Archive for the ‘Trust’ Category
“That’s Such An Easy Thing For God!” – Connie Ballestero
“That’s Such An Easy Thing For God!” – Connie Ballestero
Carl and Connie Ballestero walked the mile home from the hospital with their day-old daughter, Nila Rose in the cool October weather. The hospital would only let them stay one day because they didn’t have hospitalization insurance.
The church board in the Columbus, Indiana where they had pastored for three years had recently moved all of their belongings out of the parsonage and thrown everything on the front yard for them to find when they came home from vacation. The Ballestero family moved down the road to a little town called, Hope.
The house they had rented had no running water or indoor restroom. The phone was Ma Bell’s old wall mounted hand crank-up phone with a party-line included. (During this time their income averaged about twenty to twenty-five dollars a week.)
Connie got little baby Nila settled in and crawled into her own bed. She was tired after the long walk home with a newborn. Her body was very weak.
Picking up some stationary and a pen, she began to write a letter to her mother, Flora Gleason in Oregon City, OR.
“When we walked into the house, it felt cool and Carl checked the furnace and saw that we were out of fuel oil. He walked down to the fuel oil company to buy a load of fuel. When he came back home, he sat on the edge of the bed and his countenance was fallen.
‘What’s the matter, Carl,’ I asked.
‘When I finished paying for the fuel, I only had one dollar left. It will be two weeks before I preach my next revival, and then it will be a week before they pay me. I only have one dollar to feed a family of seven for three weeks!’
I looked at Carl and said, ‘That’s such an easy thing for God!’
(The color of the ink changed in the letter, letting the reader to suppose time had passed before the letter writing resumed.)
Brother and Sister Lester McFarland just stopped by on their way home from General Conference. They didn’t know that baby Nila had been born yet. She gave me ten dollars to buy her something nice.
The men stayed in the living room talking a long time. When the McFarlands left, Carl came into the room holding a fifty dollar bill in his hand. He said Brother McFarland told me that the Lord told him to give it to us!”
Gentle Reader? The crisis you face right now seems to deplete your hopes and crush your dreams. Your situation is such an easy thing for God to fix. As in, fix it right now!!
Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
When Jesus “Sleeps” Through Your Storm
When Jesus “Sleeps” Through Your Storm
Mark 4:35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
Mark 4:36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
Mark 4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
Mark 4:38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Mark 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
The twelve men hung on to the sides of the boat for dear life. None of them could remember being in a storm this bad. They all knew horror stories of boats sinking and sailors dying in storms that weren’t as bad as this one. If they lived through it, this would be the storm they would talk about to their grandchildren.
The small craft was taking on lots of water. Spray from the sea had made sure they were all wet and soaked to the skin. Each wave bounced them like a bucking horse. Their chances of surviving this storm didn’t look good.
Their eyes made fearful and furtive glances at the man asleep on a pillow in the back of the boat. They looked at Him in disbelief. How in the world could anyone sleep at a time like this?
If they ever needed anyone to wake up and help them, it was now! They had never been so desperate. No one aboard ship could help them like Him and yet He, of all people, is comfortably asleep while their ship is ready to go down and their lives are on the line. Their boat was full of water.
- Can’t He feel the reeling and rocking of the boat?
- Can’t He feel the wet spray on His face and body?
- Can’t He feel the sloshing of the water in the boat?
- Can’t He hear them yelling emergency orders to one another?
- Why won’t He wake up?
- How can He sleep during a time like this?
They caught each other’s eyes in disbelief while shaking their heads. Their mouths were too fearful to utter what their minds were thinking. They knew that if He would only wake up, He could help. The problem was that Jesus was sleeping through their storm. Jesus, the greatest miracle worker they had ever known was asleep, as far as they could tell.
He was their Master. He was their leader. They were even in this boat right now because of Him. He had told them to take Him to the other side. No one wanted to be disrespectful to Him and wake Him up if He wanted to sleep.
The journey to the other side could cost them their very lives. The trip to the other side may well sink their boat. They had been safe where they had been. They had been without fear on the shore they just left. This journey to the other side was more than they could endure or survive.
