Word for Today, Fri, 19 Oct 2001: Two Messages of Current Relevance

#1 · October 19, 2001, 1:00 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on October 19, 2001, 1:00 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I have had many interruptions to my usual routine this week. I
discovered, as I reviewed this morning's Email - and the messages
I've sent - that I have not mailed aoything out since Tuesday -
at least that came back to my inbox. So today, I'd like to share
two messages with you - one, a message from Larry Davies. There
happen to be a lot of people out there who are out of jobs right
now (I happen to be one of them), so this message is a good
reminder, not only to those who are "looking", but also to
others, as a reminder to be an encouragement to your friends.

The second message is one I had planned to send out on
Wednesday. It comes from Neil Anderson, and he talks about how
to deal with spiritual attacks. Both messages are relevant to
many of us. I pray that you will find both messages to be
useful, as you continue to seek God each day.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

=======

'Losing Your Job... But Not Your Life!"

My future looked exciting. I was promoted to a manager's position
at a local restaurant near my college. It was a proud moment for
me because students were not usually offered leadership
positions. Since this restaurant belonged to a nationwide chain,
the future looked bright.

One of my new duties as manager was to turn off the lights at
closing time by flipping a series of circuit
breakers. Instructions were given for which switches to flip but
in my first-night nervousness, I couldn't remember. So I did some
educated guessing figuring to have someone check before
leaving. In all the rush, I went home forgetting all about the
circuit breakers.

Early the next morning, the phone rang and the angry voice on the
other end told me to come to work immediately. At the restaurant,
people were running in and out of the building carrying boxes of
meat into a refrigerated truck. The owner angrily informed me
that I had turned off the power to their walk-in freezer. Most of
the food, which amounted to several thousand dollars, would have
to be thrown out. I made a major mistake. No excuses would be
accepted or tolerated! It was my responsibility!

I was told to resign as manager but offered an opportunity to
remain as an employee. Unfortunately, my fierce pride took over
my common sense. I angrily refused their offer and quit. Foolish,
very foolish!

At this point you could focus on my mistakes (there were many)
and justifiably say that I deserved my fate. 'Stop whining Larry
and learn from your blunders.' Or, you could righteously proclaim
that I was an innocent victim of poor management procedures (also
true) and allowed no margin for error. 'They should have put a
chart on the fuse box. They should have checked behind you more
carefully.'

Both views had an element of truth but neither one meant a hill
of beans to me. I was hurting and needed encouragement and
compassion. Having never lost a job, I believed life was
over. After all, what else was I good for? How would I ever
recover? My job was my identity. What would I do now?

Have you ever felt that way? Today, our economy is in a
recession. Many are newly jobless and wondering if they will
recover. A job often represents much of your self-identity and
your self-worth.

So, whether you've lost a job or struggling with another problem,
Paul's letter to the Romans is for you as well as me. Paul also
suffered and understood what it meant to be discarded; yet he
still managed to write these stirring words of encouragement:

'We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for
we know that they are good for us-they help us learn to
endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and
character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And
this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly
God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our
hearts with his love.'

Romans 5:3-5

* Problems and trials are a normal part of growth. They can
* even be good for us.

* Our endurance through those trials develops character. We
* become stronger.

* Character teaches us to wait upon God. Our relationship
* with God improves.

* We trust in God's love to see us through. The Holy Spirit
* fills our hearts with His love.

Looking back, I realize that losing my job was difficult, but not
the end of the world. There were valuable lessons from being
fired that would improve my later performance as an employee and
a leader. I learned the importance of being better organized,
listening carefully and asking good questions. God uses even our
failures as learning tools to help us grow stronger in our faith.

This particular scripture is also a reminder of how very much God
loves you, even if you do get fired. Ultimately everyone stumbles
but the successful folks are the ones who learn to get up again
and again, if necessary, dust themselves off and continue on
their God-chosen path with their faith steadily growing
stronger. Losing your job is an obstacle, a setback- not your
life. For that, 'We can rejoice'!

