God's Promises Are Real

JESUS, REMEMBER ME

January 22, 2012 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, HOPE, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: David & Goliath, feeling weary and overwhelmed, having peace despite your problems, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, promise of hope in all things, storms of life, strength in the battle, trusting God in your pain | 29 comments

“Then he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

We read in Scripture that Jesus was crucified along with two robbers on either side of him. The gospels of Mark and John say little about these men. While Matthew tells us that both robbers insulted Jesus, Luke’s gospel tells us that one of the thieves asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Despite the fact that he was dying, the condemned man finally understood that the one who could save him for all eternity was on the cross right next to him.

So many times our problems cause us to think that God has forgotten us. It is hard to understand that the Source of our strength and our Provider in all things is already with us. When a situation seems hopeless, it is difficult to not grow weary and lose strength. But we are told in Scripture to keep trusting and believing in all of our trials even when we don’t see the answer. We read in Romans 8:24, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” Our faith must transcend the boundaries of what we hear, see and feel. We must trust that the God we serve is working out his plan in our lives through every battle we face. Faith doesn’t see the future – it trusts the One who holds the future!

Everything that God allows in the life of a believer has been divinely designed. There are no mistakes in the plan that was made for you long before the foundation of the earth. Whatever is happening in your life that doesn’t seem right or fair has been allowed for a distinct purpose. It is never easy to suffer through our painful trials, but it is the working of our faith that gives us endurance to stay in the race and not give up.

We read the account of David in the book of I Samuel. Young David had the job of watching his family’s herd of sheep. It was a tedious task, but David was being trained by God for greatness as he worked alone protecting the flock. It was there that David single-handedly killed both a lion and a bear who were attacking his sheep. During the battle with those dangerous animals, David knew that it was God’s power that was with him protecting him and his sheep from being killed. Day after day, working in the hot sun to watch over the sheep, God was preparing David for a royal position. He was never without hope in that field for the God of the universe had declared that he would one day be king!

Alone in the field, David practiced with his sling. This young teen had no idea at the time that all that he was enduring was actually equipping him to defeat the enemy and save the Jewish people. He was being prepared for battle. When the time came, his older brothers and the other Jewish men cowered in fear at the taunting Philistine giant named Goliath, but David ran toward this oppressor armed with the power of God, his sling and five stones and killed the giant! He had no doubt that he would be victorious because he believed in the power of his God. His trust was unwavering. He was a man after God’s own heart.

It doesn’t matter what your position in life is now. Your problems and trials may be heavy but they cannot hold you back from the calling God has made on your life. If your trust is in Christ, you are being called to a regal position in the army of the living God. Your path is set and your future is guaranteed. There is nothing that can steal your inheritance or kill the dream he gave you. In every struggle you face, Jesus remembers you and he has a way to help you through it. In all things, you have been declared a victor. Not even the powers of hell can ever take that from you!

Dear Jesus,

I am praying for all those who come to this site. We are facing problems of every kind and many of us are growing weary. We take you at your word, dear Lord. We trust that you have the power to change our circumstance and to cause all things to be used for our good. I pray for marriages to be mended. I pray for peace to fill those who have been hurt. I pray for your protection and provision for single mothers trying to make it in life. I lift up those who are facing a serious illness. May they know that you are with them and that they have nothing to fear when their trust is in you. I pray for those dealing with financial difficulties and those who may be losing their homes. Please provide for them the help they need. I pray for you to give your strength to those who are weary in a battle. May you be the power to those who are in bondage to drugs, alcohol and pornography. I pray for you to comfort those in painful circumstance and who feel there is no way out. I plead that you rescue those who are considering suicide and let them know that you can work out their struggle. Let them know they have a reason to live. I pray for your help for those who are being persecuted for their faith. Give them the joy of their salvation and protect their families during this time.

I intercede for all who do not know you personally as Lord and Savior. I pray, dear Jesus, that you will unveil their eyes to the truth. Let them know how much you love them. Help them to see that they could never fall so far that you cannot bring them back to where you are.

I pray for the peace and protection of Israel.

I present these requests to you, dear Jesus, and know that you will hear and answer. Amen

Note: For those of you struggling, Debra Aiken has a wonderful site called, Tell The Lord Thank You, that you should check out. She gives uplifting messages and reminders of the truth that we are conquerors no matter what we go through because Christ always intercedes for us. Check her out at: http://tellgodthankyou.wordpress.com She will bless your day.

UNCHANGING LOVE

November 24, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, heavy burdens, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God's promise and plan for your life, having peace despite your problems, hope in difficult situations, peace in trials, problems lifted, strength to overcome, Trusting God, unfailing love, victory in all of your problems | 57 comments

I the LORD do not change (Malachi 3:1)

God’s faithfulness is the same today, tomorrow and forever. As he has helped others, so also will he do now for us. His love has no bounds and his mercies are new every day. Though the times change and we change, God is with us in every single aspect of our lives. Although the battle rages on in this dark world, the foundation of Christ who died to give us life will always remain. He is true to his word. The troubles of this world have no power to destroy a believer. To think otherwise is to believe a lie.

I took the picture above in my backyard. It always is amazing to me how the leaves of the trees change into beautiful colors right before they fall down. The Mastermind of this phenomenon is God. He ordained the different seasons and has a purpose for each part of the cycle. While I always wish the leaves would keep their vibrant colors and stay on the trees, that is not his plan. He has a purpose for all things in creation for it was by his hand that all things came to be. Nothing evolved on its own. There is one God who is the Creator of all.

Yet during times of stress and change, it is difficult to remember that God has authority over everything. Each day brings a different problem and sometimes it is hard to keep the faith through our tears. Where is my God when it seems like my struggles are getting worse and the pain is unbearable? As we watch the darkness of evil growing and filling this world, can we truly trust that the plan of Christ for us is going to succeed? Evil is being called good and wrong is being called right. It is as if the world is turned inside out. If God’s love is unchanging, why does he allow this all to happen?

The bible tells us that God created man in his own image and saw that it was good. He provide us with everything we would ever need and yet mankind still fell into sin. We rebelled against a holy God. That should have been the end of us at that point. But we are told that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God’s love did not change despite our sin. He still made a way to bring us back to him. Although sin and wickedness came into the world and corrupted everything, God’s plan of redemption never changed.

We are still living in a perishing world. You only need to turn on the news to see that most people are on the wide path of destruction. This is not heaven. All things are not going to be perfect until Christ returns to make all things new. We must suffer for a while to prove ourselves as sons and daughters. It is not easy to watch loved ones suffer and die. It is heartbreaking to watch as families are being torn apart as hearts grow cold. The enemy has unleashed his final fury as he knows his time is short. Persecution against Christians is on the rise. And God’s ways are being perverted everywhere to suit the desires of the lost. We are living in the last days.

My dear friends, I write this message to touch those who are going through fierce storms in their lives. You are not forgotten. God has not forsaken you. You are being made ready for a royal position that will never end. God is with you in this battle even though it seems like you are alone. His legions of angels are acting on his command to guard you throughout your struggle. The Apostle Paul tells us: “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand!” (Ephesians 6:13) Know the God you serve so that you can trust him no matter what happens.

Take time to read your bible every single day. Let God’s truth be your armor that keeps you trusting in him despite your problems. God has not changed. His love for you will endure forever. He will not fail you. Your hope is secure because you belong to him. Nothing in all of creation will ever be able to stop his love for you or his plan for your life.

In the spring, when the leaves return and the flowers unfold in all their beauty, I will be reminded that God’s promises never fail.

