Have you or a friend been afflicted with an illness for which there is no medical cure? Has God appeared to ignore your repeated requests for healing? Has this caused you to question His purpose? 

Many people suffer from disabilities, aging associated conditions, even blindness or deafness, or paraplegia. We believe in the power and presence of God, so we pray. We know that God brings light out of darkness, life out of death, hope out of despair. That's what the Scripture teaches us. 

Prayer alone isn't the way to get God to do whatever we want. It's an expression of our trust in His power, wisdom, and grace. No matter what we ask God to do for us, we have to hold the attitude of Jesus, who said, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will". However he also made another astonishing observation... perhaps the first revelation of his still distant ministry... 'And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?' Luk 2:48. At 12 years of age he reveals the secret of overcoming.

Careless Worship Is Fatal
What Are You Going To Do With Luck?

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

People go around, sounding off with such phrases as "I wish you luck", "It's my lucky day","it was only luck", "always bad luck", or "if it hadn't been for my luck". Luck is just a 'chance happening'. Luck may or may not be... it's not a sure thing, as some may think. You hear people say, 'push your luck', 'out of luck', 'in luck'... and luck is the furthest thing from the truth of the matter.

I happen to think there is nothing happening or going to happen 'by chance'. There is a reason for everything, whatever it may be. There is not one person here on earth 'by luck'. Scripture says that "the very hairs of your head are numbered" [ Matthew 10:30 ]. There is no child here 'by chance or luck, good or bad'. Scripture tells us, in several instances, that HE formed us in the belly, and He knew us before. There may be children that arrive on earth without being wanted, or without being prepared for, but they aren't here 'by chance'. God has a place for each and every one that comes to earth, and He has planned a life for each of them, however short or long that life may be.

We find ourselves telling someone, "Good luck on the new job, the date, finding what we need, etc., and luck may not even be what we mean. We want them to have success in those areas; yet, we use the dictionary word that means 'chance happening'. We should tell these people that we pray they will have great success on the new job, enjoy the beginning of a new friendship with the new date, or that they will have success in finding those things for which they are looking.

The Bible teaches us that faith is what we are in need of, and plenty of it! It says that 'the just shall live by faith'. That is a far cry from luck... a chance happening. Faith will sustain us; luck will fail us. Noah, by faith, saved his family, when he listened to the Lord's warnings and built the ark. He could have stood around like the rest of the people, paid no heed, and waited on 'luck' to bring him through. He wouldn't have survived. He would have been disobedient, just like the rest that didn't listen to the warning.

Would you rather rely on your luck, or place your faith in the power of the Holy Ghost, with whom all things are possible? Do you want to 'chance' being ready, when Christ returns for His church, or do you want to be assured through faith in Jesus Christ? Anybody that wants 'luck' can have it; I'll live by FAITH anytime!