“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18)

There are divisions all around us these days

It’s very obvious in things like politics, race, and religion. Our country was deeply divided once again in the last presidential election, and truth is, no matter who had won, the other half would have been unhappy about it.

A divided anything is weaker!

The way to weaken anything is to divide it. In fact, an often used battle strategy is called, “divide and conquer.”

Patrick Henry said in his famous last speech of 1799, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs."

Jesus said it this way

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:24-25)

God wants us to bring the message of reconciliation to the world!

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18-19)

And here’s how!

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Col. 3:12-15)

“The number one problem in our world is alienation, rich versus poor, black versus white, labor versus management, conservative versus liberal, East versus West . . . But Christ came to bring about reconciliation and peace.” – Billy Graham

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3)

I attended a business seminar a while back and the speaker emphasized over and over again the importance of asking questions because, as he said passionately, “You don't know what you don't know!”

By asking questions from experienced business people who have important knowledge about things, you can avoid serious mistakes and move ahead faster and with fewer problems.

He was certainly right about that! It is important to ask questions in business matters! But, it is also important to seek knowledge in other areas of your life!

God’s people can get in trouble for lack of knowledge!

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6a)

Wise people seek knowledge from God!

“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Prov. 18:15)

God gives knowledge to those who ask

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6)

Fools reject knowledge

It's crazy not to ask God for wisdom and knowledge about things!

“Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” (Prov. 1:29-31)

Knowledge is pleasant and will guard you

“For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.” (Prov. 2:10-11)

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” –  Benjamin Franklin

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Phil. 4:6)

This verse is a four-step formula for success for any and every situation

No matter what you are dealing with at home, at work, or in every and any situation, apply these four steps.

Step one - “Don’t worry”. Worry is the opposite of faith and is a tool of the devil to stop you. But, don't let it! DECIDE NOT to worry! That’s right! It's a decision. Take control of it! Make it your conscious decision immediately at the very start of anything, no matter how it looks, not to worry! Use God’s Word as your weapon to fight it (it’s the sword of the spirit). "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

Step two - “Pray about everything.” Most of the time we don't use the biggest resource we have in our hand, prayer! If you don't use it, you lose it! As a child of God, you can come boldly to Him at any moment and instantly discuss anything with Him. And, you must do so immediately and boldly, in the time of need.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

Step three - “Tell God what you need.” Come right out with it! Be specific and tell God exactly what you need! He cares about you and wants to help you but you must ask! “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

Step four -  "Thank Him for all that He has done.” Thank Him for the many times He has helped you in the past. Thank Him, too, for the thousands of promises He has already provided for you in the Bible. They cover virtually every possible need you could ever encounter! God has already thought of everything and provided for it. Many times, we ask God for things he’s already provided for us in the Bible. When problems or challenges come along, find specific promises in the Bible that already apply and then thank Him for them! “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4). “All the promises of God are, 'yes' through Jesus.” (2 Cor. 1:20). “And God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

So, do it!

“Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John R. Wooden

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all." -Dale Carnegie

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

Susan and I recently had photos taken with our beautiful grandchildren. Their smiling faces reminded us of how blessed we are to have them in our lives and how much we do love and cherish each one of them. And, of course, we feel exactly the same way about their parents, our children.

Yes, we love them dearly and they all have favor with us!

And, how did they get our favor? Some of them were born into our family and some of them were adopted into it.  But, no matter which way they came, they are loved and favored!

It's exactly the same with God!

You were adopted into His family by being “born again,” according to John3:7. At some point in your life, you prayed and invited Jesus to forgive your sins and to be your savior. At that moment, you were made a part of God’s family and became a joint heir with Jesus.

With great pleasure, God adopted us into His family!

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Eph. 1:5 NLT)

We became Jesus’s siblings

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Rom. 8:28 NLT)

“As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

As a member of God’s family, you have His favor

“For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD.” (Pr. 8:35)

Favor means complete access to God

This unmerited favor includes not only being forgiven of sin but also receiving access to the very presence of God in the same way Jesus has access to Him.

