“Therefore, you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” John 16:22
A Word For Your Week: Jesus’ joy is our joy. Hallelujah!