The Secret of Contentment

by Dr. Charles Stanley

Final Exhortations - Philippians 4:4-9 NIV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thanks for Their Gifts - Philippians 4:10-13 NIV

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

In today's reading, the apostle Paul says he has learned the secret of experiencing contentment in all circumstances, good or bad. Does it surprise you that he wrote this when he was in prison, unsure of his future?

We're often discontent even when all is going well. Consequently, we wonder how it's possible to be truly content during our most difficult trials, especially when there's no end in sight. So what is genuine contentment? Paul is speaking of a freedom from worry and frustration about everything in life--even unfulfilled desires.

It's usually when we cannot control or change our situation that we feel discontentment. As long as our satisfaction depends on whether certain things actually work out, we'll allow circumstances to cheat us out of peace. I'm not saying there's some spiritual stage where you will never again experience anxiety or frustration. But what matters is how we respond when those feelings grip us.

This is something that the apostle had to learn. Paul endured amazing suffering, from shipwrecks and hunger to unjust imprisonment and beatings

(24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.

27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 2 Cor. 11:24-30 NIV). He had gone through countless situations that were uncertain, extraordinarily painful, and seemingly hopeless. But he finally discovered that contentment could not be dependent upon his circumstances.

How do you respond when circumstances are out of your control? Do you get angry? Do you try to escape? Does despair make you want to give up? Paul chose to give his anxieties to Jesus in exchange for peace that "surpasses all comprehension" (Phil. 4:7). That same peace is available to you!

Today's Devotional Sponsor:

ALONE? DISCOURAGED? NEED A FRIEND?

Do you occasionally feel like you are alone? Nothing seems to go right! No one really cares! No one to talk with, then do I have a friend for you!!

ALONE?

DISCOURAGED?

NEED A FRIEND?

Even surrounded by people, do you sometimes feel all alone? Are there times in which you really wished someone cared about you? Someone you could count on? No matter what, someone that would always be there for you. Proverbs 17:7 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” God tells us that good friends are very important. Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Unfortunately, even family and the closest friends will let you down sometimes, but God tells us that you have one friend that will NEVER EVER let you down.
When you feel all alone, discouraged and everything seems to be going against you, be not afraid because Jesus is there for you, at all times. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Jesus wants to be your best friend, All The Time, Every Time, No Exceptions, Regardless. Are you ready for a personal relationship with Jesus? Are you ready to accept His freely offered present or gift of eternal life?
HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN
Jesus wants you to have a very personal relationship with him, but there is one thing that keeps you separated from God and that is sin. Jesus loves you, regardless of what you have done. People have a tendency to separate themselves into two groups - good people and bad people, but God says in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
We have been brought up with mankind’s rules; in which, there is usually a reward for how good you are, but a definite punishment for when you are bad. For this reason, it is difficult for some to understand how Jesus could still love us when so many others seem to hate us. GREAT NEWS! JESUS LOVES YOU!! He loves you more than you or I could ever imagine!! A NEVER ENDING LOVE and there is nothing you can ever do to make Him Stop loving you.
If you are thinking that you should make matters right in your life, you are not alone. You are realizing that you have done so many wrong things during your lifetime and that you feel that you are not good enough to accept this freely offered gift of eternal life. Many people tend to feel this way, but that is not what God said. Romans 5:8 “ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ died for us, to save us from our sins, before we were ever born. For you to be able to come to God, you have to get rid of all your sin troubles. God says, just by being a better person, can not make your right with God. We are only human, we have a sinful nature; therefore, we will never be just good enough, but God wants to save you and me, not because of how good we are, but JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU AND ME!!! Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. By the washing regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
It is by God’s grace that we are allowed to come to Him, and not your efforts to clean up your life and/or work your way to heaven. Salvation can not be earned, salvation can not be bought. IT IS A FREE GIFT.... Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Your sins must be paid for and death is the payment, but for those that come to God, the debt of sin has already been paid. God’s gift to you is His son, Jesus Christ and Jesus paid your sin debt. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Jesus paid the price for your sin and mine by giving His life on Calvary’s cross. God brought Jesus back from the dead, paving the way for you to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus. All that is left for you to do is to accept God’s gift that Jesus Christ is holding out for you at this moment. Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thou mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” God says, if you believe in His son, Jesus, you can live forever with Him in glory. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Are you ready to accept God’s gift of eternal life that is being offered by Jesus? If it is your sincere desire to ask Jesus to come into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, then talk to God from your heart, open your heart and mind and be receptive to the Holy Spirit as your pray the Sinner’s prayer:
“My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life, but I do believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sins and then rose from the grave, thereby providing a place for me in Heaven. Lord Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive me of all my sins and save me. I now place my trust in You and You alone for my salvation and I willingly accept God’s free gift of eternal life.”

