No Matter WHAT... THANK GOD!

No Matter WHAT... THANK GOD!
Rather than being "under-goers", we must be Overcomers!

 "The trials in our life are meant to reveal the contents of our heart. So, God is not as interested in what we did DURING the trials, as He is in what we do about what was revealed about us THROUGH those trials." - Keith

No matter what happens, we must come to grips with the guilty party: ourselves. Having our hearts continually filled with praise and thankfulness to God means that we will be able to give thanks in ALL things when the trials do come.  "And He {Jesus} said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Find this complete message, and more, in our book, "XII Smooth Stones" available on the TTM WEBSITE.  Also LISTEN to our Podcast, "Three ways to Get the Most Out of Your Time of Suffering Through Adversity 

The offering of praise and giving of thanks to God in all situations and circumstances is one area where many Christians fail to experience the victory of the Abundant Life. It is easy, of course, to give thanks when things are going well, but what about those disconcerting times when we find ourselves consumed in the flames of a painful trial? How do we conduct ourselves then? Do we pitch childish little fits in our hearts when things get tough or do we do the mature thing and consider the fact that God loves us and has something much better in mind, if we will trust in Him and wait on Him to perform it?

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.” (Hebrews 10:23)

       What makes it so difficult for us to offer up thanksgiving to God when things are not going the way we want them to? Exactly what is that powerful unseen force that inhibits our ability to freely praise our Heavenly Father in difficult situations?

The answer may surprise you! It is actually our flesh nature, and not only does it hinder praise and thanksgiving, it also is the cause of most of our pain. So if you have ever wondered about the problems in the American Church, you need look no further than the stinking decay of human nature!

As much as we would not like to believe it, only a very small percentage of people who commit their lives to Jesus Christ really apply the effort needed to kill the old man, or sinful human nature, in their lives. When times are easy, or at least easier, most of us give in to the temptation to slack off; so when a trial comes along, we are not prepared and are easily overwhelmed. Rather than being Overcomers, we are under-goers. Instead of acknowledging our responsibility for not seeking God, we look for a scapegoat; we want someone or something to blame other than looking in the mirror and declaring, “Thou art the man!”

Now, as crucial as it is to face the reality of the sin that lurks in our hearts, it is equally as important to realize that God does not want us to wallow in guilt for mistakes and misdeeds. Jesus died on the Cross so that we could receive forgiveness, both eternal and temporal, and cleansing from our sins in this life and in the life to come. The trials in our life are meant to reveal the contents of our heart, so God is not as interested in what we did during the trials, as He is in what we do about what was revealed about us through those trials. This includes the words that come out of our mouths, because our words reveal what is in our hearts. For “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

Having our hearts continually filled with praise and thankfulness to God means that we will be able to give thanks in all things when the trials do come. A full sponge when squeezed gives up whatever it has been saturated with. A dry sponge when squeezed gives up little to nothing. Furthermore, a sponge does not soak up anything while it is being squeezed. Likewise, when you saturate your soul with the Word of God during the easier times, then that is what will come out when you are placed under the pressure of a trial, during the hard times. Hence, the time to put on the mindset of thankfulness is BEFORE the trials begin.

So, before we can come to the place where we can offer up praise and thanksgiving to God, no matter what happens, we must come to grips with the guilty party: ourselves. God has a simple prescription to solve the problem: our old man (or “flesh” nature) must die! “And He {Jesus} said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) This is not just a wonderful passage of scripture, it is a prerequisite to a life of victory in Christ Jesus!

For the rest of this message, and many others, get your copy of our book "XII Smooth Stones" and also see "TTM Teaching Index" on our website, TowardTheMark.com.

     WOULD YOU PARTNER WITH US TODAY?

    

Closing:  For more Scripture-based truths to help as you Press toward "one-ness" with our Heavenly Father, we also have available:

~ "Toward The Mark's Wisdom-Packed Wednesdays" Facebook page,
~ Keith's "Between The Lines" Podcast channel, and

~ "Sharingwith you the Secrets God Whispers to me" monthly message on the website, and

~ "TTMSingingSgt" on Twitter 

We are CELEBRATING SINGLENESS! (Part TWO & Part THREE)

By popular demand, we're blogging both Part TWO and Part THREE of Keith's testimony TODAY.  If you have a minute to write to us, we always like hearing your encouraging responses.  

For more Scripture-based truth and encouragement, follow "TowardTheMark Wisdom-packed Wednesdays" on Facebook and Toward The Mark online showing God BIG in a world that sees Him small.

          ...Well, I finally came up with a plan.  I thought, "I could out-smart those voices by convincing myself that I was born without 'the marriage gene'!  That would surely shut 'em up!"  Well, just like every other thing I tried to do on my own, my plan didn't work.  The voices continued.

