Do you have pressures in your life today?  Does the world seem to be crashing in on you?  In the Christian life, we are guaranteed to experience pressures. The 1828 Webster dictionary defines pressure as the state of being squeezed or crushed.  That is ever so true for each and every one of us as we walk in the Christian life.  Many people preach and teach that when a person comes to Christ, it is “a good life.” This means it is a life filled with few difficulties, little distress and very little pain, suffering or grief.  As a result, whenever there is an encounter with anything painful or any degree of pressure, a cry goes out to God for Him to remove that pressure.  How sad that is! We see from the Old Testament believers and New Testament saints, that when the trials and tribulations were faced, great power came upon them!  The word power means a force that is with someone. We know this force is the power of the Holy Spirit of God – the power of Christ in us and through us.  If we want to experience the power, we have to accept the pressure.  The pressure is what leads to the power.

I find this truth so necessary to teach to those who work in RU programs. As students get saved and begin to develop spiritually, many of them not only bring baggage into their new walk with Christ, but they also begin to experience new pressures as the result of being “in Christ”.   I have noticed that many people want the power of Christ to rest upon them so that they can deal with these pressures. But my friend, I believe that it is noteworthy to see in the Bible that the pressure comes before the power. That is a spiritual law in God’s Word.   There is no need for the power if there is no pressure.  Therefore, God allows that pressure to come into our lives.  For a Christian to know what true spiritual power is, he first needs to know what pressure is.  Pressure was always with those in the Old and New Testament.  They were daily pressed and heavily burdened. Yet it was precisely because they were weighed down exceedingly, that there was no one who had such power as they.  For the pressure caused them to look only to God.

Looking back at my own life, I have seen that it was during the times of extreme amounts of pressure, the power of God rested upon my life.  It is important to understand that pressure always comes before power.  Unfortunately, we are inclined to reverse the order.  Why?  It is in our nature, “the old man,” to reverse the order.  We want power for dealing with pressure, but God’s way is not man’s way.  It is higher.  He only grants power proportionately to the pressure we accept as we look toward Him.  God would have us learn the lessons.  Whenever we are encountering new pressure, we should convert it into new power.  If we do this, our ability to wield spiritual power grows with each and every new encounter of pressure.

There are many kinds of pressures to deal with.  Pressures come from our sin, our needs, our circumstances, our emotions; our sufferings, pain and grief; But no matter what the reason for the pressure or which direction it comes from, we have to remember all pressure comes with a purpose.  That purpose is for you to experience the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Paul spoke of it when he said “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10) Unfortunately, no one wants to read the last part of the verse: “…and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death”.   It is through the fellowship of His suffering that we experience this great power.

Do not ignore, abhor, or push away the pressures….remember, pressures precede His Power!

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Benjamin R. Burks

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This past week I asked our International Director, Bro. Burks, to put together a list to help struggling chapters retain visitors in tough times. The list he provided is based on phone calls that he and his staff have fielded; discussions with successful directors; and several years of his own personal experience as an RU Director in Virginia.  The main focus of this week’s report is how to turn visitors into students. I trust that you will consider implementing these proven strategies in developing your God-given, extremely sensitive and important visitors into active, participating students.  It is the first step to achieving any hope of turning the addicted to the God’s support group—the local church!

Issue 1: The Friday Night Atmosphere!

The official itinerary is integral to creating an atmosphere that portrays a consistent message to every visitor. That message MUST contain the following key ingredients:

1. “No matter your struggles, we are an addiction program that can help you or your loved one.” This message usually takes place twice. Once in a profound statement of sorts in the tri-talk introduction and more importantly, and with definition, in the weekly New Beginnings class.
2. The New Beginnings group leader (who should be a type A, sold-out, RU promoter) should explain the success rate of local chapters of Reformers Unanimous all across America. Some chapters may be very small in attendance compared to others. Credibility will be established if you give them a glimpse of the success rate. Jay Griffin, a Director in Milford, Ohio tells me, “of the students that completed the Stronghold book in their chapter, they had a 93% success rate.” You can safely say there are over 20,000 people any given week attending an addiction program that use the RU materials.  Our RU program graduates simply succeed and that needs to be “hammered home.”  If not, doubt sets in to the validity of a church and Bible-based program in the minds of new students.
3. They should also reiterate this again when they make their mandatory visit on their visitors that week.  Yes! Mandatory visits are expected.  If you sense your New Beginnings class teacher is ineffective, you should replace him quickly. But until you can, the Director should make those visits instead to ensure the student can speak up about any mis-perceptions.

