Series: The Things We Say - Prayer Changes Things … Or Does It - Martin Wiles

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians12:8-9 NLT

A life-changing situation had turned my world upside down. Because of the nature of it, I could no longer serve in the profession I had been in for the previous fourteen years. I prayed for God to open a door. Potential employers had the authority to overlook and understand what had happened and hire me anyway. But few wanted to. I sent hundreds of resumes. Only a few offers arrived, none of which paid a salary on which I could survive. Taking a different career path seemed my only option.

During this time in my life, disappointment, discouragement, and depression were my occasional bedfellows. Like Paul, I begged God to remove my thorn in my flesh. Although I didn’t hear his answer, my unchanging circumstances revealed it: “No.” Would I learn to do what Paul did—boast about his weakness--or continue wallowing in my self-pity? And, of course, some reminded me that prayer changes things.

My prayers seemed to change nothing, but over time, I discovered they had. They changed me. I let go of the bitterness over what had happened. Paul also learned to glory in his weakness. Instead of stewing over my circumstances, I allowed God to use them for his glory. Since then, I have counseled many who were passing through what I did. Others who had not couldn’t comprehend their pain as I could. In time, God put me back into my chosen profession.

Prayer might not change the course of a hurricane or tornado, alter the mindset of a spouse who chooses to walk away, modify the course of a rebellious child, or revise the boss’s mind about a layoff, but it will change our perspective on circumstances, which in turn will alter our attitudes. And when my attitude changes, so will our responses.

Prayer will change things. If nothing else, you.

Father, may I be faithful in my prayers, trusting you to answer them as you see fit. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing 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.

Fired for God - Martin Wiles

But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human authority.” Acts 5:29 NLT

“He was fired for flying the Christian flag . . . and in America.”

Although I struggled to wrap my mind around the statement, I couldn’t deny I was hearing it. The speaker talked about a fellow employee—a fine Christian young man who wasn’t afraid to express his faith.

While a debate bustled at one state capitol building over another historical flag, this man focused on the Christian flag. He proudly flew it from the back of his pickup truck . . . even at work. His supervisor instructed him to remove it. While on break, he did, but then he reinstated it during lunch. At four o’clock, his supervisor called him into the office and fired him.

I can still remember when prayers were articulated in public schools, teachers were allowed to express their faith, and Christian principles permeated society. Hearing about someone getting fired for flying a Christian flag in America disconcerted me.

Jesus said the days before His return would be wicked, like Noah’s day. He also said believers should rejoice when persecuted.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose a fiery furnace over a pagan statue. Daniel chose the lion’s den instead of an order to stop praying to his God. And the apostles chose jail rather than the command to stop preaching about Jesus.

The offense is immaterial; the result is disturbing. Some are fired for flying a flag. Others are told to remove Christian paraphernalia from their office space. Children are suspended for wearing clothing with Christian messages, and papers are scored a zero when written about a Christian topic. All in a country founded on Christian principles—contrary to what some historical revisionists now teach.

Suffering and persecution are parcel of following Christ. If we’re not opposed, we’re probably not shining our faith lights brightly enough. While we shouldn’t cultivate a martyr complex, neither should we shy away from the consequences of following Jesus Christ. We should expect opposition and misunderstanding. Some will shun us, and others will seek to harm us. Our duty entails standing fast and loving those who don’t love us. And we can when we trust God for strength.

How can you lovingly respond to those opposing you because of your faith?

Father, enable me to stand firmly when the powers of persecution rise against me.

Tweetable: Have you suffered for your faith stand? 

Don't forget to add your comments below. 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Meandering Monday - Better Things Ahead - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11:40 NLT

A good friend kept telling me, “There are better things ahead,” but I couldn’t see them.

Losing a job and a career when you’re over fifty is tough. Few employers want employees over fifty unless they are of retirement age or are just looking for a few part-time hours to supplement their Social Security. I didn’t need a supplement. I needed a full-time job that would pay the bills. Rejection after rejection came. Overqualified. Under qualified. Although they wouldn’t say it, prospective employers didn’t want to spend their time training me when I’d be retiring in a few years or perhaps moving back into my preferred profession. I kept the faith, and eventually, things got better. I found a job doing what I loved. God knew all along things were going to improve; I simply had to trust he did.

The catalog list of what has happened to believers throughout history is extensive: sawn in two, fed to the lions, beheaded, imprisoned, beaten, ridiculed, burned at the stake, stoned, slain with swords. But they endured then and keep enduring now because they believe something better is ahead.

When the walls of life crumble, faith is required. Perhaps we’ll never find ourselves subjected to some of the early methods of persecuting Christians, but the challenges remain. Trials will come. How we view them will determine our response and possibly the outcome. Faith in God will help us keep our focus that he’s in control of the trial, its length, and its purpose. God’s gift of faith and strength gives us an inner fortitude we can’t find anywhere else but that only comes one day at a time. We can’t see the better thing that’s ahead, but we can be confident it’s there. God’s agenda is different. He makes his own hours and formulates his own calendars without asking for our help.