=========
Reply-to: Neil Anderson <neilanderson@lists.crosswalk.com>
Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Wednesday, October 17, 2001

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

October 17

UNDER SPIRITUAL ATTACK

The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall
away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and
doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

A seminary student stopped by my office to tell me he was having
difficulty getting to school on time. What should have been a
five-minute drive lengthened to 45 minutes because a voice in his
mind kept telling him to turn at intersections. Not wanting to
disobey what he perceived to be the "still, small voice of God,"
he was treated to a tour of the city almost every morning.

A pastor's wife, desperately needing the comfort of the Holy
Spirit and desiring His leading, passively believed that whatever
entered her mind was from God. She soon found herself bound by
fear and plagued by condemning thoughts.

These examples underscore the wisdom of John Wesley's words: "Do
not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose dreams,
voices, impressions, visions or revelations to be from God. They
may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the
devil. Therefore, do not believe every spirit, but try the
spirits, whether they be from God" (Martin Wells Knapp,
Impressions, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1984, p. 32).

In a survey of 1700 professing Christian teenagers, 70 percent
admitted to hearing voices, like there was a subconscious self
talking to them. I don't believe they are psychotic or paranoid
schizophrenic. There is a battle going on for their minds. I have
shared with many tormented people that they aren't going crazy
but are under spiritual attack. They usually respond, "Praise the
Lord, someone understands." It's freeing to know this truth,
because if there is a battle going on for our minds, we can win
that war.

Lord, today I choose to test the spirits and assume my
responsibility to think upon that which is true.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
< www.ficm.org >.

You can purchase "Daily in Christ" and other titles by Neil
Anderson at
christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors - CBD).
< shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/devo_na >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
-----------
To read the Current Feature Story from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentFeatureStory/

For today's complete News Summary from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentNewsSummary/

-----------
For Copyright Terms go to www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

* To subscribe, send an email to:
< SUBSCRIBE-neilanderson@lists.crosswalk.com > or go to
< www.crosswalk.com/lists > for a complete list of
our newsletters.
* Copyright ? 2001 Crosswalk.com, Inc. and its Content
Providers. All rights reserved.

____________________________________________________________

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
personals.yahoo.com

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I have had many interruptions to my usual routine this week. I
discovered, as I reviewed this morning's Email - and the messages
I've sent - that I have not mailed aoything out since Tuesday -
at least that came back to my inbox. So today, I'd like to share
two messages with you - one, a message from Larry Davies. There
happen to be a lot of people out there who are out of jobs right
now (I happen to be one of them), so this message is a good
reminder, not only to those who are "looking", but also to
others, as a reminder to be an encouragement to your friends.

The second message is one I had planned to send out on
Wednesday. It comes from Neil Anderson, and he talks about how
to deal with spiritual attacks. Both messages are relevant to
many of us. I pray that you will find both messages to be
useful, as you continue to seek God each day.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

=======

'Losing Your Job... But Not Your Life!"

My future looked exciting. I was promoted to a manager's position
at a local restaurant near my college. It was a proud moment for
me because students were not usually offered leadership
positions. Since this restaurant belonged to a nationwide chain,
the future looked bright.

One of my new duties as manager was to turn off the lights at
closing time by flipping a series of circuit
breakers. Instructions were given for which switches to flip but
in my first-night nervousness, I couldn't remember. So I did some
educated guessing figuring to have someone check before
leaving. In all the rush, I went home forgetting all about the
circuit breakers.

Early the next morning, the phone rang and the angry voice on the
other end told me to come to work immediately. At the restaurant,
people were running in and out of the building carrying boxes of
meat into a refrigerated truck. The owner angrily informed me
that I had turned off the power to their walk-in freezer. Most of
the food, which amounted to several thousand dollars, would have
to be thrown out. I made a major mistake. No excuses would be
accepted or tolerated! It was my responsibility!

I was told to resign as manager but offered an opportunity to
remain as an employee. Unfortunately, my fierce pride took over
my common sense. I angrily refused their offer and quit. Foolish,
very foolish!

