Psalm 37:1-4, “Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants, they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart”

No place for fretting.

When you and I face valley experiences, per the above verse, we have two choices- either we can fret (be constantly or visibly worried or anxious) over the people who are evil/envious toward who do wrong. Or we can trust in the character of God, do good, dwell in the land, enjoy safe pasture, delight in the Lord, commit our way to the Lord and trust Him. The evil people who harm you are compared to the grass that will soon wither and green plants that will soon die away. In another passage in Psalm 73:18 Bible says, “You have certainly set them in slippery places; you will make them fall to their ruin.” It makes good sense when Bible says ‘do not fret’ because God knows the end from the very beginning. You and I do not know the end from the beginning. There is one who knows it all- The Lord in heaven. Praise to the Lord!
Last week, in our weekly Bible Insights, we discussed the first point about how to turn your valley experiences into mountaintop visions, how to get ready for another brand new assignment from God or in a nutshell how to get your heats desires fully met by the Lord by

1. trust in the character of the loving Lord.

This week we will discuss the second point.

2. Do good.

Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good”. While you trust in the character of God you go ahead do good. These are paired thoughts- trust in the Lord and do good.

Cutting off from others and brooding over the events.

I know valley experience don’t usually motivate people to do good, right? During this time generally, we would pull ourselves to our own private room and want to spend time in solitude, cutting off from others. I can well relate to this behavior. Been there, done it and experienced it many times. However, I learned from my own experience that pulling to solitude and spending time in sorrow and remorse doesn’t really help at all. In contrast, this is the truth – when we pull away to our own room and brood over the bad events happened to us, it can hurt us more and take the joy and hope completely and fully away from us. In the process of solitude and making tents and living there in the valley alone, we end up digging the valley experience much more difficult, hard and long. Most probably ‘fretting over others” will be the ultimate result. Because we focus on ourselves. The focus somehow should be shifted from self to the Lord and to others for the healing to occur.

A good Example- Paul

When we talk about the severe valley experiences, the New Testament offers a good example of Apostle Paul. This great man was always in valley experiences, one after another. Either in persecution, jail or in court trials and the list goes on. One thing you would notice is this – his continuous valley experiences never drove him to a closed room and sorrowful brooding over lifestyle. The next day or even the same day or next hour, in the midst of valleys and sever experiences, we will see him out with people spreading the Gospel or teaching/preaching wherever people gathered. If they would place in him solitude like prison, he would take his pen and write letters which became New Testament Epistles later. Paul always amazes us with his wonderful spirit. When we go through valley experiences, Paul is a challenging example for us. In other words, Paul was always doing good in the midst of his sufferings and trials. Bible has already written and finished and we should never even try to add to the pages of the Bible anymore (Revelation 22:18). Still, we have a lot of other good things to do right now, don’t we?
You are God’s handiworks and God already prepared your good works in advance- just walk in it.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I believe he is writing one of his heart beats in the above verse. Did you say you and I are:
• God’s handiwork
• Created in Christ Jesus to do good works
• Which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Did you ever think God already had prepared in advance what good works you will do? A wonderful and mindboggling idea right! God prepared in advance what you would do. I mean the good works you would do. In fact, the verse says you are God’s handiwork. You are the hands of God to do good to others. The passage doesn’t say our salvation or eternal life is based on the good works you would do. But it does mean once you are created in Christ Jesus or in other words, born again in Christ Jesus or saved by faith in the finished work of Christ (this is how you are created in Christ Jesus or born again) then you become God’s handiwork to do good. The creation to do good works is based on the fact that now you are newly created in Christ Jesus because of your faith and trust in Christ as the savior. These good works were already planned in advance for you and you just walk in it and do it.