           

          By the time I was about forty years old, I decided that, if I can't shut 'em up, I'll flood 'em out, with God's word!  That was the very BEST decision I have ever made in my life!!  I began seeking God and meditating on His Word, with a greater diligence than I ever had before.  It was only then that the voices went from deafening, to annoying, to tolerable-like whispers... at least for the most part.  Finally, I learned that "I" had to stop dwelling on things that were not of God, like TV shows.  Realizing just how destructive and suggestive primetime television programming was becoming, I knew I had to do something about that.  So I called the cable company, and cancelled it!

          If you truly want a Godly mate, there are a few things that really helped me prepare for the day that God allowed me to meet Brenda.  I encourage you to practice what I endearingly call "The Tried-and-Proven 5-Step Prep" I've laid out for you this Valentine's Day week. 

1)  Turn the TV off!  If you look to Hollywood to set your expectations for a mate, loneliness will remain your companion.  Recognize that unreal, or unreasonable, expectations rob us from receiving, not only our peace but, every good thing Jesus Christ wants us to have.  Having said that, I am in no way suggesting you compromise yourself by settling for someone who you know does not know and love God wholeheartedly.  After all, marriage was not man's idea, it's God's, and it will NOT function correctly with-out (on the outside of) God and His Word.  ~Never forget this:  Without GOD... it's NOT Holy Matrimony.~

2)  YOU cannot "FIX 'em"!  If you think you can change someone, you are deceived, and brace yourself for a torturous ride.  Only Christ Jesus has the power to change the human heart.  Marriage is not a 50/50 arrangement; it's a 100/100 commitment.  So, relax!  Trust God to introduce you to a "Godly possibility."  I must warn you, however.  Just because someone, in an attempt to win your heart, says they are a Christian, it doesn't mean they are!  Standing in a church building on Sunday makes someone a Christian about as much as standing in a garage makes you a car.  As a safeguard for us, Jesus says in Matthew 7, “¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them." 

3)  Prepare for what you are praying for.  You do NOT want to meet the prepared, unprepared.  Diligently seek God.  Become the kind of person that you've been asking God to bring to you.  Be passionate about, and in love with, God and His Word.  And do everything as God and His Word tells you to.  Look in the mirror.  Do you dress, and carry yourself, in the same way that you have envisioned your future mate will?  If not, change it!  *You can't BE something you're NOT, but you can BECOME something you're NOT.*  I once heard it said that "'Insanity' is doing the same thing over and over each day, while expecting different results."

4)  You don't get married because you NEED to; You get married because you WANT to!  And you'll never have the "want-to" until you don't have the "need-to."

5)  Finally, the word "single" does not mean "not married."  The word "single" means: to be Separate, Unique and Whole.  So, before you are ready for marriage, you must first become "single."  Only until you become "single" will you be ready for marriage.  Becoming "Separate, Unique, and Whole" within yourself should be your goal; not "becoming married."

The moral of this blog is, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been in this life, the dreams you've carried since you were a child - to be joined in Holy Matrimony - can only be fulfilled by God, the Author of Marriage Himself.

IN Christ Jesus, Keith (and Brenda)

TTM Podcasts Coming soon!! 

By:  Keith Shealy

            During this week, when so much attention is turned toward husbands and wives, and boyfriends and girlfriends, we would like to offer some very important advice to those who are currently not married and praying for their future mate.  For those of you who do not know, I spent the first fifty two years of my life by myself.  Sometimes I prayed daily that God would reveal my mate to me.  Whenever I would enter a ministry service or event, I wondered, "Is 'she' (the 'one') going to be here?"  And, if I had to tell you how many times well-meaning people came up to me to say things like, "Brother, God must really be preparing some amazing girl for you!  That's why it's taking so long!" or, "When you meet 'the one', you'll know it!"

            Day after day, month after month, year after year, and decade after decade, though I was not really consumed with finding 'her', I could not seem to silence the voices in my head.  Like a pesky little brother your Mom makes you take with you everywhere, voices would sound off at every turn, questioning, "Is she here?  Is she?  Is she??"  Each time the voices started up again, all I could think was, "If only I could get my hands on those little suckers ... !"

            There I was: a successful minister at a great church; had my dream football career; toured and recorded with my own band; and I could go on and on... the guy everyone always said seemed like the one who has it all together!  And, for years, because all of my friends were married, I ate in restaurants alone, came home after church on Sundays and turned on the football game in an attempt to silence the deafening loneliness, and all but begged God to reveal to me just what it was that was wrong with me so I could work on changing it. 

            Read Part Two of this article tomorrow, 2/13/2014.