The tunnels of life can be dark, but there’s always an opening at the end with a brighter light than existed at the entrance. Are you trusting God’s promises of better things ahead?

Prayer: Father, give us faith to trust Your agenda even when we can’t see it. 

Tweetable: Are you looking ahead to better things? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Walk-on Wednesday - Grow Up - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. Hebrews 5:12 NLT

Life had taken a sad turn.

My job of six years had vanished. Searching for a new one became a discouraging challenge. Months went by before a call finally came from a school district forty miles away wanting to know if I’d be interested in working as a teacher’s assistant. At this point, I was willing to try anything.

Little did I know the children I’d be working with were autistic. Their bodies were the normal size for their age, but their actions weren’t. Only one could go to the bathroom by himself. The others wore diapers. At their age, they should have been talking, but all they could do was make sounds. When other kids were watching movies and playing video games, these kids wanted to watch Barney the purple dinosaur. Normal children their age could feed themselves, but these children had to be spoon-fed like babies.

The recipients of this letter had been believers for many years. So long, in fact, that they should have known God’s Word well enough to teach others. But they couldn’t. They were still babies. They needed children’s Bible stories when they should have been teaching others the meat portions of God’s Word. They needed bottle feeding instead of spoon-feeding.

Growing up is fun but challenging and difficult as well. Many times I’ve wished I could return to the younger years when Mom and Dad took care of everything. Growing up in Christ is no different.

Physical growth happens naturally; spiritual growth takes effort. We won’t grow if we don’t try. Doing so requires being countercultural. We can’t sand with the grain because according to Jesus most of the grains are going in the wrong direction.

Through spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fellowship with like-minded believers, we train our conscience to be sensitive to the pricking of God’s Spirit. This takes time, but the reward is that we’ll grow up in Christ and be used in ways we wouldn’t be had we remained a babe. No longer will we be blown about by every new teaching that comes along. Neither will we find ourselves continually falling to the temptations of Satan. We will have matured.

What’s your spiritual age?

Prayer: Prod us, merciful Lord, to grow up in our faith walk so that we can be useful instruments of Yours.

Tweetable: Are you acting your spiritual age? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Throwback Tuesday - Give What You Can and How You Should - Martin Wiles

When the bottom falls out, the money often follows.

Dropping from 50K annually to 13K was a shock…not only to me but also to my creditors. My bills were calculated around the higher number, so the appearance of the lower presented a challenge. I wasn’t Jesus. I couldn’t multiply the 13K and pay what the 50K once did. 

I struggled with a decision: give my tithes and chance a few bills going unpaid, or give and trust God to make up the difference. I consulted my pastor about my unsought after dilemma. He understood and assured me God did as well. Life can be sprinkled with those temporary times when I can’t give what my heart desires…but I can give something.

Money would have helped this poor beggar, but Peter had none. What he did have, however, was more life-changing. Money would only have carried him through temporarily; healing—physical and spiritual--took him much farther. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Acts 3:6 NLT

Regardless of how much I give, there are some elements that should characterize what I give. Cheerfulness is one. If I give grudgingly, the church can still use my money, but God isn’t pleased with the gift. I give happily because God has given me so much.

Regularity is another. Paying my bills and establishing a budget is easier when I have consistent income. God’s work is no different. Whether I give weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly is unimportant. Regularity is.

Giving proportionately and sacrificially is also essential. Whatever percent I decide upon, it should be representative of my income. When it is, it will hurt to give it. The pain reveals I’m giving proportionally.

Time and talents are also involved in my giving. God wants more than my money. He wants me…totally. He expects and enjoys it when I’m faithful with what he has entrusted to me.

Are you thanking God by your giving?

Prayer: Father, Your mercies and gifts are new every morning. Prompt us to use them faithfully in Your service.

Tweetable: How's your giving? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

When the News Is Bad - Martin Wiles

Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear.” Lamentations 3:57 NLT

“Well, it looks as if we’re going to move in another direction.”

I anticipated the call, but not what I heard. The part-time position would have brought the extra income my wife and I needed since she wasn’t able to work.

When the caller told me the reason for the decision, I was even more disappointed. A couple of people on the decision-making committee couldn’t get past one item on my resume. Something no one outside of a church cares about, something few in a church would care about, and something God doesn’t care about at all. But, rather than sow any seeds of discord within the church, they decided to go in another direction.

More bad news had preceded this news. Our freezer, which we had purchased used only one year before, had quit. And it wasn’t empty. My wife had just stocked it with veggies, chili, vegetable soup, and meat—all of which ruined before we knew the freezer had died.

And that bad news had been preceded by more disturbing news: my wife had fallen over one of the grandboy’s toys. Fortunately, she didn’t break anything, but the bruises and soreness testified to her injuries.

I could identify with Jeremiah. His people hated him, tortured him, and made plans to kill him—all because he told them God would bring punishment for their disobedience. Now, he lamented over what was happening to his beloved city, Jerusalem. Amid the bad news, he called out to God who told him not to fear.

