Trusting God and Returning to Joy – Purity 1795
Purity 1795 10/23/2025 Purity 1795 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of a relatively darker cloud bank rolling into an otherwise ethereal blue sky over the two-tire rut expanse of “Freedom Road” comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene while returning to my countryside home from a late afternoon walk last Saturday.
Well, It’s Thursday and I am rejoicing this morning because I will be starting my weekend early as I will be headed up to be with TammyLyn later tonight! With that said, I feel I need to also admit that the path of Christian Discipleship isn’t “all joy, all the time”. While I make a regular practice of “returning to joy”, life, even in the Spirit, isn’t a constant state of ethereal bliss with no troubles or concerns. I have to practice “returning to joy” because life on this earth isn’t always a rose garden.
In the discipleship groups I lead, I direct the participants to “check in” with a report of how they are doing but I also direct them to tell the group something they are thankful for and something they are looing forward to. Why? Because life is hard and the report of how you are doing may not be a positive one. Every life has its problems and while I don’t want to ever encourage anyone to deny the reality of those problems, I also want to attempt to build their capacity to “return to joy” by reminding them of the good things they have in life, even when they are suffering. No matter what trials we face in life, if we are honest, we still have much to be thankful for and when we are in Christ, we always have something to look forward to. We can “return to joy” when we practice gratitude, when we look to forward to good things in the future, and when we remember who we are in Christ. The best way to “return to joy” is to remember how much God loves us, to remember how He has helped us in the past, and to remind ourselves that He can be trusted to be faithful to provided for us and to help us in the future.
Speaking of trusting God, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion for today tells us that we can trust God, so I am sharing it on the blog to encourage us to do so, even when life is hard. Charles Stanely writes:
“You Can Trust God
In troubling seasons, trust the Lord to provide all you need.
Matthew 7:9-11
As we all know, life oftentimes confronts us with unexpected or painful circumstances. During such troubling moments, we can rest on this essential truth: The Lord is perfect in His love.
Consider 1 John 1:5: “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” In other words, everything our heavenly Father does is righteous. And if He is a God of love, then it is impossible for Him to mistreat any of His children. We can be assured that whatever He places or permits in our life is good and that His motives are pure.
Jesus demonstrated this deep care for us when He offered His blood on the cross—there exists no greater display of love than giving one’s life for someone else (John 15:13). Christ, the perfect lamb, was willing to die in our place so that we could have an eternal relationship with the Father. If God gave us His Son—the most precious gift He could possibly give—to take care of our greatest need, then we can trust Him to provide for all areas of our life.
When difficulty arises, remember how much God loves you. Even when circumstances are painful, you can be confident that because of the heavenly Father’s love, you’re always held in His capable and caring hands. – Charles Stanley
Amen. When difficulties arise…. Not IF difficulties arise…. but When difficulties arise – we are to remember how much God loves us. We need to remember that God cares for us and that He will provide the help we need to carry on.
The world is broken by sin and even when it wasn’t there was an expectation that we would work.
So, when the troubles of life come – financial, health, family & relationships – whatever they are – we need to lean on the Lord and trust that He will help us.
Because of the Fall, our path through life is going to lead to times of pain, frustration, and loss but God hasn’t left us without hope.
God gives us our skills, abilities, and intelligence to help us. He has given us one another to help us. And even when we face situations that we can’t change, He is there to help us to endure and carry on.
So don’t lose hope, connect with the Lord on a daily basis to help you to keep your head up and to remember that God is with you and leading you further into His kingdom of mercy and grace where you can find the peace that goes beyond all understanding and the hope that never dies.
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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.
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NIV) Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Today’s verses are the second of two passages of scripture that falls under the twenty seventh point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Peacemakers – Peacekeepers.
27. Forgive those who have sinned against you. Forgive as God forgave you. That is, in the manner God forgave you. Imitate God in forgiving others. There is no peace, no reconciliation apart from forgiveness.
Today’s Bible verses encourage us to follow the Lord into the way of love and to remember that Christ gave himself up as a sacrifice to God so we could be forgiven.
Remembering that Christ died for our sins causes us to be humble. Receiving God’s forgiveness compels us to forgive others. Some of the men that I have discipled in the past came from lifestyles of brokenness, drug addiction, violence, and crime. Because of the long list of their transgressions, they didn’t have to wonder whether or not they were guilty of sin. They were guilty and on the highway to hell. Without Jesus, they were without hope. But miracle of miracles, the Lord came into their lives and showed them the way of reconciliation. Forgiveness and peace with God are received through faith in Jesus Christ.
In their past lives, these men were violent and would often meet offenses with revenge. They didn’t forgive and forget with those who caused them offense, they got even. But now that they have been shown the way of love, and have received the forgiveness for all their sins, they can extend that forgiveness to the people they previously would have never forgiven.
God’s love compels us to forgive and when we practice His way of love and forgive others, we find God’s peace. So rejoice in your salvation and forgive others as God has forgiven you.
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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 294
… but they couldn’t stand up against the wisdom and the spirit … – Acts 6:10
Stephen had become a powerful preacher by the grace of God (v. 8). Jews from a synagogue, along with others, came up against him in debate and were roundly defeated. So, doubtless embarrassed, they began to accuse him falsely. With face shining like an angel’s (v. 15), he gave the marvelous defense of Christianity recorded in chapter seven. For this, he was stoned to death, and became the first Christian martyr. Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin was heard by Saul who, after his conversion, preached similarly when dealing with Jews. Doubtless, Stephen’s sermon made quite an impression and became something of a model for Paul. In it he met two false charges (found in 6:11, 14): first, blasphemy against Moses and God; second, that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the laws of Moses. Both charges were founded upon distorted truth (unbelievers can’t understand spiritual concerns; see 1 Corinthians 2). Be aware that unbelievers will also distort your testimony about Christ. It is par for the course.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 302.
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