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eloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and
be in health , just as your soul prospers. - 3 John 1:2
be in health , just as your soul prospers. - 3 John 1:2
B
| Copyright T Gordon 2007. Whole Souls Organization All rights reserved. Do not copy, distribute or use any part of this work without express, written permission from the creator of Whole Souls, T Gordon. |
| This section will provide you with encouragement for the everyday challenges of life... |
Unbelief is the opposite of faith. Fear and faith cannot coexist. Faith & faithfulness are important words with
several meanings. Being faithful means to be loyal to what you hold true, and it also means to be filled with
faith. When you are filled with true faith, loyalty comes easy. When you completely and totally trust God, you
will be content in doing whatever it is He requires. You will be happy to be loyal to Him. When you are filled
with faith you are not worried, fearful, or apprehensive. (at least not for long periods of time). When you are
faithful you are settled in knowing that everything will work out. However, having faith is not always easy.
How do you have faith when nothing seems to be right? Here is a tip, when your faith is low, look back. Look
back over your life and see how God worked in your behalf. Look back over the lives of your loved ones and
you will see that even when we were not faithful to God, God was and STILL is faithful to us. He wants us to
emulate Him. He wants us to trust totally in Him, because when we exhibit true faith it pleases God. The bible
even goes as far as to say that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him. I want to be pleasing to God. I
want Him to be proud of me and that requires faith. Too often we look at circumstances and not God. We are so
stuck on the pain, we forget the promises. We are stuck in right now and don’t see that the future is much
brighter.
Faith is not just thinking that everything will turn out the way YOU envision it. Faith is trusting completely
that God knows what is best. Even when it does not look like the exact scenario you had in mind, your faith
should be anchored in knowing that God knows what is best for you. When your faith is on point with God,
you are submitted and committed to doing things His way. You are not trying to take things into your own
hands. Sometimes we can make a mess, if we don’t give our situations to God to handle. Faith requires patience.
Faith requires waiting on God. Faith requires knowing when to sit down, shut up, or take action. True faith
and trust in God will never lead you wrong.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Just because you nave not seen it
yet, does not mean that it won't happen! Faith looks up. Worry looks around. Be faithful and have faith!
Want more information on FAITH? Read Hebrews 11
several meanings. Being faithful means to be loyal to what you hold true, and it also means to be filled with
faith. When you are filled with true faith, loyalty comes easy. When you completely and totally trust God, you
will be content in doing whatever it is He requires. You will be happy to be loyal to Him. When you are filled
with faith you are not worried, fearful, or apprehensive. (at least not for long periods of time). When you are
faithful you are settled in knowing that everything will work out. However, having faith is not always easy.
How do you have faith when nothing seems to be right? Here is a tip, when your faith is low, look back. Look
back over your life and see how God worked in your behalf. Look back over the lives of your loved ones and
you will see that even when we were not faithful to God, God was and STILL is faithful to us. He wants us to
emulate Him. He wants us to trust totally in Him, because when we exhibit true faith it pleases God. The bible
even goes as far as to say that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him. I want to be pleasing to God. I
want Him to be proud of me and that requires faith. Too often we look at circumstances and not God. We are so
stuck on the pain, we forget the promises. We are stuck in right now and don’t see that the future is much
brighter.
Faith is not just thinking that everything will turn out the way YOU envision it. Faith is trusting completely
that God knows what is best. Even when it does not look like the exact scenario you had in mind, your faith
should be anchored in knowing that God knows what is best for you. When your faith is on point with God,
you are submitted and committed to doing things His way. You are not trying to take things into your own
hands. Sometimes we can make a mess, if we don’t give our situations to God to handle. Faith requires patience.
Faith requires waiting on God. Faith requires knowing when to sit down, shut up, or take action. True faith
and trust in God will never lead you wrong.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Just because you nave not seen it
yet, does not mean that it won't happen! Faith looks up. Worry looks around. Be faithful and have faith!
Want more information on FAITH? Read Hebrews 11
| Faith and Faithfulness… FAITH = For All I Trust Him |
Religion or Relationship?
