Our economy is hurting and therefore many people are financially hurting as well. As Christians we know that God is our source of security,  not the economy.
So how do we trust God in the midst of pay cuts, layoffs, rising bills, and declining home values in our own lives?  How do we keep our faith strong in the midst of financial trouble?

Watch Your Focus:  I’ve come to realize that our circumstances are temporary, but our faith and trust in God is eternal. I’ve also realized that I haven’t really let my faith grow during previous times of financial trouble, as evidenced by the fact that I worry every time the income goes down again. This time, I’ve decided to focus on how our current situation can help me grow closer to God because that is all that really matters.  Once we switch our focus to what really matters, then the temporary situation doesn’t seem all that bad because we realize it’s just money.

Be Thankful:   No matter what we have, it’s so easy to complain about what we don’t have. If we would just stop focusing so much on what we don’t have, we can see the blessings of all that we do have, like family, friends, church, and even the physical things that God has previously blessed us with. Paul reminds us in Philippians that prayer with thanksgiving is the key to eliminating our worry and anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7).

Don’t stop giving:  When we aren’t thankful for what we have, often times we’ll stop giving to our church and other charities when money is tight. In reality, generosity is what opens up our lives for God’s blessings. As Christians, we are blessed to be a blessing, but if we hoard all the money we have because we’re afraid that we don’t have enough, then we aren’t a blessing.

Do What You Can and Trust God to do the Rest:  Having faith that God will supply our needs is extremely important, but God never promised to supply our wants exactly when we want them.  Just because God will provide during a time when money is scarce, doesn’t mean we should spend money the same way we did when money was plentiful.

Don’t Make Excuses:  A friend recently found out she was going to be laid off.  I reminded her that God had been there for her in the past and had never let her down and this wouldn’t be any different. She responded by saying “Yeah, but this is a big thing.”  I responded, “Oh yeah, you’re right. This is too big for God. He made the world in six days, but he won’t be able to provide for you in this situation.” Deep down she knows God is big enough for her situation, but she let her worry come out in her words.

Paul said he learned how to be content whether he had plenty of money and resources, or whether money was in short supply. He learned that by relying on God’s strength (Philippians 4:11-13).  There will be times of excess and times of need in our lives and since we can’t take money and possessions with us when we go to heaven, the only thing we have to carry through this life and into the next is our faith in and relationship with God.                          (CORTNI MARRAZZO)

What do we wear to church? Well, for both men and women, God wants us to wear holiness and peace to church. God wants us to take off the anger and disputing and put on the good deeds of love for one another. Those are the clothes that matter, not the fancy clothes we sometimes wear on the outside, but the attitudes we show which come from the inside.

Many years ago, an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived at a village in Serbia. He met an elderly man there named Cimmerman, and Jakov began to talk to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, where church leaders had plundered, exploited, and killed innocent people.

“My own nephew was killed by them,” he said, and angrily rejected any effort on Jakov’s part to talk about Christ. He told Jakov, “They wear those elaborate coats and crosses, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore.”

Jakov replied, “Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track: they recognize your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?”

“I would deny it,” said Cimmerman. And Jakov countered, “‘Ah, but we saw your coat,’ they would say.” But the analogy annoyed Cimmerman, and he ordered Jakov to leave his home.

Even so, Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ with him. Finally one day Cimmerman asked, “How does one become a Christian?”

Jakov taught him the simple steps of putting his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Cimmerman got down on his knees and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, “Thank you for being in my life.” And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, “You wear His coat very well.”

My friends, let’s wear His coat well wherever we are.         (C. PHILIP GREEN)

Normally, when we think of praying, we link it to a praying mother or grandmother. It’s an attitude commonly associated to women of the faith. What if men took prayer seriously? What if we committed to it like we commit to football or our golf swing? Although our Christian society has attributed prayer to great women of our faith, the Bible gives us countless examples of men of prayer. Daniel was a man that prayed diligently. Even against the King’s wishes, he set time apart to pray to the Lord. David, although a warrior in battle, was also one in prayer, and in a sense, journaled these prayers for us to read them in the Psalms. In James 5:17, Elijah is described as “a man with a nature like us” that prayed earnestly, and the Lord heard him.

My brothers in the faith, our Father in heaven wants to hear from us! When men pray, things happen, and the Lord can move on our behalf. Don’t be confused; prayer does not turn God into your magic genie. We don’t pray to ‘position’ the Lord where we want Him to be. We pray in order to position or reposition ourselves in order to receive what the Lord has for us. Scripture is replete, brothers, with examples of how prayer works. James, again, tells that the “Effective prayer of the righteous man can accomplish much.” Our prayer can accomplish and help bring things to pass in our lives.

What would happen if we as husbands and fathers began to pray over and with our wives and children? Earnestly seeking the Lord on their behalf and standing before God on their behalf the way that Christ stands for us.

I think this is one of the biggest areas of improvement for me as a husband. Scripture tells me to love my wife as Christ loves the church. Christ is constantly interceding on our behalf. He’s the ultimate advocate. And while He was on the earth, we see how He prayed for us. (John 17).

