A Successful Man Is One Who Can Lay A Firm Foundation…

with the bricks others have thrown at him.–David Brinkley

This quote about being successful can also apply to Christians who desire to fulfill God’s plan for their lives. Through God’s power, we can persevere and lay a firm foundation with the bricks, insults, criticism and obstacles that others throw at us.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net. 

As a new believer nearly 30 years ago, I was not prepared for the kind of pushback and negative responses that I would receive when I shared my new faith. Yet, it shouldn’t have surprised me, because for years, I was the one who criticized, mocked, teased and ridiculed Christians before I became one.

Since then, I have had to defend my faith and the Bible many times. Although, I haven’t been persecuted like so many Christians have, I’ve felt the sting of being left out. I have experienced the pain of criticism, rejection and being misunderstood. But I’ve also discovered that defending the Christian faith has strengthened my knowledge of God’s Word and as a result, my faith has grown stronger, and for that I am grateful.

Successful or fruitful Christians want to fulfill the purpose that the Lord has for our lives, however nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Therefore, Christians shouldn’t be surprised if we face opposition; because not everyone will respond positively to us or our faith.

Christians will encounter those who insult and criticize us along the way. We may face obstacles that others put in our path. People may try to interfere and prevent us from being successful in our service for the Lord. We may even question our faith or calling as a result. Nevertheless, we should continue to follow Jesus.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Matthew 5:10-12 NLT)

Christians have their share of obstacles, adversity and setbacks that threaten to defeat us. But, if we persevere, we can grow stronger as a result. 

Romans 5:3-4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” (NLT)

Christians need to be successful in how we react to negativity from others and respond Biblically to those who harm us. A successful Christian is one who pleases Jesus by responding with grace, love and kindness to those who want to throw bricks or cause us harm.

1 Peter 2:23 says, “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.” (NLT)

Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.”(1 Peter 3:9 NLT)

Christians are successful when they don’t retaliate or seek revenge. If we follow Jesus’ teaching, we will lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at us. Our witness will bring Him glory and serve to further the Gospel as well.

The Apostle Paul was severely persecuted. He was stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned and often went without the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter; yet he willingly endured so that others would come to know Christ.

2 Timothy 2:9-10 says, “And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.”(NLT)

Are you laying a firm foundation?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” –David Brinkley -CLICK TO TWEET

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How to Find Confidence in a Critical World and Stay Humble

• How to Survive Rejection and Find Acceptance Today

• 6 Strategies to Handle Insults Without Becoming a Doormat

• How Reluctant Leaders Become Confident Achievers for God

• How to be Successful in Life When You Have Failed

• 3 Steps to Overcoming Betrayal and Building Trust Again

• Forgiving is So Important Scary

• How to Medal in Every Event in Life

• Having Just One Person to Please Brings Peace

• What is True Forgiveness?

• Video vlog: Feeling Low?

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth.

The Day I Died And What I Learned

Podcast (listen-to-this-article-here): Play | Download (Duration: 11:18 — 20.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

perhaps I was halfway to heaven?

The day I died resulted from of a heart condition called atrial fibrillation (a-fib). Think of it as a quivering heart caused by a heart muscle spasms. It’s no fun to have your heart shaking uncontrollably. It weakens you since your heart is not pumping blood efficiently. It also feels like something is going very wrong with one of my most vital organs.  

The first time I experienced an episode of a-fib happened on August 31, 1997, the same day Princess Diana died in a car accident. I was laying in the hospital bed, I was watching coverage of her tragic death, and contemplating my own death from an abnormal ticker. After several hours, medications and something to eat and drink, it finally went back to normal (sinus) rhythm.

Since then I’ve had several episodes of a-fib, and usually my heart slips back into normal rhythm on its own. But the day I died, it was refusing to beat normally despite strong doses of medicine. Thus, the doctor decided to have the hospital staff do a “cardioversion” on my heart. That’s medical talk for essentially doing the electric paddles and applying a heart shock, like using a defibrillator.