1. An environment of transparency is needed during the first and second talks for this program to be effective. If a student comes to a chapter and the church members are perceived as perfect people without problems, it will be an immediate turn-off to potential students. I cannot stress the importance of everyone on our leadership teams viewing ourselves as student’s first, servants second, and teachers third. By our own participation in all aspects of the program and curriculum, it will create an example for students to follow.

Issue 2: We must remember that Reformers Unanimous is a milk ministry, and avoid serving strong meat.

1. It is necessary to remember that Reformers Unanimous deals with heart issues and not issues of outward conformity. We should avoid discussing hot-topic issues that would be considered strong meat and stick to the modus operandi that we are here to turn their hearts toward the Lord. Standards, for the most part are for the leadership staff to know and follow but not teach as part of RU training.  Of course, some exceptions may apply; but if so, we encourage individual coaching over entire class teaching. When faced with a student who is newer and inquisitive of such things as listed in number one above, a leader should use phrases such as, “That’s a good question, see me after class and we’ll talk about that, but right now let’s stay focused on issues we faced this week in our recovery.” Or perhaps even the phrase, “That’s a great question, let me give you some verses after class to look into that,” in order to turn the conversation in a right direction.
2. Directors should avoid attacking Christian or political figures or denominations and their leaders on Friday night. This will only tear down any influence that you may have in their life, especially those who are new.  Warning the flock is the responsibility of the Pastor, not the RU leaders.
3. It is good for the Director to occasionally remind the students that as their attendance increases, so does the chance that they will hear truths which may take as offensive. Encourage them to allow God to use inside persuasion of His Spirit and the outside pressure of the Word and authority to guide them in right truth.

Issue 3: Reactivate the 2-3-4 Plan and ensure that it is happening every single week.

1. Again, I repeat that every first-time visitor should get a visit by the director or the New Beginnings class leader before the next Friday night. I can remember those early days inviting students, from Friday night, on Saturday afternoon to come on Sunday morning to the second class and taking them to lunch with me on my dime to encourage them to return the next Friday. I had more students join our church as a result of this than any other.
2. One big mistake is the transition between the Beginner’s class and the challenge groups. It should be understood that every person that walks through the door is in the New Beginnings, or Beginners, class and are an active part of the 2-3-4 Plan. I have heard of 2 options to make sure this happens. The first is that the burden is on the Beginner’s Class leadership and Director to make sure the 2-3-4 Plan is implemented on every visitor until they get in a group. The second option is to assign every first time visitor on their second wee, to a group, whether they return or not. The leader will actively pursue them for their class. It is often true that a student doesn’t care what we know until they know that we care.  A visit shows you care.
3. Use the RU official FastTrack software to track the 2-3-4 Plan properly and hold each leader accountable to the calls, postcards, and visits every single week. If a student misses several weeks in a row, and receives no contact from the leadership, the enemy will plant seeds of doubt that we don’t care and are not concerned about their recovery. Please be sure to communicate quarterly to inactive students.

Issue 4: Encourage curriculum participation for every student.