Dear Lord, my heart breaks as I hear of the struggles of your people. I pray that they will understand that although the battles of this world are leaving them wounded and weary, you have already declared them a victor. Nothing is going to touch their lives apart from your will and purpose. You will give them your peace in the midst of their struggle. I pray for all to come to know that even though we are living in a fallen world, your plan is still unfolding and we have a reason to be hopeful. The price has been paid and because Christ lives, we can face tomorrow. You hold our future and there is nothing that you cannot do for those who love you. Lord, help them to know without a doubt that this is true. Amen

LONELY WHISPERS

October 4, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: discouragement, end times, feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God will not fail you, impossible situations, peace in trials, power to overcome, trusting God in hardship, victory despite marriage problems, victory in troubles | 81 comments

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? (Psalm 13:2)

Remembering that God is sovereign while we are in the battles of life can be very difficult. Probably the last thing you think about as you suffer in a trial is that God is working all things out for your good. When you are overwhelmed with problems, it takes all the strength you have to just barely whisper a prayer.

My friends, I write this message to again empathize with so many of you that are feeling literally torn apart by painful trials. I struggle also. We are definitely living in a time of darkness. The laws of God simply don’t matter as the evil spirit of self-righteousness fills the hearts of most. Satan’s main weapon of attack is to destroy families. He works to divide and conquer. If he can break up loved ones, he can use their pain to do his work. I cannot believe how extensively marriages are ending. A marriage vow has just become another way of saying, “I’ll love you until I don’t”. The promise made before God is simply swept under the rug and forgotten. How sad that we have strayed so far.

We read in 2 Timothy 3 that there will be terrible times in the last days. Paul describes a time when people will become lovers of themselves and lovers of money. He goes on to say that they will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and have form of godliness but deny its power. While sin has always been in this world, the extent of evil to which Paul is speaking is much greater. Paul was warning of a time when self-love and entitlement would rule over this earth and God would be considered an intrusion. We are in that prophecy now! Is there any wonder that this whole world is suffering financially, physically and under the devastation of earthquakes, floods and storms of every kind? Judgment is upon us! Wars and weapons of mass destruction are being prepared for a battle that could conceivably destroy every living thing. It is evident that the rulers and powers of darkness have geared up efforts to unleash a prodigious force of wickedness on this earth to take down those who are unprepared.

Yet, despite all that is going on in this lost world, there is always hope for those who trust in the finished work of Christ. No situation and trial you face will ever be stronger than the blood of Christ that was shed ensuring that you will always have the future he planned for your life. Sadly, many believers accept the lies of the enemy when a crisis hits instead of holding on in faith. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope , patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”. In every battle you must be joyful, patient and faithful knowing without a doubt that God is not going to fail you. You are not alone and the power of Christ that resides in you is greater than the pain you are facing. You have a Living Hope that reigns eternal.

Until the day I die, I will proclaim the truth that Christ is enough for everything you must endure on this earth. Though we all grow weary at times, God knows how to rescue his people in times of need. Christ has promised us his peace despite the trouble in our lives. It is a peace that defies understanding knowing in your heart that God is orchestrating his divine will through every struggle. Each heartache and trial you face is an opportunity for God to reveal more of himself to you. The purpose and plan are guiding you on the path of your destiny!

You will always gain freedom as you surrender up your power to his. There is a short poem written by L.E. Maxwell in his book, Born Crucified, that makes this point:

“Make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free. Force me to render up my sword and I shall conqueror be. My will is not my own, til Thou has made it Thine. If it would reach the monarch’s throne, it must its crown resign!”

We aren’t always going to be in control of our circumstances. There will be times when all we can do is surrender them to Christ and trust that he will work them out for our good. It may be scary to wait in the deep water for Jesus to bring you to safety but that is exactly what you must do! Get your eyes off of the sharks in the waters of life and the storm clouds that are brewing. They are under the authority of God, their Master, and cannot harm you. You may feel weary and alone in the dark sea of trouble but you are not alone and you are never without his strength!

I pray that those who feel God does not hear their prayers will come to know the truth of this message. Don’t let your weariness cloud your judgment. If you belong to Christ, legions of his angels surround you right at this moment. There is not a tear he does not see nor a broken heart he cannot mend! Your lonely whispers are heard. You have been set apart and made ready for him. While you wait in expectation of Christ, understand that your calling is secure. As a child of the King, you have already been declared royalty. Stand firm in your faith for the army of the living God is with you.

“And to the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” ( 1 Peter 5:10)

Be in peace, my friends. I am praying for you.

WAITING IN THE DARKNESS

September 3, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, HOPE, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God's power in your life, having peace despite your problems, heartache and pain lifted, impossible situations, peace in trials, strength in the battle, suicide, there is always hope, victory in trouble | 72 comments

You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light

(2 Samuel 22:29)

Our future is in the hands of God. He alone has numbered our days and it is by his will that we live or die. Many people can trust God with their salvation but then find it difficult to trust him to work things out in their lives.

All around the earth, fear is mounting as we experience an increase in sickness, disease, famine, storms, earthquakes, floods and drought. There has always been sin and evil in this world, but it has now reached a point of no return. Darkness has blanketed the earth because mankind has chosen to remove all traces of God and his laws. When Jesus promised believers to give them peace that surpasses our understanding, he did not mean that our problems and struggles would end. He was telling us that despite the battles we face, his power would be the strength that we needed to overcome and be victorious. That fact is one that many find difficult to believe.

It is hard to wait out the storms of life and trust that things will work out. But, the truth is that God is just as much in power and authority in the darkness as he is in the light. Whatever problem you think you can’t overcome has already been overcome by the power of Christ! There is nothing that can move a believer from the position God has assigned to them from the beginning of time. The recent storms and hurricanes have destroyed houses and has taken down trees, but with all the power of God that is in me, I assure you that no storm ever has any power to hinder a child of God! Christ is coming back soon to make all things new. Do you actually think that he cannot take you to victory even now because of your painful trial?

Just this week my heart was broken by the pain of a man who had visited my blog and began writing to me. He said that he was feeling hopeless and weary. He felt he had no future and that God was just not hearing him. I pointed out to him that all that he was thinking was a lie from the destroyer from hell. God is with us in all things and in all of our pain. This man wanted to believe what I said but he was extremely overwhelmed by an obvious clinical depression. I prayed desperately for him. Yesterday, I got an email from his daughter. Sadly, she informed me that her father had killed himself. He could not take the pain of any more tomorrows. I am crying now as I write this.

Thoughts immediately began filling my mind: Did I say enough? Did I say too much? Did I pray enough for him? I soon realized that the enemy now wanted to discourage me with lies. I did pray for him with all my heart. I take seriously the mission God has given me with my writing. I care about every single person who visits whether they comment or not. I intercede on behalf of everyone who is led here. I could not stop this man from committing suicide, but I can continue to pray for his family and for those like him who feel like there is no hope.

My dear friends, remember that we are in the throes of a vicious battle with evil as time grows short. The enemy will try to take all of your joy and peace if you let him. He wants to destroy families so marriages are failing at an unbelievable alarming rate. Our children are his prime target and he has pulled out all the stops to lead them on the path of destruction. The economy is in a crisis situation as millions of people all over the world are losing homes and jobs with little chance of recovering. Crime, sickness and troubles of every kind are upon us. The struggle is escalating just to stay alive. And unfortunately for that reason, many grow tired and just give up.

We are told throughout Scripture that we will have to endure suffering. What the enemy doesn’t want you to remember is that all that you endure is working out a perfect divine destiny for you. You will not one day be a conqueror. You are one now! The power of the risen Christ is taking you through the darkness even when you can’t see or feel him. He has a purpose for all that he let allows but he knows how to give you his rest despite the battle.

