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.”

Truth necessitates application.

–Eric Carpenter, Ligonier 2010: A Review

In his excellent review of the conference, Carpenter laments the fact that speakers spent little time on application. The only thing I can say in their defense is that John MacArthur has spoken at length about how he exposits Scripture and let’s the listener apply it. He doesn’t know everyone’s individual situation and there could be 100 ways of applying something either in insight or in practice.

I think preachers could give a personal application as an example. This helps people to know their pastor better and gives them an idea of how something written in an ancient text still applies to us. (Like the same powerful God who created the earth in six literal days abides in us. Ha.)

But the quote stands on its own and is clear in meaning.

The greater part of wisdom consists in understanding the relationships between complementary truths.

–Dick Gaffin

Matthew 21:22
And everything—whatever you ask in prayer, believing—you will receive.”

1 John 5:14
Now this is the confidence we have before Him: whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

I’m not certain if these verses are exactly the idea that Mr. Gaffin is referring to but they came to mind as I read the quote.

This quote was taken from an interview with David Powlison.

This GodTube video of Paul Washer speaking expresses some of the ideas written about on 23Oct07 and 6Oct07 in the last third of the video/audio:
How do you know you are saved?

Related Scripture:
My soul followeth hard after thee:
thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:8 KJV