[ Testimony ] Unmerited Favor

[Rob Cuse]

Grace. Sounds simple. God gives us grace, an unmerited favor. In due season, we receive grace for all our situations. Experiencing grace is alot different than talking about it. Today, my family experienced God's wonderdul grace.

After being told we were not chosen for a beautiful home that felt right, my wife and I have to admit we were a little discouraged. I told her, it just doesn't make any sense, we both felt this was the house God had led us to. We claimed it and said hey this is it. Thank you Lord and went about our business. But after being told we were slightly edged out of being chosen, we started to doubt our conviction. It's been a stormy summer spiritually and this was the icing on the cake. We found another home, compromised on some things we did not feel comfortable with but feeling the pressure we proceeded forward. As we inspected the house, after we signed the lease, we found it extremely not suitable and the landlord to be less than honest. The very same day we receive a call from the first house and it was offered to us. For some reason the first couple backed out. We accepted of course and voided the lease of the other home.

Anyway, today the owner of the house called me directly. He wanted to tell me something personally. He stated, "Rob, I don't use the Lord's name in vain, but I must tell you that God has His hands on this situation." He then told me he was a Pastor and knew we were to have this house. He never knew we were Christians or knew our prayers. You see, we fell short of completely trusting God but He still saw fit to answer our prayers in a way to be a gentle reprimand that He is and will always be in control.

I thank you Father, for when we are weak, you are strong. When we see no way out, You have already made the way. You have truly been our Heavenly Father, constantly leading our feet in the way. We stumbled but You kept us along the way. Lord, we appreciate the material but we know it's temporary. However, You saw fit to provide just when it was needed. We thank you and ask forgiveness for not fully trusting You. Thank You.

 

[Sparkey]

Count it all joy, bretheren...
Reckon it your chiefest source of JOY
Think about it as if it is a primary force of creating your overflowing eternal JOY that will be yours forevermore​

When...

When, and through no fault of your own, you fall...
Because you didn't assume the risk by your evil act, but you fell *oops* into troubles
You just fell... it happens, and when it does? Count it as JOY, all joy, in fact.
When you fall, count it joy.
Think about it this way, when you fall, or if you trip and get stumbled to the ground?
Then, and there, count it, reckon it, think about it, as your primary and chiefest source of JOY, because we all know it won't feel that way. But, like the NIKE® SWOOSH, commercial, "Just Do It!"

Count it all Joy, your chiefest source of Joy, when you fall into diverse and differing sorts of TRIALS.​

HUH? What did he say?

He said we are to count it that way, even when it don't feel that way. KNOWING THIS:

Oh, now it's gonna make some sense? Yep! I hope so, but pardon me, I was chewing cud...
I'm like that. A clean animal. Been made clean. I chew cud and I split hoof - so then I may climb up to soaring heights...
But I digress... Where were we?​

Oh yeah.... Counting JOY

Knowing that the trial of your faith produces endurance and patience and then? It's just a matter of letting, of allowing, of not doing anything more but resting and being refreshed in, and by, the sure knowledge that the trial of your faith, your God-Trust, produces Endurance; and let your newly produced Stamina and Endurance have it's perfect work in you, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
​

BOOYAH! :woot

Whew! That was a mouthful. I wonder if brother James knew he was that verbose, if he suffered from using too many words, like me? I don't think so, because he packed meaning in there like I've never seen. He sure packed a whole lot of meaning into that one little thing he said there, didn't he?

Quoting now, from: James, chapter 1 (NIV)

Trials and Temptations​

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,(*a*) whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Footnotes:
a (from verse 2) The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also found in James 1:16 and James 1:19; and in James 2:1;5;14; James 3:10;12; James 4:11; James 5:7;9;10;12 and James 5:19.​

If any of you lacks wisdom? Ask God, who gives generously and without reproach is like saying He won't ask, "HEY! What did you do with that last lil' bit of WISDOM I gave you?" He gives without reproach, without finding fault. Ask, and it is given... BUT ask with out doubt.

