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Home/Book (Nothing
to Fear for the Future)
I have chosen as the title of my
book “Nothing to Fear for the Future” because if we remember how
God has led us in the past, we have nothing to fear for the future.
Ellen White says, “In
reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our
present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I
am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have
nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has
led us and His teaching in our past history.”--Life Sketches of Ellen
G. White, p. 196.
Chapter 2 The greatest miracle
Chapter 3 God's personal interest in you
Chapter 4 Remember what great things God has wrought for us
Chapter 5 It must have been an Angel
Genuine Faith
"The
eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, And his ears are open unto their
prayers."; 1 Peter 3:12 Elijah was a man subject
to the same passions as we, yet he prayed earnestly that it might not
rain and it rained not. Daniel, notwithstanding he knew the decree not to pray
to any God except king Darius, continued his daily habits of prayer as he had
done before the decree was signed. Three times a day with his windows open toward
Jesus the Son of God, when on this earth, prayed earnestly, supplicating the throne of God until he received power from God and his soul was charged with the atmosphere of heaven. Often he would spend entire nights in prayer with his Father. If Jesus, the spotless Son of God, felt that communion with God was of so great importance; then how much more should we earnestly pray. The language of our soul should be "I will not let thee go, except Thou bless me."
But many are burdened with the temporal perishable things of this life, and have allowed the cares and “pleasures” of this world to strangle their spiritual life, and they do not even feel a need for more earnest prayer. They neglect God and His word. By many, prayer has been reduced to a few words and they have allowed it to become a mere form. If prayer were just a mere form, then why would Jesus pray, when He is the Son of God, and why would men like us receive answers to our prayers?
"Satan is ever ready to insinuate that prayer is a mere form, and avails us nothing. He cannot bear to have his powerful rival appealed to. At the sound of fervent prayer, the hosts of darkness tremble. Fearing that their captive may escape, they form a wall around him, that Heaven's light may not reach his soul. But if in his distress and helplessness the sinner looks to Jesus, pleading the merits of his blood, our compassionate Redeemer listens to the earnest, persevering prayer of faith, and sends to his deliverance a re-enforcement of angels that excel in strength. And when these angels, all-powerful, clothed with the armory of Heaven, come to the help of the fainting, pursued soul, the angels of darkness fall back, well knowing that their battle is lost, and that one more soul is escaping from the power of their influence." The Signs of the Times, November 18, 1886
Take time to pray, don't be hurried and give only a few minutes to prayer because you feel you have too much to do to spend time in prayer. A man too busy to really pray is busier than God wants him to be. It is just as convenient, just as essential, for us to pray three times a day as it was for Daniel. Prayer is the life of the soul, the foundation of spiritual growth.
I have heard it said that if you have genuine faith it will carry you when the way is rough and steep; but if you do not have true faith, you will have to carry your faith in troubling times, and it will be a very, very heavy burden to carry. This is a book filled with stories of how God has helped people just like you, how He answered their prayers, protected them from dangers seen and unseen, even guiding them to a different course of action. The reason why I wanted to write this book was so that you and I can be encouraged by being reminded of the wonderful experiences of God’s dealings in the past. I want this book to be a blessing to those who read it. My goal is to inspire in your heart faith, -- faith by which your soul may be connected to the source of power; faith that will energize your soul with the power of God, by which you will be empowered to obey the requirements of God’s law and thus radiate the glory--the character--of God amidst the gloomy shadows of sin, so prevalent on this planet. My desire is to portray these experiences so vividly and clearly that in your hearts will be inspired living faith that will lift you up and lead you ever onward and upward to reach at last the home of the pure in heart. When you read about answers to prayer, miracles, angel stories, stories of divine intervention, or any kind of story where people received from God help, guidance, or deliverance from evil; it will inspire your faith with the thought that God can do the same for you, and He can. Those who have had experiences where God was seen also need to “never forget” that as He has led in the past, so can He direct the events of today and the future according to His will. It is an encouraging thought to know that He who has all power, the Omnipotent One, who also is the Omniscient One having infinite knowledge and wisdom of all things, is the God who is infinite love. He does not merely have love, He is love, and since he is also omnipotent and omnipresent, He will order the events of every one according to his infinite wisdom, power, and love. Can we trust a God who has those attributes? Yes, we can!
