Finish Strong! By Mayada Naami

January 22, 2022 No comments Article

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12: 1-3, NIV)

Hebrews 12: 1-3 verse tells us to run the race with perseverance while focusing on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith. He endured pain and suffering on the cross for the joy set before Him; to sit down at the right hand of the throne of God. “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Our journey in life is like a race, we plan and prepare and then at some point in the race we realize we are exhausted or hurting and it’s not as easy as we thought it was going to be. Then we look around at the other racers, see others exhausted or hurting, and think to ourselves that if we try to help someone, we may fall behind or stop running all together. During the race we can fall back, quit, or keep racing. We can also encourage each other by patting someone on the back, giving them a word of encouragement, and offering them water. We can stop to help someone when they stumble, but we are to continue the race because every person will finish the race in their own time at their own pace.

Not everyone is on the same level physically, spiritually, or mentally. A racer friend of mine told me a story of an experience he had while participating in a 10K Marathon. He was running the race when he came upon two racers that were talking about quitting, He stopped and gave them a pat on the back and silently encouraged them. He continued the race and reached the halfway mark, where you can choose to continue the race or take the easy route. Even though he was hurting and tired, he chose to continue. A little while later the two racers he had encouraged passed him, waved, and thanked him.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

As is the Christian life, we have a race marked before us that we need to run with endurance so that we may have the grace to finish strong. The Word of God will spur us on in moments of defeat. Finish strong, fellow racers, and encourage each other along the way. Let your whispers turn to shouts of encouragement, even if you are watching from the sidelines!

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7, NIV).

He is With You by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

January 18, 2022 No comments Article

So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

It has been difficult to watch my beloved pet, Jewel, decline. Now approaching twelve years of age, she has arthritis and high blood pressure so we don’t know how long she will be with us. However, last night Jewel’s situation became even more dire when she suffered a seizure for the first time. She was lying peacefully on our bed when it came out of nowhere. There was nothing I could do to help except helplessly watch her and remain by her side, petting her and telling her it would be okay, even though I wasn’t sure it would be.

When Jewel came out of the seizure, she was disoriented and I was shaking almost as much as she had been during the event. I kept praying, “Help her LORD,” and “Give me strength!”

I felt like God answered my prayers. She eventually calmed down, and we were all able to go to sleep. After this scare, I don’t think I would have been able to rest on my own. I was certain it was God who soothed my fears, as well as Jewel’s, and gave us His peace. This morning Jewel seemed like her old self, eating normally and playing, and I thanked the LORD for getting us through a difficult and scary night.

In what situation do you feel helpless? What fears do you need to turn over to God? Trust in this promise. He is there for you and will help you have peace not only during the ongoing trials but also during the storms that blow in without warning.

He is with you.

Why Worry? By Mayada Naami

January 15, 2022 No comments Article

Pearls of Promise is pleased to announce the addition of a new team member, Mayada Naami. Mayada will take on the role of Assistant Marketing Director and has years of marketing experience with large companies. She is a Christian Iraqi who was born in Iraq but grew up in Montreal, Canada. She is the author of two books: Spiritual Rebirth: Thirst No More and Let Your Light Shine Bright. She will also serve Pearls of Promise as a backup POP Talk Television and Radio Host as well as a teacher and blogger. Today, she blogs for the first time with POP.

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Mathew 6:34, NIV).

In today’s world of uncertainties, it is easy to give way to anxiety or unease and allow our mind to dwell on potential problems. Do you find yourself lying in bed at night, eyes wide open, thinking and stressing about tomorrow? The Word of God tells us to not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. So, why do we worry? Why do some of us have trouble turning off our thoughts?

Worry is an anxious way of thinking about what might or might not happen in the future. It can be immobilizing when we contemplate what might happen if we make a mistake or a wrong choice. This spirit of fear or anxiety comes from not being able to put our trust completely in God. We must trust that no matter what happens, even if we make the wrong choice, God will always be there to lead us to green pastures.

I believe we tend to worry when we lean on our own understanding instead of trusting in our loving Father who created us. In our finite mind we cannot comprehend God’s limitless power. We will never truly understand God fully, yet we can trust that God is indeed limitless both in His power and His love for us. When we embrace that knowledge and put our hands up in worship, the peace of God will transcend all understanding. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, NIV).