Remember -You haven’t lost all yet

Therefore, God wants you to get out of your room and think how many good things you can do for God? He saved you, pulled you out of hell, forgave your sins, still forgives and cleanse you every single day when you ask for forgiveness, you can face death with the confidence that you will be in heaven with the Lord forever and ever. So what are you fretting about? Your doing good starts right there. Think how great and big God is and how He saved you and make your future safe and secure. You will not go to heaven at the time of your death because you accepted Christ as your savior, right?
Thanking God for all things you still have is a good starting point. You may have lost something or someone. But remember you haven’t lost all. You haven’t lost God’s love, you haven’t lost Holy Spirit’s presence in you. Remember nothing can separate you from the love of God toward you. Nothing means nothing period! In other words, nothing will stop His love keep coming back to you. He pours His love on you and nothing can stop it.
Now, you can reach out to others. You see no one is exempt from valley experiences. People are in it, or about to enter it or just came out of it. It is common to all. Bible says in 1 Peter 4:12, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you.” Somehow, we imagine we are exempt from that particular trial – the trial that we hate the most, right? But the truth is that we live in a fallen and sinful world and we mingle and live with fallen and sinful people on a daily basis. What else can you expect? Bible says do not be surprised as though something strange happened to you in your valley experience. Also, know this – your valley experience was God approved so that you can be a God’s hands and feet to someone else. Your valley experiences uniquely make you capable of a unique work or ministry that God prepared in advance for you. This is how you would see your valley experiences. Did this ever cross your mind -no one else can do the work that you are uniquely equipped to do?

Become comforters, helpers, and deliverers

Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
A couple of things from the above-cited verse. Number one – in your valleys most probably no one else would be there to be with you. But this verse says God is there in the midst of it and He comforts you in all your troubles. Did you notice ‘all troubles’? Doesn’t matter what trouble you face and I bet so many out there. Sickness, people accusing you, persecute you, leaving you, loneliness, children’s issues, family and relationship issues, financial issues and death experiences. No matter what God is there with you and He comforts you during the valley time if you search him and look for Him. See valley time is uniquely made to get your attention to deepen your relationship with God. He won’t get your attention in other times. Now you are going to sit down and think. Why me? Start talking to God, look and search for Him.
It doesn’t end there. The verse above says God comforts, helps and deliver us eventually why? “So that we can comfort, help and deliver those in any trouble with the comfort, help, deliverance we received from God.”

Be the hands and feet of God in doing good because many are hurting.

My friend, so many people are hurting out there in this world as we speak. Instead of sitting and brooding over what happened to you, think how great the all-powerful God is and what mighty and wonderful things He can do for you again. Then get out there and start doing good to others. Make that phone call to someone who need an encouraging word, go and visit someone who need you, spend more time in prayer, get closer to God, talk to God, read His Word (the Bible), start attending church meetings more, talk to people and find out how you can help another person, do that work God had prepared in advance for you so that you would walk in it. You may be wondering what you can do. Think what I listed above. So many things are out there that only you can do. only you can do and no one else can do those things. God has uniquely stamped you for certain good things. Your family members, your co-workers, your neighbors, your unique talents. The list goes on. Take that first step and start doing something while you are in the midst of the valley. Do you know what? There is a day God will turn around things for you and you will see His handiwork performing His eternal plan in and through you.

A second good example – Barnabas

Bible talks about Barnabas as a good man in Acts 11:24. What did he do to get that description of ‘good man’? This was a unique time in Church history. The disciples were learning that gentiles are also included in God’s plan of salvation. Contrary to our expectation that was not a pleasant news for many Jewish Christians. It was only through tough lessons from God that even Peter learned this truth. There were reservations among the Jewish Christian’s mind in Jerusalem church. They sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived there he witnessed the grace of God given to the gentiles and he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain in the Lord. Then the passage says, “for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” Instead of keeping a doubting and prejudiced mind and looking for man’s approval from the Jerusalem church, when he witnessed God’s grace in these newly converted Gentiles, he rejoiced and began to encourage them with a steadfast or resolute heart. This is the sign of a good man.
You can rejoice over the grace of God poured out to others and encourage them in the Lord, can’t you? Sure you can. A good you can do and earn the title of a good man.
Another example of this good man is given in Acts 9:26-27 in connection with his response to Saul because all were afraid of him and not believed him as a true disciple of Christ. It says, “When he (Saul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.”
Everyone was doubting Saul who would later become Apostle Paul. But not Barnabas. You see, Paul tried to join the disciples and they won’t allow him to join the group. Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. You see Barnabas personally took Saul and brought him to the apostle and said good words about him. Again this is a good thing Barnabas did.

Do you know something about a good person? Listen and remember this. A good person accepts imperfect believers and would comfort and encourage them to go on with the Lord Jesus Christ in His unique plan. Don’t you think you can do this good by encouraging others who are imperfect? Yes, you can. A Very high honorable thing to do in the sight of God.

I don’t really get this at all.

I have seen over the years some Christians became so critical and doubtful about other saved and well-intentioned Christians. How unfortunate it is! Instead of growing in grace and compassion and understanding how vulnerable we all are apart from the grace of God (this is the essence of spiritual growth- growing in grace), they grow in an opposite and weird direction of blaming and critical of others. They still claim spiritual maturity and growth. I don’t get it. Do you know you and me are not better than the so-called ‘them’? It is only the power of the grace of God that you are still a believer today because He keeps and protects your faith.

