How Your Excruciating Labor Pains Are Bearing Incredible Spiritual Fruit - ROBIN BERTRAM CHARISMA NEWS

Do you remember the pains of pregnancy and childbirth? (Pexels/freestocks.org)

How Your Excruciating Labor Pains Are Bearing Incredible Spiritual Fruit

9/23/2017 ROBIN BERTRAM  CHARISMA NEWS

My husband and I were walking by a large pond in our neighborhood. We live in the low country of South Carolina, and our ponds are full of alligators as well as other reptiles and amphibians. We also have blue herons, snowy egrets, cormorants, ospreys, red-tailed hawks, ibis and wood storks, all of which make our walks so incredibly delightful. That day, the gators were out in full force. We must have seen five or six on our short walk. For the first time ever, we heard an alligator growl. Our neighbors, who were walking several steps ahead, stopped and shouted back, "Hey, did you hear that?"

"Yes," I said, "but what is it?" Our neighbor replied that it was the sound of an alligator in mating season.

It reminded me of a time when I was a young woman, and I growled at my husband in that same way. It was in the labor room as I was getting ready to give birth to my son. I had been in hard Pitocin-induced labor, with its characteristic intense and abrupt contractions of the uterus, for 18 hours. I cannot remember ever being in such pain. It seemed as though it would go on forever. However, when my sweet baby son was placed in my arms, all the pain I experienced seem to fade from my memory. As I peered into his beautiful blue eyes, I saw in him the reflection of my husband and me looking down at him. Joy. What joy. He was perfect.

When a baby is being born, it has to be pushed through the birth canal. He has to leave his place of security and comfort and go to a new place of the unknown. It cannot be a pain-free process for either the mother or the child, but when complete, the baby feels safe in his parents' arms. The child quickly identifies with the mother who carried him for nine months, and then recognizes the father as he quickly connects with him also. The pain is soon forgotten, and the joy of new life takes its place.

If you have ever had children, you might remember that precious look in your babies' eyes when they first looked up and recognized their father. The newborn knows almost nothing, yet he knows to whom he belongs. Think back to the time when you saw the father gazing into the eyes of his newborn. Dad was beaming with joy at every sound and every little movement.

Now take this picture of a father and a newborn and apply that to how God feels when we have come through a difficult period of refinement. He smiles down at His child. He is so pleased. He sees more of His own perfect reflection as He gazes into the soul that has been refined. Was all the pain worth it? Yes. Yes. Yes. Pain is here for a time, but joy comes in the morning after the darkness of the night. Joy bubbles up inside you when you come through the fires of refinement. It is a joy that cannot compare with mere happiness. It's deeper. It's richer. It's more intense.

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Trials come. Tribulation comes. However, as believers, we are to count it all joy when we have to face various trials and temptations (James 1:2). How can we do that? Are we supposed to fake our way through it? Are we to put on a happy face when everything in us is hurting? I think our real test is to not become a victim of our own circumstances but instead to be victorious, knowing that through the trial we are being refined. In the process, we are being purged of all that is not like God.

And this is an important process. After all, as Charles Spurgeon once said, "No faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods."

Adapted from No Regrets by Robin M. Bertram, copyright 2017, published by Charisma House. This book is a manual for living your life to the fullest, without regrets and embracing what lies ahead to make your life more meaningful and rewarding. To order your copy click on this link.

Prayer Power for the Week of Sept. 17, 2017

This week, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma as well as remembering the impact of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, continue to pray and ask the Lord to guide your steps to make you a blessing to those who desperately need it. Pray for unity among believers and across the nation as we combine efforts to help those victimized by both natural and terrorist disasters. Continue to pray for the president and those working with him to do what's best for the country. Remember our allies as well. Read James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 2 Corinthians 8:7.

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Your Trial May Take You to the Next Level By R.T. Kendall - Identity Network

Your Trial May Take You to the Next Level By R.T. Kendall

Identity Network

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I remember exactly where I was when the meaning of James 1:2-3 dawned on me. I wasn't at an all-night prayer meeting. I wasn't at the end of a 40-day fast. No, I was at a pizzeria in Kissimmee, Fla., in the summer of 1979, and I had just lost my temper.