If you are anything like me, when you were a child you were basically forced to go to church on Sunday,
Tuesday, and any other day of the week when services were being held. Church was a very integral part of my
life from the very beginning. There were times I enjoyed it and there were times that I did not enjoy it, but no
matter what I was there. Now that I am older (and wiser), I actually enjoy going to church and if I miss a
Sunday, I feel empty. Church itself is a wonderful place. When you are there you should have a greater sense of
hope, instruction, and encouragement. However, now that I am maturing in spiritual matters, I realize that it is
my relationship with Christ that brings me real joy, not the religious activity of going to church every Sunday.
God wants relationship with us. He wants to spend time talking with us and hearing us talk to Him. He enjoys
the fellowship of human beings. That is what He created us for, to worship and fellowship with Him.
Relationship is much more important than a religious activity. Think about this, everyone has a religious
activity of some sort that they perform every day. It can be as simple as brushing your teeth every morning.
Anything you do repetitively is a religious activity. Just because you do something all of the time does not mean
that your heart is in it. Too often people repeat the same prayer every night, go to the same church every
Sunday and assume they have a relationship with God. Getting to know God takes time and sincere, heartfelt
effort.
If you are anything like me, when you were a child you were basically forced to go to church on Sunday,
Tuesday, and any other day of the week when services were being held. Church was a very integral part of my
life from the very beginning. There were times I enjoyed it and there were times that I did not enjoy it, but no
matter what I was there. Now that I am older (and wiser), I actually enjoy going to church and if I miss a
Sunday, I feel empty. Church itself is a wonderful place. When you are there you should have a greater sense of
hope, instruction, and encouragement. However, now that I am maturing in spiritual matters, I realize that it is
my relationship with Christ that brings me real joy, not the religious activity of going to church every Sunday.
God wants relationship with us. He wants to spend time talking with us and hearing us talk to Him. He enjoys
the fellowship of human beings. That is what He created us for, to worship and fellowship with Him.
Relationship is much more important than a religious activity. Think about this, everyone has a religious
activity of some sort that they perform every day. It can be as simple as brushing your teeth every morning.
Anything you do repetitively is a religious activity. Just because you do something all of the time does not mean
that your heart is in it. Too often people repeat the same prayer every night, go to the same church every
Sunday and assume they have a relationship with God. Getting to know God takes time and sincere, heartfelt
effort.
Would you want someone to spend time with you because they
have to or because they want something from you? No! You want
people to spend time with you, simply because they want to be
there. And so it is with God, He wants our fellowship, our
relationship, and our closeness. He wants us to learn of Him so
that He can lead and guide us into our individual and collective
purposes.
have to or because they want something from you? No! You want
people to spend time with you, simply because they want to be
there. And so it is with God, He wants our fellowship, our
relationship, and our closeness. He wants us to learn of Him so
that He can lead and guide us into our individual and collective
purposes.
There is nothing greater than knowing that you have a relationship with Jesus. He is alive, a very present help
and always available to listen. Being in relationship with God is not hard. It is not a bunch of rules and
regulations. You cannot earn God’s love through religious activity or any other manner, He already loves you
totally and completely. He sent His only Son Jesus to die for you and I. That love is incomparable. You don’t
have to do any cleaning up before you come to God. When you come to Him, he brings the spiritual mops and
buckets and begins to sanitize the parts of your life that need cleansing.
Please don’t let anyone make you think that God is a scary entity only here to punish, enslave and keep you
from having fun. That is not His mission. He is a God of love, and He wants you to enjoy the experience of His
love in all its fullness. When you get close to Him, you will want to be obedient because of His love for you. You
will discover that obedience to God makes your life much richer. Obedience to God gives you a life of protection
from the grave dangers of sin. You will have a great sense of peace, because you know without a doubt that you
are a friend of God. And God takes great care of His friends! Don’t waste another minute. Begin your
relationship with God now, He is waiting with arms wide open to receive you! -tg
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. Psalms 59-16-17 (NIV)
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and
experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—
so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we
might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved
us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 1 John 4:8-
10 (The Message)
and always available to listen. Being in relationship with God is not hard. It is not a bunch of rules and
regulations. You cannot earn God’s love through religious activity or any other manner, He already loves you
totally and completely. He sent His only Son Jesus to die for you and I. That love is incomparable. You don’t
have to do any cleaning up before you come to God. When you come to Him, he brings the spiritual mops and
buckets and begins to sanitize the parts of your life that need cleansing.