On the other hand, I have seen many christians who became more grace oriented in their spiritual growth over the years. People need help and restoration not blame and separation because they already encountered lot of blaming people who couldn’t help. I want to be grace centered and compassionate oriented like my savior who saved me- a wrtched sinner, rather than legalistic, critical and blame oriented.  Praise God for such grace centered believers and people are attracted to them like they were attracted to christ. Praise God!

Get out there and do good

In your valley, instead of shrinking down to your own private house and room and blaming and criticizing others, get out there and do good- praise God because He saved you, thank God for what you have not lost yet, think about your future and eternal security, hope in God and do good. Use your talents to do good and touch other people lives with the Word of God or kindness and mercy. Become the handiwork of God because you were created anew in Christ Jesus. Be the hands and foots of Jesus Christ to someone in your influence.

Now, I know, if you have not accepted Christ as your savior, most probably the things explained above may not makes much sense to you. Sir or Madam, may I tell you the most important need in your life- you must be born again. You are born from your parents. Bible clearly says you need to be born again from above, by the power of God, into God’s family. Then you will be equipped to trust the character of God, do good and all. In a simple prayer after me now you can be born again from above and join God’s family.

Please pray after me:

“God, I am hurting and nobody understands me and my problems. I know you can save me from my hurts and problems. I stop and look at you now for your deliverance and help. I believe in the good news that Jesus Christ died, buried and risen from the dead for my sins. I accept Him as my savior and Lord. Please come to my life and save me. Amen.”
If you prayed this prayer, please do me a kind favor. Please go to contact/prayer tab and send me a note. I will be thrilled to hear from you. Thank you.

The post Turn your deep valley experiences into mountain top visions. Part 11- Do Good appeared first on TeachBible.org.

The Big Eraser that cleans it and makes it all brand new again.

Isaiah 38:17, I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

God says He can erase and wipe out all your sins and transgressions for His own sake. He also says, “ I will not remember your sins.”

Do you know there is an eraser or wiper that can erase and wipe all your faults and sins and make you white, clean and spotless again?

Remember!  the old  Eraser and whiteboard

In the above verse cited, God says in the Bible that He can erase and wipe away all your sins and He will remember it no more.
Remember the school days and the whiteboard that teachers used to teach us? Teacher writes, draw pictures and use crayons and colors. In my school, they used to say, “make sure you write this down in your book, I am going to erase it.” Here you go, He erased the board and nothing is visible anymore, right?
Imagine a white board that lists all your wrong doings and sins you have done so far in big fonts. Also, imagine the ink used to write your sins is not cleanable and un-washable. The list stares at you from the whiteboard and troubles and bothers you every single day. One day, a person appears on the scene and erases all the ugly things listed there that were not erasable or wipeable previously.

God has a way to erase all your wrong doings and sins from His book if you would like. Bible says in Acts 3:19, “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” Repent of your sins and turn to God is the secret.

Two men’s heart reveals the secret for cleansing

Jesus said this story- Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was praying to himself and said, “God I thank you that I am not like other people: Swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast two times a week, I pay tithes of all that I get.” Luke 18:10-14
But the tax collector stood some distance away, was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, but he was beating to his breast and said, “God be merciful to me, the sinner!” The Jesus said this man went to his house justified in contrast to the other.
A true repentance about your sins and turning to God for forgiveness – then God’s big and wonderful Eraser goes to work to cleanse and makes you pure white again.

Bible says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
Are you feeling terribly bad due to the wrong things you did in the past? God says if you come to Him in repentance, he will turn your terrible scarlet sins to white as snow. Again God promises, though your sins are like crimson, He will change to wool white.
Micah 7:19 says, “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” When you come to God broken and sad about your sins, He has compassion again on you and based on your admission that you did wrong, He will tread your iniquities underfoot. It’s crushed and gone. Another expression- He will cast all your sins into the depths of the sea. It will never come back up again to haunt you.
See, God said first He will wipe and erase all your sins, second turn your scarlet sin to white as snow, third turn your red like crimson sins to wool-like white, fourth, he said by His compassion He will tread your sins underfoot and fifth, He will cast all yours into the depth of the sea. It will never come back again.