I had been looking forward to enjoying a pizza from this particular place. But everything went wrong. First, the pizzas took 45 minutes to prepare. Then, as I carried them to my motel room through the pouring rain, they fell out of their wet paper bag into a puddle of water.

I had already told off the manager because I'd waited so long for the first set of pizzas. Now I was going to have to face him again to get new ones.

"How could all this happen?" I asked myself.

That's when James 1:2-3 came to me: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (NIV)

This verse had already been on my mind for weeks, since I was planning to preach on the book of James in the autumn. As I returned to the pizzeria, I said to myself, "Either James 1:2 is true or it isn't. And if I plan to preach on it shortly, I had better begin practicing what I preach!"

This trial of having everything go wrong with a long-awaited pizza, when people all over the world are starving, hurting, living in poverty or dying from disease, is almost too silly to mention. It was hardly the greatest trial a person could suffer.

But I have to tell you, this episode-this "trial"-was pivotal in my life. Minutes before I returned to the pizzeria to apologize with genuine meekness to the manager, I repented before God for my anger and behavior.

In that moment a new phrase was born to me: "dignifying the trial." I decided then and there to dignify that situation by accepting the entire matter as something that God sent. It was a divine setup.

I not only repented to the Lord, but I also thanked Him for the whole thing. I apologized to the manager and cheerfully waited for another pizza. (For some reason, he wouldn't let me pay.)

When I returned to my family at the motel, I was a different person.

A God-Given Privilege

According to James 1:2, a trial is a God-given privilege that we are to "consider" pure joy. The Greek word is hegeomai, meaning "to value highly, to esteem." In other words, what would naturally make us feel the opposite-upset or sorry for ourselves-is to be valued as a wonderful opportunity.

How do we make that adjustment in our thinking? Only by sufficient motivation. We must be inspired or stimulated to look at trials in a positive manner.

Take Moses, for example. The Bible says he "regarded" disgrace for the sake of Christ to be of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, "because he was looking ahead to his reward."(Heb. 11:26)

Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus Himself endured the cross because of "the joy that was set before him." He did not enjoy the taunts or relish the physical pain. But He considered the cross pure joy because pure joy was coming. And it came!

The message of James 1:2 is that trials are a good thing, if we have a positive attitude toward them when they come. James certainly doesn't say we will enjoy trials. Instead, we must endure them.

But we can regard the thought of them as pure joy because of what they can do for us.

Every trial has the potential to lead to great reward. James wants us to see that-by faith. He wants us to understand that trials are the gateway to God's anointing in our lives.

The Gateway to God's Anointing

If it is anointing you want, then expect suffering. If it is a great anointing you want, anticipate great suffering at some stage.

When I say, "anointing," I am talking about the power of the Holy Spirit to make us do what we do with ease and without fatigue. The main reason for burnout and fatigue among Christians is almost certainly because we go beyond our anointing; we go outside it rather than functioning within it.

We can pray for greater anointing-for the ability to do what we previously could not do in our own strength. This is a legitimate desire; Paul told us to earnestly desire the greater gifts (see 1 Cor. 12:31). God will answer this request so long as it is in His will and sought with His glory in mind (see 1 John 5:14).

Just don't be surprised when you wake up one morning with an enormous trial in front of you. Instead, grasp it with both hands, and consider it pure joy. It is a fairly strong hint from the Lord that you are going to receive the anointing you desire.

Of course, James does not specifically use the word "anointing." His exact words are,"Consider it pure joy…because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:1-3)

What does perseverance have to do with anointing? Perseverance is the next step forward-the link to a brilliant future. God does not lead us from A to Z, but from A to B.

During a trial, the immediate need is for perseverance. It is not the ultimate goal; but it is what enables you to reach the goal that James envisions: "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4)

By dignifying your trial, James says, you will reach a place of indescribable peace and the highest level of anointing. You will have a soul uncluttered by greed and a heart filled with the very presence of God. You will experience pure joy.

Dignifying Your Trial

Are you ready to dignify your trials and experience more joy and a greater anointing than you have ever known? Here are eight steps you can take when your time of testing comes:

1.    Welcome the trial. Welcome your trial as you would welcome the Holy Spirit; for it is the Holy Spirit who is behind the whole ordeal, along with the Father and the Son. Even though the beginning of a trial can be painful, say to the Lord, "I know You have sent this to me, and I want to get the maximum benefit You had in mind when You ordained it." This way, you begin to dignify the trial from the first moment.