1. 1. The best way to encourage students to do challenges is for the leadership to have completed challenges.
   2. If a student seems to be resistant in doing challenges, it is time for that leader to meet with them privately and find out the root cause. If they have memory problems or get stuck on particular challenges, then creatively find a way to shorten or go around those challenges to keep a student motivated and participating.
   3. Have a dynamic award ceremony. If the award ceremony is not exciting it may come across as something childish for a brand new student. This is a time we praise our students for doing what is right. It can be extremely profitable and a motivational technique in keeping visitors who never get good news.  Have all students come up front to get their awards and have them stay until awards are completed and a final applause is given.  Encourage participation to those still seated who may not be progressing but sensing conviction as a result.  Be careful not to condemn.
   4. If you cannot have an exciting awards ceremony every week, postpone it some weeks or have it faithfully every two weeks.

Issue 5: During the third talk, the director’s message from the Nevertheless I Live Textbook should be relevant to the struggles people face while in their addiction.

A recent phone call into my office by a student who attended an RU broke my heart.  I began to feel his pain for help but having not received it at a local chapter in which he had placed his initial hope by attendance. At this particular chapter, the director has chosen to preach sermons lasting sixty minutes while pupils fall asleep (these were his words). When I suggested he purchase our Nevertheless I Live syllabus for his own learning, his words were, “If the director of my chapter would have used this text book and taught it from his heart I know I would have gotten the help I need.” Directors, I would rather you have a 25 minute message from the RU Textbook and share 5 minutes of your heart to help the addicted every week than have you present profound truths that challenge your most matured students but lose your beginners. With the RU Friday night class being live streamed in Rockford and available for download later, there should be no excuse for each of you men to fine-tune your teaching and preaching skills by listening to the Founder and President every week in Rockford.  Brother Curington has now taught through the textbook 9 times in 14 years.  He is currently on a pace that will take him two years to go through it once.  It’s getting more relevant each year, not less.  That’s God…not the outline or the teacher.

Other Suggestions:

1.) Read something from the Founder of RU every day.  Have you experienced the blessing of Today I Lay, Umbrella Fella or his newest book on Peace?  They are relevant for YOU to be relevant to them.

2.) Read or listen on MP3 to the whole chapter that you’re teaching every Friday night that you are teaching it.  If a chapter takes three weeks, read that chapter three times (once weekly).  Then prepare days before you preach that chapter portion.   Use second talk in order to distribute and collect 2-3-4 plans and to encourage students.  A five minute refresher before you preach would be helpful at that time too.

3.) Ask God to give you wisdom on how to effectively present the Hidden Life message to your people.

4.) Always give an invitation for salvation and spiritual development.

Many chapters are successfully getting visitors weekly through the “Battle is ON” outreach, along with other techniques they have found successful. If you struggle to get visitors, please, call our office today! (815-986-0460) If your struggle is to keep them, then heed these listed checkpoints.

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Mark 3:1-6, “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.  (2)  And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.  (3)  And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.  (4)  And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.  (5)  And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.  (6)  And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.”

How sad it is when people, who have an opportunity to see Jesus, entirely miss the opportunity! I believe the reason that they miss it is not because they do not want to see it.  The truth is (just as the Pharisees in the verses above) they have distanced themselves from God.  Because of that distance, they are now experience great bondage. This bondage creates “blinders” which inhibits them from being able to see Christ and His marvelous works.  Recently someone said to me, regarding their time in the morning with God, “Devotions don’t work.”  Devotion defined is “The state of being dedicated, consecrated, or solemnly set apart for a particular purpose.” That particular purpose is what drives misery or victory.

The Pharisees of all people should have been rejoicing in the fact that Jesus had come. They were teaching about the coming Kingdom.  They saw people responding and experiencing healing both physically and spiritually.  Yet, they would watch, murmur, and plot to kill Him.  Why, because their devotion was on something else besides Him.  Their hearts had become hard and prideful.   They were more dedicated to the rules and laws, than the law Giver.  They were blinded.  Jesus was doing things that they had never seen before and instead of getting to know Him, they rejected Him and tried to find fault with everything He did.