Whatever dark situation you are in, please remember that you are not out of view from the One who sees all. It may seem like you are alone but you will never be. In the battle that you are facing, don’t give up! God is with you in your pain today and he holds your tomorrows in his hand. That is his truth. I ask that you take time each day to read your bible and let the promises of God give you strength in every struggle you face. I am praying now for all who need to understand that there is always hope through Christ.

For I am the LORD, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

I humbly ask that you keep the family of this suicide victim in prayer.

(Picture by Francesco Cosi )

A LIVING HOPE

August 11, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, heavy burdens, HOPE, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God cares, having peace despite your problems, healing of marriages and relationships, hope in difficult situations, love that covers all, peace in trials, strength to overcome, victory in trouble | 27 comments

”Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

(Luke 24:5)

We each have our own idea of how we think God should help us in the problems of this life. Most of us have a pre-conceived notion of what is good for God to do for us. Unfortunately, when God does not work things out as expected, many believers let seeds of doubt fill their mind. Fear is given reign in their lives instead of the risen Christ. Weary from the battle, many give up hope reacting as though Christ were still in the tomb instead of being alive with full authority over everything. They search for the living in the dead areas of their lives. The enemy’s lies become real for them.

Our trust in the trials we face is not based on that which can be seen. The bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that , “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” If you were able to see and understand everything that God is permitting in your life, you would have no need for faith. Without faith, it is not only impossible to please God, it is impossible to know the God you serve!

We have to remember in every storm of life that Christ is at the center and he permits only that which fulfills his will for you. You may not like the attacks that come against you, but they are powerful tools used to equip you for eternal victory. You will never be able to stand in the struggles of life if you do not have the knowledge of God’s power and a belief that he will not fail you. In the time of testing, the enemy is going to pull out all the stops to tempt you to think that you are beyond help. He is going to fill your mind with thoughts of failure and defeat. Unless you are firmly grounded in the truth of God’s love and his power in your battles, you will not have the strength to fight.

In all situations and in all ways, Christ is working out a divine, eternal plan that cannot be stopped. Your past has no hold on you. Your weakness and failures are powerless to hinder God’s purpose for you. Because of the sacrifice Christ made for you on the cross, your future is forever secure. God has promised to transform you into the image of his Son, Jesus. As a believer, you need to understand that one day you will be a co-heir with Christ in heaven and rule over angels. All of your momentary troubles on this earth is just getting you ready for a kingdom so magnificent that there is no way for our earthly minds to comprehend its beauty.

In Romans 8:28, we are given this promise: “And we know that God will cause ALL things to work for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” Anything that affects your life is now under God’s authority and power as he completes the works he started. You have nothing to fear.

My friends, begin today to walk the steps of faith. Surrender your troubles to the One who can lift you above them all. Let God’s strength fill you and give you peace for he has given his angels charge over you. You were never meant to carry your burdens alone. No matter what heartache or pain you have now, the peace of Christ can be still be yours if you trust it all to him.

Remember that Christ death and resurrection were part of his plan. He knew that we were hopelessly lost and prisoners of sin. He provided a way that will keep us in peace on this earth and take us through to the glory of heaven forever. Jesus left the grave! He is alive within the hearts of all believers. His power is yours forever! Jesus is a living hope and he will always make a way to help you.

Dear Lord, I sadly watch as so many of your people are overwhelmed in their problems. They are weary and struggling to believe that you will help them. I pray for them now and ask that you meet them where they are. I pray that marriages will be mended as you become the center of the vows they made before you. I pray for sickness and diseases to be touched by your hand and healed. I pray for financial help for all those struggling to live. I pray for jobs for those out of work. I pray for you to help single mothers who are barely making it as they raise their children alone. I pray for a way out for those in addictions and bondage to sin. I pray for those who are being persecuted for their faith. I pray for you to bring hope to those considering suicide. May you give them your strength. I pray for those who are hurting from the actions of a spouse. I pray that all who come to this site will have the true knowledge of salvation through Christ alone. Lord Jesus, may your mercy and grace fill them to overflow as you reveal yourself to them. Amen.

THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE!

July 28, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God won't fail you, help for the hopeless, hope in difficult situations, peace in trials, trusting God in hardship, victory in your battles | 29 comments

I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? (Psalm 121:1-2)

We have all suffered setbacks in our lives. In this time of uncertainty, our personal struggles can bring fear and doubt into our lives. It is hard enough to survive much less have any hope for the future. We are told in Scripture that God sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Why is that? I mean if you are trying to live and do what is right, why must you endure such the same hardship as evildoers?

God always has a plan. For believers, whether you are experiencing a time of peace in your life or enduring the heat of a painful struggle, you have the assurance of knowing that all things are being directed by the hand of God. When it seems as though you are being defeated, it just means that your victory is near. There is nothing to fear in any battle for the war of life has already been won at the cross! Jesus has made you a conqueror over all that comes against you. For that reason, the enemy’s tactic is to fill your mind with despair and hopelessness since he knows that you can never be destroyed. He is attempting to kill, steal and destroy the hope you have been given in Christ. Never surrender to him what Christ has paid a price to give you!

While we await the return of Christ, we are going to face trials of every kind. Although you may be feeling overwhelmed in your pain, God is always in control with full authority to bring your sufferings under submission to his will. Everything, big or small, is being worked out for the best for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. If you become anxious and hopeless in the midst of a trial, it is because you are listening to the lies of an enemy who has no power over you. There will never be a need too great or a heartache so painful that the amazing, never-failing love of Christ cannot heal.

The consequence of sin and evil is all around us. Sadly, most people have become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. But even as darkness fills the earth for all creation, God has provided a way for the righteous to escape. In the days of Noah, we read in Genesis 6:5, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only for evil. “ Although the rain flooded the earth killing everything that walked on it, Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD and he and his family was spared. God knows how to rescue the righteous from their troubles no matter how impossible it may seem.

Those who put their hope in the things of this world will perish with it. No one is exempt from the trials of this world, but the faithful who trust in the cross of Christ shall never fall. God has a deliberate, eternal purpose in allowing trials in the life of believers. You are being molded and shaped for the world to come. He is preparing a place of royalty in heaven for you that will more than compensate for your momentary troubles here on earth.

David was a young man anointed by God to be King of Israel. Yet for many years he had to live his life in hiding from King Saul who wanted him dead. In Psalm 23, David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” He was a man who believed that God could keep his promise to make him King even though things looked bad. He continued to trust his God and not his circumstance! David knew that God was with him despite the fact that Saul’s whole army was out to kill him.

Your battles are not yours to fight when you surrender them to Christ. Whatever valley of despair you may be in right now, remember that it is not your permanent location. It is actually a meeting place where you come to the knowledge and understanding of the God of all your strength.

David trusted and knew that his struggles were just an opportunity for God to show his power. In Psalm 18:18, David wrote: “ He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters”.

Whatever deep waters of problems that you have, take hope knowing that Christ died to give you a future. He reached down and took you this far and he has the power to take you to the end!

Dear Lord, I pray for all who visit here to understand the truth of this message. May you lift up those who are struggling and bring them to a place of your peace. May they know beyond a doubt that you are always with them. Amen

TRUSTING THAT GOD IS WITH YOU

July 21, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God's promise to be with you, trusting God's promises in our battles in life | 32 comments

I know that God is with you

and he hears your every prayer

He never sleeps nor slumbers

as he holds your every tear.

