Facing Diminishing Returns On Our Energy Investments

Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. Acts 5:24 (NKJV)

Several times in my life the Lord has given me a word of wisdom telling me that I was at the point of diminishing returns of something I was involved in.

When you have limited energy and your strength is small you need to weigh carefully where you focus your time and energy. With so many things affecting my health and strength, I need to make sure that when I spend my limited energy I am getting a good return on the investment.

You have probably heard it said that “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.” Yet we can get into habits that are hard to break, and when we continue to do the same things over and over and expect productive outcomes when our experience proves otherwise, we need to change course and begin doing something new.

We get comfortable in our routines and some of the things that we are used to may seem to require less energy from us as we are practiced at them, yet if there is no fruit, to what end are we doing them?

I challenge you as I challenge myself, consider where you are spending your limited time and energy, and ask yourself if there is any real fruit, any productive result from the precious energy you are spending in that area. If you conclude you are at the point of, or are receiving diminishing returns, then perhaps you need to consider a different course and path forward.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we have so little time and energy to spend on this earth, help us to be frugal with the resources you have given us, spending it all wisely and well. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Sometimes Our Hope Gets Deferred

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV)

I had just bought a new electric guitar and had been practicing and showing improvement in my playing. I was excited about becoming a better guitar player, and then I got a painful skin ulcer right over the area of my lower stomach where the guitar rested while playing, making it impossible to play my new guitar any longer.

Sometimes our hopes get deferred, derailed, set back, and this leaves us frustrated and disappointed.

Illness, disease, loss of job, loss of husband or wife, perhaps the death of a family member or friend--disappointment comes in many forms. And each disappointment can leave us disillusioned and depressed, and can quench our hopes and dreams.

We need to find a way through our disappointments and hopes that get deferred or even crushed. We need a Lord to give us strength and carry us through when we cannot even carry on another day.

Disillusion and disappointment can be temporary or ongoing, they can end our hopes, and can bring us to our knees. When we fall to our knees we need to look up, pray, and ask the Lord to restore our hope, perhaps give us a new hope, a new path, and a new empowerment so we can recover our courage. We need to get up off of our knees, and continue to carry on with restored hope, renewed passion, all made possible because we are keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Lord, life frequently shoots down our hopes, but as long as we have You, and Your hand is upon us, we can find new hope and courage to carry on no matter what comes our way. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Salvation Comes From The Lord

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

When my brother and sister and I were quite young, our mother cried out a desperate prayer to God. A single mother raising three young children who were very close in age was no easy task, my mom had her hands full. So in desperation and perhaps frustration she prayed: God, help me raise these kids!

One day two young fellows from  a Baptist Church visited our neighborhood asking children to go to their Sunday School and my siblings and I agreed to go. I was the first one saved in that church, then my younger sister, then my younger brother.

Years later my mom would ask me: How did you turn out the way you did? I knew what she meant, ours was not a religious home, just the opposite, we were secular in many ways and my mom did not attend church. Yet God had his hand on me, and I read His word constantly, growing and learning and struggling to understand God and my relationship to Him which affected my thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and actions.

God hears our prayers, even our most desperate prayers. His ultimate goal is to bring us into His Kingdom, to bring His children to heaven and in glorious relationship with Himself.

It no small thing to invite God into a situation. Whether prayed in desperation, or with great faith, God hears us when we call upon Him. Yet first we must reach out to Him, reach out to the One who can change situations and lives.

My siblings and I are still believers, we have been blessed in ways that some in our generation never experienced because of the Lord’s involvement in our lives. Your situation or circumstances can never limit you or hold you back when the Lord is involved in your life.

No matter what life has thrown into your path, the best thing you can do is call upon the Lord. Ask Him to become your Lord and Savior, and invite Him to lead you and guide you throughout your life.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for hearing my mother’s desperate prayer, and thank You for being involved in my life throughout all these years. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Wanting The Thorn Gone Now!

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NKJV)

When you have a thorn sticking in your flesh there is only one reaction: Get It Out! You don’t want to study it, or think about it, or consider the best way to remove it--you just want it out the quickest way possible.

Thorns hurt and immediately grab our attention. They shout a warning of pain through us and we immediately react toward them. Thorns are never pleasant, never something we welcome. Even the Apostle Paul went to the Lord three times asking that his painful thorn in the flesh be removed. And that is the biggest problem with thorns--very often we are unable to remove them ourselves.

I have had numerous thorns in various forms over many years. Indeed, it seems the thing I do most is go back to the Lord over and over again asking Him to remove one thorn or another that are above my ability to remove or deal with. Over time numerous individual thorns have been removed, yet others have lingered, or returned. And when you can not get a thorn removed, you are going to need a special kind of grace to deal with the frustration of constantly dealing with and tolerating a painful thorn no matter what shape it takes: Physical, Mental, Emotional, or Spiritual.