I was immediately concerned about the pain of being shocked, but the doctor assured me that I’d be under light sedation and wouldn’t feel or remember a thing. But then he told me that to shock my heart into beating correctly, they would first stop my heart momentarily, then restart it with the shock and hopefully it would beat correctly. In other words, I would have no heartbeat for a few moments and therefore I would be dead for a moment before hopefully they got it going again.

The hospital staff had me sign a bunch of papers agreeing that if I didn’t make it, I’d never sue them. I thought that was ironic—how could I sue them if I was dead? Maybe they were concerned that Carolyn would try to sue them, in which case they’d pull out the papers and say “Look, he told us it was OK if he died at the hands of our staff!”

At any rate, I signed the papers, they laid me on a gurney, strapped on a breathing mask for the aesthetic and had me count down from 10 to zero. I think I counted just to nine before I was in la-la land.

What happened next is the best part of the story. First, they were right, I certainly didn’t feel any pain or discomfort. In fact, what I experienced was just the opposite! The next thing I felt was the most tremendous sense of peace and bliss and ecstasy I’ve ever experienced.

In fact, I remember thinking “I don’t know what this is, but I don’t want it to ever end! And I don’t even know where I am, but I don’t ever want to leave” Every care was lifted. Everything was awesome. I really didn’t know I could feel that amazingly wonderful!

What had happened? What was I experiencing? Reflecting on the incident, I believe that I died and momentarily went to heaven, or somewhere near there where everything is blissful. I got a little taste of heaven and wow was it mind-blowing!

Now I must hasten to add that my wife Carolyn is an RN. Her take on it is much more mundane and uninspiring. She thinks they just gave me some really good drugs! And frankly, she might be right.

But what I do know is that I’ve never felt that great and I learned some things through my near-death experience.

Here are 3 things I learned the day I died:

1. Our “normal life” can turn upside down quite quickly.

The near-death experience above took me totally by surprise: the day I died and was brought back was a total shock to me (pardon the pun). But that’s the way momentous things often happen to us.If you’re old enough to remember the day America was attacked on 9/11, you know the shock of a world turned upside down quite unexpectedly.  It was the same for me the day I got a call saying my mother had experienced a heart attack. Within about 24 hours she was dead—before I could see her again, at age 69. I figured we’d have many more years with her, but it wasn’t to be.

Likewise, you might remember the day you wrecked the car, or got the call that your tumor was malignant, or found a pink slip in your office mail. Often we’re given no opportunity to prepare for those tragedies, they just happen.

Instead, preparation is what we do each day by becoming more and more deeply grounded in God’s Word and our relationship with Him.

2. There’s a whole lot more out there that we can’t see, hear, touch, taste or smell.  

We tend to think that if we can’t experience something with at least one of our five senses, that it doesn’t exist. However, this is absurd, for we never experience thoughts or emotions with our five senses, yet they are some of the most real parts of our existence and control much of what happens to us.

Likewise, God, sin, forgiveness, salvation and the eternal are quite real, although on this earth we might not think we experience them with our 5 senses. Therefore, people say they are too “weird” to believe in. In his book Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard responds to this misconception:

It is this total otherness, this holiness, this weirdness that makes most people not want to get close to God. They want to have just enough of God to make their little train chug on down the track, something to fix them up, a cosmic aspirin to help them get on with their own business. So, when they see the light and the smoke coming out from around the door and the walls shaking, they say to themselves, “Maybe this is a little too big. I don’t think this will fit into my plans.” (p. 42, Thomas Nelson Publishers. Kindle Edition)

I don’t know if what I experienced the day I died was drug induced or a cosmic experience. But what I do know is that there is much more to the universe than materials which we can observe with our five senses. There is a “weird” intangible and supernatural reality to be recognized, embraced and reckoned with.

3. If we know Jesus, we need have no fear of the unknown.

The day I died, there was the potential of not surviving the procedure. Imagine someone telling you they were going to stop your heart and then try to jump start it—wouldn’t you feel at least a little anxiety? What if their heart jumper cable wasn’t well connected, or their equipment didn’t work, or the electricity went out in the middle of the procedure? OK, maybe they had all those bases covered somehow, but what if my heart simply refused to start again?