At this point you could focus on my mistakes (there were many)
and justifiably say that I deserved my fate. 'Stop whining Larry
and learn from your blunders.' Or, you could righteously proclaim
that I was an innocent victim of poor management procedures (also
true) and allowed no margin for error. 'They should have put a
chart on the fuse box. They should have checked behind you more
carefully.'

Both views had an element of truth but neither one meant a hill
of beans to me. I was hurting and needed encouragement and
compassion. Having never lost a job, I believed life was
over. After all, what else was I good for? How would I ever
recover? My job was my identity. What would I do now?

Have you ever felt that way? Today, our economy is in a
recession. Many are newly jobless and wondering if they will
recover. A job often represents much of your self-identity and
your self-worth.

So, whether you've lost a job or struggling with another problem,
Paul's letter to the Romans is for you as well as me. Paul also
suffered and understood what it meant to be discarded; yet he
still managed to write these stirring words of encouragement:

'We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for
we know that they are good for us-they help us learn to
endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and
character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And
this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly
God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our
hearts with his love.'

Romans 5:3-5

* Problems and trials are a normal part of growth. They can
* even be good for us.

* Our endurance through those trials develops character. We
* become stronger.

* Character teaches us to wait upon God. Our relationship
* with God improves.

* We trust in God's love to see us through. The Holy Spirit
* fills our hearts with His love.

Looking back, I realize that losing my job was difficult, but not
the end of the world. There were valuable lessons from being
fired that would improve my later performance as an employee and
a leader. I learned the importance of being better organized,
listening carefully and asking good questions. God uses even our
failures as learning tools to help us grow stronger in our faith.

This particular scripture is also a reminder of how very much God
loves you, even if you do get fired. Ultimately everyone stumbles
but the successful folks are the ones who learn to get up again
and again, if necessary, dust themselves off and continue on
their God-chosen path with their faith steadily growing
stronger. Losing your job is an obstacle, a setback- not your
life. For that, 'We can rejoice'!

=========
Reply-to: Neil Anderson <neilanderson@lists.crosswalk.com>
Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Wednesday, October 17, 2001

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

October 17

UNDER SPIRITUAL ATTACK

The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall
away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and
doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

A seminary student stopped by my office to tell me he was having
difficulty getting to school on time. What should have been a
five-minute drive lengthened to 45 minutes because a voice in his
mind kept telling him to turn at intersections. Not wanting to
disobey what he perceived to be the "still, small voice of God,"
he was treated to a tour of the city almost every morning.

A pastor's wife, desperately needing the comfort of the Holy
Spirit and desiring His leading, passively believed that whatever
entered her mind was from God. She soon found herself bound by
fear and plagued by condemning thoughts.

These examples underscore the wisdom of John Wesley's words: "Do
not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose dreams,
voices, impressions, visions or revelations to be from God. They
may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the
devil. Therefore, do not believe every spirit, but try the
spirits, whether they be from God" (Martin Wells Knapp,
Impressions, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1984, p. 32).

In a survey of 1700 professing Christian teenagers, 70 percent
admitted to hearing voices, like there was a subconscious self
talking to them. I don't believe they are psychotic or paranoid
schizophrenic. There is a battle going on for their minds. I have
shared with many tormented people that they aren't going crazy
but are under spiritual attack. They usually respond, "Praise the
Lord, someone understands." It's freeing to know this truth,
because if there is a battle going on for our minds, we can win
that war.

Lord, today I choose to test the spirits and assume my
responsibility to think upon that which is true.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
< http://www.ficm.org >.

You can purchase "Daily in Christ" and other titles by Neil
Anderson at
christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors - CBD).
< shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/devo_na >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
-----------
To read the Current Feature Story from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentFeatureStory/

For today's complete News Summary from ReligionToday,
go to religiontoday.crosswalk.com/CurrentNewsSummary/

-----------
For Copyright Terms go to http://www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

* To subscribe, send an email to:
< SUBSCRIBE-neilanderson@lists.crosswalk.com > or go to
< http://www.crosswalk.com/lists > for a complete list of
our newsletters.
* Copyright ? 2001 Crosswalk.com, Inc. and its Content
Providers. All rights reserved.

____________________________________________________________

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
personals.yahoo.com