Whatever your particular thorn in the flesh, take it to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to remove it, but if He does not, then ask Him for the grace to survive it with His help and comfort to see you through.

Prayer: Dear Lord, these thorns in the flesh prick and trouble us, cause us pain and misery, please heal us, please give us grace and peace, please help us through our pain and suffering. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Because Of His Love, Grace, And Favor

Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. Deuteronomy 9:6 (NIV)

One biographer described Simon Kenton as a lazy, worthless fellow who beat up a rival for a woman so badly that Simon thought he had killed the man, and then fled westward into the wilderness, much as Moses did in the Bible after killing a man.

Yet like Moses, Simon went on to save his people, protected settlers as they came west into the American wilderness, providing them with food and teaching them how to live. At one point he even saved the life of the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone. It did not surprise me to see at the end of Simon Kenton’s life he had become a Christian. The hand of God had preserved his life so many times that he could not deny the fact of God’s existence.

Sickness and disease can make our lives look unprofitable and worthless. Events beyond our control can leave us feeling helpless and useless, and make others think so as well. But if the hand of God is upon your life, the end of your story can be much different than it appears right now. You may be responsible for helping others to find the Lord, by your faithfulness you might encourage other Christians to stay faithful, and your perseverance is a constant testimony to the power of God.

Your story is not finished. You may feel sidelined by illness, but God can take your weakness and use it for His glory. People wrote off Simon Kenton as useless, but he has gone down in history as a man that Providence preserved and used to aid many people. Your story is not finished, trust God to help it end well.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we often feel helpless and useless because of our afflictions. Let us never forget that You are the Author of our story, and it will end well. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Make Music In Your Spirit

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25 (NKJV)

No one in my family can sing very well, that gene must have completely bypassed us. Yet we all love music and every generation has their own particular genre of music they love and enjoy.

I came to appreciate music mostly in my teen years as I found music that expressed my angst and up and down emotions through that period of my life. But I think the real power of music came alive to me in church and in my discovery of powerful Christian music that could not only bless the soul but empower and stir up the spirit within me.

Music is part of worship for many Christians, it can turn our attention toward God and off of ourselves, magnifying our Creator and Redeemer. Music is poetry, melody, rhythm, harmony, and something indefinable that works within us, stirring inside of us a need and answering a desire we did not even realize we had until the music starts.

God gave us the gift of music, and not only will we enjoy it down here on earth, but heaven will be filled with music. Hymns will be with us always as we praise our Lord throughout eternity. We have much to thank God for, and one of the greatest gifts is music.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the hymns of old and new music that lifts our spirits and turns our hearts toward You. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

We All Need A Savior, Especially In Difficult Times

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8 NIV)

I find God so amazing and beyond comprehension, and His word so rich that a single verse can be life-changing. Which makes it difficult to fathom the number of unbelievers in the world. Entire nations seem to be moving further from God, nations and people who have ample opportunity to learn about and experience God. It is hard to comprehend their rejection of the Divine, except when human pride and the flesh are considered, I suppose we should wonder that there are not more unbelievers when we think about the hardness of the human heart.

It is also amazing to me that anyone survives hardship without God. I cannot imagine enduring my many trials outside of God’s help. My suspicion is that there is a much higher percentage of believers among those who chronically suffer, considering that we soon learn humility and just how frail we are as humans, and how badly we need our Creator in the midst of our suffering and pain.

It is tempting to think we can make it through life without God. Human pride wants to think we are in essence our own “god” the master of our own fate. Yet those who will open their eyes, step onto the narrow path, and look up when circumstances try to bring them down, we find circumstances can change, God can still work miracles, He can bring people into our lives that bring us love, help, and kindness.

With open eyes, with eyes open wide, we can see a world that only makes sense in the light of scripture and God’s presence. We find meaning and understanding in light of God’s love and scriptural teachings and doctrine. Without God you have no future, no hope, no justice, no love, no mercy, no help.

Worldly people deny their Maker, and think they can make it through life alone, but godly people find relief, and peace in the Creator of all they are.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we lean upon You because You are there, in our hopes and prayers and manifest through love and peace and the people You bring into our lives to love and aid us on our journey to You. Thank You Lord, Creator and Maker of all things. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

When We Need Guidance Making Health Decisions

“. . .for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV)

Making decisions can be very hard, especially when it comes to our health. Over the years I have learned to pray about decisions, especially big decisions. I have also learned to listen for the answers to those prayers. Sometimes the answers come through other people, sometimes through circumstances, and other times through intuition or direct revelation from God.

