IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE
“But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.”- Ps. 37:39
Times of trouble try the saint of God, and they are meant to do so; that is the very purpose why they are sent, for “the Lord tries the righteous.” Still the promise holds good—“he is their strength in the time of trouble.” When he breaks up the fountains of the great deep of sin and iniquity, he strengthens his people that they may not be carried away by the flood. When he hides his face, he strengthens them to say, “Though he slays me, yet will I trust in him.” When temptation besets them severely, when they are put into the furnace, the Lord is with them there, as he was with the three men whom Nebuchadnezzar cast in. The Son of God is there with them, so that not a hair of their head is singed, nor does the smell of fire pass upon them (Dan. 3:27).
In all their afflictions he is afflicted, and by sharing it with them supports them under it. He is thus their strength; for he strengthens them with strength in their soul. He enables them to bear the weighty cross—to sustain the heavy load of trial and affliction—to put their mouth in the dust as needing and deserving his chastising strokes, and submit to his righteous dispensations and dealings as plainly sent by a gracious and loving hand.
And ever and anon he drops in a sustaining word, gives an encouraging look, bestows a soft and healing touch, and thus helps them to wait in faith and hope until in due time he sends full deliverance. Thus he helps and delivers, and will do so in every time of trouble down to their dying-bed, when he will give them their full and final deliverance from the body of sin and death, and a world full of iniquity and sorrow.- J. C. Philpot
I have said at least a thousand times, “For the Christian the best is always yet to come”. Here’s why– Knowing the best is yet to come should keep us going in the worst of times, for neither life nor labor is in vain in the Lord! – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

CHRIST, THE GREAT CONSTANT
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”- Heb. 13:8
Of this verse, J. C.Philpot wrote, “The eye of our faith must be ever fixed on Jesus, for the Person of Christ is the grand object of faith, and to lose sight of him is to lose sight of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Is he not the same Jesus now that he was on earth? He is exalted, it is true, to an inconceivable height of glory, so that when John saw him, even as if in some measure veiled, he fell at his feet as dead. But he is the same Jesus now as when he was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as he wears the same human body, so he has the same tender, compassionate heart. All that he was upon earth as Jesus, he is in heaven still. All that tenderness and gentleness, all that pity to poor sensitive sinners, all that compassion on the ignorant and on those who are out of the way, all that grace and truth which came by him and were manifest in him, all that bleeding, dying love, all that sympathy with the afflicted and tempted, all that power to heal by a word all manner of sickness and disease, all that surpassing beauty and blessedness whereby he is to those who have seen him the chief among ten thousand and the altogether lovely One, he not only retains in the highest heavens, but is, so to speak, endowed with greater capacity to use them, for all power is given to him in heaven and earth, and all things are put under his feet, and that not only for his own sake, but that he might be the Head over all things to the Church.”
In this ever changing corrupt world we live in, it is a great comfort to know that Christ is the great constant that we can depend on for every need. Let us never be so foolish as to suppose that we have a problem greater than His power. He was, is, and always shall be exactly what every person needs most. Whatever your need, He knows, He cares, and He can help!- HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

WHAT’S WRONG?
“And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?”– 1 Kings 19:9

Here we see God’s question to Elijah who was sulking in a cave due to Jezebel’s threat. Of course God knew the answer, but suppose someone else had stumbled upon this scene. They would have no doubt wondered “What’s wrong?”. Why would a powerful miracle working prophet of God be found in such a pitiful condition?

Have you ever noticed that it’s common to notice that something seems wrong with certain people? It could be a number of things – depression, distraction, discouragement, unfriendly, rude, etc. – and it makes you wonder “What’s wrong?” Clearly there is a problem, but it’s a puzzle to you.

You can tell something is wrong, you care about them, and you would like to help them, but you don’t have a clue as to what’s wrong. And you know enquiring could lead to a problem. Most people resent the suggestion that something might be wrong in their life, and they aren’t looking for your observation or advice.

I mention this because it happens all the time. I can think of instances where someone who once was friendly now go out of their way to avoid speaking. Others who once were joyful are now obviously depressed. Some who used to be involved in Christian ministry have dropped out. The list could go on and on. You can tell something is wrong, but you don’t know what or why. You want to help but you know you run the risk of making things worse if you enquire. Anytime you ask, “What’s wrong?” you better be prepared to be disappointed. They just might tell you, and it might be something you would rather not hear.

In light of all this, do you ever wonder if others are wondering about you? After all, we tend to wear our feelings on our sleeve – intentional or not.. Anyone who knows you very well can generally tell if something is wrong and it’s only natural that they wonder “what’s wrong?” Our testimony hinges on what others see in us. And, if we aren’t manifesting the fruit of the Spirit we are misrepresenting Christ. Think about it! – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

SUBJECTION
“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?_- Heb. 12:9

We often speak of the sanctifying affect of suffering, but strictly speaking it is because we have surrendered that we are sanctified, not because we have suffered. Many suffer without becoming better, but none surrender without being sanctified. While suffering can be an important part of the process it alone doesn’t produce change.

As Christians we should be careful that we don’t waste our sorrow by refusing to surrender. That generally brings more suffering. God knows how to get our attention and when we refuse to respond He turns up the heat and increases the pressure. You can run but you can’t hide. You can resist but you can’t prevail.

It is for our own good that we surrender ourselves to God and we should do it as fast and fully as possible. It is only as we present ourselves to God that we prevent sin, protect ourselves, and prepare ourselves for service (Rom.6:12-14). We are made safe only as we surrender.

While all suffering isn’t caused by sin in our lives we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss it as a possibility. Trials should cause us to examine ourselves as to the will of God. A simple command, promise, or word of warning is all we should need to yield ourselves to God.

Sadly sometimes we are as stubborn as we are sinful. Loved ones can beg and plead, preachers can thunder our warnings, and trials leave us begging for mercy yet we refuse to yield. The Holy Spirit can convict us to the point that we are quaking in our boots, yet we resist. We convince ourselves that we can be happy without holiness, but it never happens. And there will be no peace until we give up the pursuit of self-will and surrender all to the Lord. There is no other path. We can’t say “no” to sin until we say “yes” to our Savior. – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”- Acts 17:11

I want you to notice the words “those things.” In this case it refers to the things pertaining to what Paul preached concerning Christ. There could not be a more serious subject than this. Nor could there be a better place to look for answers than the scriptures. They did not depend on their own reasoning popular opinion, or the advice of others. They went straight to the only reliable source for confirmation of what they heard. And in this we find a great example for all of us.

Life is confusing and there are many voices clamoring for our attention and drawing us in different directions. To make intelligent choices we need a reliable resource that we can consult with confidence. Our best guess isn’t good enough. Only “the scriptures” will suffice.

This means that sometimes we will have to turn a deaf ear to people we love. And quite often it demands that we be humble enough to admit that we’ve been wrong. We are each responsible for protecting ourselves from error. And that’s exactly what the Bereans did. Rather than assume what they heard was right they daily searched the scripture to confirm what they had heard.

It can be difficult admitting that our beliefs are wrong, which is why some folks never make an effort to find out whether they are right or wrong. They are content with their beliefs and don’t want to be challenged. If pressed they look for everything possible to justify their beliefs and get defensive of their position. They do this even though deep down they have to admit that they don’t really know whether they are right or wrong. They just hope all will end well, or live in despair.

There is great peace in being assured that our beliefs are true; Why would you be content with uncertainty about the most important issues of life? God has given us the answers to the most important questions in life. Be a Berean and search the scriptures.–HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346