Safe in the Shelter - Martin Wiles

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 NLT

The shelter was only a few hundred feet away, but at the moment, it may as well have been a mile.

I had grown accustomed to storms while hiking in the mountains. Which is why I started early in the morning so I could finish before late afternoon, when storms were known to arrive. 

On this particular day, my brother, daughter, and I were on the Appalachian Trail in northern Georgia. We planned to arrive at our destination around noon, set up camp, and then ditch our packs before hiking for a few more miles.

We reached our destination on time, but as soon as we unloaded, thunder rolled across the mountains. We quickly set up our tents. No sooner had we driven the last stake than powerful pelting rain, sharp peels of lightning, and booming bangs of thunder slithered across the mountains. A trail shelter was only three hundred feet away, but we couldn’t reach it at the moment.

During a brief lull in the lightning and thunder, we ran for the shelter like deer from hunting dogs. Soaked to the skin, we huddled in the crude building for the next four hours, listening as one storm after another marched across the mountains.

The psalmist also discovered a shelter in the God he served—a shelter that provided rest and comfort.

The mountain storms I’ve encountered were nothing compared to some of the life storms I’ve experienced. During these times, the shelter of God’s protection often seemed close but unreachable. But it only appeared that way. 

God always has a shelter for our troubled souls. The storm may continue to rage, but we're protected from harm when we rest in God’s sheltering arms.

Just as we had to make an effort to get to the shelter, we, too, must run to the shelter God provides. Our efforts demonstrate to God that we recognize our need and love for him. And that we understand we can’t handle life on our own.

Shelters of various styles dot the length of the Appalachian Trail. God is our ultimate shelter, but he manifests himself in different ways. Sometimes, he shelters us through the presence of others.

God’s shelters are always close when the storms of life pummel. Run to him often, and find the protection and peace he offers.

Father, may I remember that you are my ultimate shelter in the storms of life.

Check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@pastormartinwiles.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

A Lifetime God - Martin Wiles

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. Isaiah 46:4 NLT

For fourteen years, I had driven pre-owned vehicles, but things were finally about to change.

In 2002, I bought a new mini SUV. Shortly after purchasing it, my daughter left for college, and the SUV left with her. Life circumstances changed for me shortly before she left, and I couldn’t afford to purchase another new vehicle. For the next fourteen years, my wife and I drove used vehicles. Fortunately, we had little trouble, but we hungered for a new vehicle that we didn’t have to worry about breaking down.

Then suddenly, God put us in a different situation that would allow us to make a modest purchase. We looked for an economical crossover with a good safety record and a low price tag and found the car my wife had dreamed about. The icing on the cake was the car’s warranty—ten years or 100,000 miles. And several more warranties that covered major parts hidden within that one broad spectrum. It was almost like having a lifetime warranty.

God used Isaiah the prophet to assure the nation of Israel that God would be their God throughout their lifetime, if they so desired. I think they wanted it, although they often didn’t act as if they did.

God has been a lifetime God for me. I attended church before I slurped my first breath of air and have been ever since. Even in my times of sinful rebellion, I still loved and worshiped God. 

As my lifetime-God, he never left me. I walked away from him for several years, but he remained ready to accept me back when I returned. Unconditional love he calls it. 

I discovered there is no force more powerful than God—including Satan. Jesus said no one could snatch us out of the Father's hands. We can choose to walk away, but no force can remove us.

Knowing God wants our company for a lifetime gives a sense of security—one of the basic life needs necessary to live fully and peacefully without emotional upsets. When we have the assurance that God is our lifetime God, we can live with confidence, serve him with confidence, and die with confidence.

With Christ as our Savior, we have a lifetime warranty. He will never abandon us.

Father, thank you for your love that lasts a lifetime and even into eternity.

Check out our Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@pastormartinwiles.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Cheez-It Chicken

Ingredients

6 to 8 TYSON’S THIN AND FANCY CHICKEN BREAST

1 BLOCK PEPPER JACK CHEESE (SHREDDED) 

1 ENVELOPE TACO SEASONING     

½ BOX CHEEZ-ITS

Directions

LAY EACH CHICKEN BREAST ON A GREASED COOKIE SHEET.

TOP EACH PIECE WITH CHEESE AND THEN FOLD IN HALF.

STICK A TOOTHPICK IN EACH PIECE TO SECURE THE CLOSER.

IN A SEPARATE BOWL, CRUSH THE CHEEZ-ITS AND MIX WITH THE TACO SEASONING.

ROLL EACH PIECE OF CHEESY CHICKEN IN THE TACO MIXTURE.

BAKE UNCOVERED AT 350 DEGREES FOR 35 TO 40 MINUTES.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Doing Things the Right Way - Martin Wiles

So Sarai took her servant, an Egyptian woman named Hagar, and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. Genesis 16:1-2 NLT

Turning the handle the right way produced gas flow; turning it the wrong way produced nothing.

Having a gas tank on his property was essential for my maternal grandfather. After all, he was a full-time farmer who lived twenty miles from a gas station. Getting fuel from the tank took a little know-how. And I didn’t. But my cousin, who lived next door, taught me. 

The large fuel tank was equipped with a pump and a large handle. The handle had to be reversed three or four times to prime the pump. Once primed, the pump handle had to be turned in the opposite direction. When done correctly, fuel flowed into the gas tank.

God’s plan entails a right and a wrong way. God promised a son to Abraham and Sarah. Both were elderly and past the age of having children. Abraham believed God’s promise; Sarah laughed at it. Sarah also suggested a plan to help God after the promised heir didn’t arrive quickly enough. Sadly, Abraham agreed. A son was born, but it wasn’t the son of promise.

