Experiencing Hardships & Watching God Work – Purity 1776
Purity 1776 10/01/2025 Purity 1776 Audio Podcast
Purity 1776 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of my canine pal, Harley, at the intersection of Wells and Waite Road while the morning mist and sunshine come together to form a steamy fog over Mount Willard on the horizon comes to us from yours truly as I captured this magic moment this past Saturday when our normal morning stroll was extended by a blazing morning sun that beckoned us to go a little further up the road.
Well, it’s Wednesday and I share todays photo as a visual representation of our arrival to another midweek summit and to encourage us all to go the extra mile in our efforts to connect with the Lord and to do the good works that He has for us to do. When we decide to seek and follow the Lord and His will for our lives, we can discover the beauty of how God works all around us.
That morning walk, and going a little further up the road to enjoy the glory of God’s creation and how the sun and morning mist seemed to come together to give us a glimpse of heaven on earth is only one example of how our decisions and our efforts to go where God calls us can reveal to us how God moves and speaks to us. The message from Saturday’s Walk: – Life is good. God is good. And I am blessed to behold his glory.
In this world of constant change, chaos, and trials, we need moments like that to put things into perspective. Our earthly problems don’t compare to the glory of God but it’s not always easy to remember that when we are facing difficulties in our lives.
I’m still recovering from a work injury, and the healing isn’t as complete as I would like it yet. I recently had some unexpected automobile problems, and I didn’t appreciate the significant financial expense. As if to add insult to injury, my wife, TammyLyn is also recovering from injuries she suffered at the hands of one of her autistic students and yesterday she suffered car trouble, which immediately sent me into distress as I anticipated another big car repair bill.
If I were to look at these problems without a knowledge of God or with the wrong perspective (that bad things shouldn’t happen to “good people” or that my hardships are evidence of God punishing me for something I did or didn’t do), I could easily come to the conclusion that God has “stopped working” in my life. Where’s my healing? Why did these car problems happen to me? God must not love me!
Sure, miraculous instant healing hasn’t come and yes things have a tendency to fall apart but it doesn’t mean that God isn’t moving.
As for the financial expenses, the Lord provides through my job to meet those expenses, and He can even send unexpected windfalls through the most unlikely of situations. New York State just game me $150 to “address the rising cost of living.” Wow! That’s not normal. I can thank our elected officials for I guess, but their authority is only given to them by a Sovereign God. God can work things together for our good through politicians! Praise the Lord. God can work through other people.
I got to see that happen yesterday with TammyLyn’s car problem. Unlike me who would have had the vehicle towed to a dealership to get it fixed as soon as possible, at great expense, no doubt, TammyLyn was patient and went to social media to ask for help. Her inquiries were not only met with sympathy but also resulted in a proper diagnosis of the problem (a corroded dust shield) but also lead to a neighbor offering to help repair it, with no labor cost! TammyLyn’s patience and willingness to ask for help resulted in her being blessed by God through her friends and neighbors!
They say God works in mysterious ways and he does but He also works in small ways that we can easily miss if we don’t recognize His presence in our stories.
Speaking of seeing God work in our lives, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion for today addresses that topic so I am sharing it on the blog to encourage us all to always seek the Lord and to keep out eyes open to see how God moves. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“Watching God Work
Do you recognize the Lord at work in your life?
Psalms 66:1-20
The Lord’s handiwork is evident throughout history. At times, it is dramatic and obvious—like parting the Red Sea—but other times, it can be easy to overlook. Our lack of perception, however, never impedes His activities. He keeps working whether we’re aware of it or not, and blessings await those who develop the spiritual discernment to see what He is doing.
Preconceived ideas about how God works can hinder our perception. For instance, when He provides something, we’ve requested, it’s easy to recognize His active intervention on our behalf. If, however, He doesn’t give what we had hoped we then might conclude He’s not doing anything. But in today’s passage, the psalmist recognizes that God works in various ways—sometimes via a great deliverance (vv. 5-6) and sometimes through painful situations (vv. 10-12). Since we know the Lord always acts in accordance with His Word, it’s important to read Scripture regularly so we’ll learn to recognize His activity in our life.
When our eyes are focused on the Lord, we’ll be open to a new perspective, and our faith will grow as we begin to discern how He’s working. Then the joy of seeing His involvement in big and small ways will motivate us to praise and thank Him, even in the hard times (Psalm 34:1).” – Charles Stanley
Amen. Our preconceived notions of what God can do in our lives can be a stumbling block to our Christian Walk. If we think that God doesn’t work in our lives because of “unanswered” prayers or because we are suffering negative circumstances, we will separate ourselves from the One who is always present and who is all powerful and loving.
People who tell me that praying doesn’t work or that Bible study is a waste of time don’t realize that they are cutting themselves off from two powerful ways that the Lord can speak and move in our lives.
Sometimes we can think that God has forgotten or left us when we suffer trials or when He isn’t giving us big blessings or miraculous moments.
But the peace, love, and joy of the Lord is available to us when we draw close to Him, and it is blessing that should never be overlooked.
If God does nothing else in your life but give you 15-20 minutes of peace in your quiet time each day, that would be more peace than most people know all week!
But God gives us more than this – when we are praying and are actively in His word, He uses our spiritual efforts to bless us by renewing our minds and changing our hearts. He uses our faith in Him to bless us.
So don’t get discouraged by the things in this world, instead keep going back to the One who loves you and is moving all the things in this world together for good. If you stay with the Lord long enough you will see the small ways, and the big ways that He works and it will cause you to realize that He really is with you all the days of your life.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Peacemakers – Peacekeepers.
Matthew 7:12 (ESV) So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets
Today’s verse falls under the fifteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Peacemakers – Peacekeepers.
15. Follow the golden rule given by Jesus.
Today’s Bible verse encourages us to practice the “golden rule” – to do to others that which you would wish they would do for you.
One sure fire way to increase the peace in your life is to treat others as you would want to be treated. When we are not selfish and are putting others’ needs above our own, we are far less likely to experience relational difficulties. When we are kind to others, we can’t necessarily guarantee that they will be kind to us but generally, we are far more likely to be at peace with them than if we didn’t.
Experiencing peace doesn’t necessarily mean that we will receive special blessings or benefits. One definition of peace says that peace is “freedom from conflict, disturbance, or violence” and when we treat others well it is far more likely that conflicts won’t be pointed towards us.
So, treat others like you wish they would treat you and pray that God will help you to bring peace wherever you go.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 275
Be saved from this twisted generation! – Acts 2:40
Remember how Jesus warned about the destruction that was to come upon His generation? Here, once more, the note is struck by Peter. The apostles were aware of the terrible plight that would occur once the transitional period ran out in 70ad. That generation—the one that put Jesus to death and, thereby, filled up the cup of God’s wrath—would experience one of the greatest catastrophes in world history. The church has not made enough of the horror of the event or of its significance in Bible history. The final destruction of Jerusalem was predicted as far back as Deuteronomy 28, mentioned and warned about over and over by succeeding prophets, and finally fulfilled. This earth-shaking event was of huge significance, since it meant that the temporal Old Testament order (nation and sacrificial system) was to come to an end and God’s spiritual New Testament era and people was to come into being. Matthew 16:18 had come to pass! Without Pentecost, there would be no Church.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 283.
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