As days seem overwhelming

and pain just fills your night

Remember that you’re not alone

You’re always in his sight.

When troubles seem to have no end

and strength is fading too

You have no fear, you’ve been set free

Christ paid the price for you.

There is no way that you can fail

though battles fill your day

For Christ has said that he alone

will always make a way.

When you no longer have the strength

to cast out all your fear

Just call his name, his holy name

and Jesus will be there!

My friends, my heart is with all of you who are going through a difficult time in your life. In one way or another, we all are suffering trials of every kind. I pray that you will take to heart the message that the love of Christ will never fail you.

Whatever struggle you are facing in your life, let the truth be your guide. There is nothing to stop the purpose for which God created you. You days were numbered and a plan was made for you long before you were born. There is always hope in every battle because the power of God is with you to the end.

When you are feeling overwhelmed and weary, please remember that someone is praying for you. Be blessed and stay in peace. All things are being worked out for your good!

STANDING FOR THE TRUTH

July 4, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: American Christian heritage, believing all that God says, faith, God's unfailing love and help, hope in difficult situations, Patrick Henry, strength in the battle, Trusting God | 19 comments

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

This is the fourth of July and all around America people are celebrating this holiday with fireworks and family picnics. That is a good thing but I sometimes wonder how much we all know about our heritage? I recently visited CyberWord of Truth by Charles Woodruff, who is a special friend and a man on a mission to bring the truth of Christ to the world. I read the article he posted below and felt that it is a message we all need to see. Please take the time to read this powerful story about the strength and faith of Patrick Henry and pause to think about how it applies to our country today.

FOR PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE SON OF GOD

A true story of Patrick Henry. Adapted by Charles Woodruff.

Over 30 years ago I came across this account of Patrick Henry, that great champion of liberty, of his defense of some Baptist field preachers, who were being threatened by the government authorities. Since we are approaching Independence Day, July 4th, 2011, I felt it would be a good time to republish this article that has blessed me and others. I have revised and expanded some things that complement the story. Be sure and follow all the links for some interesting reading. Our America is not as it once was. I am praying for revival. But, in this day we see many things that Christians and American patriots have held dear disappearing before our eyes. Only God can change this pattern if He is pleased to do so. If He is not, soon the “land of the free and the home of the brave” will be a memory. Pray with me, in Jesus name, that God will turn the tide. Amen!

Spotsylvania County, Va.-June 4, 1768. Patrick Henry, in defense of three Baptist preachers, John Walker, Louis Craig, James Child, dragged before the magistrate and indicted with disturbing the peace.

Patrick Henry heard about it and decided to defend them and aid in their acquittal. The indictment brought against them was “For preaching the Gospel of the Son of God contrary to the statutes in that case provided and, therefore, disturbers of the peace.

The clerk was reading the indictment in a slow and formal manner. . .”For preaching the gospel”. . . when a plain dressed man entered the courtroom and sat at the bar. He was known to the court and lawyers, but a stranger to the mass of people who had gathered on the occasion.

This was Patrick Henry. He had ridden some 50-60 miles from his Hanover County home to volunteer his services in their defense. He listened to the reading of the indictment with marked attention. The first sentence which had caught his ear was “For preaching the Gospel of the Son of God”. (1)

When the indictment had been read and the prosecuting attorney had submitted a few remarks, Henry arose, stretched out his hand and received the paper and then addressed the court.

“May I please, your worship, I think I heard read by the prosecutor as I entered this house the paper I now hold in my hand. If I have rightly understood, the King’s attorney of this colony has framed an indictment for the purpose of arraigning and punishing by imprisonment three inoffensive persons before the bar of this court for a crime of great magnitude as disturbers of the peace!

May it please the court. . . What did I hear? Did I hear it distinctly or was it a mistake of my own? Did I hear an expression as of a crime that these men whom your worship is about to try for a misdemeanor are charged with what?”

(Low and heavy tone)

“. . For preaching the Gospel of the Son of God!”

Pausing amidst the most profound silence and breathless astonishment of his hearers, he slowly waved the paper three times around his head and lifted up his eyes to heaven with extraordinary and impressive energy exclaimed “Great God!”

The exclamations, the action, the burst of feeling from the audience were all over powering.

Mr. Henry continued: “May it please your worship in a day like this when truth is about to burst her fetters, when mankind is about to be raised to claim their natural and inalienable rights, when the yoke of oppression which has reached the wilderness of America and the unnatural alliance of ecclesiastical and civil power is about to be dis-served. . .a period when liberty, and liberty of conscience is about to awake from her slumberings, and enquire into the reason for such charges as I find exhibited here today in this indictment.”

Another fearful pause with the speaker alternatively casting his sharp piercing eyes on the court and the prisoners and resumed: “If I am not deceived according to the content of the paper I hold in my hand, these men are accused of preaching the Gospel of the Son of God! (looking up to heaven again).

Great God!”

Another long pause during which he again waved the paper three times around his head while a deeper impression was made on the audience.

Resuming the speech “May it please your worship, there are periods in the history of man when corruption and depravity have so long debased the human character that man sinks under the weight of the oppressor’s hand and becomes his servile, his abject slave! He licks the hand that smites him! Bows in passive obedience to the mandates of the despot! And in this state of servility he receives his fetters of perpetual bondage. But may it please your worship such a day is passed away. From the period when our fathers left the land of nativity for settlement in these American wilds; For liberty, for civil and religious liberty, for liberty of conscience to worship their creator according to their concepts of heaven’s revealed will. From that moment they placed their feet on the American continent, in deep imbedded forests sought an asylum from persecution and tyranny. From that moment despotism was crushed. Her fetters of darkness were broken and heaven decreed that man should be free – free to worship God according to the Bible. But may it please your worship; permit me to enquire once more, For what are these men about to be tried? This paper says for preaching the Gospel of the Son of God.

Great God! For preaching the Saviour to Adam’s fallen race!”

Another pause . . . loudly-”What law have they violated?” Then for the third time in a slow dignified manner, he lifted his eyes to heaven and waved the indictment around his head. , .

The pitch was at its height . . . The judge said: “Sheriff-discharge those men!

(From the original article in Western Voice, July 29, 1949. This magazine is no longer published).

NEVER SURRENDER TO THE ENEMY!

June 5, 2011 in GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Jesus, Religion | Tags: depression lifte, fear and anxiousness, feeling hopeless, feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems, God's power in troubles, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, marriage problems, self-mutilation, serious illness, suicide, trusting God in your pain | 43 comments

“…but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13)

Stop the world, I want to get off! How many of us have had that thought? As the days grow shorter, the enemy has pulled out all the stops in his attacks. For that reason, there is an alarming number of people who just want to give up and some have even committed suicide. Many more have given thought to ending their life. In all these cases, Satan was able to convince them that there is no reason to live. His voice has tempted them to believe that the trial they are facing will never get better and it will never end. Jesus paid the price to overcome in every trouble and yet too many of us sadly cannot believe him.

We have all experienced those times in life when the battles we faced were so overwhelming that all hope just vanished. It can be very hard to recover when a loved one dies too soon and your heart is breaking from sadness. Marriages hardly seem worth the price of the license as spouses can leave their families without a hint of compunction. They always offer some excuse, but the bottom line is their vow and commitment to God meant nothing.

Financial problems are plaguing all of us in some way. Homes are being foreclosed and many are facing homelessness for the first time. Too often single mothers are destitute trying to raise their children alone. It seems never-ending as each day brings more problems.

