Still Thankful For This… By Lisa Burkhardt Worley

November 26, 2022 No comments Article

I always wonder what would have happened if I had not been introduced to Jesus?

Would I have made different choices? Probably.

Would the hole in my heart due to fatherlessness have remained? Yes.

Would I be involved in ministry today? No.

If you are a Christian, have you ever thought what might have happened to you had you not been introduced to Jesus? I don’t know about you, but the thought scares me.

However, one thing I’ve learned, post-salvation, is that we need to be thankful for the journey and avoid longing for the past. The Israelites yearned to return to Egypt where they were enslaved before God mercifully led them out. They weren’t appreciative for what their Maker had done for them ten plagues later and after a miraculous parting of the Red Sea, so he got angry about their lack of appreciation. In Ezekiel 23, the Lord referred to this lust for Egypt as adultery. Strong words.

So what is your Egypt? What aspect of your past life do you occasionally long for?

A former job?

An old beau?

The town where you used to live?

We need to stop looking back and be thankful for where God has us right now. He has brought us to where we are today with a purpose in mind. We have to trust Him in the midst of it, whether we think life is good or we are certain it is bad. Yes, I am still thankful for salvation but I am also thankful for how God is at work in me today, many decades later.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Attitude of Gratitude by Mayada Naami

November 22, 2022 No comments Article

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
        Worship the Lord with gladness;
        come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

(Psalm 100, 1-5, NIV)

How many of us focus on our day-to-day problems and forget to be grateful for the things that most people around the world consider a blessing? This week Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday and as a nation, we have so much to be thankful for. The United States of America has been the most materially blessed nation in modern history. I believe the nation’s rise to superpower status was birthed, some 4,000 years ago, with one man’s faithfulness to God. God called Abram to leave his country and go where He would lead him. In Genesis 17:1-6, God promised Abram that He would cause many nations and kings to come from his lineage. When Abraham, in obedience, was willing to sacrifice his only beloved son, Isaac, God made an unconditional promise to Abraham. In Genesis 22, The angel of the Lord said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.

(Numbers 32:11-13, NIV)

In the above-mentioned verse, we see that the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, a journey that could have taken eleven days. God wants to bless the descendants of Israel. He wants to give ancient Israel national greatness, and as Christians we believe the promise of salvation was fulfilled through Abraham’s seed in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). Our great nation was founded on Christian principles, and I believe we are blessed by God. Let us celebrate Thanksgiving this year with gratitude for our freedom. Freedom of our county and as believers.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

(Romans 8:1-4, NIV)

Specific Prayers for Specific Answers by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

November 19, 2022 1 comment Article

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

(Mark 11:24)

Do you want to know what direction to proceed? Ask a specific prayer.

Do you need an answer about a job? Pray specifically.

Contemplating a move? Pinpoint the city and lay it at God’s feet.

I have seen specific answers to specific prayers over the past couple of weeks. Last week, I traveled to San Antonio to share my testimony at a luncheon. While I was paid a small honorarium and sold nine books, my husband and I still came out of pocket because of hotel, meal and travel expenses. I want to be a good steward so prayed specifically prior to the event: Lord, If I am supposed to continue to speak at these types of luncheons, I pray for one salvation as a result of hearing my testimony. That alone would be worth the money we were about to expend.

After I spoke at the luncheon, there was fruit. My testimony about forgiving my mother prompted a woman to forgive her mother. Another woman, who had an Orthodox Jewish father, bought my apologetics book, The Root that Never Died, so she could share it with her Jewish relatives at Thanksgiving. After the luncheon, the ladies filled out comment cards and as I went through the cards with the luncheon leader, there it was. One woman said she accepted Christ as Lord and Savior! It was my answer to continue speaking at these luncheons—a specific answer to a specific prayer.