Please don’t let anyone make you think that God is a scary entity only here to punish, enslave and keep you
from having fun. That is not His mission. He is a God of love, and He wants you to enjoy the experience of His
love in all its fullness. When you get close to Him, you will want to be obedient because of His love for you. You
will discover that obedience to God makes your life much richer. Obedience to God gives you a life of protection
from the grave dangers of sin. You will have a great sense of peace, because you know without a doubt that you
are a friend of God. And God takes great care of His friends! Don’t waste another minute. Begin your
relationship with God now, He is waiting with arms wide open to receive you! -tg
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. Psalms 59-16-17 (NIV)
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and
experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—
so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we
might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved
us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 1 John 4:8-
10 (The Message)
Help, Hope & Healing
God is a very present help in trouble. He is always available to listen and offer
solutions to whatever you face. He is never caught off guard by our circumstances
or situations, good or bad. He has help for every problem, hope for every fear, and
healing for every form of hurt.
Prayer is simply two-way communication with God. You talk to Him and then
you listen. When you talk to God you can expect results. Those results are help,
hope and healing. Prayer is usually a request for any one of these, or all three.
Help is to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a
need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively
with; aid; assist. Isn’t it a tremendous relief to know that God is able to assist
you? The Creator of the universe has an innate desire to help you specifically. All
you have to do is reach out, wait for His answers, and be obedient to His leading.
There are also times that God in His infinite wisdom will help us even when we
don’t ask. However, I am firm believer that it is better to ask for wisdom before
making decisions. Don’t wait for trouble to knock at your door before you ask for
help. Wisdom from God is the greatest avoidant of trouble. It is not always easy to
ask for help before making decisions but I have learned that many issues could
have been prevented if I had just gone to God first.
God is a very present help in trouble. He is always available to listen and offer
solutions to whatever you face. He is never caught off guard by our circumstances
or situations, good or bad. He has help for every problem, hope for every fear, and
healing for every form of hurt.
Prayer is simply two-way communication with God. You talk to Him and then
you listen. When you talk to God you can expect results. Those results are help,
hope and healing. Prayer is usually a request for any one of these, or all three.
Help is to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a
need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively
with; aid; assist. Isn’t it a tremendous relief to know that God is able to assist
you? The Creator of the universe has an innate desire to help you specifically. All
you have to do is reach out, wait for His answers, and be obedient to His leading.
There are also times that God in His infinite wisdom will help us even when we
don’t ask. However, I am firm believer that it is better to ask for wisdom before
making decisions. Don’t wait for trouble to knock at your door before you ask for
help. Wisdom from God is the greatest avoidant of trouble. It is not always easy to
ask for help before making decisions but I have learned that many issues could
have been prevented if I had just gone to God first.
Hope is to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence. To believe, desire, or trust. Hope is what
we all need to survive. In a world filled with turmoil and bad news at every turn, without hope we would
certainly faint. I know I would. I have learned to build my hope in the Almighty. He never disappoints. There
will be times in our life where challenging situations will cause us sorrow. People we love and trust will let us
down in some form or another. But we have to know without doubt that all things are working together for
our good, even when it does not look good. Hope does not always mean that we will get the exact thing we are
hoping and praying for, but it does mean that we will receive what is best.
How many times have you hoped for something, did not get it, looked back and were glad you did not get it? I
know I have. You want the kind of blessings that will endure the test of time. You need blessings that you can
maintain as well. Trust God to grant you those things you hope for and at the right time.