It’s sad! The Pharisees were the religious leaders of their day, they knew everything about Him, but never knew Him!  They were in church every Sunday, their prayers were long and they probably used big words.  They even had a public ministry because of the status that it would bring to them; but they missed Jesus.  They were more focused on their appearance than the condition of their heart.  They got busy doing the work of God, and forgot about being with God.  Don’t be like the Pharisees and miss Jesus.  Jesus desires truth and focuses on the heart, while Satan desires deception and focuses on appearance. Don’t go through the motions and miss the personal relationship!  Jesus tells us to love the Lord with all thy heart.  That my friend is devotion to a Person and that Person is Jesus.

Today, will you know about Jesus or will you know Jesus?  Will you see Him when He is working, or will you be blinded?  Will you desire His presence or will you desire your preferences?

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Benjamin R. Burks

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Dear RU Nation

MANUFACTURE RECALL:  Here at Adversity University, we have come to EXPECT bad things to happen for the good reason of glorifying God in all we do and say.  It has become our expectation that whatever could go wrong…should go wrong! And for that we glorify Him.  So it came as no surprise when our new awards vendor called and RECALLED our recently received name badges that had been on backorder for so long.   The claim was “faulty glue” on the first 1,000 of 5,000 received.  We have no way of knowing which ones went out that were faulty; but if you have name badges with pins falling off relatively easily, please do two things.  First – call us for replacement badges.  We are expecting a new shipment (to come within next few days) which will meet our product quality expectations.  Secondly -  glorify God with us in being chosen by Him to endure difficulty through a another “pop quiz” at Adversity University.

2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE:  Adversity University XI.  Mark your calendars for September 27-30, 2010, for another exciting RU international conference! You won’t want to miss this year’s crucial teaching.  As we develop our ministries through seasons of change and times of disappointment, we want to clearly pronounce that the only successful form of ministry is and always will be an expression of the fruit of the Spirit – love.  Join us this year for “The Way IS Agape”. Experiencing, enjoying, and understanding God’s agape love is the “first love” that we ought to never leave as our ministries become taxed with difficulty.  Directors, this is the year to bring you students and leaders , more so than any other; for your love for them can only be matched by the love they could bestow upon others on His behalf.  Nearly 100 educational sessions on effective outreach (evangelism), in-reach (discipleship), up-reach (worship) and down-reach (Spiritual empowerment) will be offered.

REFORMERS UNANIMOUS SCHOOLS OF DISCIPLESHIP—MAJOR OPPORTUNITY!  We thank the Lord for the churches who have helped us influence more people with the curriculum of RU by opening their very own discipleship homes patterned after our program in Rockford, Illinois.  If your church is interested in a ministry such as this for your community, we are here to help.  Whether you need help with your business model, ideas for finding affordable housing, staff training or advice, we stand by to stand with you.

Not every chapter can be blessed with what God has given North Love Baptist Church and its RU headquarters.  Our beautiful facilities and trained staff and teaching grant your students an opportunity to experience residential discipleship with a quality that is hard to duplicate anywhere—to God be the glory!  As well, we are fortunate to be able to do so at a price much lower than secular or social treatment.  Though we cannot afford to be a completely free program like others who operate out of apartments or houses using limited staff, we also understand we also cannot possibly offer help to every single person RU reaches with the current size of the headquarters’ facilities.  This has allowed us to be blessed to send students to churches who stand in the gap with their smaller, but still effective discipleship houses.  Personally, I think there could be an RU patterned home in every state in America and every one of them could be kept full!  That’s how great the need is for our low cost option or other’s no cost option.

With that said, we still want the Rockford RU to remain the first option for your student’s intense discipleship.  We feel strongly in our residency discipleship program’s success rate.  We are pleased to report our program success has grown even more effective over the course of the last 18 months.  Our recent survey of grads or parents of grads reports increase of those experiencing victory in Christ over their addiction from 82% to 87%.  Equally high numbers (plus or minus a few percentage points) report being faithful to church and in a right relationship with their family.  God has been so good to these grads who have continued in the things that they have learned.

