Andrew Golden's Blog, page 14

Even When You Feel Like No One Is Listening

Romans 10:17-18

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

When you stand in front of a congregation and it looks like no one is paying attention, it is disheartening. It is the same thing as when you are speaking to someone about your salvation through Christ. You could just throw in the towel and give up. They are not listening. It must not be what God wanted you to do because they act like they are ignoring you, right? That is exactly what the world wants you to do. The enemy wants you to be discouraged and shut up. If God has sent you to speak about his word to someone, whether it be a congregation or a friend, do it. If they act like they are not listening, keep doing what God has sent you to do. When I was a child listening to my fathers preaching, I would act like I wasn’t listening, but I can still tell you the messages he preached. That is because I still heard it. So, keep speaking, preaching, and teaching because one day they will remember what you said.

Prize

Malachi 4:1-2
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

This is so simple. You do bad things. You win a horrible prize, the wrath of God. You will face an eternity of torment. On the other hand, if you do good and follow the ways of God, you win a great reward. You win the love of God and eternal life. You will spend eternity in the presence of God. Yea, this prize requires you to give up the world and the things it deems entertaining, but I would still go with the choice of eternal life.

The Food You Need

Romans 14:3-4

3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Think of Gods words and blessings as a dinner table. When you have a family dinner, some load up their plates with a little bit of everything, and others choose small portions of only the food they feel they need. The ones who pile food on their plates think that the ones who eat little are not enjoying the dinner, and the ones who eat little will claim the others are eating too much. Now set in church and some take in every word of the message. They want more on their plates. They can’t get enough of God’s word. Setting next to them are the ones who only seek the answers they need. Which one of them is right? Well, whichever one you are, if you have accepted Christ and are following him, then you are right. Some people are led to take more of the word, and others are led to certain answers. If God sends you on a path to read the whole bible, then do it again and again until he leads you otherwise. If God leads you to only read one book to show you something in depth, then do it. Don’t look at what others are doing. Focus on your walk with God.

Where God Wants You To Be

Psalms 37:23 – The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Proverbs 16:9 – A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

Have you ever been aggravated about a flat tire, but someone stops to help you, and somehow, your conversation turns to the Lord. You realize that you both needed that conversation and leave feeling blessed, even though you have had to change a tire. What if you are the one who stops to help the person broke down and the same thing happens? You will still feel blessed. It’s because you have been exactly where God wanted you to be. You were listening to him when he told you to accept someone help or to stop and help someone. When you learn to listen to God and follow him, you will find yourself in those situations. All you have to do is go where he sends you and listen to his instructions. You will be exactly where God needs you to be.

Strength And Rest

Isaiah 40:29

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

In May of 2018, I learned more about this verse when I walked into a room and was told that my 3-month-old sons’ hearts stopped during a heart cath. I remember the surgeon telling us that they had gotten it back going and he was in stable condition. I remember walking into his room, and his little body looked so bad. I remember feeling hopeless and feeling like I couldn’t do anything. I was right. I did not have the strength to make it through those surgeries, but God gave me the strength. I was tired, but God gave me the energy to keep going. On some days, I wanted to just scream into my pillow, stay in the bed, and let the world pass by, but God got me up and kept me going. As a Christian, stop thinking of what you can do because you can’t do anything. You do not have the strength to keep fighting the enemy, but God does. You can’t endure sleepless nights and function the next day, but God can give you the energy to do so. You can not do anything without God. You can’t fight your battles or keep going strong when you are facing the world without God. However, with him, you have the strength to keep fighting when your body is too weak to continue. With God, you can stay up all night praying and go to work the next day feeling like you had 8 hours of sleep and never drink the first cup of coffee. When you realize this and know that you need God for strength and rest, nothing can stop you.

Little Pebble, Big Ripple

Romans 14:13

13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

Today, i thought that i could leave my beard trimmer on the counter. I thought the kids would lieave it alone. I was wrong. That decision led to my 19 months old son cutting some of my wife’s hair. If you think the decisions you make will not have an effect on others, you are wrong. My decision tempted my son, messed up my wife’s hair, and caused a visit to the salon. It isn’t just trying to make someone stumble on purpose. Sometimes, it’s the decisions christians make that cause others to stumble. It may be the ones you think no one will notice, but somehow, that small decision will cause the most damage to someone else.

Resting In God

Matthew 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

Proverbs 18:10
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe

Yesterday was busy, to say the least. My oldest was picked up from school, then he went to occupation therapy, went with little brother for a haircut, and then finished it off with a trip to the store with mommy, little brother, and me. Halfway through, he decided he wanted to climb up on my shoulders. There was nothing odd about this. He does it all the time. However, while walking through the store with my four year old on my shoulders, my wife smiled and told me he had fallen asleep. He had laid his little head on mine and just went out. He knew that I had him and would not let anything happen to him while he was on my shoulders. That is how we need to be with God. Christians should know that God is our strong tower. His name is a name that the enemy can not cross. When we rest in him, we should have the faith to know that when we close our eyes, nothing can hurt us. So many times, Christians have been awake at night worried about the world and what it can do to them. Stop, and remember God is our strong tower, and Christ told us that if we come unto him, he will give us rest. Stop worrying about the world. Close your eyes and know that God is our tower and when we rest in him the world cannot touch us.

A Smack In The Face

1 Peter 4:10 – As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Have you ever bought someone a gift, and when you see them with it later, they misuse it? It’s like they don’t care about the thought you put into it nor that you thought of them to get them to get them the gift. Yea, they accepted it and showed gratitude, but then misused something that you felt showed your priceless love to them. How do you think Jesus feels when we take his gift and act like it is nothing? How do you think our saviour feels when he sees us go against his teachings? Think of that. He gave us his life so we can have life eternal. He was beaten and hung on a cross. The gift he gave is more precious than gold or silver, and yet we mistreat it by hanging on to the world. We will hide it like we are ashamed of it. We will even act just like the world, so no one knows the gift we accepted. We need to treat his gift as precious as it is. Show it off, be proud of it, and proclaim the gift of life in Jesus Christ.

Loud And Proud

Acts 20:20-21
20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,

21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ

Why is it that when we are talking about God and someone who doesn’t go to church, we stop talking? Why are Christians so afraid of someone getting offended? Christians should be thinking that our conversations may be the only word of God people hear. When we talk about the love of Jesus, it may be what peaks their interests and brings them in. Christians have to stop being silent and start continuing their conversations about how amazing our God is. That way no one can never say that we withheld the most profitable thing from them.

Safe From Destrustion

Proverbs 3:24-26

24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Why do Christians worry about the destruction the wicked world is going to face? They act as if they will be destroyed as well. However, throughout the entire Bible, God destroys the wicked but always saves his people from it. You may see the destruction, but God is our protection. So, stop worrying about the destruction that is to come, instead worry about the ones that you can lead to Christ.