To add to all of this, there is an overwhelming number of those with addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling and pornography. Crime has greatly increased and prisons are filled with dark forces of evil. Poverty and deadly diseases are at an all time high throughout this world. Earthquakes, tornadoes and floods have literally changed the geography of several states and countries.

Finally, never before have we seen the degree of sin and evil that defy understanding. News of parents who kill their own children without reason or remorse is becoming commonplace! Children are no longer protected from harm. We are literally living in a time when truth has been exchanged for a destructive lie. The hearts of most have grown cold as godlessness fills the earth to overflow.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3 :”There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” We are in those “terrible” times and it is now that you must choose what is right.

The forecast for this world is indeed dim. My heart breaks as I watch the massive deception that is filling this earth. In every country, people are crying out for God’s help in the midst of their struggles, but yet they are unwilling to surrender their lives to his will. Most do not understand that there will never be victory for them unless Christ rules in their hearts.

My friends, I want you to understand the most important part of this message. We are all living in perilous, troublesome times. Until Christ returns to make all things new, there is going to be trials and storms in the life of every believer. Those trials are not meant to drive you away from God and his purpose. They are permitted in your life to bring you to the power of God and his strength. For that reason, the enemy keeps taunting you to give up and believe that Christ was not enough or that he did not show up in time. The fact is that the legions of God’s angels are surrounding you right now. Your faith is being perfected as each battle brings you further up the mountain and closer to the face of God!

Those who feel that they cannot endure this life anymore and who want to die are listening to the lies from a defeated foe who has been rendered powerless and hopeless by the cross of Christ. That lie cannot hurt you unless you believe it! Take heart, my weary friends, for God is willing to breathe into you new life if you will just keep your eyes on him. You have the authority to move mountains and that means that you can take hope knowing that there is no boundary, no ocean, no pain and no bondage that can keep you a prisoner when the blood of Christ has set you free!

Whatever you are struggling with, your God is bigger. To those who are suffering with depression and even self-mutilation, there is a way out. That prison of affliction cannot keep you chained up any longer! Put your trust in Christ who paid the price to heal every disease and to restore marriages, homes and heal heartaches. He will get you through your financial battle and it is then that you will know Christ and his love for you that never fails.

Wherever you are, God sees you and knows your pain. Hold on and keep trusting for he knows how to rescue you if you don’t give up.

I am praying for all who need to hear this message. You are not alone for God has burdened others to pray for you. I hope that you will take to heart all that God has given me to write. Remember that your pain will not last forever. Only believe!

CHOSEN OUT OF THE WORLD

May 16, 2011 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, following Christ, having joy in the midst of problems, hope in difficult situations, peace in trials, storms of life, strength to overcome, trusting God in hardship, victory in trouble, victory in your battles | 42 comments

We are in this world but not of it

As the world news reports the crisis situations of wars, famines, floods, tornadoes, and every evil under the sun, there emerges a question that each person must ask and that is, “Who am I following?”.

Your whole life comes down to a choice in this world that is perishing right before our eyes. Whatever occupies the majority of your thoughts and your time is a key indicator of where you are in your relationship with Christ. We who belong to Christ are called to live as aliens on this earth. Those who seek the kingdom to God are never satisfied with the pleasures of this world. The temporal riches in life can bring more problems than happiness. True joy comes from serving God as only those things which you have surrendered to him will last. As each day brings another set of difficulties, your faith will soon come with a price. Jesus tells us about this in John 15:18-19:

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

For you to belong to Christ, you must seek the things of his kingdom. If you are too comfortable with the ways of this world, you may need to examine your relationship with Christ. Many people live as if this earth was all that mattered. They are deceived into thinking that they can conform to the world and still be a follower of Christ. You can’t serve two masters. One will always trump the other. It is only the narrow path that leads to eternal life. The enemy will always try to lead you down the wide road of destruction as he compromises the truth to fit your lifestyle. It is a life that will never bring you joy and blessings. You can’t be “almost” saved to get to heaven. When Christ reveals himself to you, there is a radical transformation as your heart of stone is replaced by a heart of flesh that seeks after the will of God. And while there is a process of learning to walk in the ways of righteousness; a man born of God will turn from evil as his renewed spirit is led to follow Christ.

My dear friends, if you truly want victory in your life, there is just one way to have it. It is only by living the crucified life of Christ that you find peace and joy despite your troubles. It is at the foot of the cross that your weaknesses have been made strong and your burdens have been lifted. There is no bondage that can hold a believer who has been set free by the blood of Christ. All of your struggles are working out an eternal, divine purpose to equip you for his good work. In every battle, you are surrounded by the army of the living God who has given his angels charge over your welfare.

As I write this message, there are fellow believers living in restricted and hostile nations who do not have the freedom to worship as they please. They have chosen to risk their lives for Christ. They are not looking for seeker-friendly churches with watered down gospel messages. They are searching for the pure truth despite the consequences. Some have watched as family and friends have been tortured or killed for their faith. Through it all, they do not waver in their resolve to follow the way of the cross. That is true victory! That is the power of Christ making strong those who are willing to suffer for him. That is the kind of faith that defies all understanding.

I know that there are those who visit this site who are enduring trials and heartaches of every kind. The increase of evil everywhere has darkened this world, but nothing can quench the fire of a believer who trusts in the promises of Christ. The fact is that your problems are never able to destroy you. They are allowed by Christ only to take you from where you are to where he is! As difficult as it may seem, you must not grow weary and give up. In your struggle, don’t look at your circumstance, look to your God! You have reason to hope because the One who gave you life holds your future in his hands.

In a time when nothing is certain, you must choose to follow in the ways of truth. Jesus is coming to take those with him who have shown themselves to be true daughters and sons. You need only look around you and watch the news to understand that he is coming soon! While there is still time, give your heart to Christ. Surrender all you have to get all that he has for you. Your eternity depends on it!

I am praying for all who come to this site who are uncertain of their future. May you understand that with Jesus there is a way to know for sure. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at: commish07@zoominternet.net. Let Christ lead you to the truth. You are never alone.

THE DEVIL’S LIES

April 14, 2011 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, God's unfailing love, HOPE, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God will not fail you, having peace despite your problems, help with your problems, impossible situations, purpose in trials, strength through Christ, trusting God in hardship, victory in your battles | 64 comments

”Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22)

I know that times are tough and everyone is being hit with seemingly endless trials and tribulations. As the devil realizes that his time is growing short, the furor of hell has darkened this earth. We are living in a time of deception when many are compromising the truth. In an attempt to mollify those who just want to hear what tickles the ear, false teachers have watered down the gospel to the extent that even the devil isn’t offended! It is no wonder that as life’s storms grow fiercer, many people are having difficulty trusting that God’s power is enough.

The absolute truth to this is that Christ will always have the authority over everything that touches your life. God does not take a walk to the other side of heaven and forget about your pain and heartache. He sees each tear you shed. He has a full view of all that concerns you. All the storms in a believer’s life are permitted for an eternal reason. You are being made stronger and powerfully equipped for battle as you grow in your understanding of God’s limitless power.

It was with this knowledge that Job was able to cry out , “I know my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth” ( Job 19:25). Despite losing his children, his fortune and his health, Job still believed that God was with him! He said of God, “When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:9-10) You don’t have to see God to know that he is with you every second and leading you on the path that he has chosen for you long before the foundation of the earth. The devil himself can see God’s presence and protection surrounding you. One thing I have said before but is important enough to say again and that is that everything that comes against you MUST bow to the will of God for your life! You have nothing to fear for God will be with you to the end.

