Prewired for Hope – by Greg Laurie

“God saw not only what we were- He was faithful in seeing what we could become. He took away the curse of being and gave us the glorious blessing of becoming.” A. W. Tozer

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. - (Colossians 1:4–5)

Did you know that you were prewired for hope? There is a restlessness in the human heart for something more than this world can offer.

As Augustine said, “You created us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”

As believers, our hope is built on a sure foundation, and that is the hope of heaven. The apostle Paul spoke of faith that springs from this hope: “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:4).

It is a bit like the Golden Plovers. Native to Hawaii, these little birds migrate during the summer to the Aleutian Isles, some 1,200 miles away. There they mate and lay their eggs. Then, after their little fledglings are born, they return to Hawaii. Even more amazing is that their little fledglings, which are too young to return with their parents, fly to Hawaii once they have grown a little. God has given them a homing instinct that makes this possible.

In the same way, God has given us a homing instinct for a place we have never been. We have never been to heaven, but we long for it, because heaven is our home. C. S. Lewis calls it the inconsolable longing. This is what the Bible means when it says that God has set eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). Like the Golden Plovers, we have a heavenly GPS

Seeing Adversity from God's Viewpoint – Dr. Charles Stanley

Isaiah 55:8-9

When adversity hits you like a ton of bricks, it could easily throw you into a pit of discouragement and despair. Although you may consider difficulties as setbacks, the Lord sees them as times for great advancement. His purpose for allowing them is not to destroy you but to stimulate your spiritual growth. In His great wisdom, the Lord knows how to take an awful situation and use it to transform you into the image of Christ and equip you to carry out His will.

Every adversity that comes into your life is sifted through God's permissive will. That doesn't mean the difficulty itself is His perfect will, but He's allowed the trial to touch you so that He can use it to accomplish His wonderful purposes for your life. Although some of the suffering we see and experience seems senseless or blatantly evil, we must recognize that we have a very limited perspective and cannot always understand what the Lord is doing.

Our heavenly Father sees every aspect of life, but our view is restricted to what is right before us. His plans include not only you but all of His creation, and they reach from the beginning of time to eternity future. Though we'll never grasp the infinite mind of God, we can know His faithfulness and love.

When you can't understand God's ways, focus on His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power rather than the magnitude of your sorrow. Remember, He sees the entire picture and loves you more than you can imagine. This is a time to walk by faith, as perfect understanding comes only in heaven.

"Offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).

 

"Praise the Lord" is a common expression today. Some see it as a catchy slogan, others commercialize it, still others reduce it to nothing more than "P.T.L." But despite such attempts to trivialize it, praising the Lord remains the believer's expression of love and gratitude to a God who has been abundantly gracious to him. That was the cry of David's heart when he said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Ps. 34:1-3). That will be the song of believers for time and eternity!

God desires and deserves your praise. That's why Hebrews 13:15 says, "Through [Christ] . . . let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." But what is praise? Is it merely saying "praise the Lord" over and over again, or is there more to it?

Two aspects of praise are obvious in Scripture. First is reciting God's attributes. That was the typical means of praise in the Old Testament. For example, Psalm 104 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty, covering Thyself with light as with a cloak" (vv. 1-2).

The second aspect of praise is reciting God's works. Psalm 107:21-22 says, "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful singing."

Praise involves reciting God's attributes from a heart of love, giving Him honor and reverence for who He is. It also involves reciting what He has done on behalf of His people. Your praise should follow the same pattern so it will be an acceptable spiritual sacrifice to your loving God.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Read Psalm 103 as a prayer of praise to God

By John MacArthur

The Trap of Discouragement – Dr. Charles Stanley

Habakkuk 1:2

Do you feel stuck in discouragement? If so, you are not alone.

At some point everyone experiences dashed hopes. Disappointment—an emotional response to a failed expectation—is the normal initial reaction. But allowed to linger, it can turn into discouragement, which hovers like a dense cloud. When that’s the case, there is no sense of joy or contentment, no matter what you do.

The circumstances that trigger these emotions may be unavoidable, but the way we respond is a choice. We can either let sadness overwhelm our souls or face the situation with courage and bring it before the One who can help us.

Living in discouragement will divide the mind, making it hard to focus on anything besides our pain. Then as anger becomes habitual, we’ll look for someone to blame—whether God, people around us, or ourself.

Frustration that isn’t handled well may develop into depression, which in turn can estrange us from others—people do not enjoy the company of someone who’s bitter and defeated. This isolation leads to a low self-esteem. Finally, in a fog of discouragement, we can make poor decisions based on crushed emotions instead of truth. Obviously, choosing this self-destructive path is not God’s best for our lives.

Though we’ll all face disappointment from time to time, believers are not to wallow in it. Instead, God wants us to trust Him with everything—even our unmet expectations and deepest sadnesses. Remember, there is divine purpose for everything He allows to touch His children’s lives (Rom. 8:28).

Seeing Red: A Look From the Wall by Dr. David Jeremiah

Seeing Red: A Look From the Wall And [Rahab] sent them [the Israelite spies] away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window. Joshua 2:21 Recommended Reading Hebrews 11:30-31 When Joshua was ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, he chose two men and sent them to spy out the land--and especially the city of Jericho: "When you get to Jericho, find a local prostitute and spend the night in her house. You will be less conspicuous that way." No, that is definitely not what Joshua told the spies. He didn't tell them where to stay--he left that to their discretion and God's provision. Watch This Week's TV Broadcast When the spies entered Jericho and met Rahab--who was, indeed, a prostitute in the city--they discovered a unique person. She had an immoral lifestyle, she lied to the officials of Jericho about the men being in her house, but she also had a striking spiritual sensibility. She knew God was going to give Jericho over to the Israelite army, and she didn't want to perish with the city, so she made a bargain with the spies and remained safe by binding a scarlet cord in the window on the city wall. For her faithfulness, the spies agreed her house and family would be spared in the attack. We should never anticipate how God is going to accomplish His purposes. His ways are not ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). We should prepare to be surprised and submissive to His will. God's ways are behind the scenes, but He moves all the scenes which He is behind. John Nelson Darby Read-Thru-the-Bible Proverbs 21:1–26:28

--From Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16-17

Last week as I was preparing a lesson for my Sunday School class, the writer discussed how often today Christians look at the scriptures like a salad bar, “picking what they like and ignoring the rest” As I pondered that thought it occurred to me that many of the ladies who enter our program have that same mindset.  Many of them have had an “experience” of some type with church and Christianity, but they don’t respect the scripture as the Holy inerrant word of God. Often they don’t understand that the bible is not a book about God, but it is the God breathed word of God.

The Bible is made up of sixty-six books compiled into one unit that was penned by man but God inspired.  Each author was distinctively different in his personality and background.  Yet, God was able to join them together, in unity, to write His book with one purpose, revealing His truth and His relationship to mankind.  Every word in the Bible is precisely what God wanted communicated to us.  Only God could take forty plus men and supernaturally use them to write His words yet never compromise the truthfulness, clarity or purity of the finished product. These facts combined with love for God encourages us to teach and share the word of God daily with the residents of Haven of Rest.

When a woman enters our program, almost unanimously they share with us that their addiction was born out of a need to fill a void.  Often they have gone to church, and many own a Bible, they have had “conversations” with God. At one time or another in our lives many of us wanted to hear from God, but we only wanted to listen if His answer aligned with our thoughts, dreams and plans.  Often the lifestyles of people today leave little room for the authoritative word of God to manage their lives.  When God’s word seems harsh or too difficult, it is ignored or discarded.  But the scripture from II Timothy tells us that ALL scripture is from God and is “profitable” for our lives, but profitable for what? The verse mentions four things, “teaching, reproof, correction, and training”.  Scripture helps us restructure our thinking to be more like His thinking.  Scripture teaches us; it lays a foundation of doctrine; it corrects us; and it trains us.  Verse 17 sums up why Scripture is important; so that God’s children will be equipped for His service. 

At the Haven of Rest our goal is to see the lives of those who come to us seeking help, changed from the inside out.  We endeavor to teach that God and God alone can change lives and fill the emptiness that exist in the soul of a person separated from God.  The discipleship teachings that are offered at the Haven of Rest utilizes the Bible, God’s holy word to equip our clients to become the men and women that God intended them to be.

Have you equipped yourself with the word of God so that you are prepared for the tasks that He has called you to do?

Terri Dickson

Associate Director, Women’s Ministry

"One Another" Sighting

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another in brotherly love.  (Rom 12:10)

The clients at the Haven of Rest Men's Training Center had a unique opportunity to be involved in the Rick Gage Go Tell Crusade at the BHP stadium on May 20-23.  There was a great out pouring of the spirit's work with over 1000 decisions for the week.  As young converts, for our men to see that kind of out pouring was probably a once in a lifetime experience.  Equally, our men saw the body of Christ united around a cause bigger than themselves.  Our men were able to experience first hand and hands on other men working together.  Many men in our community came early and stayed late after the crusade and lent a hand to lift and load, tear down and remove the stage from the crusade. 

The image I have in my mind was of course hundreds of people of every age flooding the field during the invitation time.  I will never forget the excitement of being able to witness the moving of the Spirit in that way.  Afterwards at the end of the day, a group of about 30 to 35 men joined hands on the track at BHP stadium and offered up a prayer of thanks for what He had done.  I sensed I was part of a group that had accomplished something that no one of us could have accomplished by ourselves.  For the Haven men to be able to see other Christian men rallying around them and encouraging them and edifying them, working along side of them, as well as doing grunt work for no other reason than they simple wanted too was a picture I don't think I"ll forget. 

Thank you to the community of Christ, the churches and for those who worked so hard to put this crusade together and most of all for letting the Haven of Rest men see love in action.

Eddie Capps

Director
Haven of Rest
Men's Training Center