Now that's a warning if I ever heard one, right? Ask. Go ahead and ask. But ask, doubting nothing... He said, "be sure to ask with NOTHING DOUBTING..." It sounds to me like he's saying, ASK but be sure to ask in full out TRUST of God, because you will have wisdom given to ya all right (the kind that sometimes comes from the skool of hard knocks, maybe, if you need it, that is, and if you're like me? You'll need that hard lesson) but then... then he continues and says that people who do that, who ask but don't ask in God-Trusting FAITH and they have doubts? Then they are not to even think that they get anything from God. They are like waves, tossed on the sea (of the doctrines and fickle teachings of men) and they are unstable and double-minded. Tossed to and fro... :erm

But that's enough of that from me... there's is more in there for thee... much more. Book of James, COUNT IT ALL JOY! Don't you love that? I do.

 

[Brother Mike]

Grace. Sounds simple. God gives us grace, an unmerited favor. In due season, we receive grace for all our situations. Experiencing grace is alot different than talking about it. Today, my family experienced God's wonderdul grace.

After being told we were not chosen for a beautiful home that felt right, my wife and I have to admit we were a little discouraged. I told her, it just doesn't make any sense, we both felt this was the house God had led us to. We claimed it and said hey this is it. Thank you Lord and went about our business. But after being told we were slightly edged out of being chosen, we started to doubt our conviction. It's been a stormy summer spiritually and this was the icing on the cake. We found another home, compromised on some things we did not feel comfortable with but feeling the pressure we proceeded forward. As we inspected the house, after we signed the lease, we found it extremely not suitable and the landlord to be less than honest. The very same day we receive a call from the first house and it was offered to us. For some reason the first couple backed out. We accepted of course and voided the lease of the other home.

Anyway, today the owner of the house called me directly. He wanted to tell me something personally. He stated, "Rob, I don't use the Lord's name in vain, but I must tell you that God has His hands on this situation." He then told me he was a Pastor and knew we were to have this house. He never knew we were Christians or knew our prayers. You see, we fell short of completely trusting God but He still saw fit to answer our prayers in a way to be a gentle reprimand that He is and will always be in control.

I thank you Father, for when we are weak, you are strong. When we see no way out, You have already made the way. You have truly been our Heavenly Father, constantly leading our feet in the way. We stumbled but You kept us along the way. Lord, we appreciate the material but we know it's temporary. However, You saw fit to provide just when it was needed. We thank you and ask forgiveness for not fully trusting You. Thank You.

My wife is believing for a house, we confess we are getting our buildings, our lands, our houses, and our equipment.

I have been walking in faith, teaching faith for many years. God has done some amazing things in my own life.

While you might have think you doubted, and certainly going after a Plan B house after You knew God had Plan A house is a big NO, NO concerning faith. It's just a house. God came through, and you were taken to the end of your faith when You started to look at the other house.

In a way, this is a good thing. The enemy will fight us on believing God, and the only weapon He really has is to bring persecution for the Word's sake, (Step 2 Mark 4) to make it look like what God said is not gonna happen. Satan don't have any other tools but to make things look as if they are not going to work out.

Now, Tribulation tries our Patience, and certainly you were feeling the dead line ticking away. The trying of your patience though brings something very important called experience. Your experience is that God came through, you heard him correctly the first time.
Experience then brings Hope, and that Hope is never let down, or made ashamed.

It's just a house, but a life or death situation, the enemy may make it look like that is the end, and grief will follow. You have something now to go back to, and tell that devil He tried the same thing with the House, and guess what Devil, it did not work out for you then, and My God will see to it that I have the victory NOW.

David faced a bear and a lion. I am sure it was a pretty bad day, but He beat them both. When Goliath came around years later, David said... God gave into my hand the bear and the lion, who is the uncircumcised Philistine who does not even have a covenant with God?

You might have felt you blew the faith thing a little bit, but in reality you have something greater in you now, than that house.
I would not have shared this, if the Lord had not asked me to.

Mike.

 

[Rob Cuse]

My wife is believing for a house, we confess we are getting our buildings, our lands, our houses, and our equipment.

I have been walking in faith, teaching faith for many years. God has done some amazing things in my own life.

While you might have think you doubted, and certainly going after a Plan B house after You knew God had Plan A house is a big NO, NO concerning faith. It's just a house. God came through, and you were taken to the end of your faith when You started to look at the other house.

In a way, this is a good thing. The enemy will fight us on believing God, and the only weapon He really has is to bring persecution for the Word's sake, (Step 2 Mark 4) to make it look like what God said is not gonna happen. Satan don't have any other tools but to make things look as if they are not going to work out.