So, my dear brothers I challenge you to make prayer a priority! Single men, make time to pray in your day. Meet with other brothers to pray and cover each other. Husbands and fathers, let’s take initiative to pray, not just for ourselves, but for our wives and / or children. Trust me brother, your wife and / or children would be thrilled to hear you pray before the Lord on their behalf. They may be secretly yearning for you to do that.                                                                                                       (TRAVIS WILLIAMS)

We Christians all know that parable Jesus told about the Good Samaritan. We also know we should join with that unnamed  good-deed-doer
and be good Samaritans too. Some of us even like to think we are good Samaritans and would never pass by on the other side.

I hope so, but there are times I wonder. I wonder how far I would go to help a stranger. I wonder if I would be as good a Samaritan as is Michelle LaPlante.

Here’s the story: Jill Fink, a mother of two-year-old twins, took off her engagement ring so she could put sunscreen on her daughter. She put the toddler in a swing and dropped her ring into the child’s stroller. She forgot to put her ring back on. She forgot for two days. When she finally remembered she did a lot of crying. Yes, she retraced her steps, but she knew the ring was gone.

Meanwhile, the ring was found by attorney Michelle LaPlante. She said, “If that had been my ring, I would have gone out of my head.” So LaPlante put up a note at the park where the ring had been lost; then she put up flyers in the neighborhood; then she took out online ads; then she listed the ring on Craigslist (a classified advertisements website); then she took the ring to the police department. A receptionist at Fink’s office spotted the Craigslist ad and, in a short time, the ring, the ring’s loser, and the ring’s finder were united.

So, let me ask, “How good a Good Samaritan are you?”

We all know a person would be a lousy Good Samaritan if he were to keep the lost ring. But how far would you have gone to return that diamond to its rightful owner?

Would you have taken it to the police? Probably. Would you have written up and posted flyers? Maybe. Would you have taken out ads? How far would you go to be a Good Samaritan?

I do know how far Jesus went to help the bruised and battered sinners of this world. He went all the way. Every moment of His life was dedicated to the single purpose of reuniting lost sinners with their Creator. Jesus didn’t rest; He didn’t take a vacation; He didn’t take a coffee break from the cause, which would lead to His death and the salvation of our souls.

He was the ultimate Good Samaritan. He is our Savior. He is the One who says, “… do as I have done to you” (John 13:15b).
(PASTOR KEN KLAUS)

Here are three lessons in trust you can take from the story
of Gideon:

1.  God sees the big picture:  Our vision is limited, sometimes only seeing the potential roadblocks in the way. But as with Gideon, God is sending you into a new adventure.  He has gone before you and already knows what will happen. The road may not always be easy, but He is always there to protect you and guide you, if you look to Him. Yes, we might be like Gideon and test God by asking for signs. And I believe God delights in showing us His power. In Psalm 86:17, even David calls out in his prayer for mercy: Give me a sign of Your goodness, for You Lord have helped me and comforted me. But also etch this truth from Deuteronomy 31:8 on your heart as you face seemingly impossible challenges: Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

2. God is patient as we grow in faith:  Gideon had many doubts as God called him to lead the Israelites into battle. God continually encouraged Gideon, telling him that He will go ahead of him – even going as far as promising that Gideon won’t die. But Gideon struggled to see the big picture. He was probably sucking in his gut and flexing his non-existent muscles in the mirror, not feeling real encouraged at the reflection staring back at him. But with each sign Gideon asked for, God kindly answered.  The Lord had patience with Gideon, matching kind reassurance to each doubt, building Gideon into a fully convinced servant. It’s the same with us. God calls us. But be certain the enemy will tell us that we don’t measure up to the task at hand. But here is a truth that was spoken at a conference I recently attended: God calls us for the person we will become, not necessarily the person we are right now. (Lisa Bevere) He called Gideon “mighty warrior.” What is God calling you?

3. Success is through God’s power, not our own: As the story progresses, Gideon grows to be a confident warrior, gathering thousands of the Israelites to face the Midianites. But God felt like that would be too easy. At least too easy for the Israelites to take all the credit for a victory. God wanted them to give Him the glory. So He put Gideon through two tests of his faith – which ultimately left only 300 men to fight Midian’s 135 thousand warriors! That’s 450 Midian guys for every one Israelite. What? And in what is known as one of the most unbelievable battle strategies in history, the 300 Israelites marched out with trumpets, torches, and jars to meet the marauding Midianites. What happened then? God sent confusion into the ranks of the Midianites and they started turning on each other! When it was all said and done, 120 thousand Midianites had killed one another and the other 15 thousand ran away.

God had answered Israel’s prayers, using a regular, every day guy like Gideon.  As it says in Luke 18:27:  What is impossible with men is possible with God. When you feel God is calling you to do something that might seem too big – or even impossible – think of mild-mannered Gideon who grew to fully trust God and changed the course of history.
What is God calling you to do?  What steps of trust can you take? (LORI CLAPPER)