God has a plan for each of us, as well as a world plan. He had a specific direction He wanted me to travel. I did, but not initially. At the same time, I’m not a robot. God gives me free will, enabling me to thwart his plan, at least to a degree, just as Abraham and Sarah did.

Since God is all-powerful and all-knowing, He can work around my goof-ups. He allowed me a few years of rebellion, during which I made many stupid mistakes. He also allowed Abraham and Sarah the opportunity to do it their way.

God’s love leads him to bless us in spite of our periods of disobedience. He blessed me with extended opportunities and gave Abraham and Sarah another chance to do things the right way. God works within the confines of our free will to bring about his purposes and plans.

Of course, when we ignore God’s plan, he will send discipline and punishment. Altering or temporarily postponing God’s plan can bring the same. God has a perfect plan and a permissive plan. And some parts of God’s plan are simply non-negotiable—like the Second Coming of Christ.

Make sure you are doing things the right way as they relate to God’s plan for you.

Father, give me the faith I need to do things your way.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

When God Calls - Martin Wiles

So he said to Samuel, “Go lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Yes, Lord, your servant is listening.’” 1 Samuel 3:9 NLT

With a clear, distinct whistle, my grandfather mimicked the female bobwhite until the male was almost within sight.

Pappy, as I called my maternal grandfather, was an early riser. Why, I’m not sure. He farmed … a little. He made his living doing it but hired out most of the manual labor. He was up by five every morning, made his cup of instant coffee, and retired to the porch, where he smoked his cigarettes and waited for the sun to top the nearby row of pines.

As dawn began to break, the distant call of the male quail was common. Pappy puckered his lips, whistled a counter tune, and waited for the bobwhite to answer. When he did, Pappy would call again. Within a few minutes, the male would be perched in the large magnolia tree just a few feet away from the porch where Pappy sat. The male answered what he thought was a female’s call. What he found was a tall, overweight farmer.

After Samuel’s mother weaned him, she took him to the temple to assist Eli, the priest. As Samuel lay on his bed, God called. Not being familiar with God’s voice--and since God’s word was rare in those days--he assumed it was Eli. Eli thought the boy was hearing things, but after three times, he concluded it was God calling Samuel.

Just as my grandfather did the quail, God calls people to trust him as Savior, to enter a special area of service, or to walk closer with him. When God calls, we have a few options. We can obey, disobey, or delay doing anything. The free will God has instilled in us allows us to make these choices.

Of course, obedience is the best choice. We should obey all of God’s calls out of love and appreciation for what he has allowed his Son to do on Calvary’s cross. No one has ever demonstrated a more significant act of love. But obedience isn’t always so simple. 

Sinful patterns, fear of surrendering to God, or uncertainty over whether we’ve heard God can all lead to ignoring God’s call, or at least a delay in answering it. Obedience, on the other hand, builds experience by listening to his call so that we’ll not mistake the voice as Samuel did when God beckons in the future.

Think about how you will respond when God calls.

Father, may I always respond with obedience when you call me. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Wrong Is Never Right - Martin Wiles

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil. Isaiah 5:20 NLT

Clay was usually a good student, but on this particular day, he broke the rules.

I sat with my back partially to the class, teaching from a PowerPoint about verbs. I could see most of them with my peripheral vision, including Clay, who sat in the back. As I taught, I noticed his hand continually slipping in and out of his pocket. Each time I looked at him, he gazed back with an innocent look. 

Toward the end of class, I remarked, “By the way, I know you’ve been eating.”

Quickly defending himself, he pulled out a piece of candy and said, “But I’ve only eaten one.” 

My look of disbelief convicted him. “Okay, two,” he said, “but I didn’t get to finish my breakfast this morning, and I didn’t have my milk.”

His remark was so comical that I and the rest of the class melted into a pool of laughter. Still, what he did was against the rules. 

Isaiah pronounced a “woe” upon those who called good evil and evil good. They had twisted values. Clay’s actions proved the mistake still existed. 

Though people and times may have changed, God’s standards haven’t. He still has an ethical and social code that he expects us to obey. I remember when even those who weren’t believers followed God’s code simply because most of society did. Not so many years ago, President Ronald Reagan said, “Without God, there is no virtue because there’s no prompting of the conscience. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” 

Circumstances should not determine right and wrong. Doing so leads to situational ethics. What was wrong initially is still bad and will be when time ends, regardless of whether we think God should change his mind. And following the majority is often the wrong thing for us to do. While the majority may win the vote, they can still be wrong—and they are about many forms of behavior currently accepted as permissible. 

God bases his standards on his nature, which is characterized by holiness and goodness. We can be sure God is not out to make our lives miserable. Following his guidelines will result in the best possible life there is to live. 

Satisfaction and joy never result from calling evil good.

Father, may my standards always replicate those detailed in your Word. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Cherry Yum Yum

 

Ingredients

4 CUPS CRUSHED GRAHAM CRACKERS

2 STICKS BUTTER (MELTED)

1 16-OUNCE CONTAINER OF COOL WHIP

2 8-OUNCE PACKS OF CREAM CHEESE (SOFTENED)

2 CANS SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

2 CANS CHERRY PIE FILLING

2 PACKAGES INSTANT VANILLA PUDDING

3 CUPS MILK

Directions

MIX PUDDING AND MILK TOGETHER AND SET ASIDE.

MIX BUTTER AND CRACKER CRUMBS AND SET ASIDE.

BEAT CREAM CHEESE AND CONDENSED MILK UNTIL FLUFFY.

ADD PUDDING AND MIX WELL. FOLD IN COOL WHIP.

IN A LARGE DISH LAYER CRACKERS CRUMBS, PUDDING MIXTURE, AND CHERRY FILLING. REPEAT LAYERS.

SAVE A FEW CRUMBS TO SPRINKLE ON TOP.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.