They had rejoiced in amazement when Jesus raised the dead. They were astonished and joyful when they saw the leprous man healed by Him. He had even turned water into wine. Why wasn’t He turning this terrible storm into some kind of a miracle for them?
They were His disciples. Jesus was always busy healing and helping everyone else. They had left their homes for Him. They had not slept in their own beds in a long time for Him. He surely wouldn’t neglect or ignore the needs of His own disciples.
No one seemed sure of the proper way to wake Him. They had never had to do that before. He always seemed to be awake, aware and in control. But not now, when the needed Him the most.
The boat wrenched violently and shook them into action. Someone cried out, “Master! Carest Thou not that we perish?”
He immediately arose and rebuked the storm and there was a great calm. When He said, “Peace, be still.” The wind immediately stopped blowing. The waves stopped heaving and churning. The eyes of the twelve opened wide in disbelief at the amazing turn of events. It wasn’t just a calm, but a great calm. They knew He had worked miracles, but the fact the wind and the sea obeyed His voice, astounded them beyond words.
Jesus then turned to them and said simply, “How come you didn’t trust Me?” (“Oh ye of little faith!”)
Bro. Verbal Bean made the statement to our church while teaching on faith, which shocked me at first. He said, “God don’t care till you care.” I wasn’t ready to agree with him until he explained it, and to the best of my memory it went something like this…
“Think of all the trials you’ve been through and all of the difficulties you have faced, and nothing happened to change it for the better. God never just came and fixed the problem for you. Nothing happened until you got involved and you prayed and you asked for help. That’s when you got your miracle. When you got involved, God got involved.”
Maybe Your Storm Is A Bad Report From The Doctor.
Maybe Your Storm Is A Financial One.
Maybe Your Storm Is A Spiritual One.
Maybe Your Storm Involves Your Spouse.
Maybe Your Storm Involves A Wayward Child.
Maybe Your Storm Is Cause By The Overwhelming Grief Of The Loss Of Your Child.
To you, right now, it may appear that He is unconcerned about your storm. But, that is absolutely not true. “He careth for you.”
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
- Do what the disciples did.
- Do what they did when they realized there was nothing else they could do.
- They called out to Him, and He immediately responded.
- When you get involved, He gets involved. It’s true!
Remember: Psa 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
He didn’t sleep through Daniel’s storm. He didn’t sleep through the Hebrew Children’s storm. And, He won’t sleep through yours. He, who is control of everything, is not really asleep when you need him.
Call Out To Him Now!
Forty Years Of What’s This?
Forty Years Of What’s This?
Imagine living with “I don’t know what this is” situation for nearly a lifetime. Israel did in the wilderness. They woke up one morning and were presented with something they had never seen or ever heard about. It didn’t go away. It perplexed them.
Manna – What Is This?
King James
Exo. 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
Exo. 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Jubilee Bible 2000
Exo. 16:15 And when the sons of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna (What is it?): for they did not know what it was. Then Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
New International Version
Exo. 16:14 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.
Living With Things We Don’t Understand May Be What God Gave Us To Eat For Now.
- Some of us live a lifetime with I Don’t Know.
- We all have lived with things we don’t understand.
- We all are asked to partake of things that don’t make sense.
- We live a life surrounded by perplexing things.
The Very Thing They Didn’t Understand And Got Tired Of… Was The Thing That Preserved And Sustained Them In The Wilderness.
- Complainers are everywhere.
- Some would rather have the leeks and garlic diet of Egypt.
- They wanted things like it used to be.
- All of them wanted meat and not more of What’s This?
How Long Have You Gone Through Something And Didn’t Know When Or If It Would Ever End?
- You couldn’t see the purpose or benefit?
- Cancer.
- Health issues.
- Financial problems.
- Marriage problems.
- Hurts.
- And besides, you would have rather have any thing else but this.
Once Israel Reached The Place God Promised Them, The Manna Ceased
Joshua 5:12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
- There was a day when it ended for them. There will be a day when yours ends too.
What Israel Didn’t Know.
- The thing they complained about.
- The thing some even refused to eat.
- The thing they felt forced to live with for forty years…
…Was Angel Food
Psa 78:25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
- Be careful about your complaints to God.
- Be careful of your attitude when you live with things you don’t understand.