*****With the opening of the new ladies’ home, allowing us to move our graduate program into the Mulberry facility, Rockford can now open more beds for both men and women and reduce our overall operating costs.  This is a much needed relief for us and also gives us the ability to offer something we have wished for so long.  For those chapters or churches who love or prefer the Rockford Schools of Discipleship and would like to send someone here for FREE, I have a new funding system that will allow each chapter that qualifies to have a FREE scholarship to the men’s and women’s home (that’s two scholarships) available to them at all times.  That’s right FREE!  If you are interested in this, please email me at weneedu@reformu.com or call me personally to discuss.  I will only be offering twenty church scholarships.  We already have two churches who have qualified and have students attending for free right now!  Call my secretary, Beth, at extension 100 and tell her you’re interested in the Church Scholarship Program for more details*******

WOMAN’S PROGRAM LAUNCH:  After 18 months of reconstruction, our men’s schools of discipleship have nearly completed our R.U.T.H. Home.  As with any church-based building project, we have faced many difficult circumstances and much resistance.  Through it all, our testimonies remained strong and God’s glory and many miracles were enjoyed.  We thank God for these hard working men who worked this project at less than one third of every bid we had.  Though our men had to work through capital raising slowdowns and city and architect squabbling, their abilities and resolve have saved tens of thousands of dollars. This good stewardship has been blessed by God in many ways.  Effective April 1^st, we will begin taking applicants for this new home and have decided to increase our occupancy from 25 girls to 40 as God provides.  With a recent graduation bringing us down to 20 girls, we are going to use a limited time special to help us fill this beautiful building with precious and needy ladies.  Please be advised that we are offering a 50% scholarship to the first 20 applicants who screen successfully for our program.  If there is anyone in your RU ministry, church or family who has needs or has contemplated entering our program, now is the time to make every effort to get them here.  We hope this offer will be met with the enthusiasm necessary to stimulate your students to give residency discipleship a legitimate part of their lives for long lasting benefit.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Steven Curington
Watch our Friday Night Class Live at 7 p.m. tonight!  Click Here

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What do you do when you and those you are leading encounter a time when basic needs are unmet? Whether we lead or follow others, complete dependence on the Lord is essential. In the last selection of this series on leadership, we discussed the assumptions that must be made when leading others in stressful times like these. This blog will deal with the actions which must be taken to effectively lead others during this situation. These actions include: passing responsibility on to God; reminding others of how God perceives a situation and how it’s up to Him to respond to it; and crying out to God for guidance.

Again, in Exodus 17, we see Moses in Rephadim, with the Israelites, at a time when they lacked water. Moses responded to their remarks against him saying, “Why chide ye with me?” He simply passed responsibility on to God. The Jews, at this time, were still young believers and didn’t fully understand that Moses wouldn’t be the source of water. Often, we place a false dependence on the person, in our lives, that strongly influences us for the Lord, instead of properly depending on God. Moses passed the buck! Remember, God had brought them there, not Moses. Effective leaders bring God into the equation and do not make excuses for following Him, nor the direction of His leading.

Why do we blame others? One never wants to be accused of chiding with God. However, we often pick out the human leader representing God and chide with him/her.

Next, Moses reminded the people of how God felt about the situation, as well as how God was responding to it. Immaturity often surfaces as one focuses attention on the placement of blame. The Jews were reminded that God was being tempted by their provocation. Moses said that God was becoming upset with their actions, as out of desperation they thought of stoning him. What provoked God was the fact that the Israelites neglected to rely on Him and come to Him first. Despite this, Moses cried out to God. God can lead others to meet our needs even if they are not privy to the specifics.

The last action in effectively leading others is to cry out to the Lord. In Exodus 17:4, “Moses cried unto the Lord saying, “What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.” He could have said, “Why didn’t you just let me continue to be a shepherd? Moses, however, was much more mature than that. He was a problem solver. He said, “Lord, what can I do? How can I help this situation?” In your life, when you see a problem, do you merely complain or are you one to find a solution. Moses was a mature Christian. He didn’t ask how or why, but what he could do to solve the problem. When he was put under pressure, he didn’t complain. He went to the Lord, and implemented God’s instruction. Moses had a clear responsibility to identify the need and act on it. It wasn’t enough to just pray, he had to demonstrate biblical faith.

It took a lot of faith to strike the rock with his staff at Horeb. We knew water would come out, but Moses didn’t. He had to exercise extreme faith. God told Moses to go before the people and take the elders of Israel. God understood that the older people would be a great influence on the youth. The Lord wanted people to witness the water spewing from the rock. Those that would witness this would be great spokesmen for God with respect to trusting and following Him. People in old Hebrew society had great respect for the elders. God wanted Moses to get these elders on board so they may get the “followship” of the other people. It’s important that the people with responsibility are eye witnesses to the miraculous hand of God. Even today, this is what hinders churches. The members fail to see the supernatural hand of God personally. As a result, they often lose the zeal and commitment needed to be effective in Christ.

As important as it is for me to see the hand of God providing, it’s of utmost importance for the young generation to be put to the test and experience supernatural provision for themselves. We will stagnate when we lose a generation of people committed to living by faith and seeing the hand of God in action.

Finally, we need faithful obedience, unto the Lord. To accomplish this effectively, we need to take action. We must pass responsibility on to God, remind others of God’s perception of a particular situation, and cry out for His guidance. Following this plan of action in your life, just as at the rock, you will see that great needs are met by faith.

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“There’s a Positive Plan, Promised by God!”

In the first selection from this series on murmuring, we discussed how, through faith, God intends that we use the Spirit to correctly deal with complaining and the influences it has on our lives.  We looked at how, like Moses, we need consultation and leading from God to overcome Satan’s strategy for us to assign blame and speak using scornful complaints.  In this, the second installment, we will analyze what God dictates we shall and shall not do, with respect to murmuring. Here, we will see that there is a plan, which is positive and promised by God.

First, as we continue in Exodus, we see the Jews still murmuring in the wilderness.  The Lord told Moses, “Thou shall consult with the Lord.”  He won’t just take away the murmuring problem, for God is trying to do something in our lives.  When we find ourselves in a negative situation, we need positive consultation from the Lord.  However, with it, we also get a promise and a plan.  God’s positive plan for Moses and the Jews, in their time of hunger, was to rain bread from heaven.  He required that the Jews exercise faith, in his promise to deliver.  We may be content with our faith, however God is not.

Next, let’s look at the requirement, “Thou shall not leave God out of the solution.”  Here, Moses did not need to solve the problem, as he was not a problem solver. (This is something we ALL need to remember!) If he were, the Jews would have looked to him, instead of God.  He did do something, however.  He stood back and let God work.  We don’t need another natural solution, but one that is “Supernatural.”  Along with God, people also have a responsibility.  We see the Lord’s requirement and plan for the Israelites in Exodus16, 4-5.  He says, “I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day…they shall prepare that which they bring in.” The blend of the natural and the Supernatural is lost when we fail to see our part in solving our own problems.  Sometimes good leadership requires us to stand back and let God and people work it out.  However, this can be difficult for some to implement.

Third, the Lord says, “Thou shall focus on God’s purposes.”  We ask ourselves, “Why is this happening?  What are You trying to show me?” A leader must ask the question and look at it the way in which God told Moses, in Exodus 16:4, “…that I may prove (to test or try) them, whether they walk in my law or no.” When we have faith and focus on a Spirit-led solution, God’s purpose can be fulfilled in our lives.  The Jews were required to take only a certain amount of food.  Through opportunity and specific instruction, God could prove (to test or try) the Israelites.  Consequently, if they took too much bread, the Bible says, it grew worms resulting in a foul odor, which exposed those who were disobedient.  God knows what we will do.  He uses this strategy to indicate to us how far we have come in our relationship with Him.

God’s will is that we obey and trust in Him, regardless of the situation or compelling desire to rely on ourselves for provision. As we focus on this purpose for us, we can better understand what He means in Exodus 16:12, which states, “You shall know that I am the Lord your God.”  God’s will for our lives is not to simply murmur when problems arise, but have faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ…through which all things are possible.

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