Now, Tribulation tries our Patience, and certainly you were feeling the dead line ticking away. The trying of your patience though brings something very important called experience. Your experience is that God came through, you heard him correctly the first time.
Experience then brings Hope, and that Hope is never let down, or made ashamed.

It's just a house, but a life or death situation, the enemy may make it look like that is the end, and grief will follow. You have something now to go back to, and tell that devil He tried the same thing with the House, and guess what Devil, it did not work out for you then, and My God will see to it that I have the victory NOW.

David faced a bear and a lion. I am sure it was a pretty bad day, but He beat them both. When Goliath came around years later, David said... God gave into my hand the bear and the lion, who is the uncircumcised Philistine who does not even have a covenant with God?

You might have felt you blew the faith thing a little bit, but in reality you have something greater in you now, than that house.
I would not have shared this, if the Lord had not asked me to.

Mike.

Well said and I appreciate the words. They are definitely for my wife and I to hear.

 

[Rob Cuse]

Count it all joy, bretheren...
Reckon it your chiefest source of JOY
Think about it as if it is a primary force of creating your overflowing eternal JOY that will be yours forevermore​

When...

When, and through no fault of your own, you fall...
Because you didn't assume the risk by your evil act, but you fell *oops* into troubles
You just fell... it happens, and when it does? Count it as JOY, all joy, in fact.
When you fall, count it joy.
Think about it this way, when you fall, or if you trip and get stumbled to the ground?
Then, and there, count it, reckon it, think about it, as your primary and chiefest source of JOY, because we all know it won't feel that way. But, like the NIKE® SWOOSH, commercial, "Just Do It!"

Count it all Joy, your chiefest source of Joy, when you fall into diverse and differing sorts of TRIALS.​

HUH? What did he say?

He said we are to count it that way, even when it don't feel that way. KNOWING THIS:

Oh, now it's gonna make some sense? Yep! I hope so, but pardon me, I was chewing cud...
I'm like that. A clean animal. Been made clean. I chew cud and I split hoof - so then I may climb up to soaring heights...
But I digress... Where were we?​

Oh yeah.... Counting JOY

Knowing that the trial of your faith produces endurance and patience and then? It's just a matter of letting, of allowing, of not doing anything more but resting and being refreshed in, and by, the sure knowledge that the trial of your faith, your God-Trust, produces Endurance; and let your newly produced Stamina and Endurance have it's perfect work in you, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
​

BOOYAH! :woot

Whew! That was a mouthful. I wonder if brother James knew he was that verbose, if he suffered from using too many words, like me? I don't think so, because he packed meaning in there like I've never seen. He sure packed a whole lot of meaning into that one little thing he said there, didn't he?

Quoting now, from: James, chapter 1 (NIV)

Trials and Temptations​

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,(*a*) whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Footnotes:
a (from verse 2) The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also found in James 1:16 and James 1:19; and in James 2:1;5;14; James 3:10;12; James 4:11; James 5:7;9;10;12 and James 5:19.​

If any of you lacks wisdom? Ask God, who gives generously and without reproach is like saying He won't ask, "HEY! What did you do with that last lil' bit of WISDOM I gave you?" He gives without reproach, without finding fault. Ask, and it is given... BUT ask with out doubt.

Now that's a warning if I ever heard one, right? Ask. Go ahead and ask. But ask, doubting nothing... He said, "be sure to ask with NOTHING DOUBTING..." It sounds to me like he's saying, ASK but be sure to ask in full out TRUST of God, because you will have wisdom given to ya all right (the kind that sometimes comes from the skool of hard knocks, maybe, if you need it, that is, and if you're like me? You'll need that hard lesson) but then... then he continues and says that people who do that, who ask but don't ask in God-Trusting FAITH and they have doubts? Then they are not to even think that they get anything from God. They are like waves, tossed on the sea (of the doctrines and fickle teachings of men) and they are unstable and double-minded. Tossed to and fro... :erm

But that's enough of that from me... there's is more in there for thee... much more. Book of James, COUNT IT ALL JOY! Don't you love that? I do.

Lol you do use alot of words but in there are some great points that remind me to never doubt God. So thank you for all your words. :nod

 

[Ph8th]

Thank you Rob for sharing, God is faithful to supply our needs.

 

[Nicole Cuse]

GOD IS GOOD!

 

[Ph8th]

I never knew love so true
Till I knew love from You
Its a gift given
Not for what I do
Its the gift of grace
That comes from You
Thank You Lord!​