It Could Just Be That God Is Giving You Angel Food.
The Journey To “It’s Not Over”
The Journey To “It’s Not Over”
Jesus – Jarius
Luke 8:41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:
Luke 8:42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
- Jarius was a desperate father!
- His daughter needed help and needed it NOW.
Divine Interruptions – On The Way To Jairus’ House
- Jesus is interrupted by the needs of a very sick woman.
- Jarius is no doubt biting his lip to keep from saying anything about the new delay.
The Woman With An Issue Of Blood
Luke 8:43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Luke 8:44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
Luke 8:45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
Luke 8:46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
Luke 8:47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
Luke 8:48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Then…They Brought Jarius The Bad News – And Said, “It’s Over”
Luke 8:49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
Luke 8:50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
- This was the worst new Jarius could ever hear.
- His world had just come crashing down upon him.
- But! Jesus heard the news too, and said, “It’s not over!”
- It matters not what others say, it’s not over till Jesus says it’s over!
All Family and Friends Cried Because it Was Over
Luke 8:51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
Luke 8:52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
Jesus Said – It’s Not Over
Luke 8:53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
- They Laughed Him To Scorn –
- They Were Ready To Believe The Worst
Jesus Knows What Words To Speak To Your Situation
Luke 8:54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
Luke 8:55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
Luke 8:56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
Luke 8:56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
Do You Have Bad Reports? It’s Not Over!
Do You Have Fears For Lost Loved Ones?
- It’s easy to see others getting help and all you hear is bad news. Don’t give up until He says it’s over.
Funeral at Nain
- The mother of the dead boy thought it was over for her son, until Jesus passed by. Then she found out it wasn’t over.
Martha –“If you had come sooner, now it’s over, it’s too late”
Martha had watched her brother died. She had ordered him to be prepared for burial. She had mourned as they placed him in a tomb. Tears flowed as she watched them roll a stone in front of the opening.
If only Jesus had and responded when she had asked him, Lazarus would still be alive. Why where her needs and her family’s need so unimportant to the Lord that He couldn’t be there for them when they needed Him.
But! When Jesus came and ordered the stone rolled away, she heard Him speak three words that changed her life. “Lazarus Come Forth!” That’s all Jesus had to say for the miracle to happen.
Martha found out it really wasn’t over until Jesus came.
The Crucifixion Of Jesus
Jesus on the cross-said, “It is finished!”– He finished taking care of the redemption for sin. He shed His blood for all our sins.
When He died and was buried, Peter thought it was over. He said, “I go a fishing.” He thought it was all over.
The Disciples locked themselves in a room out of fear. They thought it was over. That’s when Jesus walked thru a door.
Reader? Let’s Talk About Your Situation!
- You think things are hopeless in your life?
- You think it’s too late?
- You think it’s over?
I know it’s been a long journey waiting for your miracle… Just Hold On!
He’s Ready To Walk Into Your Room Right Now!
Got Any Rivers?
Got any Rivers you think are Uncrossable?
Got any Mountains you can’t Tunnel through?
God Specializes in things called Impossible.
And He will do what no other Power can do!
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The Big If
The Big If
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Joseph
If Joseph had not told his dream, he would not have been sold into slavery.
If Joseph had not run away from Potiphar’s wife, he would not have gone to prison.
If Joseph had not gone to prison he never would have sat on the throne of Egypt.
If Joseph had never sat on the throne of Egypt, the family of Jacob would have lived in famine for seven years and many may have died of hunger.
David
If David never had to kill a lion and bear in defense of his sheep, there would not have been a Goliath in his future.
Zacchaeus
If Zacchaeus had never climbed a tree to see Jesus, he would not have repented and Jesus wouldn’t have come home with him.
Daniel
If Daniel had eaten the king’s meat, he wouldn’t have been any different from the other slaves and never been chosen.
If Daniel had given in to the intimidation of his enemies and not prayed to the Lord, he would never have been put in the Lion’s Den.
If Daniel had never been put in the Lion’s Den, there would have been no miracle.
The Three Hebrew Children
If Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had bowed down before the image, they wouldn’t have been sent to the Fiery Furnace.
