By Faith Alone‏        February 28, 2010

Martin Luther said:  "Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk
death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy,
joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures."

Romans 1:17   
For in the gospel righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

To live by faith is to walk with God: to cling to Him; to lean on Him; to draw from His exhaustless springs;
to find all our resources in Him; and to have Him as a perfect covering for our eyes and a satisfying object
for our hearts—to know Him as our only resource in all difficulties, and in our trials. It is that PUSH we
sometimes get that helps us through the tough times in our lives ~ by faith.

Such is the life of faith. Let us see that we understand it. It must be a reality or nothing at all. It will not do
to talk about the life of faith; we must live it; and in order to live it we must know God practically—know
Him intimately, in the deep secret of our own souls. It is utterly vain and delusive to profess to be living by
faith and looking to the Lord, while in reality our hearts are looking to some creature resource. How often
do people speak and write about their dependence upon God to meet certain wants, and by the very fact
of their making it known to a fellow-mortal they are, in principle, departing from the life of faith!   
(Excerpts from Devotional of C. H. Mackintosh)

PRAYER:  Lord, I want to live a life of faith in You. Teach me to focus my heart and mind on following You
each and every day. Push me to do your will.       Amen



Everything Falls into place        February 21, 2010

Never able to get over feelings of abandonment from a failed first marriage and living in constant fear that
once again someone now loved so deeply would leave, even though re-married and living in a wonderful
relationship - it was hard to allow a heart to fully heal. .

Healing didn’t take place all at once but it began in a profound way when one of the people in a Bible
Study Group offered:

“I can’t promise you that your spouse will always be faithful to you and never leave you.  I can’t even
promise you that I will always be here for you as a friend.  Humans are not always true.  But God is One
who will never leave you alone. Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not. Don’t worry
if you are unable to fully trust your partner or a friend now - start learning to trust God more. Everything
else will fall into place.”

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Psalm 36:5
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the
LORD; trust in him and he will do this.
Psalm 37:4-5 5
PRAYER:  Thank You, Lord, for Your faithful love; you are the anchor of my life. You enrich my soul. May
my entire day be a song of gratitude for Your loving kindness.  Amen



Everything Falls Into Place        February 14, 2010

Never able to get over feelings of abandonment from a failed first marriage and living in constant fear that
once again someone now loved so deeply would leave, even though re-married and living in a wonderful
relationship - it was hard to allow a heart to fully heal. .

Healing didn’t take place all at once but it began in a profound way when one of the people in a Bible
Study Group offered:

“I can’t promise you that your spouse will always be faithful to you and never leave you.  I can’t even
promise you that I will always be here for you as a friend.  Humans are not always true.  But God is One
who will never leave you alone. Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not. Don’t worry
if you are unable to fully trust your partner or a friend now - start learning to trust God more. Everything
else will fall into place.”

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Psalm 36:5
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the
LORD; trust in him and he will do this.
Psalm 37:4-5 5
PRAYER:  Thank You, Lord, for Your faithful love; you are the anchor of my life. You enrich my soul. May
my entire day be a song of gratitude for Your loving kindness.  Amen.
Black Canyon Community Church
SonShine Learning Center
Black Canyon City, Arizona

Prayer
with
Diana