Stop for  a moment -You must know how much God loves you

Psalm 103:11-13

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” How much higher is heavens above the earth? Such high is God’s love toward you. How much far is east from the west? We don’t even know. It goes on. God can remove your sins and transressions that far away from you. What is the compassion of a father on  his children? So the Lord has compasssion on you. I understand some of you may have earthly parents who didn’t love you much. But heavenly father is not like one of them. He has deep compassion on you. 

You must also know who much Jesus loves you

Bible says, on the night before His crucifixion on the cross, Jesus was in big agony prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:41-44, “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” Your sins, my sins and all humanity’s sins and iniquities from the days of Adam and Eve came on His shoulder and it was so heavy and painful for Him to pay for all of their sins. All sins of all people of all the time were placed on Him and it was the scary and havoc creating experience.
But do you know that? Jesus didn’t run away from there. He said to His father, “yet not My will, but yours be done.” Bible says God so loved you that He gave His only begotten son to carry your and all people sins on his shoulders and become a sacrifice for you and me.
Do you know how much Jesus loved you? On the cross, while he was in unexplainable pain hanging down on the cross for humanity’s sin, Jesus said these words, “”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

Per Jesus, even the most heinous sin is forgivable

Killing the Son of God is the most heinous sin of all sins. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them”. Why? “for they do not know what they are doing.” Was it not a true statement? They didn’t know what they were doing. Killing the Son of God.
But my point is this – If Jesus can offer forgiveness to those who killed Him, don’t you think He can erase all your sins? Do you understand the love of Jesus?

Only one sin that is not forgivable. What is it?

Bible says there is only one sin that is unforgivable. What is that? Matthew 12:22-32. Pharisees didn’t want to accept Jesus and after witnessing the convicting miracles of Christ, they rejected Him and attributed His work to the prince of demons. You see,  each time you listen to this good news of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God is witnessing this truth to you and He is convicting the need to trust in Christ as your savior. And when you reject Jesus Christ upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that is an unpardonable sin. This is the blaspheming against the Holy Spirit-willingly rejecting the working of the Holy Spirit to acknowledge and accept Christ as your savior and Lord. 
Bible says in Ephesians 1:7, “In him (Christ Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Bible also says in 1 John 1:7 (b), “and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanse us from all sin.”
There is no other sin in this world is unforgivable, even killing the Son of God is forgivable because Jesus offered forgiveness. God gives you chances, again and again, to repent (feel sorry for your sins) and turn to Him. People say they would be willing to give a second chance to those who hurt them. I believe we all are ok in giving second chances. But do you know what? God offered you multiple chances, again and again, to come to Him. However, people can come to holy God only one way – the way of the blood Christ that is shed for the remission of our sins. But if you die without coming to Christ and His blood for salvation, then that is the only unforgivable sin. Why? because you rejcted His loving invitation to come to Him for salvation time after time. This is why Jesus said, “That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24). Truly, unpardonable, Period! And if you die in your sins wihout coming to Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life, you sealed your eternal destination in a place called hell. Let that not happen to you!

Already a child of God- You need this eraser on an ongoing basis

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” John 13:10
You only need to wash your feet. How do you get your feet washed? By confessing our sins. When we agree with the Lord we sinned, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
There are true believers who deny their sins. This is wrong in the sight of God. Watch out and listen what the Bible says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. This is pretty heavy. If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8 and 10).  Let us never say we don’t have sins. But as soon as the Holy Spirit brings to our attention, let us confess to the Lord and receive His forgiveness and cleansing. You see, God not only forgives us but cleanse from all our sins and inquities upon confession. Imagaine an young boy who disobeyed his parents and went to the mud. Then he realizes he disoebyed his parents, comes back and says to his mom, ‘Mom, I am sorry and forgive  me’. His mom or dad not only forgives because just forgiveness won’t help. The boy need cleansing of all the mud from his body. Mom/Dad forgives and cleanse him so that he would be clean again. When we confess our sins to the Lord, Bible says in the above verse that He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Eraser is the blood of Christ. An old hymn says like this, “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Come to Jesus today. Repent and feel sorry for your sins and talk to Jesus in prayer. He will apply His blood for the remission of your sins. The blood of Christ will wash away all your sins.

Prayer time: God,  I understand today you loved me so much that you sent your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to this world to die for my sins. I know Jesus stood there condemned because He loved me. I believe Jesus died, buried and risen for my sake. Please forgive me. I trust in Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please go to contact/prayer tab and send me a note. Thank you.

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