If the three Hebrew Children had never been thrown into the Fiery Furnace, the Forth Man wouldn’t have appeared, and they would have missed their miracle.
The Wedding
If the Wedding Party had not run out of wine, no one would have talked to Jesus.
If no one had talked to Jesus, there would have been no water turned into wine.
Legion
If Legion had not gone back home to his village and testified of the miracles of Jesus, there may have never been the stories of the Woman with the issue of blood, and the raising of Jairus daughter.
Paul And Silas
If Paul and Silas had not been beaten and thrown in jail, there would have been no midnight song.
If there had not been a midnight song, no one would have been set free.
If no one had been set free, the Jailer and his family would have never been converted.
Paul – Shipwreck
If the Captain had listened to Paul, there would have been no shipwreck.
If there had been no shipwreck, there would have been no washing up on shore and building a fire to stay warm.
If there had been no building of a fire to stay warm, Paul would never have become snake bit.
If Paul had never been snake bit, there would have been not conversion of many unbelievers.
Psalms 23
If it had not been for the Shadow of Death experience, the Psalmist would have not been so keenly aware of the Lord’s Presence.
If it had not been for the Enemies all around, making mocking, criticizing and creating fear, the Lord may not have chosen that time to prepare a bountiful table for him in the presence of all those enemies.
If Things Are Not Going Just Like You Think God Should Let Them Go… Trust Him Anyway!
He Always Has A Better Ending For Your Story Than You Can Imagine!
Psalm 124:1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side…
He Knows Me
He Knows Me
I saw this bumper sticker today. “Jesus knows me this I love” (It is a play on the Children’s Sunday School song, Jesus Loves Me.) When I thought upon the bumper sticker’s play on words, these passages came to my mind.
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
He Knows I’m His
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
He knows My Struggles In Life
Deut 2:7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
He Knows Where I’m At
Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
He Knows My Weaknesses
Psa 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
He Knows I Trust Him
Nah 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
He Knows My Needs
Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mat 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
His Eye is On The Sparrow
Civilla D. Martin, 1905
- Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
Refrain:
I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
- “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
- Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
The Highway In The Sea
The Highway In The Sea
Psa 77:19 Thy way is in the sea.
There is a path through your problem. I’m sure that when the psalmist penned this, his first thought was the crossing of the Red Sea. He was no doubt trying to encourage himself by recalling the saving power of God in Israel’s past. “Thy way is in the sea.”
To Israel, The Sea Was As An Object of Dread
There were two places above all others dreaded by the Jew. The one was the Desert and the other was the Sea.
1. The Desert
Because It Was The Home Of:
- The home of wild beasts.
- The haunt of robbers who plundered the Jewish villages.
- The pathway of those enemy armies, which came against Jerusalem.
- Merciless in it’s heat and lack of water.
2. The Sea
Because it was:
- Full of storms and treachery
- Cruel and unforgiving
- Deep
- It is very difficult to cross
- A great divider
The Sea was the first problem that Israel encountered in their escape from Egypt. The Desert or Wilderness was their next source of dread for forty years
We are sometimes slow to learn the lesson that God’s way is in the very thing we dread.
We are so quick to feel that God has forgotten us when the very thing which we dread, appears.
- We all love health, but dread disease.
- We love success, but we dread disappointment.
- We love friends, but we dread rejection.
- We love money, but we dread financial loss.
- We love comfort, but we dread distress.
The Way Of The Lord Of Is In The Sea.
Sometimes His way is through our problem and the very thing we dread, and not around it.
We must believe that He is working out His purposes for us in the dark of night as well as in the broad daylight. We must believe that He is working out His purposes for us in the sea as well as on dry land.
What is the object of thy greatest dread, O Hebrew? Is it the sea? Well then remember, “God’s way is in the sea.”
The Sea Is Almost Alway Restless
The sea was the element of constant change, the home of restlessness. One day the sea might be calm; the next day, it may rage in a storm. It was all of this that the writer understood when the word came to him that God’s way was in the sea.
- Is there unrest in our life?
- Are there storms you must face today?
- Are the waves threatening you?
Remember, He makes a way, a highway, in the sea of your problem. He makes a way through the very thing that you dread and fear.
Trust Him!
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 