The year leading up to my colostomy surgery, as I continued to waste away and grow weaker and weaker, I continually asked God for His wisdom and guidance and an answer to my deteriorating health. For the first time I seemed to get absolutely no response from God, no answer in any fashion whatsoever. Everything worked out eventually, and my health has improved since the surgery, but it took me aback that God did not seem to give me any help with my decision for surgery.

About a week ago, late one night during prayer, God gave me an answer, a simple one: It had to be my decision. I understood immediately what He meant. I had fought the decision to have a colostomy surgery all along. I would not even consider it until I had no other choice and there was really no other option.

If God had pressured me, or anyone else for that matter, to have the surgery–I would have balked. I would have resisted, and probably went into the surgery and come out of it with resentment and without the attitude I needed to deal with the process.

When it was solely my decision to make, and when I made it, I went into the surgery with the attitude I needed to deal with everything involved in it.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. God gives us the tools, the wisdom, the insight and common sense to make correct decisions and follow the right path. Very often we need merely to make the decision to do what is difficult and challenging. But too often we resist doing the hard or difficult things that come into our path, and that difficult path may be the one we must decide to take.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember that even though You are with us, we must move our feet and take the steps that lead to a good outcome. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Do Christians Have An Advantage Or Disadvantage?

“For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor You exalt our horn.” (Psalm 89:17 NIV)

The world is not fair. This world does not function in an even-handed way. The cards are stacked against some people, and in favor of other people. Christians have an unfair advantage.

Sometimes we get so caught up in what we don’t have, and what troubles us, that we overlook the very special relationship we have with God. We may have trouble, we may hit obstacles, we may suffer pain and grief, and yet we have an Almighty God to call upon at any time.

Often I think distress is the lot of the Christian. So many good people, so many Christian people, suffer horrible things that it seems we are singled out for adversity, that we were created for adversity. Often the odds seem stacked against us.

But we are playing with a fixed deck. It is we who have the unfair advantage, and if the veil of the spirit realm were rolled back, it would be seen that angels have been dispatched to make sure that we are winning the game no matter the hand we are dealt.

Within every believer abides the Holy Spirit of God. Think about that for a minute. No matter what your station in life, no matter how bad your affliction or circumstances, inside of you dwells the very Spirit of God. Angels of God are helping without, and the Spirit of God is helping within–do you see why I said the Christian has the unfair advantage in this world?

Some Christians face terrible adversity all of their lives. Trouble can follow trouble and circumstances can be grim. Yet our advantages outweigh our troubles, we need only look to the favor of the Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord, how soon we forget Your favor and the advantages You have given us. Thank You for Your favor, for Your unending blessings. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

This Is Going To Hurt

“Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.” (John 14:19-20 NIV)

Because Christ is risen and alive in Heaven, we also shall live beyond the grave, and more than this, we shall live this life having God with us. What an incredible revelation and truth!

I have found that because Jesus is with me, I can endure and overcome many things I could never face and survive in my own strength. We each face challenges and hardships, and even though no two lives face the exact same difficulties in exactly the same way, we all know suffering and pain–it is part of the human condition. The only question is: do you face your challenges alone or with Jesus helping and guiding you through the maze of pain and suffering?

On one occasion a surgeon who had operated on me before without much comment, said to me: “This is really going to hurt.” Now, it was a procedure like others he had done before, only this time he thought it would hurt so bad he should warn me. And he was right, the pain was terrible.

We all know that in spite of many sunny days and peaceful times, challenges are just around the bend of the road. Sometimes we are warned about painful situations, and sometimes they arrive without warning, but they do come.

Yet despite the challenges in our lives we need not live in fear, for those who know Christ as their Lord and Savior also know they do not face challenges alone. We do not suffer pain in a vacuum, but whatever pain we are going through we have the presence and comfort of God in our lives.

I think God would have us know that “This is going to hurt.” Life is both joy and pain, living is both pleasure and suffering. Yes, this is going to hurt sometimes, but God is with us in, and through the pain.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with us through the painful episodes in our lives Help us to always remember that we are not alone in our suffering. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Why Does God Sometimes Heal Us Of One Thing But Not Another?

“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:3 NIV)

About a year and a half ago I was stricken with a new malady. For about six weeks I suffered terribly from arthritis. I could hardly get up from the couch because my knees hurt so badly, and each morning was a terrible challenge just to get out of bed.

My hands and feet, my elbows and knees–they suffered from terrible joint pain and swelling. My family doctor told me I needed to go to a specialist. I had read that those suffering from Crohn’s disease also often suffered from arthritis.

I felt like I was in an impossible situation. My chronic fatigue syndrome was a daily challenge, and my Crohn’s disease had steadily gotten worse. I had a long talk with the Lord. The short of it was that I felt there was far too much already on my plate to add arthritis into the mix.

