07 August 2016
Two-Minute Features | 14 August 2016 | 31 July 2016

God Sends Us Trials to Test Our Character, Part 2 (TMF:470)

Friday, August 12, 2016
Peace to Live By: God Sends Us Trials to Test Our Character, Part 2 (TMF:470) - Daniel Litton
(tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       God will send trials into our lives in order to test our character, and our internal mindsets. No Christian is exempt from this. When a trial comes, we have one of two options, really. We can either let the trial mold and shape us into becoming firmer in our belief in God’s care and future provision, or we can wine and cry about our problem and start to move backwards in life. We can even shut down, and not want to go forward or do anything. We can let depression set in. But we all know, if we are honest within ourselves, that that is not God’s will for us. We have to remember that God is always with us, no matter ‘what’ happens. And believing this, in the midst of a trial, will give us joy. Indeed, we can have a firm foundation of joy no matter what happens because we know God is in control. It is important to note here that joy is not the same as happiness. They are different even though they may look the same. As I just talked about, our joy can always be with us, no matter what happens. We have joy because we rely on God and trust in him through our circumstances. Our happiness, though, in our lives is based on our circumstances. Sometimes we are happy, and sometimes we are not. Solomon told us there is a time and a place for everything (see Ecclesiastes 3).

God Sends Us Trials to Test Our Character, Part 1 (TMF:469)

Thursday, August 11, 2016
Peace to Live By: God Sends Us Trials to Test Our Character, Part 1 (TMF:469) - Daniel Litton
(tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       Most of us are probably never going to face imprisonment for our beliefs in this life, at least, I hope not. Some of us might, though, in the future. Nonetheless, focusing on smaller problems, why are we to have joy when we are in the midst of problems in our lives? If we continue reading the passage in James, he says, “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:3, 4, ESV). But what is this “steadfastness” that James is talking about? Steadfastness means we are firm in our beliefs, and therefore unwavering when trouble comes. When marriage is difficult, a child is sick, we lose our job, our car breaks down—whatever it is—we are calm inside ourselves because we know God is in control. God will send trials into our lives in order to test our character, and our internal mindsets. No Christian is exempt from this. When a trial comes, we have one of two options, really. We can either let the trial mold and shape us into becoming firmer in our belief in God’s care and future provision, or we can wine and cry about our problem and start to move backwards in life. We can even shut down, and not want to go forward or do anything. We can let depression set in.

Having a Joyful Attitude in a Time of Difficulty (TMF:468)

Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Peace to Live By: Having a Joyful Attitude in a Time of Difficulty (TMF:468) - Daniel Litton
(tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       So, first, let’s talk about having a joyful attitude. A particularly good example of this is found in the New Testament of being joyful in spite of our circumstances. I want us to turn to Acts chapter 16. Paul and Silas gave us a good model of having a right attitude when they were locked up in prison in Philippi. Paul had commanded a demon to come out of a servant girl which she had used for fortune telling. We read in Acts chapter 16, in verse 25, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (ESV). Now, this is pretty remarkable. Here you had two servants of God who had been locked up, in prison, and beforehand they had been harshly beaten. And these two men were both “praying… to God” and “singing hymns” to him. How do you sing when you are in such a circumstance? After all, they hadn’t done anything wrong at all, yet they were being punished as criminals. Remember what James has told us? He said, “Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2, ESV). Paul and Silas gave us the epic example of this. If we continue reading the passage in James, he says, “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:3, 4, ESV).

Intro to Right Attitudes- With Joy & Thankfulness (TMF:467)

Tuesday, August 09, 2016
Peace to Live By: Intro to Right Attitudes- With Joy & Thankfulness (TMF:467) - Daniel Litton
(tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       Let’s say we want to go an outdoor outing along a rigorous trail, and if we are going to go on this outing, we might as well do it right—go to the best place possible we can. Let’s say we are out in the State of Utah for our journey. I love that state; it’s such a beautiful place. When we decide to go on this adventure, hopefully we are trail enthusiasts, or we shouldn’t be going. Nonetheless, we choose to go on the adventure and have an underlying joy as we wait and look forward for the time to come. Then it does come, we fly out there, and we go out on the trail. Now, as we go, we know that there are going to be times where the trail is difficult, and times where it is easy. We may even run into a problem or two on our journey. We retain our joy because, if we are into trails, we love the outdoors. And when we come to the end of the journey, we look back at the outing with thankfulness (assuming all went well). We may have taken pictures, and from time to time we will look back on these pictures with thankfulness. I say all of this because I want you to understand that, as Christians, we can have underlying joy that is present regardless of our circumstances in life. And we can also can have thankfulness in our varying circumstances. Today, I want to talk about having both joyful and thankful attitudes, as Christians, as we live out our lives. God wants us to have an intrinsic joy in our lives, as we trust in him with our lives. And, of course, he also wants us to be thankful for all that we have.

God Gives Eternal Life to Those Who Will Believe (TMF:466)

Monday, August 08, 2016
Peace to Live By: God Gives Eternal Life to Those Who Will Believe (TMF:466) - Daniel Litton
(tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       God will grant eternal life to anyone who would believe in Jesus, and you will never again be in danger of any of God’s wrath to come in the future. God gives eternal life, in which we will live with God forever. This life will be in total peace, with the desires of your heart, having things you truly want, in Heaven with God. God will be your father and take care of you forever. He is the father to the fatherless, and Father to anyone who will let him in. If you would like to accept Jesus Christ today as your personal Lord, and personal Savior, and gain eternal life, and a new life starting today in God, then follow my lead in this prayer: God, I come to you today as a sinner. I have done things against you in my life. But today I want to accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross on my behalf for my sins, and I believe he rose from the dead and is now with you in Heaven. God, I give my life over to you because I want you to be in the drivers seat of my life. Please, Father, change my life, change me from the inside out, and make me become like Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.