What is the benefit of worrying? Can you think of any? “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV) The answer is no, and in fact, I can emphatically say that it has the power to take hours away from your life. Yet, we still worry and lose precious sleep when all we must do is surrender to God all our anxieties. How do we surrender? First, we tell Him our worries. Pray and ask Him to take over. Surrendering is an act of faith saying, “Lord, I trust You.” Secondly, notice when you start to worry and with absolute confidence give all your anxiety to Him.

As we begin this new year and lay in our beds, let us spend that precious time in prayer and worship. We can choose to worry, or we can choose to worship. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6, NIV) As believers, the more we spend time with Him, the more we love Him. The more we love Him the more we trust in the God who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-wise. May the God of Peace comfort you always and in every way.

Your Name Matters by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

January 11, 2022 No comments Article

Last night we had a “get to know you” session for one of my spring doctoral classes . The professor said, “Tell us something others may not know about you.” The professor was an Abraham Lincoln fan so I shared that my father was born on Lincoln’s birthday and because of that was named “William Lincoln Burkhardt,” Then I told him and the class that I was named “Lisa William” after my father.

As a child I was embarrassed about having a boy’s middle name but when I matured, I was proud of being named after my father, who died two months before I was born. Some friends in college called me “Willie” or “Bill.” To this day when my husband wants to get my attention he’ll exclaim, “Lisa William!”

While I was telling this story last night I felt like God shared something new about my name with me. He knew that He would one day call me into a male-dominated field as a sportscaster so he gave me a man’s name, Bill. While sportscasting is not necessarily a ministry profession, what I learned in that profession trained me for what I am doing now to serve the LORD, reaching the world through our television show POP Talk. It was all part of God’s plan—at birth. Psalm 139:13 says, “For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (NIV). There was a calling from the beginning. All the hardship. Any career training. The highs and lows. It was all molded together to glorify God.

Have you ever thought about your name and the significance it has in your life? My middle name “William” actually means “strong-willed warrior” and I know that has meaning as well as I war for the faith in these troubled times.

Your name matters.

Names are just as important now as they were in the Bible. Your parents may have named you but it is God who planted that name in their minds, because He designed a calling for your life as He formed you. It’s not too late to walk in that calling.

A Word for 2022 by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

January 8, 2022 No comments Article

Every year I ask God for a word to live by, but some years I like the word more than others. I remember the year my word was “sacrifice.” In 2016, we downsized our home and I went back to work part-time. We sacrificed so I could continuing doing ministry.

This year I believe my word is “humble” so what does that look like? Living out this word results in a lot of daily questions like: “Was that a humble thing to say?” “Was that a humble way to act?” “Do my thoughts reflect humility?” I am thinking more before I speak in an effort to avoid creating any insecurity in the person to whom I am speaking.

We are only eight days into the New Year and I have already failed. We are in Florida this weekend and last night we were out to dinner with a childhood friend of my husband’s and his wife. At some point he said, “Weren’t you working on a book?” I should have responded, “Yes, I wrote an apologetics book last year to reach my Jewish brothers and sisters.” Instead, I said “I’ve written ten books.” Do you see the difference? I wanted him to know that I had not written only one book. There were more. This was not humble! So, I am not perfect, but I have another 357 days to get it right.

Jesus wants us to be humble like He is humble. Philippians 2:3–4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Do you put others before yourself? Do you speak only of yourself in a conversation, rather than try to engage the other person? Do you try to one up someone’s story? In that same passage it says that Jesus, even though He was God, took on the form of a servant, and made himself nothing. I have had to undo some pride learned in a near twenty year television career, and I’ve realized while I am valuable to God, I am not that important in the world. I am just a microscopic part of a mammoth plan formed by the Creator.

So as I round this bend into 2022, I also desire to be like John the Baptist who said, “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30, NIV).

Happy New Year and I pray that God will give you a word for the year as well.

Thanks for hanging in here with us! Over the past couple of months, our website has been going through a server changeover so we were unable to post blogs. However, we think the process is done and we are back! We hope you will now enjoy uninterrupted Pearls of Promise messages that we feel are divinely inspired. Have a blessed 2022!