The perfect love of Christ breaks the bondage of fear. You belong to Christ and his will for your life cannot be hindered by any of your problems or weaknesses. Neither the world, the flesh nor the devil can alter the purpose and plan of God for you. There are no impossible situations for God. You need to look past the fiery furnace of every affliction and see the presence of Christ who is there to protect you. He alone has the final word on what happens to you in every circumstance. Problems increase when you start doubting that God will help you. It always leads to failure when you can’t wait on God and try to work things out your way. Nothing will prevent Christ from completing the job he started in you. Your pain will not crush you and it has no power to destroy you. When you shrink back in fear over your problems, you allow the lie of Satan to rule in your life.

I know that you may be feeling overwhelmed by all that is causing you pain right now, but don’t give up. You need to remember that Jesus paid the price for you to have an abundant life in spite of all the troubles you face. As he was dying on the cross for us, he cried out with his last breath, ”IT IS FINISHED!”. That means that nothing on this earth can keep you in bondage! You have been set free. Anything that opposes God’s will for you has now been rendered powerless. The impact of those words should stay in your heart always. Victory is living within you and the power that raised Christ from the dead is now your strength. The trial you are in cannot take you from God’s sight nor stop him from helping you.

In order to defeat the enemy, you must know the truth. In James 4:7, we read, “Submit yourselves; then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you“. The main command is to “submit yourselves to God” first. It is by humbling yourself before him and trusting that he will help you that you get all the strength that you need to make the devil and his schemes flee from you! The forces of hell shudder at the sight of one believer in prayer who trusts that God can do all things.

YOU are that believer! Let go of the lies and begin to trust in the power of God. He will keep you in his perfect peace beyond your power to understand. You can take God at his word who says: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.” ( Isaiah 26:3)

God is with you and I will be praying for you. You are never alone!

HOPE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE STORM

March 15, 2011 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: cancer can't destroy you, facing serious or terminal illness, feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, peace in trials, set free from addictions, victory despite marriage problems | 33 comments

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper.(Psalm 108:28-29)

WHERE DOES MY HELP COME FROM?

Without a doubt, the immense struggles of these ending days can weigh your spirit down. Scripture assures believers that we are not alone in our problems nor are we ever without help. Although you may want to believe this promise, there are troubles that can leave you feeling totally helpless and defeated. The raging storms of life brings many questions: Where do you turn when you have just been given a diagnosis that your illness is terminal? What do you do when your spouse leaves you for someone else? How do you continue to support yourself and your family now that your job has been terminated? How do you break free from an addiction that is keeping you in bondage? Our trials are getting more difficult. It is one thing to trust God to get you to the Red Sea. It is quite another to believe that he will part the waters and bring you safely across.

We are in a time when our faith is being tested to the limit. The truth is that even though the storms are getting fiercer, we serve a God who remains the same. His power to save and restore our lives has not changed. Nothing can defeat a child of God for whom Christ has redeemed!

If you are facing serious medical issue, I pray you will understand that this message is for you. Your fear and uncertainty is before the eyes of God and he is with you. It doesn’t matter what diagnosis your doctor gave you. The only one who knows what is going to happen to you is God. It was he who has numbered your days before one of them came to be. Our God has the power over all sickness and disease. He doesn’t care what stage your cancer is in. He can heal a stage 4 as easily as a stage 1. The only fact that matters is that his perfect will for you cannot be stopped by bad medical report! God has planned what is best for you in this life and he will not deny you anything good. If he chooses to heal you now, his power can completely cast out all traces of illness and restore you to health. But yet, whenever the time comes for you to leave this earth, you can take comfort knowing that even then the love of God will be with you. It is my belief that those who belong to Christ will never die scared. In chapter 7 of the book of Acts, we read about the faith of Stephen. He was willing to be put to death for Christ. As they were getting ready to kill him, Stephen shouted with joy, “Look”, he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God!” At those words, the angry crowd stoned him to death. What is amazing is that Stephen saw Christ standing at the right hand of God. All through the bible, Jesus is always seated at the right hand of God - so why then was he standing? I believe with all of my heart that Christ stood ready to greet Stephen as he came to his eternal home. Christ, the Son of the living God, is ready to meet with you when you leave this earth! He will be faithful to you to the end. When you are absent from the body, you are present with him! You have nothing to fear from death. God hears your prayers for family and loved ones and he can take care of them.

In any trouble, God is still sovereign. His authority defeats impossible situations Your serious financial problems cannot destroy you unless you believe that God is not enough. Whether you have plenty or are in need, he is working all things out for the purpose for which he created you. It is difficult to remain calm when you may be losing everything you own, but you must learn to trust that God is able to restore all that was taken and more. Everything on this earth and in the heavens is his to give! King David wrote in Psalm 37:25, ” I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous begging for bread,” God knows how to give you what you need if you will just believe and wait upon him!

You may suffer for while when your heart is broken by a betrayal in a marriage or relationship, but God is able to heal your heart and renew the future of all who trust in him. Your pain cannot crush you when Christ holds your heart. Believe the truth and not what your emotions tell you. There will come a time when your pain will be just a memory and a remembrance of how God was faithful to bring you through it.

My prayer for those who are shackled to deadly addictions is that you will reach for the hand of Jesus who is willing to pull you from the mire and set you on high ground! There is no bondage that the cross of Christ cannot release you from. You do not have to live as a slave to destruction if you are willing to surrender your weakness to gain Christ’ strength! Jesus paid the price for your freedom. It is yours for the asking.

In all things, God is more than able to give you the victory. He is the Author and Finisher of all life. There is nothing out of his control. Whatever you are facing, remember that Christ came to give you life. Let not your heart be troubled by the cares of this world for the love of God will never fail you!

I will be praying deeply for all those who are in pain and need to understand the truth of this message.

GOD HEARS YOUR PRAYERS!

February 22, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, having peace despite your problems, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, peace in trials, strength to overcome, trusting the power of prayer | 38 comments

Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard” (Daniel 10:12)

Probably one of the hardest steps of faith is believing that God hears and will help us when we call on him in prayer. We are still living in a world that has dimensions and boundaries and our finite minds have limits to our understanding in difficult matters. We therefore need a measure of faith to see past that which is seen and go deeper into that which is unseen. The only way to please God is by trusting him despite the storms that we face in a world that is literally being destroyed by sin. Although it is not visible to our eyes right now, there is a battle that is taking place all around us in the heavenly realms. Darkness is covering the horizons in every corner of this world as evil is seeking to destroy everything in God’s creation. So when we are faced with a painful trial, it is easier to believe what we can see than what we can’t see. Yet, it is at our lowest point of struggle that we must lift our eyes in prayer and believe that our God is not going to let us be devoured by the enemy of destruction.

It may seem impossible to live with a heart that is breaking but God has promised us in his word that He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3) He is not slow to help and he will never fail you even when it seems that you are being crushed by the weight of your pain. If you could see the very real battle that is taking place all around you, you would understand that you are being guarded by the forces of heaven. Every step you take as a believer is guided by the hand of God who knows the path you must take to victory. Every prayer that you present to Christ is heard and he knows what is right and perfect for you. Your whole life is before his eyes and he is answering you in ways that for now you may not understand. The solid truth is that Christ never stops working all things out for your good! When you lift up your prayers and petitions, you are surrendering all of your struggles to the will of God. You are seeking his strength and his power to help you stand in faith believing the God who saw your unformed body in the womb and who numbered all of your days before even one of them came to be. Nothing of your life is hidden from him. Your fear and despair in a trial stem from not understanding the power of God and his unfailing love for you. Never will his eyes leave you for one second! Why can you not understand that you are worrying about things that Jesus already has worked out?