However, I was quite peaceful about the experience. Why? Because I know my future is secure in the Lord and the gift of eternal salvation He has promised. My salvation is as secure as Romans 10:13 promises: “Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How about you—is your future secure? To make sure it is, go HERE to learn how to receive eternal life!

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Facing Death Fearlessly

• 4 Desperately Hopeless Yet Common Approaches to Suffering and Death

• How to Handle the Death of a Loved One

• Podcast: If I commit suicide, will I go to hell?

• Podcast: What does the Bible say about euthanasia?

• Why it is Better to Spend Time at Funerals Than Parties

• Will Christians Escape Judgment in the End Times?

• Podcast: Is cremation biblically permissible for Christians?

• What Happens 5 Minutes After You Die?

• How to Know if You are Truly Saved

• How to Prepare for Eternity Now and Face Death with Confidence Later

• Most of God’s people are contented to be saved from the hell that is without,I am still in the land of the dying

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

If My Life Is Fruitless, It Doesn’t Matter Who Praises Me,

and if my life is fruitful, it doesn’t matter who criticizes me.—John Bunyan

It doesn’t matter who praises us, if our lives are fruitless, and it doesn’t matter who criticizes us if our lives are fruitful. It doesn’t matter, because we should be concerned with pleasing God and living for the praises of Him.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.     

I don’t like confrontation, so I try to avoid it at all costs. So, sometimes, I have disobeyed God to please others; with disastrous consequences.

While, at other times my obedience to God has resulted in the displeasure and criticism of others. Even though it’s unpleasant to have people unhappy with me, it doesn’t matter; I still have to obey the Lord. I don’t like to be criticized, but sometimes Christians need to speak out and go against the flow. When that happens, it doesn’t matter who criticizes me. What matters is that I’m obedient and fruitful in the eyes of the Lord.

It doesn’t matter who praises us, if our lives are fruitless; what matters is that we prayerfully examine why we lack spiritual fruit and that we have a strategy for spiritual growth.

Some questions we can ask ourselves are:

• Am I genuinely saved?

• Is the Lord really in control of my life?

• Do I have any un-confessed sin?

Quite often, the reason for lack of fruit in a Christian’s life; is because they have never been through a process of discipleship.

John 15:1-2 says: “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”  (NLT)

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4 NLT)

In addition, the Bible also cautions us about living for the praises of people in Matthew 6:1 which says:

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” (NLT)

The solution is to live for an audience of One.

However, the problem is that most people want to be liked and nobody enjoys rejection. But, sometimes Christians, have to take unpopular stances in order to obey God; and that will displease some people.

Acts 5:29 says, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (NIV)

It’s better to offend people than to offend God.

God wants us to produce much fruit. Christians do this as we stay connected to Christ; just as a branch must stay connected to the vine to bear fruit.

• John 15:5 says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (NLT)

• John 15:8 says, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” (NLT)

If we live in obedience to the Lord and have fruitful lives; we may as a result, suffer persecution and criticism.  

Christian’s who live Spirit filled and Biblically based lives will at some point offend those who don’t and be unfairly criticized. But it doesn’t matter, because if we are fruitful and suffer for Him, our reward will be great.

God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Matthew 5:11-12 NLT)

Christians should live for the glory of God and to hear His commendation “‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’”

Matthew 25:20-21says, “The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (NLT)

Whose praises are you living for?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

“If my life is fruitless, it doesn’t matter who praises me, and if my life is fruitful, it doesn’t matter who criticizes me.” –John Bunyan | CLICK TO TWEET

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How I Moved from Doubting My Salvation to Assurance

• What Caused Me to Doubt My Salvation

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Jesus Wants More FANS

• 6 Strategies to Handle Insults Without Becoming a Doormat

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?

• Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

• Jesus Wasn’t Always “Seeker Sensitive”

• Video vlog: Twisting Scripture

• How to Share Biblical Correction and Guidance

• The Goal of the Great Commission is Disciples

• Please Don’t Call Yourself A Christian If…

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth