Here is a quote by Randy Alcorn via Facebook. (Same this is on his blog.) While I don’t like the ‘head and heart’ terminology, and don’t quite understand it, I can deal with it here.
I encourage those who are suffering to speak with a friend and perhaps a pastor or counselor. But in the process, don’t seek comfort by ignoring truth. When you try to soothe your feelings without bothering to think deeply about ideas, you are asking to be manipulated. Quick-fix feelings won’t sustain you over the long haul. On the other hand, deeply rooted beliefs—specifically a worldview grounded in Scripture—will allow you to persevere and hold on to a faith built on the solid rock of God’s truth.
What ends up in the heart comes in through the head. The current tendency to minimize Bible study and sound theology in the interests of focusing on the heart is badly misguided. The anti-intellect, popular-culture-driven “all that matters is my heart” is wrong, but even if it were right, we would need to be cultivating our minds in order to cultivate our hearts. God help us to renew our minds, set our minds on things above, and love God with all our hearts and minds, never supposing we can do one without the other.
What I liked about the book How Long O Lord by D.A. Carson is he didn’t tell cute stories and give trite little saying to try to comfort us. He wrote about who God is, His sovereignty and our responsibility, and theological truth which is what we really need to even be remotely prepared when suffering comes.
I would like to get Randy Alcorn’s book, If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil. (I asked the publisher for a review copy but haven’t heard from them.) His latest book The Goodness of God: Assurance of Purpose in the Midst of Suffering is a condensed version.
Romans 12:2 HCSB
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Colossians 3:1-4
So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4 When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”







Jeff,
I was not assuming at all just trying to encourage and after reading the very first posting:
god is good,how quickly we forget.i,m out of a job due 2 the economy,i just need for my basics to be met,housenote/trucknote/lightbills etc.my husband is doing the best he can it is not enough
The part that says “my husband is doing the best he can it is not enough” basically is saying what her situation is so I was just saying instead of speaking that it is not enough….tell her situation how big her God and start speaking that he needs are met. Be careful what you speak out of your mouth because the power of life & death is in the tongue and we can cause damage if we are not careful.
Jeff I was speaking to myself also in saying this, it should go for all of us. So before you blast somebody that is trying to be of encouragement to someone else, think before you speak and remember once again…life & death are in the tongue!
” Instead of telling God how big your situation is….start telling your situation how big your God is.”
You were reading a lot into her situation and what she is and isn’t doing. All she was saying is that financially her husband’s job isn’t enough right now. She also said that God is good. A platitude isn’t going to do much good for her right now. Job’s friends had plenty of them.
See this post:
Am I being too harsh?
Jeff
Jeff – I am not going to argue with you. Once again it was not an attack on anyone just simply trying to encourage another child of God and I don’t understand why you felt like I was calling her out in a negative manner or see fit to start a dispute with me. You should take that encouragement to, as well as her, & even myself. Everyone should take that and use it, it is very helpful and speaks volume in reminding us that God is greater than any situation we may face whether it be financial, relationship, family…etc and he is in control if we allow him to be.
OK then. I know you were trying to help.
Jeff