2.    Don't panic. Satan's immediate goal when he is given permission to attack is to get you to panic. This is why he is compared to a roaring lion (see 1 Pet. 5:8). The reason for the roar is to intimidate and cause fear and panic-to make you think you are defeated even before anything has happened.

Remember that God OK'd your trial before it came to you. He reckoned that you were able to cope, or He would not have allowed it (see 1 Cor. 10:13). As the psalmist put it, "Do not fret - it leads only to evil." (Ps. 37:8)

3.    See the trial as a compliment to you from God. The kind of trial that God has allowed you to have is very possibly one that could not be granted to others around you. Whereas your first reaction (understandably) may be to feel sorry for yourself, on reflection you should be able to see that God gave this trial to you for one reason: You are up to it.

4.    Never forget that God allowed the trial. This point must be stressed because Satan wants you to feel sorry for yourself, point the finger at others, and become angry and bitter toward God. Instead, when a trial comes, stop and realize: This scenario has passed through God's filtering process. He could have stopped it, yes, but He didn't.

Try not to get hung up on the vexing theological question of whether God caused-or only permitted-the trial to happen. There is a fine line between the two, and nobody in the history of the world has it all figured out.

Besides, whether your trial is something as big as physical pain or as small as losing your keys, it doesn't matter if God caused it or simply allowed it. You know this much: He let it happen. Your task is to dignify the trial, whether it is big or small.

5.    Know that there is a purpose in the trial. Were it not for this, there would be no point in counting a trial "pure joy." James states that the immediate purpose of a trial is to develop perseverance that leads to joy so wonderful, you lack nothing.

Here is James 1:2-4 translated in The Message: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

There is a purpose in what you're going through. It may be to refine you; to teach you a lesson; to equip you; or to teach you self-control. The bottom line is that every trial is designed to make you more like Jesus.

6.    Don't try to end the trial. As The Message puts it, "Don't try to get out of anything prematurely." God will end your trial at the right time. It will last as long as it's supposed to last. Try to end it before its time, and you will fail the test.

Your assignment is to dignify the trial by letting it run its course, however long God decides that will be. If you do nothing to bring about its conclusion-if you let God be in control of the timing-you will not only pass the test, but you will also enjoy the fruit of righteousness that God purposed for you.

7.    Don't grumble. Here's a sobering thought: God puts grumbling alongside idolatry and sexual sin in the lists of evil deeds that brought His wrath down on ancient Israel (see 1 Cor. 10:1-12).

It takes no talent or training to criticize and complain. It is part of being a sinner. It takes great grace to endure trials and keep quiet in the hard times.

Remember, God wants you to pass the test far more than you do. Why? First, because He loves you so much that He rejoices when you experience pure joy.

Second, it brings Him glory when you dignify your trial by cheerfully enduring. So trust God in the midst of your trial, and don't grumble.

8.    Don't go looking for trials. If pure joy is the ultimate result of dignifying a trial, you might logically assume that you should go looking for fiery trials. Wrong. The qualification for a trial to be dignified is that it happens without you doing a thing to precipitate it.

Jesus told us to pray that we would not enter into temptation, or trial (see Matt. 6:13). But when a trial comes-and it comes without you causing it-consider it pure joy.

You may never have another trial that is like the one you are in right now. Dignify it. Welcome it without panic or grumbling.

Know that God has allowed this trial for a great purpose, and endure it to the end. You will be glad you did!

R.T. Kendall

www.rtkendallministries.com

 

 

 

 

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Former Auschwitz guard apologizes at trial; says it was ‘nightmare’ - THE JIM BAKKER SHOW By Elke Ahlswede

Defendant Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former guard at Auschwitz death camp, arrives for the continuation of his trial in Detmold, Germany, April 29, 2016. REUTERS/Bernd Thissen/Pool

DETMOLD, Germany (Reuters) – A 94-year-old former Auschwitz guard on trial in Germany apologized in court to victims on Friday, telling them he regretted being part of a “criminal organization” that had killed so many people and caused such suffering.