Healing is growing sound; getting well; mending. The act or process of regaining health. Healing is vital to
our lives. We are all in need of some sort of healing, whether; spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, or
financial. We all have broken areas that need to be restored. Each day is a new day and chance to be healed. We
have to want it as much as we need it. God is Jehovah Rophe, Our Healer. He is more than willing to heal you
and He uses different methods in order to heal. He will either completely take away what ails you or give you
the strength and grace to endure it.
I remember being very ill for a period of time, and not wanting to see a doctor. However, I knew that I had to
or else I would be in serious trouble physically. I saw the first doctor and did not like her prognosis or
solution. She wanted to perform an extensive surgery on me that I knew was not in my best interest. The
surgery would be an extremely painful recovery and require many weeks off work. During this time, I had to
change my insurance and my current doctor was not a part of the plan. I chose another one, and I was so glad
I did. My new doctor offered a much better solution, and as a result, I had a simple outpatient procedure and
was literally back to my normal self within days.
God orders our every step. He knows exactly what is best. He knows the how, when, where and why. He is a
healer! Trust Him with everything that ails you and He will make you whole.
Prayer is simple. It is not something that we have to practice or be so eloquent or deep at. There are some days
when I simply have to pray “Lord have mercy.” He hears that and grants my request. I am immediately
comforted in my soul and spirit. My circumstance may not have changed, but He is a present Help and will
send the Holy Spirit as a comfort and guide.
If you desire help, hope and healing, I have one simple solution for you. That solution is prayer.
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me, give ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalms 17:6
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled. Psalm 46:1
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but
also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer. "Matthew 21-21-23
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose. Romans 8:28
we all need to survive. In a world filled with turmoil and bad news at every turn, without hope we would
certainly faint. I know I would. I have learned to build my hope in the Almighty. He never disappoints. There
will be times in our life where challenging situations will cause us sorrow. People we love and trust will let us
down in some form or another. But we have to know without doubt that all things are working together for
our good, even when it does not look good. Hope does not always mean that we will get the exact thing we are
hoping and praying for, but it does mean that we will receive what is best.
How many times have you hoped for something, did not get it, looked back and were glad you did not get it? I
know I have. You want the kind of blessings that will endure the test of time. You need blessings that you can
maintain as well. Trust God to grant you those things you hope for and at the right time.
Healing is growing sound; getting well; mending. The act or process of regaining health. Healing is vital to
our lives. We are all in need of some sort of healing, whether; spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, or
financial. We all have broken areas that need to be restored. Each day is a new day and chance to be healed. We
have to want it as much as we need it. God is Jehovah Rophe, Our Healer. He is more than willing to heal you
and He uses different methods in order to heal. He will either completely take away what ails you or give you
the strength and grace to endure it.
I remember being very ill for a period of time, and not wanting to see a doctor. However, I knew that I had to
or else I would be in serious trouble physically. I saw the first doctor and did not like her prognosis or
solution. She wanted to perform an extensive surgery on me that I knew was not in my best interest. The
surgery would be an extremely painful recovery and require many weeks off work. During this time, I had to
change my insurance and my current doctor was not a part of the plan. I chose another one, and I was so glad
I did. My new doctor offered a much better solution, and as a result, I had a simple outpatient procedure and
was literally back to my normal self within days.
God orders our every step. He knows exactly what is best. He knows the how, when, where and why. He is a
healer! Trust Him with everything that ails you and He will make you whole.
Prayer is simple. It is not something that we have to practice or be so eloquent or deep at. There are some days
when I simply have to pray “Lord have mercy.” He hears that and grants my request. I am immediately
comforted in my soul and spirit. My circumstance may not have changed, but He is a present Help and will
send the Holy Spirit as a comfort and guide.
If you desire help, hope and healing, I have one simple solution for you. That solution is prayer.
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me, give ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalms 17:6
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled. Psalm 46:1
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but
also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer. "Matthew 21-21-23
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose. Romans 8:28