For this reason I am writing these stories; that they may be a blessing to someone. The Bible says in Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” By the word of their testimony; that seems to indicate that those who become overcomers will have encouraged others by the word of their testimony. They share what God has done for them and through them. Have you been delivered from bondage to Satan? Tell what great things the Lord has done for you! These are the words spoken by Jesus himself as he was leaving the coasts of the Gadarenes, where the demoniac was made free by the word of God. Jesus instructed the man who had been delivered, saying: “...Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” Mark 5:19 The man wanted to get in the boat with Jesus, but he obeyed and stayed to tell his experience of deliverance from slavery to the devils. As he told his remarkable story, all men marveled. Later, when Jesus came back to that country, many people gladly received Him (see Luke 8:40). It was because of the testimony of the men delivered from Satan.
Chapter 1
God has a plan and purpose for every
single individual person. God has a work for me to do, and therefore He has
protected me. God ordered the events of my life to bring me to an awareness of
His purpose for me, which purpose is still continually unfolding; for God never
reveals at one time all of His will for my life. When I was around the age of 6
or 7, I loved to climb trees--I still like to climb trees. I liked to climb big
Douglas Fir trees the best. I would climb to the very
top of the tree, and from there I would gaze at the distant ridge. Whenever I
was exploring the woods and would hear the sound of a vulture, or buzzard, I
would run to find a suitable tree to climb. From the top I would try to find
this impressive bird and wish I could fly. Other times I would watch as a gray squirrel
would scamper up a pine tree, and then, with a light-footed leap, would jump
from that tree to another and another and on and on. If only I could be as
agile as that squirrel, I could go from tree to tree through the woods. What
fun that would be! I decided to try it. Finding the right place where there was a suitable clump
of young fir trees growing close to each other, I climbed up one of them. It
looked like a long way to the other tree--farther then it did from the ground!
As scary as it looked I decided I would go ahead and do it. After swaying the
tree back and forth, I leaped toward the other tree. I made it! That was
exciting! That was fun! Picking out another tree nearby, I resolved to do it a
second time. This time the gap between the two trees was farther than the first
time. I hesitated, but finally just made myself jump. I remember flying through the
air for a second, and then frantically trying to grasp the bristly branches of
the fir tree I was trying to reach. Failing to get a firm enough grasp on the
branches, I continued falling towards the ground. Somehow I was turned upside
down, so now I was falling head first into a tangled thicket of manzanita and other underbrush. My foot caught in the upper
branches of a manzanita bush, jolting me to a stop
before my head hit the ground. My guardian angel saved me from injury. Praise
God! Stunned by what had just happened, I was thanking God already, when I
noticed something that gave me reason to really be grateful; there was a rock
about 1 foot below my head! If I had not gotten tangled up in the bushes, my
head would have hit that rock, but God ordered my guardian angel to get me
tangled in the manzanita. Maybe it was my guardian
angel that flipped me around so I would become aware of the omnipresent care of
God. I was deeply
impressed by this incident, and came out of the thick underbrush to where there
was a large incense cedar stump. I knelt down and thanked God for saving me
from getting hurt more than I did. Then I devoted my life to God. That was what
God wanted--me. God wants you too.
Chapter
2
What is the greatest miracle you
have ever witnessed? One man said he was in
Chapter
3
God's personal interest in you
God has a personal interest in
you. He knows what makes you happy, sad, angry, or disappointed. He knows your
character more than you know it yourself. He knew about you even before you
were born. This thought may sound kind of scary if it is considered by itself,
but God is also infinite in love, wisdom, knowledge, and power. He has the wisdom
and love and power to order the events of life so as to lead His children to a
full surrender to Him. One day I was walking through God's nature in the
morning while I was running an errand for my mother. It had just rained, and
the sky was still cloudy, but the small birds (juncos, chickadees etc.) were
singing. The
Chapter 4
Remember what great things God has wrought for us
We as fallen human beings are
inclined to forget. When we hear a good true sermon, where everything that the
preacher says we agree with in our mind and are assenting to the truth that it
is right and that we need to do it; after it is over, we don’t remember
most of what was said. When we hear something, the sound comes to our ears, and into our brain and we hear it; but after the sound
waves are gone, we must rely on memory if we want to recall the words. Words
are gone once they are spoken. That is one reason why God gave us the Bible; we
can look up things when we forget them. But I find that even words written in a
book will vanish from my mind, moments after closing the covers of the book.