“I’m ashamed that I knowingly let injustice happen and did nothing to oppose it”, said Reinhold Hanning, a former Nazi SS officer, seated in a wheelchair in the court in Detmold.

Hanning is charged with being an accessory to the murder of at least 170,000 people.

Holocaust survivors, who detailed their horrific experiences at the trial which opened in February, have pleaded with the accused to break his silence in what could be one of the last Holocaust court cases in Germany.

Hanning finally broke the silence he kept over the course of 12 hearings, each limited to two hours due to his old age.

Reading in a firm voice from a paper he took out of his gray suit pocket, he said: “I want to tell you that I deeply regret having been part of a criminal organization that is responsible for the death of many innocent people, for the destruction of countless families, for misery, torment and suffering on the side of the victims and their relatives”.

“I have remained silent for a long time, I have remained silent all of my life,” he added.

Just before, his lawyer, Johannes Salmen, had given a detailed account of the defendant’s view of his life and particularly his time in Auschwitz.

In this 22-page long declaration, Hanning admitted having known about mass murder in the death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

“I’ve tried to repress this period for my whole life. Auschwitz was a nightmare, I wish I had never been there,” the lawyer cited Hanning as saying.

The accused was sent there after being wounded in battle and his request to rejoin his comrades on the front had been rejected twice, he said.

“I accept his apology but I can’t forgive him,” said Leon Schwarzbaum, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor and co-plaintiff.

She said Hanning should have recounted everything that happened in Auschwitz and “what he took part in”.

Although Hanning is not charged with having been directly involved in any killings at the camp, prosecutors accuse him of facilitating the slaughter in his capacity as a guard at the camp where 1.2 million people, most of them Jews, were killed.

A precedent for such charges was set in 2011, when death camp guard Ivan Demjanjuk was convicted.

Accused by the prosecutor’s office in Dortmund as well as by 40 joint plaintiffs from Hungary, Israel, Canada, Britain, the United States and Germany, Hanning is said to have joined the SS forces voluntarily at the age of 18 in 1940.

Hanning on Friday said however that his stepmother, a member of the Nazi-party, urged him to join.

A verdict is expected on May 27.

Germany is holding what are likely to be its last trials linked to the Holocaust, in which more than six million people, mostly Jews, were killed by the Nazis.

In addition to Hanning, one other man and one woman in their 90s are accused of being accessories to the murder of hundreds of thousands of people at Auschwitz.

A third man who was a member of the Nazi SS guard team at Auschwitz died at the age of 93 this month, days before his trial was due to start.

(Writing by Elke Ahlswede and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

If You're Struggling to Trust God in Your Trial, Read This

 6/7/2015 SUE BIRDSEYE  charisma news

Life can be overwhelming but with this one thing, you can live with faith when circumstances scream that God is not on the scene. (Flickr | Daniele Meregalli)

Recently I went on a walk through a beautiful park. It was almost a spring day ... chilly, but still warm enough to skip the jacket. The trees were still bare, the flowers still asleep, and the air still a little crisp.

At one point, there was an overlook which provided a lovely view of the marsh and the river in the distance. The contrast between the tall yellow grass of the marsh and the beautiful blue of the water beyond was stunning.

I loved the view.

But when I glanced down, I found that the view close up was rather unappealing. It was muddy, dirty looking water full of branches and old, wet grass.

And it struck me that from this one vantage point there were two decidedly different views. And how, in my life, there are definitely two views offered ... two views ahead of me.

I can look at what is right before me and the view is kind of disappointing, definitely a bit muddy, and far from the view I was hoping to have. While taking in the scenery of this view, I can only see the situations I find myself in—the difficulties, challenges, and disappointments. I don't seem able to see beyond the troubles of the day. And, oh boy, are there a lot of those I can see from this vantage point.

BUT, if I can lift my eyes, even just a bit, I can see beauty in the beyond. Beyond my circumstances. Beyond my setbacks. Beyond my troubles. Beyond my exhaustion. Beyond my disappointments.

It, apparently, is the lesson of my life. The lesson I must continually learn.

If my view is only of my circumstances, they will overwhelm me.

If my view is of my Savior, He will overwhelm me.

I guess I have to decide what I want to be overwhelmed by ... been saying this forever. When am I going to get my rear in gear and live as I know I should?

