Tag Archives: Desperation

My Good Gift – Karen Aker
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Bread or Stone

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:9-11

We were in a crisis. My husband’s income had plummeted from his stable over twenty-year career and my home business was not enough to cover the needs of our family. I prayed for God to provide and things were getting worse. I felt embarrassed; it seemed God was not answering our financial need.

Fear took over when my prayers and efforts seemed useless. I resolved myself to pray one more time. Bible in hand, I shut the door, locked it, and knelt down by my bed. I opened up a familiar passage to pray back to the Father. Nestled in the midst of the next passage were the words God used to reveal to me what was in my heart.

Or what man is among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

God revealed to me I was thinking evil of Him. I was asking for bread and (I thought) He was giving me a stone—something He said we wouldn’t even do as earthly parents. I immediately confessed my sin and began to examine my thoughts about God’s character and His love, careful to align them with scripture. I reminded myself whatever turn our finances would take, regardless of the circumstances, He loves us more than we can fathom. He gave me the good gift of showing me truth in scripture. God cares what we think about His character.

Sometimes it takes a crisis to reveal what we are really thinking. The next time you are in a crisis, pray and ask God to examine your thoughts towards Him. Is your faith contingent on answered prayer and circumstances, or on the truth of His word?

Karen Aker is a Bible teacher, speaker, and freelance writer. She has a passion for communicating truth in scripture. She is married and a mother of four young adult children, a grandmother of two, and resides in beautiful Richmond, VA.
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Be Prepared – Phoebe Leggett
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Desperation

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  Matthew 4:17 NIV

The desperation of life can baffle the mind and send fear in tremors of uncertainty throughout the body. Most mornings I enjoy a blast of news and a soothing song to begin my day. But I’m on the alert as overwhelming reports of biblically foretold events, although reported in monotone, have caught my attention. Excitement and anxiety seem to clash as I take note of rapidly changing events around the world. For most, the reality of truth fails to inject concern or dread as life continues without a second glance into the future.

The question remains — are we ready for what is ahead? As Christians, a departure into a heavenly future may be near, but for non-believers the outlook can be staggering. And if we’re not prepared for what is ahead, now is the time to get our lives in order.

On the flip side, extreme urgency rules our lives. People rush headlong into their own pleasures, but without purpose. While searching for God they reject the very one who can save them from themselves. Time continues to pass at an exceptional speed as the questions on our minds are often verbalized—”Where did all the time go?”

Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” He knew the truth of the future would become clear. He longed for each of us to know Him and to share eternity with Him upon His return.

Prepare for what is ahead by studying what the Bible has to say about the future. Trust God, the master of the universe, for salvation. And then, stand firm in God’s word, the word that has prevailed throughout generations of time. Then look up. The redemption of the saints is drawing nigh. Are you ready?

Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake… Revelation 16:15 NIV

Phoebe Leggett is a full-time freelance writer. In 2007 she was presented two awards for her work at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. She makes her home in Greenville, South Carolina with husband Dana and three felines, and to be close to her children and granddaughter.

In 2004 she faced the darkest day of her life when she learned her youngest son was dead. The only way she survived her trauma was with God by her side. Her first nonfiction is titled It’s My Time To Grieve.

As poet and writer, her articles, stories, and poetry have been published in adult and children’s Christian literature as well as online through www.christiandevotions.us. She serves as Assistant Editor for www.DevoKids.com and she contributes poetry bi-monthly to Critter Magazine. Her work has been published in Slate & Style, Shemom, Harold and Banner Press in Primary Pal: Pacific Press Publishing Association, in Our Little Friend, MS Focus and MS Connection Magazines, Who’s DANN?—a monthly magazine, Gospel Publishing House in LIVE; a weekly journal; the Pentecostal Evangel—an Assemblies of God publication, Heartland Boating, and the Upper Room magazine. Several of her poems have been read on air at WORD Radio in Greenville, South Carolina. Visit her online at www.phoebe-leggett.com.

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