I have been through a lot of pain in my life but I can now rest in the fact that the purpose and plan God has for my life cannot be stopped. I can trust that he is right next to me when I pray and that he always hears. No pain can consume my life because my God will always be bigger that anything I face. I believe that God will go ahead of me in every battle and lead me into victory against my enemies. I know that God is faithful and that I can take him at his word. My future is in his hands and he is the joy of my life. At the moment of Christ’ death, the temple veil that enclosed the holy of holies was torn signifying our new access to the throne of God in every prayer! Believers are right there with Christ in every petition that is made to him. The devil can’t stop our prayers nor can he hinder God from answering them.

My dear friends, I say all this to encourage you through the trials you are facing. You can still have a future despite a broken marriage or a relationship that is not working out. Your financial struggles are not going to be forever. Job situations and serious health issues are still under the sovereignty of God. My greatest lesson in God’s love came when I trusted him at a time when I had no strength of my own in an impossible situation. His power is greater than a painful struggle or addiction. His strength is perfected in any weakness that we surrender to him. We can trust our God in every area of life and we can trust him in death. There is nothing good that he will ever withhold from those who belong to him. Never let the silence make you think that God is not doing something for your cause. Remember that Elijah had to wait on the mountain top for the quiet whisper of God after he faced the powerful wind, the earthquake and the great fire. No matter how or when he chooses to do it, never doubt that God will show up and fight against that which is coming against you!

Dear Lord, I am lifting up those who are going through a storm in life that is making them weary. They want to believe that you will show up in time to help them but the enemy has been filling their minds with lies. I pray that you will give them your peace that passes understanding and open their hearts to know that you are with them right now. They don’t have to see you or feel you to know that you are there. Show them that their prayers are heard by you and you will resolve the issues they face. Let them know that you will never leave them to fight against the battles of this world alone. I pray that they will listen for that small whisper of hope that you are ready to give them. Lord Jesus, I believe your promises never fail. Amen

FAINT TRACES OF GRACE

January 10, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: believing all that God says, God cares, grace to overcome, having peace despite your problems, hope in difficult situations, promise of God's help, strength in the battle, victory in troubles | 29 comments

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

God has taken me through many struggles and trials that have come against me on every side. Every time I feared the worst, God has shown up and brought me to safety. I believe that is true in some aspect for everyone. So why is it when a storm cloud looms overhead that we forget the power of God? Why do we cower in fear when a painful situation is out of our control? The truth is that there is no battle we face that Christ has not overcome for us. In our desert time of need, there will always be Living Water of hope for those who believe. The promises of God will never fail! Christ covered the cost for victory in every single conflict we endure. His merciful, loving, immeasurable grace is sufficient.

In a world that is pouring out lies and perverting the laws of God, it brings us rest to join with other believers who will run with us in the race that was set for us. One such friend is Rev. Bill York whose blog, concernedx2, is one of my favorites. We both agree that we are living in the ending days and that our blessed Savior is coming soon. I want to share with you the poem below he wrote that speaks to my heart:

FAINT TRACES OF GRACE

While only a child, I looked through the pages
Of books written down, compiled through the ages
This is the way, by Mom I was told
We have a good record of heroes of old

I discovered an old book, so ragged and worn
The pages were dog-eared, so tattered and torn
Among my great writings it could not abide
With theologians and scholars, I tossed it aside

The years passed so swiftly and now I am old
I opened the old book of long, long ago
There on crumpled pages I learned about life
I learned about hope and I learned about strife

When no trace of goodness in me could be found
I learned of my fate, to where I was bound
Then I learned about love and I learned about grace
I discovered a hero who had died in my place

Faint traces of grace upon me have fallen
My hope is secure, I’ve heeded the calling
I bow at his feet, I look on his face
Reflecting in me, faint traces of grace

by Rev. Bill York

The words of this poem remind me that despite our struggles and pain, we always have a future if our trust is in Jesus and the work of the cross. There is nothing that can bind you or keep you down when the strength of Christ is with you. His grace is all you will ever need. Those who live in fear and strife do not have an understanding of grace. It is not about performing or being right and good enough for God. It is coming just as you are to the throne of mercy and surrendering your utter weakness and depravity to Christ who offers you a future with promise. Who are we that the grace of God should abound when we are at our lowest point? And yet Jesus, who knew us before the foundation of the earth, has deemed us to be co-heirs of his kingdom and to receive all that is good despite our unworthiness! If the enormity of that grace could set into our finite minds, we would be forever on our face in total shame for our sin.

I know that many of you may be dealing with a trial in your life that is difficult and causing you to falter in your faith. My prayer is that you look beyond your pain and focus on your God whose eyes are on you now. Be in peace, dear friends. Always and in all things, faint traces of grace will carry you through the unfailing promises of God for your life.

SURRENDERED BROKENNESS

January 2, 2011 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: death of a loved one, difficulties, feeling weary and overwhelmed, God's unfailing love and help, having peace despite your problems, impossible situations, trusting Jesus | 35 comments

Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

As this new year begins, I am praying for all who visit this site. I don’t have to know you to understand that God has a purpose in leading you here. I have learned in my life one important fact and that is that God hears our prayers and answers. For whatever reason he brought you here, I welcome you with love. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your need is, God’s strength is powerful enough to cover it all. Your pain, your struggles and your broken heart cannot stop the perfect plan God has for those who seek him. At some time in our lives, we all make bad choices and fall; but to those who take hold of the hand of Christ, there can be no failures. The truth is that there is no limit to what God can do through you and for you if you are willing to surrender your brokenness to him.

I want to share something that happened to me a few years ago that impacted my life. My elderly father had been living with me and my husband in our home. Almost four years to the month, my father got ill and I had to take him into the emergency room. I felt weary and alone sitting in dad’s room waiting for tests to be done when I heard the nurse talking to a man on the other side of the curtain. Apparently the young man tried to commit suicide when he found out his wife and kids were moving out. He sounded sad as he told the nurse that he felt like foolish for attempting something like that. After talking to him a bit, the nurse left to get his discharge papers. I had some of my faith articles with me and I felt strongly led to go over and give them to this stranger. I hesitated and decided to think it over before letting this man know I overheard his story. What if he got angry that I listened in? What do I even say to him? I panicked! After a few seconds, I just got up and went over. I turned back the curtain a little and quietly said to him, “Hi, I am so sorry but I overheard what happened and I want you to know that I care. More importantly, God cares, and he has a future for you even if your marriage ends. He can give you hope and healing no matter what you are feeling. I will be praying for you and I have some articles I wrote that I think may help you, if that is okay with you.” The young man simply looked me in the eyes with tears and said, “Thank you!” I went over and hugged him and he told me his name and I told him mine. We talked for a little and I tried to encourage him. Then he said something that truly humbled me to my soul. He said, “I know you don’t realize it, but you just saved my life today!” Amazing. Even though I was dealing with my seriously ill father, God still wanted to use me to bring his love and hope to someone who was ready to give up.

The next day, my daughter and I were with my father at the hospital when he passed away. It was a crushing ordeal for me, but somehow in all of my pain I remembered how Christ had used me to show his love to a stranger. God’s power was with me even as my father was dying. His peace just filled me as I understood without a doubt that God was now taking care of my father in heaven! His perfect plan did not fail me.

Life here on earth is not easy. We are still on the battle ground of a perishing world awaiting the final call of Christ. Our momentary problems are working out eternal ramifications. They are preparing us for royalty in a kingdom that will never end. We are always going to have struggles and pain, but we must never lose our focus for God’s is always with us on the path that he has prepared for our lives.