We rejoice with you, in your decision to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Now you need to connect a church in your home community. There are a few churches listed in this publication with service schedule, etc. visit a few, talk with the pastor and pray, let the Lord direct you to a church in which you will be able to grow.

DAILY SMILE:

Wild Pitcher

Submitted by S. Sovetts

I was sitting behind an enthusiastic mom at my son’s Little League game. Her boy was pitching for the opposing team and she cheered as he threw wild pitch after wild pitch.

The poor kid walked every batter. It was only the first inning and the score was 12–0. Then one batter finally hit the ball.

"Oh no," the mom wailed. "There goes his no-hitter."

June 22, 2019:

The Anointing Word Ministry will be remembering our beloved mother the late, Sis. Annie Lee Magee on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 12 noon at St Paul AME Church, 420 Church Street, Bogalusa, LA. The Anointed Word aim is to give service that will bring glory and

continued honor to Jesus Christ ,our Lord and Savior.. We focus on reaching out to believers and placing a continued hope in the lives of all believers. Rev. Michael Oree will bring the message and his choir will lead us in praise songs lifting up the name of Jesus. We are expecting a blessing! Come witness the power of God and give God the glory ! May God continue to endow you is our prayer.

June, July and/or August:

All Area Churches are Invited to place their Up-Coming Events, Revival, Camp Meeting, Bible Book Study, Vacation Bible School, Home Coming, Fifth Saturday/Sunday Event, etc... Any event except regular

church hours...

You write what you want to say, please include church address for those that may not know your exact location and send it to the editor...

Email to StarEditor70427@yahoo.com or

Facebook/Messenger to

https://www.facebook.com/Richard.POP.Spurlock...

THE EASIEST AND YUMMIEST STRAWBERRY BROWNIES IN THE WORLD

from familysavvy.com

strawberry-brownies

PREP TIME10 minutes

COOK TIME15 minutes

ADDITIONAL TIME5 minutes

TOTAL TIME30 minutes
The key ingredient in these brownies is strawberry cake mix. I’ve always used Duncan Hines, as that is my favorite brand. I am sure others would work also as long as they don’t have pudding in the mix. Although I’ve never used pudding mix for these, I fear it would make them too soft.
Make ahead: If making and taking these to an event, I usually bake them, cut them into squares, and freeze them for up to four weeks. The day of serving, I let them thaw in the freezer bag (opened) for a few hours before arranging on a small platter.

INGREDIENTS

BROWNIES:

1 box strawberry cake mix (see notes)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

GLAZE:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 -2 TB water or milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line 8" or 9" square baking pan with parchment; spray with flour spray.
Mix strawberry cake mix, eggs, and oil with hand mixer until well combined.
Spread batter evenly into pan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until just set; be careful not to overcook.
Allow brownies to cool for 10 minutes; lift carefully from pan using ends of parchment to lift.
Mix powdered sugar, water and extract (is using) until smooth. Add just enough water until thick but spreadable.
Pour glaze over brownies, spreading to edges so that glaze will drip down sides.
Allow brownies to cool and glaze to set before cutting into squares.

NOTES

Duncan Hines is my fave cake mix.

8" pans yield thicker brownies; 9" pans yield thinner ones.

Batter will be very thick; use a good mixer to mix and spatula to spread.

Refrigerate baked and glazed brownies for an hour or so before cutting, and they will cut easier.

Removal from pan: To make these strawberry brownies pretty, they need to be cut AFTER removing from the pan. It is necessary to release the entire pan of brownies nicely so that cutting will be easy.

Options for easy release of brownies before cutting.

Lining the baking pan with parchment paper is one option, but parchment can “bunch up” in corners and make getting a smooth end result difficult. My fave parchment paper was aluminum foil on one side and parchment on the other. It is no longer sold in stores but can be found here on amazon. If you buy a small silpat, you can put it in the bottom of your baking pan and spray the pan (including silpat) with baking spray. The silpat will help make release easier. If you use a high quality baking pan, spraying very well with Baker’s Joy (or any flour-based baking spray) should be enough.
NOTE: No matter which of the easy release options you use, it is important to let brownies cool at least 20 minutes before releasing.

Pan Size: When making a single batch of brownies, I use either an 8? square or 9? square. I prefer the thickness of the 8? square; the larger pan yields a more thin brownie.

Cook Time: Oven temps and pan size both affect cook time. I put 15 minutes in the actual recipe so that cooks will start checking at 15 minutes and be ready to remove brownies the minute they look ready. I pull mine out when tiny cracks begin appearing on the surface and when edges begin pulling from the side of the pan. Remember, they will cook a bit more and firm up as they cool.

Batter will be very thick; don’t be alarmed! In fact, it is so thick that I tend to use my hands to press it into my baking pan. I spray my (clean) hands with cooking spray and press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible. If you don’t like using your hands, a spatula sprayed with cooking spray should work fine.