Favor means that God withholds no good thing from you!

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk upright.” (Psalm 84:11)

God’s favor for you is for life!

“His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b

Favor means that thousands of promises in the Word of God are yours!

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 1:20)

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6-7 ESV)

Rooted and grounded in love 

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:16-19 ESV)

 With no root they withered away

 “Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Matt. 13:21 ESV)

“But when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” (Matt. 13:6 ESV)

Jesus is the root

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Rev. 22:16 ESV)

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” (Isa. 55:10 NIV) 

“He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.” (Job 5:10 NIV)

He shows kindness by giving you rain

“Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:17 NIV)

“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.” (Levit. 26:4 NIV)

He provides rain for both the righteous and the unrighteousness 

“…so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45 NASB)

“Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” (Gen. 1:29 NASB)

Seeds sprout and grow

“He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” (Mark 4:26-27 NIV)

Man doesn’t understand the seed, but uses them

Jesus tells us in the above verse that the seed sprouts and grows, even though the man who is scattering the seed doesn’t know how. That is the same today. We still don’t understand how a seed actually works. We just know that it does and we have only learned how to cooperate with it. We’ve learned how to prepare the soil for it, plant it, water it and fertilize it, but we can’t actually create a seed ourselves. All seeds have to come from plants and every seed is a miracle! Inside every seed is everything it needs to reproduce the original plant it came from. A radish seed produces radish’s, a tomato seed produces tomatoes. Every time. A single little acorn seed when planted in the ground, will grow up into a great and mighty tree, just like the original one it came from! You can count on it, even though you don know how. 

Seedtime and harvest will not cease

"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." (Gen. 8:22 NASB)

The Word of God is described as imperishable seed 

“…for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (2 Peter 1:23 NASB)

Therefore, sow bountifully and you will also reap bountifully!

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6 NASB)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

Two kinds of fear

It’s important to understand that there are two definitions of the word fear and they have very different meanings from each other. According to the Word of God we are commanded not to do one but we must to do the other. It’s important to know the difference between the two. We are commanded in Scripture to fear God (the fear of God) and not to fear man or the devil (worldly fear). So, what does this mean? The following are the two definitions. 

• Worldly fear - The most general term for this kind of fear implies anxiety and usually loss of courage. Itis defined as “dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation, and/or painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger. This kind of fear is not from God, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV) By the way, the command, “Don’t be afraid” or “fear not” (both are essentially the same thing) is the command most given in the Bible. In fact, you will find it said in one way or another 365 times, one time for each day of the year! And understand that worldly fear is the exact opposite of faith; you can’t have faith when you allow worldly fear. 

• The fear of God - The Bible refers to the fear of God over 300 times. It is very different than worldly fear described above. This kind of fear is defined as a feeling of respect and wonder for God who is supreme and powerful. We are commanded to fear God this way. The fear of God is very positive! “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10 ESV), and “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.” (Prov. 19:23 ESV)

In other words, to know the fear of God is to know no fear of man. 

God has commanded: Be strong and courageous

We are not to give in to worldly fear! We are strong and courageous when we realize God is always with us. 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6 ESV)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9 ESV)

If worldly fear attacks do this

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm. 34:4 ESV)

Therefore…

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 ESV)

“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” (Isa. 41:13 ESV)

“…The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 ESV)

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18 ESV)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9 ESV)

I heard someone say recently, “God’s Grace keeps pace with what we face.” That’s so true! There is nothing you can ever be confronted with greater than God’s ability to cover it completely with His Grace! In fact, the Bible passage at top says it plainly, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” At the end of this Bible promise about God’s wonderful Grace, Paul says, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” In other words, God’s Grace is powerful when you are weak! What a huge promise!” 

Rest on God’s power!

“so that your faith would not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.” (1 Cor. 2:5)

Do not be afraid!

“Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious," he said. "Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!" As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” (Dan. 10:19)

Christ gives you strength!

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

Therefore…

“I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.” (2 Cor. 12:5)

“I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,” (Eph. 3:16)