I have also been praying specifically about one of my volunteer leadership jobs. While I love those I serve, it takes a lot of time and with a growing ministry and school commitments, there is not much downtime for rest and exercise. For a while, I’ve been asking God what to do about this commitment and He has been silent. That generally means to stay put. But this week a pastor prophesied over me and told me to get ready because our television ministry was going to grow. Right after that word, I had a vivid dream saying that I would lose favor if I remained in the leadership position,. God was now speaking, so out of obedience, I stepped down. It was another specific answer to a specific prayer.

Do you need some answers? Take them to the altar. Be specific. It might not be in your timing but God will be faithful to answer.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

I Was, Now I Am by Mayada Naami

November 15, 2022 1 comment Article

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

(Psalm 139:14, NIV)

In the above-mentioned verse, the psalmist is speaking words of affirmation. He is declaring to the world that he is a creation of God, therefore fearfully and wonderfully made.

Lately, I have become mindful of the words that come out of my mouth. In Luke 6:45, the Bible says the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Subsequently, I am also paying closer attention to what people are speaking to me or to others to better understand them and what is in their heart. It is important to encourage one another by affirming someone’s strengths instead of pointing out their flaws. Be the one who builds others up, instead of the one who tears them down. It is equally important to speak kindly about yourself when referring to your own weaknesses. You are a new creation in Christ.

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

(Mathew 9:17, NIV)

This past weekend, when I asked someone to pray for me, she said she is not a “good” prayer person and then proceeded to pray one of the most powerful prayers I’ve heard. It’s true that in our own power we may be weak, however, in Luke 10:19, Jesus said, “Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing by any means shall hurt you.” We are anointed with the Holy Spirit and with His mighty power. The seven spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit first found in the book of Isaiah and are freely given to those who believe. They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Repeat to yourself daily, “I am who He says I am, not who people say I am.” To encourage is to empower, affirm yourself and others as God grants you the ability. If you’ve enjoyed this blog, please like it and share with others. If you would like to receive blogs from Pearls of Promise Ministries, you can follow us or enter your email on the home page and leave us a comment at the bottom of this page. Blessings from all of us to you.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

(Hebrews 3:13, NIV)

The Missing Wiper Blades by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

November 12, 2022 No comments Article

“The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

(Psalm 121:7–8, NIV)

My husband Jeff and I were on our way to San Antonio and the windshield was a mess so I asked him to spray some water on it with the windshield wipers. To my surprise the wiper blades were gone! I then remembered going through the carwash earlier that day where I had initially forgotten to turn the wipers off. They were only on for a few seconds, but apparently that was enough for the automated car wash equipment to rip them off.

We made a plan to get new ones once we were in San Antonio but then the worst happened. It started raining—light rain at first—but it eventually poured. We were on a two lane highway near San Marcos, Texas. I was trying to figure out what to do when my husband said, “I can’t see! We have to pull over.” Amazingly, there was an auto parts store staring us in the face once we turned off the highway. However, they did not have any wiper blades that would work.

The auto parts employee steered us to another nearby parts store, Auto Zone, and it was there that we received help. It was not an easy fix because the blades they had in stock were not designed for our car, but three employees worked on the wipers until we they were repaired and we were grateful.

As I look back, I believe God watched over us in that scenario. We had missed our original cutover to IH 35, so we ended up taking the less-traveled road. What if we had been on a major highway—not able to see the road? It could have been a different story. Three Auto Zone employees felt sorry for us and worked on our car in the rain, going above and beyond their job description. I thanked God for his provision and that there are still very good people in the world who have a servant’s heart.

I realized that life will always have problems and scary scenarios, but God often protects us from harm. I pray every day for our family’s protection, and believe the LORD watches over us as we travel to and fro. I personally have had too many close calls on the road. I give God all the credit for helping me to avoid driving mishaps, whether it’s missing someone in my blindspot, or having to suddenly stop on a highway. I have often wondered, How did I avoid that car? Easy, God was there moving them out of the way, just enough, so there was no impact.

What about you? How has God watched over your life?

“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:20)