People say that if you
just hear something, you will probably forget it. If you hear and see
it, you are more likely to remember it. But they say if you are also emotionally
involved, you will remember it. One of the best ways to remember something
is to tell others about it; teach them what you learned, and in the process you
will fix it in your own memory. This principle applies very well to the area of
the ways of the Lord, how he has led us and guided us. One man said, If you share what you know,
it will grow; if you do not, it will rot. This is very true, and therefore
it is imperative that we share with others our experiences of God's leading in
our lives, that everyone can be blessed. We also have the stories of past
generations. We can learn important lessons from the stories of the Israelite
nation, the disciples, the reformation, the great advent movement, and many
more. We can learn what happened when they forgot how God lead in their
lives, and so avoid following the same course. Let us learn from the story of
Chapter 5
Submitted by Kandace Kirk
Kamron and I were having a blast painting our fingernails
and talking about the fun times we had in the past together. Sometimes there would
be a moment of silence and other times we'd be moaning and groaning because our
stomachs were soar from laughing so much. I guess my
sister wasn't thrilled about the color she chose, so she sent me to the
refrigerator to grab an old, hard, and crusty polish. I came back,
she took one look at it, and suggested the microwave to loosen the polish up a
little. I wasn't quite sure that would be a great idea, so I asked my mom, who
was sick in bed, if it was safe. Unfortunately, I was too impatient to wait for
an answer. I dashed to the kitchen, and stuck the polish in the microwave,
timing it for five seconds. Five, Four, Three, Two, One, I open the door only
to find myself screaming, steaming from hot polish, and shedding blood. My mom
jumped out of bed to attend to my needs. Kamron had
the job of wiping up the drops of blood that escaped from the five cuts on my
arm and hand. Yes, shattered glass could be seen on top of the refrigerator,
mixed in with the dishes awaiting to be washed,
throughout my hair, down my shirt, and even under the piano clear in the other
room. Some of the polish flew across the kitchen and melted a plastic pitcher
sitting on the stove about 15 feet away. Amazingly, I still had my eyesight! My
tendon wasn’t torn! No burns from the polish! An unseen hand covered my
face, instantly cooled that polish before hitting my arm and hand, and kept my
tendon from tearing. It must have been an angel!!
Chapter 6
Submitted by Kandace Kirk
(I have chosen the title, "Coming Over Self", and you’ll find out why, later on)
Do you know how to overcome self? I have found three helpful hints in my personal study and I’ve actually followed these steps to see if they will work. I decided to call them, the "3 Never Forgets":
1. Never forget, God is ready to save you
2. Never forget, you can cry "Help me
Lord" when you’re in trouble
3. Never forget, He will not ignore you
I have been permitted to inform you of two experiences which happened in my life. Therefore, I am able to demonstrate how this plan can work for you.
Num. 1 - Never forget, God is ready to save you. Rev. 3:20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." God stands by our side continually, waiting to help us. I will prove He does this, by sharing an experience I had in January at a Science Camp (Leoni Meadows). I was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that I was not in Ashley’s class. In our cabin, I muttered, "Doesn’t everybody know that she is a friend of mine (implying that the leaders messed up by not placing me in her class)?" While I lay in bed Sunday night, I considered possibly driving home. Since I was so angry, I had no intention of waking up in the morning. So, I started to complain!! Consequently, Stewart (my brother), followed my wrong example, and was upset because he couldn’t be in his friends class either. At this point, I felt terrible! My mom cried in silence to the Lord, asking Him what she should do. Quickly, my mom said, "Listen. Why can’t you trust God to work this situation out? Isn’t He in charge? Let’s pray to Jesus right now, and ask Him to forgive you for murmuring." During her prayer, in my mind, I spoke two words. "Lord, Help!" All of a sudden, I quit thinking those evil thoughts, and instead, I thought about how much fun I’d have when I would be with Ashley. In my imagination, Jesus carried me over this obstacle that was hindering me from being my happiest. "The Lord was ready to save me." Isaiah 38:20. Yes, He sure was! And I’m glad He didn’t say, "I’ll come to her when I feel like it." His mind isn’t even capable of thinking like that!