When the news is bad, I have several choices, none of which are good: get angry, get anxious, or get frustrated. If I choose anger, I’ll probably direct it toward God, since He’s in charge of the circumstances. Choosing anxiety sets me up for physical and emotional problems. If I select frustration, I’ll live each day with a sour attitude, and no one will want to associate with me.

The better choice is simply to cry out to God. He will tell me the same thing as He told Jeremiah: “Don’t fear.” He’s got this, whatever the this is. And He has it repeatedly because bad news has a habit of coming around many times during a life journey.

Through the consequences of the bad news, God will stretch and grow our faith. We’ll learn to depend on the only thing that’s dependable: His love.

Don’t let the bad news get you down. Hear God’s command: “Don’t fear.”

Prayer: Father, when the bad news comes, remind us You are in charge.

Tweetable: How do you react when the news is bad? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Throwback Tuesday - Beyond Control - Martin Wiles

Beyond Control

When the news came, I knew the situation was beyond my control. 

I moved to the Upstate of South Carolina in the early 1980s, and jobs were scarce. I had vowed never to work in a textile mill again.

Unfortunately, this was about the only place hiring. But they too were experiencing the effects of imports and a slowing economy. I was transferred from plant to plant. Then came the day when there was nowhere else to transfer me, and I heard the word no one likes to hear: layoff. Read more...

Tweetable: Where do you turn when things are out of control?

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's Word.

Swallowed by Sorrow - Martin Wiles

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38 NLT

Sorrow can be a bitter pill to swallow, and I felt as if I was being swallowed by it.

Days stretched into months. An act of betrayal by another had turned my family inside out and headed it straight for dissolution. Though the situation could have been fixed, it wasn’t, and the shadow of depression soon hung over my head like a thunderous cloud.

Unemployment followed on the heels of everything else that had disintegrated. Months passed as I sent out hundreds of applications to various places, looking for anything that would help me support my family. Finally, a job opened, but the depression hung around. My outward appearance and actions seemed normal, but my insides churned.

Various trips to the emergency room for chest pains alerted my family doctor that something was wrong. “You’re depressed. Take the medication I’m giving you, and stay out of the emergency room,” he said. I followed his advice, and slowly the depression receded.

One translation has Jesus saying, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow.” I suppose He felt that way. He was overwhelmed by what was ahead, but His disciples couldn’t keep their eyes open to comfort Him. He felt alone…that He was fighting the battle by Himself. And He was. They could not go to the cross and die for humanity’s sins. Only a perfect person could. He wasn’t sorry He was doing it, but the weight of what was ahead had the power to swallow His soul in sorrow.

Situations that cause grief and intense sorrow aren’t easy to face, but they are faced in a healthier way when others support us. 

Trying to face sorrow alone often leads to depression, whereas having a support system tends to ward off the dark clouds of depression. If Jesus needed companionship in His time of sorrow, I do too.

Of course, my greatest support system is found in my relationship with Jesus. I can’t physically experience Him with my senses, but His presence is felt through my spirit. This spirit-to-Spirit relationship surpasses anything I might feel with my senses.

Don’t try to face times of sorrow alone. 

Depend on God and godly people to help you through your trying times.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your presence and the presence of others when we face sorrowful times that want to swallow us up. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Unexpected Move - Martin Wiles

So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran. Genesis 27:43 NLT

We hadn’t planned on moving again until I retired…but things changed. 

The landlady was coming to pick up the rent check. Finding an affordable place to stay in a safe section of town had been a chore four years ago. We finally found an owner of a townhouse in a nice subdivision who said she’d lease. After checking our references, we moved in. For three more years we repeated the process and hoped we’d do it for six more. No such luck.

After picking up the rent check, we received the news. We’d have to move. Our landlord was selling the townhouse. She and her husband were getting older and wanted to get everything out of their names. Our hope that she’d sell it to us on contract fell through as well. So we’re doing what we didn’t want to do: making an unexpected move.

Jacob found himself making an unexpected move as well. He had schemed and tricked his entire life. Now it was catching up with him. He had stolen his older brother’s birthright and final blessing. After hearing that her older son was scheming to kill her favored son, Jacob’s mother sent him on an unexpected move to his uncle’s house.

Unexpected moves can be enjoyable if a person likes change, but human nature usually bucks against unwanted change. 

I wasn’t looking forward to packing up our belongings and moving—even though our move would just be one subdivision over. Jacob probably wasn’t excited about the prospect of leaving his mommy either. 

Unexpected moves can come because of poor decisions we’ve made—as in Jacob’s case, because of decisions other’s make—as in our case, or because of the wacky way the world turns due to its infection with sin. 

Confession is in order if a sinful decision has led to my unexpected move. If another’s actions—or a sinful turn of the world, has led to my move, I must accept it with a joyful attitude and be content in the new place God puts me. 

Regardless of why I’m in a new place, God is with me and promises to guide my steps, and He’ll do the same for you. We may change places, but God never leaves our side.

If life has taken you on an unexpected move, take God along. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for being by our side regardless of where life takes us. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.