Evidently, the Lord agreed with me, because just before I was to go to the specialist, my arthritis disappeared as quickly as it had come. I was both shocked and incredibly relieved, as well as immensely grateful to God for delivering me from this terrible affliction.

I have said that God does not allow more to come our way than we can bear, and my experience has proven this. For you see, God knew that in the next year I would become deathly ill from the Crohn’s disease, and having arthritis on top of that would indeed have been too much for me.

Why didn’t He heal me of all my illnesses? Or why doesn’t He heal others of their illnesses? I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that God will not let more come our way than we can endure. His grace is always with us in affliction. And He sometimes delivers us out of affliction.

Prayer: Dear Lord, whether You deliver us in, or out of affliction, all praise be to Your Holy Name! Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Our Body May Be Fading But We Are Not Wasting Away Within

“That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV)

Within a period of about six weeks, two different doctors looked at me and sent me to the lab; each doctor was convinced I needed a blood transfusion, the second doctor assured me I would need at least two units of blood. Well it turned out I only “looked like a starving vampire”, for in both cases my blood count was fine.

Recently I was told that a family member, who happens to be in the fourth stage of cancer, thought that I looked really bad.

Four years ago, at five foot ten inches tall, I weighed 225 pounds. Last winter I weighed 185 pounds. Right now I would be amazed if I could hit the 150 pound mark. I know something of what it means to see the outward man perishing.

Thank God that we are more than our outward shell. Thankfully our true self is the one that exists inwardly, our personality, our likes and dislikes, our loves and hates–all come from within where our true self exists.

God looks at the heart. He measures each of us by who we really are, by who we are on the inside. Some people look very good on the outside. Some people are pure muscle and look as strong as Hercules.

Others are so beautiful that their faces are seen on all the magazine covers. But God sees past all that into the heart.

You may feel like me. You may hardly recognize the person you see in the mirror. You may wonder what happened to the strength you once had. Such changes can be devastating to us if we let them. I think that is why the Bible continually reminds us we have a better home awaiting us, that even though we may fade while on this earth, we will shine in heaven.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we long for the day when we are renewed, until then give us grace and strength on this earth. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

God Stays Beside Us

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)

Knowing that God is with me, no matter what else may be going on, is one of the most precious things in my life. It is priceless to know that the Lord never abandons me–not when circumstances change; not when affliction comes; not even when I am failing miserably as a Christian–God remains faithful. He does not abandon us.

There are days when my temper grows short, my tongue grows sharp, and my patience disappears. By all rights God should leave me when I fail to be the Christian I ought to be, but He does not leave me. Nor does He abandon any Christian who may feel weak and unworthy. God stays with us through the high and low points in our Christian walk.

Recently there have been days when I felt like I was being carried along by circumstances and it has left me feeling powerless. Yet, to know that God is with me, provides an anchor to hold me steady even when it seems chaos reigns. To know that God ultimately directs our life and holds us in His capable hands is a powerful revelation that can keep us steady through the darkest days and roughest storms of life.

I do not know your circumstances today You may be going through the roughest storm in your life, or you may be in one of those rare peaceful times that we all long for. Wherever you are, and whatever your situation in life, know that there is One who goes with you, through dark valleys and high mountaintops. God is our guide and He never abandons us. Call upon Him, depend upon Him, and know that He is with you.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that You are with us every day, and through every circumstance we face. Thank You for staying with us no matter what. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016

Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed By Focusing On Today

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14 NIV)

Do you borrow trouble from tomorrow? Finding yourself loaded down with the cares of today? Do you still reach out and add stress to your life from tomorrow’s cares?

I think we all do. It is a bad habit, made all the worse by the fact that too often we are too weak to deal with today’s challenges, much less wrestle with tomorrow’s difficulties.

The Stoic Philosophers have this thing called “Negative Visualization.” The idea is to imagine the worst things that can happen to you or your family, then if they occur, you are better prepared for them.

I can not go along with that idea. Not because bad things do not happen and not because we should not be prepared for hardships, but because too many people are already “negative visualizers” sitting around imagining the worst and using up precious energy as stress drains them and leaves them without the strength to face actual hardships.

The imagination is a gift from God when used wisely, but when used to borrow stress from tomorrow, or to always imagine the worst, it can be a curse rather than a blessing.

We ought rather to imagine the Lord being with us and our family members, and His wonderful angels imparting strength and help in our times of need. We will face stressful times, but we will face them with a God who helps us to meet those needs.

Do not borrow stress from tomorrow, pray and find strength for today.

Prayer: Dear Lord, each day has its stresses, help us to never borrow stress from tomorrow. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016