Part of the problem is that I make choices that aren't great. I'm not talking about decisions—all those life decision I need to make—I'm talking about choices each day.

I choose to worry when I just need to wait.

I choose fear over faith.

I choose to seek comfort apart from God.

I choose to disobey, when I need to (I must) obey.

I choose to question instead of trust.

I choose the struggle instead of the peace.

I choose it all instead of Jesus.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were formerly far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made both groups one and has broken down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of the commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile both to God into one body through the cross, thereby slaying the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near" (Eph. 2:13-17).

I choose the things of this world—the things right in front of me—and somehow expect them to heal my broken heart, to fill the empty spaces, to comfort me completely.

They don't.

Nothing does, but Jesus.

I've said it before, but in some ways, I almost want to go back to the place when everything fell apart. When everything was truly out of my hands ... when all I could do was rely on God.

Since then I've been under the false impression that there are things in my control ... that some things need me ... that I can rely on myself ... good golly! That is so not true.

I no longer want to be in control of my life—it's too stressful. I want to let God have it all—so why don't I?

Because for some silly reason I continually think this little thing ... this thing before me ... this one thing I can handle. I can handle this thing. No worries.

Thanks God ... but I got this.

Ahhhh ... why do I insist on this silly way of living?

Does anyone else have this struggle? This insistence on self-reliance?

How do we win against it?

What's the secret?

Focus.

Focus? Is it really that simple?

Simple ... might not be the best word to use to describe anything in our lives. At least in mine.

Even focus is not simple. I'm a mess of focuses: kids, house, meals, schoolwork, classwork, homework, work work, teenagers, college student, college admission process, church, health, sleep, family, friends, car, stuff, and stuff, and stuff ...

I just want to focus on Jesus alone, but all the other things in life seem to edge into my vision.

"Therefore, since we are encompassed with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:1-2).

It sometimes feels that I can't really get my focus on Him alone because there is just so much to do—how in the world do I do it?

Maybe the problem isn't the focus point (Jesus) as much as what I think focusing means. What does focusing look like?

I usually envision it as something akin to prayer on my knees, Bible study, and time spent fellowshipping with others.

That can't be what focusing on Christ means because I can't stop everything else in my life to do that and that alone. We would be the most ragamuffin family ever ... not to mention we'd probably starve!

Alright, so what does it look like?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:4 came to mind: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

It made sense to me that that would be a way to focus—rejoicing, praying, thanking.

If I'm rejoicing, I must be focusing on Christ, who is my Savior.

If I'm praying, I must be focusing on Jesus, who is working in my life.

If I'm thanking, I must be focusing on Jesus, the source of all things in my life.

It just makes sense.

So maybe in some ways it is simple. It is simply living my life with my mind focused on who Christ is, what He has done and continues to do, and thanking Him for it all!

Good golly! We are brought back again to the gospel!

If our focus is on Christ, we cannot miss the gospel and its impact on our lives. We cannot lose our focus, because our lives are so covered by the gospel of grace.

Each day begins with the knowledge that I am saved, that I am blessed with another day to serve, that I am loved beyond measure, that I am forgiven, that I am precious to my God.

Each day continues with the sustaining strength of the Holy Spirit working in and through me to bless others. If I am praying and thanking Him throughout the day, I find myself more aware of how and where He is working. My focus is on what He is doing through me, rather than what I am doing for me.

Each day is covered with the grace of God. How can I begin to thank Him for that? How often do I just want to crawl into a corner and weep for my sinfulness? For the way I spoke to my child, the facial expressions I used, the anger I showed, for the thoughts I had that were unkind, the muttering and complaining that spilled from my mouth, the temptations I gave in to, the judgment, pride, and arrogance that invades my heart sometimes ... oh Lord, how is it possible you love me so much? I'm so very unlovable.

And yet, I AM so very loved.

Crazy.

Unexpected.

Amazing.

The view I'm taking right now ... and I pray it will continue into the next 5 minutes ... even into the next day!

Is the view of Jesus my Savior.

Jesus, who is my life.

Jesus, who is my peace.

Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of my faith.

Jesus.

Sue Birdseye is an author and single mom of five kids. Her book, When Happily Ever After Shatters (Tyndale House) is in bookstores. This is adapted from her blog, uptomytoes.com