Dec 31st 10
Overcoming Adversity 101, Part 9: Sovereignty vs. Healing
This post was originally written as an email message in response to a question submitted online. “I see that in your blog post My Surprise Visitor, you use the term ‘God, in His Sovereignty, allowed…’ Can you help me understand this? A pastor from my former church preached on God’s sovereignty being the reason he had cancer and accepting his fate as Gods will for his life. He... read more
Dec 30th 10
Overcoming Adversity 101, Part 8: Ten Final Reasons Why
God has loving reasons for allowing our trials. He didn’t let that pain touch you because He lacks love but because He does love you. Suffering: 1. Causes us to know and experience the fact that: God sustains us: “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens” (Ps. 68:19). He is our way of escape when the load is more than we can bear. He helps us bear it. (See 1 Cor.... read more
Dec 29th 10
Overcoming Adversity 101, Part 7: A Few More Reasons Why
God has permitted our specific trials for good, loving and precise reasons. Because He is sovereign and has power over all the circumstance of this life, God has the ability to permit and limit each trial that touches us. He lovingly screens each trial and permits only those that will accomplish His potential for our lives. As each circumstance reaches us, not only has it been permitted by God, He has... read more
Dec 28th 10
Overcoming Adversity 101, Part 6: A Few Reasons Why
Until we reach Heaven, we won’t know every single reason God allowed our specific adversities. However, being reminded of a few of the things God might be accomplishing through them changes our perspective of our current problems. God has loving reasons for allowing our trials. He didn’t let that pain touch you because He lacked love but because He does love you. God allows difficulties to enter... read more
Dec 27th 10
Ten Tips for Taxpayers Making Charitable Donations
Did you make a donation to a charity this year? If so, you may be able to take a deduction for it on your 2010 tax return. Here are the top 10 things the IRS wants every taxpayer to know before deducting charitable donations. Charitable contributions must be made to qualified organizations to be deductible. You can ask any organization whether it is a qualified organization and most will be able to tell... read more
Dec 27th 10
Overcoming Adversity 101, Part 5: Is God Good and Loving?
Many people often assert that God must not be good or loving if He knows ahead of time that a hardship is going to occur…and yet He still allows it to touch their lives. After all, He could prevent it, couldn’t He? In moments of extreme pain and sorrow, I’ve had the same impulse reaction. I’ve cried, “God, you’re not good – you don’t love me – because... read more
Dec 20th 10