Dirty Bible, Clean Heart

  "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-- how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" Maybe no one knows or perhaps everyone does but God knows. In fact, it's become your number one prayer request. And even if you haven't mentioned it that much, deep inside you want to. You desperately want to ask God to do this one thing for you but perhaps you don't because it's so precious that should you ask and not receive it, the disappointment would be overwhelming. After much wishing and praying the day comes when God gives you His word that He will do it!  He is going to fulfill that desire of your heart. Tears of joy run down your face as you wonder in awe at God's love and kindness that He should give you such a wonderful promise. Faith fills your heart and thanksgiving your lips. But what you may not realize in that moment of ecstasy is that between God giving you a promise and Him actually fulfilling it is a four-...

  "If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people"- Charles Spurgeon I think there are few things in life as frustrating as waiting. Whether it be something small such as waiting for food at a restaurant to major things like waiting for test results from your doctor's office. Waiting is hard. Yet the life of the Christian will undoubtedly include seasons of waiting (a fact that most Old and New Testament saints can attest to). Waiting is not a class we pass and  move on from. On the contrary, waiting is similar to your math courses in high school...there are several, each one a step above the last. When we complete a season of waiting, be assured that another one lies in the future. Simply ...

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader.  “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” -Mark 5:35  Has God ever given you a specific promise for your life? For some that might mean a new business venture, or a baby, perhaps a spouse, or maybe even a ministry. These are some of the things that many of us desire and that (I believe) God wants to freely give us (Rom 8:32). All throughout the Bible, we see God making promises with His chosen people. And because Hebrews 13:8 declares that God "is the same yesterday, today, and forever" we can rest assured that if God fulfilled promises to His people then, He will do so today as well. But what if the promise God made you is taking longer than expected? In fact, what if between the time that God spoke that promise over your life and now, things have actually grown worse?!  What do we do then? The Bible has plenty to say about waitin...