Recent articles by David Belk.http://www.trcb.com/en-Us60Sat, 26 May 2012 08:02:23 ESTCopyright 2012 David Belk, TRCB.com All Right Reservedhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/a-sigh-of-relief-568.htmemergency caesarean section. Ill never forget that day. Her doctors, Dr. Slocumb and Dr.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:11:00 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/a-sigh-of-relief-568.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-challenge-567.htmHere's the challenge: if you are single mom and you are struggling financially, how do you follow God through that? You simply live as a woman who is confident that God is with you.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:10:51 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-challenge-567.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/then-do-that-566.htmJosephs story ends with a famine that reached Canaan. His brothers and father are starving to death.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:10:43 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/then-do-that-566.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/on-a-roll-565.htmAt that point the average guy would have stopped talking. But Joseph is on a roll and God is with him. Joseph says, "I'm a Hebrew. I'm not from here. I barely speak the language. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:10:34 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/on-a-roll-565.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/say-what-564.htmImagine that you are Joseph. What would you do? What would you say? If you think you are by yourself, you say, "You know what, oh King Pharaoh? I can interpret your dream. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:10:22 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/say-what-564.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/go-be-with-someone-else-563.htmThe Scripture says, "The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him." Because the Lord was with him. At which point Joseph must have been thinking, "Okay, God. Why don't you go be with somebody else? This being with me is about to kill me.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:10:14 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/go-be-with-someone-else-563.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-big-break-562.htmJoseph is caught and arrested. He is brought before Potiphar and his wife and she accuses him of trying to rape her. Between you and me and I'm reading between the lines, but I don't think Potiphar believed her. But what is he going to do? I mean, he is kind of stuck. So Joseph, for his faithfulness, is put in the Pharaoh's dungeon.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:09:33 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-big-break-562.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/does-it-matter-561.htmSee if I were in Joseph's shoes, this is the moment when I'd be looking around going, "Does it really even matter what I do? Does it really matter if I go to bed with my master's wife? I mean, what's going happen?Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:09:25 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/does-it-matter-561.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/that-does-not-make-sense-560.htmThe story continues. "From the time that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph." I wonder if Joseph thought, "God, what if you bless Joseph because of Joseph?"Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:09:16 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/that-does-not-make-sense-560.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/its-over-559.htmWhen they arrive in Egypt, the merchants put Joseph on an auction block. And he's thinking, "Life as I've known it is completely over. There's no one to call. There's nobody that's going to come to my rescue. Nobody is even going to know. I don't even know what these people are saying. I don't even know the language. Life, as I've known it, is over."Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:09:06 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/its-over-559.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-dreamer-558.htmEarlier Joseph had had a dream about him and his brothers working in the fields. And as they were binding their sheaves, Josephs sheaves stood upright and his brothers sheaves bowed down to his. Well his brothers were upset because they didnt want Joseph to rule and reign over them. And the Scripture says they hated him even more.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:08:57 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-dreamer-558.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/one-mans-journey-557.htmThe final thing is the most practical. In a way, it is the simplest, but certainly not the easiest. What you do when you dont know what to do is follow God regardless of what you see happening around you. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:08:48 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/one-mans-journey-557.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/gods-silence-556.htmWhen I am facing uncertainty, at the end of my prayers I want to say to God, "Now what are you going to do about this? So what do you think?" And God is so silent. He is quieter when I need him to be louder? He never says a thing when I need him to say something the most. In uncertain times God can seem so distant, and it's just difficult to know exactly what to do and how to respond.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:08:37 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/gods-silence-556.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/certain-about-god-in-uncertain-times-555.htmIt is difficult to be certain about God in uncertain times, isnt it? It is difficult to follow him in uncertain times. Its easy to follow him when things are good because when things are good, it seems like God is close. Isnt this true, that when things are good at home, or in your marriage, or you have money in the bank, every time something good happens, you say, Theres God. Isnt God good?Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:08:28 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/certain-about-god-in-uncertain-times-555.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/when-god-disappears-537.htmWhen life is good, we have no problems believing God is near. There are times when he's close and you have chill bumps and the songs you sing about him are exciting. You open up your Bible and you're amazed at how the words jump off the page at you. You see things you haven't seen before and maybe experience things you never have experienced. Everywhere you look, there's God. He's close.Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:40:15 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/when-god-disappears-537.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-opportunity-536.htmworries me. What worries you? God, I know what concerns me. What concerns you? Tell me, God, and I will focus my attention there and I will let you deal with all the silly things I tend to worry about. That is what he is saying. Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:39:54 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-opportunity-536.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/comparing-lists-535.htmTo his followers Jesus says, "Look you're a Christ follower. You believe in God who is the Creator God who sustains you every moment of every day. Why in the world would you allow uncertainty and fear of the future back you into a corner of self-centeredness that everybody else is huddling in?Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:39:42 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/comparing-lists-535.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/stack-it-all-up-533.htmHe goes on, Is not life more important than food? In the Greek text, the word important isnt there. Literally it says, Is not life more than food? He asks a difficult question that none of us want to answer because it would seem rather foolish. Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:39:33 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/stack-it-all-up-533.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/image-is-not-everything-534.htmJesus gives a second illustration: "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow? They do not labor or spin." For us clothes refer to our image.Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:39:18 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/image-is-not-everything-534.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/try-this-instead-532.htmThere's something else you can do when facing uncertainty. In many ways, it is the most challenging.Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:39:05 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/try-this-instead-532.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/going-places-531.htmAny time we forget God's past faithfulness, our tendency, when faced with uncertainty, is to go to places we have no business going. We get into relationships we shouldn't. We make financial decisions we have no business making.Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:52:24 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/going-places-531.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/you-have-been-busy-530.htmThen God let Elijah in on the plan. This is great. "The LORD said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.'"Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:52:06 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/you-have-been-busy-530.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-question-on-hand-528.htmGod asks Elijah a very penetrating question, What are you doing here, Elijah? Can you picture this conversation?Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:51:54 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/the-question-on-hand-528.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/assumptions-529.htmLike us sometimes, Elijah still doesn't get it. "He replied, I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.'"Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:51:43 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/assumptions-529.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianityhttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/man-on-the-run-527.htmElijah was. The Bible says "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life." You read that and you think, "Afraid? Afraid of what? The King of the nation just fled in front of you. You have won. It's over. What are you afraid of?" Elijah was afraid and in his fear, he ran to a place called Beersheba, about 100 miles away. It would have probably taken him a couple of weeks to travel there.Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:51:32 ESThttp://www.trcb.com/religion/christianity/man-on-the-run-527.htmTRCB.comReligion / Christianity