The next point is: never forget, you can say "Lord, help me." There’s an illustration in the Bible about Peter that makes this step more clear. If you have your Bibles, look up Matt. 14:28 with me. I’ll be reading through verse 31. In an instant, Jesus was right by his side. All Peter had to say was, "Lord, save me." These words are powerful, but they must only be used when you’re in desperate need of a Savior. You won’t accomplish anything if you just say it to say it. An example of this is: A child wishes to tease his parents by screaming "help me" for the fun of it. As soon as the parent reaches their child, he laughs, saying, "Oh mom, I was just playing around. I didn’t really need your help." But when the child seriously wants help, the parent will think, "He’s just joking again. It’s not necessary for me to go."
To make Num. 3 more easily to grasp, I’m going to walk you through another experience. What is step #3 again? Never forget, God will not ignore you. "If when evil cometh upon us....and we cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help." (2 Chron. 20:9) Since the last Family Camp in November, 2003, Satan has attempted to coerce me into desiring my own way. Unfortunately, I consented to him. When Mrs. Clifford asked me to share again, at first I said sure, but as soon as she told me the guidelines, a stubbornness began to build up inside of me. I didn’t want to waste my time thinking of what to put down on paper! I didn’t want to write it out! I didn’t want her to read it before I shared it! I didn’t want to have a limited amount of time to get it done! I didn’t want! I didn’t want! I didn’t want! Self!!!!! This is where the title kicks in. Jesus needed to save me from my "self"! See what Satan can do, to stop the work of God? I have a testimony to share, and he’s getting in the way! Before I go way off, I’ll finish the story. I was chatting with Ashley (Mrs. Clifford’s daughter)on instant messenger and we were having a pleasant conversation. Ashley interjected, "My mom needs to talk to you about your paper." I thought, "O great! What could be wrong with my paper! I practically sweated over writing it, so she should be elated!" Mrs. Clifford explained, "I finished reading your paper and it needs some more work." "Like what?" I asked. She replied, "Okay, if you think your paper’s ready, then I’ll send it to the rest of the staff." This irritated me!! Self again!!!!! I hurried to my mom and told her all about it. "Kandace," she reassured me, "Trust Jesus!" "Mom! She’s the one that asked me to write it out in the first place! Besides that, she wouldn’t tell me how to fix it! I think you need to call and have a talk with her!" I was blaming someone else to cover up my own wrongdoing. Satan clutched me all the more. Later that evening, my mother phoned Mrs. Clifford. I couldn’t contain myself when I listened to their conversation. I felt like a balloon about to explode. As I left the room to hop in bed, I disgustingly whispered to my mom, "I could burst, I’m so mad!" I stormed to my room, leaped on the bed, and through a temper tantrum. While I tossed and turned, God opened my eyes and allowed me to see a demon in control of me. I screamed, "God, help me!" Like a bolt of lightning, He rushed to untie the balloon. What a relief! I let out an extended sigh. I could have fallen asleep immediately; instead, with excitement, I raced back to inform my mom of how God had delivered me. "You must have prayed!" I exclaimed, as I slid the door open. Psalms 86:7 says, In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me." God always come to our aid. Another text that I found in my study was Heb. 7:25 which states, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him..." He definitely saved me to the uttermost! Wouldn’t you agree?
After going through these experiences, I am completely convinced that God responds each time when we cry, "Help me Lord." We are able to come over self by trusting in Jesus to rescue us. I hope you will remember this one thing: Never forget the "3 Never Forgets." "And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him." Psalm 37:40
If you have a story you would like to contribute to this book,
please email me at: [email protected],
Or
use the new form to submit your story to me.