My hope for every believer is that you understand that the storms in your life have no power to destroy you because God will always be bigger. No matter how devastating it may seem, there is a purpose and plan for all that you must endure and he knows how to work it out for your good. I am praying for you now.

THE PROMISE OF HOPE

September 5, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, Jesus, Trusting God | Tags: difficulties, feeling overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God's faithfulness, God's strength in our trials, healing in marriages, weary in life | 2 comments

The promises of God are real and his faithfulness will never fail us. We have nothing to fear as believers because the power of God is always with us. Yet those words may ring hollow when you are in a crisis situation. You may be dealing with a serious illness for which there is no cure. You may be struggling with financial difficulties and don’t know where to turn. You may be suffering the pain of a broken marriage or relationship and have lost all hope for the future. Whatever the struggle, it can be hard to stand in your faith when your circumstance seems hopeless.

We read in Proverbs 24:10, “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!”. The truth is that those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ have limitless power to defeat anything that comes against them. In 1 John 5:4, we are told that everyone born of God overcomes the world. The forces of evil cannot conquer a child of God. The devil himself knows that he is unable to harm a hair on your head but only what God permits. And God will only allow that struggle or pain for which he has prepared in advance to bring you through to victory. Each trial we endure is permitted to help us to develop the perseverance that we need to stay strong in this life so that our faith may be proved genuine. Christ did not suffer and die to lose the battle. His death paid the price for our victory and it cannot be taken from us. It does not matter what trouble you may be experiencing, God is willing and able to bring you through it. He alone can turn a painful situation into something that will be used for good with a reward that will last forever. God’s promise in Isaiah 61:3 is to give you beauty for ashes and gladness instead of mourning.

Those who have Jesus as their Savior have a living hope. It does not matter how weary you may feel for it is Christ who will fight your battle and he knows how to rescue the godly from trials. He has made us more than conquerors which means we cannot fail despite our weaknesses. The Apostle Paul understood that all he had to suffer was permitted for a purpose. He believed that God’s grace was able to meet all of his needs despite the pain he had to endure. For that reason, Paul was able to be content in any and every situation, good or bad. He said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”. That is the kind of faith that honors God and defeats the enemy.

You can have the peace that surpasses understanding if you will keep your eyes on Christ instead of your problems. There is nothing that is impossible for him. He cannot fail you because it was by his great love that he created you. He overcame death and left us a promise that he would always be with us. Jesus will make a way through the mountain of your problems because his perfect plan for your life cannot be stopped. Remember, the love of Christ will always defeat your enemies and keep you in his perfect peace.

It is my prayer that you understand that it doesn’t matter where you are or what you are going through for Jesus will be there to help you. You are never alone.

WHOSE VOICE DO YOU LISTEN TO?

September 5, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Jesus, Struggles in life | Tags: Christian faith, feeling weary and overwhelmed, God's voice, having peace despite your problems, help in finances, hope in difficult situations, Jesus, joy in our life, pain, promise of God's help, purpose in trials, victory in troubles, victory in your battles | 6 comments

In the course of our day, we go through a series of choices. What time to get up, where to go and what to eat are just some of them. But the most important choice we make each day is whose voice will we listen to?

In the bible, God says in Deuteronomy 30:19 “ I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life”. That is a decision you alone must make. The enemy comes around like a roaring lion seeking to destroy you. If you allow Satan to have a foothold in your life, you are allowing the thief entry to steal your joy.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly”. Jesus never promised that we would not have problems. He promised that despite our struggles, he would still be able to give us peace and joy in the midst of them and to those who endure, blessings for having gone through them. There is not a circumstance in your life that Christ cannot turn and use for your good. It doesn’t matter what pain, addiction, illness, financial problem or relationship heartache that you are going through, the power of Christ can and will take you through it.

The enemy wants you to believe that your situation is hopeless and there is nothing that can help you. The truth that sets you free is the knowledge that God has a perfect plan for you life. Those who have put their faith in the shed blood of Jesus need to know that the enemy has no power over your life. The trials you face are only the winds that God allows as you sail toward the reward he has for you in eternity.

What Satan sends to harm you cannot crush you. A child of God can never be defeated! Satan already knows this so his job is to try and convince you that you that your battle cannot be won and that no one cares. That is a lie from the father of lies. Remember that it was God who sent his only Son to save us so that none should perish. It was God who loved us before we first loved him and who works all things out for our good. And it is God, through his Son Jesus, who will never leave us alone but has promised believers an inheritance in eternity. The only promise the enemy can fulfill is one of pain and despair. He has no other power.

Each day begins as a gift from God. You have a choice to walk in the light of truth which comes from the word of God. It is a life full of promise and joy in the midst of your problems and a hope that God will fulfill his purpose for you. Finally, it is the strength to turn from the voice of the enemy who seeks to destroy you and to live the life that Christ has already won for you. The victory is yours. Choose life!

WHEN GOD ALLOWS BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN

October 6, 2010 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, heavy burdens, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God cares, hope in the storms of life, impossible situations, painful situations, purpose in trials, trusting God in your pain | 22 comments

For a little while, you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials (1Peter 1:6)

It is hard to understand the ways of God when the battle is raging and you are surrounded by the enemy. Going through a painful trial or heartache can bring you down lower than you have ever been. It can seem unbearable and crushing especially when you don’t understand why God would allow this struggle in your life. How can the torment that you are experiencing be part of God’s perfect plan for you? It just doesn’t make sense.

We read in James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him”. Each struggle brings an opportunity for God to manifest more of his power in you. It is his strength to take us through to the end and our training for the royalty that awaits us in heaven. Yet, there are still times when the answer to our prayers for help seems so far away.

Even knowing God has a purpose for our trials, the things that come against us in this world will never make sense to us. However, the divine purpose for all we endure must complete its work in us. Even Jesus knew that he had to endure great pain that we might be redeemed. In Luke 22:43-44 we read that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray before he was to be crucified. With great anguish over what he was to suffer, his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Yet as he obeyed his Father’s will, an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. Jesus understood that there were eternal implications in all that he had to endure. He willingly gave his life that we might be saved.

As a believer, you should understand that God will also send his angels to strengthen and comfort you as you grow weary from the battles of this world. He will never let you stand alone and carry burdens that are much too heavy for you. The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from their trials. His purpose in allowing pain in your life is to develop you into the image of Christ and to actually make you stronger for the journey set for you. In 2 Corinthians, God’s word says that you may be hard pressed on all sides but never crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but never abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. The storms of this life can rock your boat but Jesus has promised that you will get to the destination that he planned for you before you were born. When you can trust God despite your broken heart, you defeat the father of lies who wants you to forget that Jesus paid the price for your victory. All the troubles that we must face are obtaining for us an eternal reward that will last forever. You must keep your eyes on Jesus who is able to keep you in his peace even when you don’t understand the purpose for your pain.

Scripture says that after losing his children, his wealth and his health, Job cried out, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” (Job 13:13). God had a purpose in allowing Job to go through such a trial. Ultimately, Satan was defeated and Job received a great reward. He was given beautiful children, greater wealth and a longer life because he trusted God when even when all was taken.

God’s purpose and plan will forever stand though the earth may be shaken. God’s ways are much higher than the logic of this world so you must trust him even when you don’t understand. There is nothing you are suffering that God didn’t plan in advance to take you through. May it help you to know that there are believers praying for you right now and that God’s love for you will never fail!

Dear Lord, I am praying now for those who are enduring great hardship and pain in their lives. Although they are struggling to stand in their faith, they have become weary and need a touch from you. I pray that you will give them a very real sense of your presence in all that they are going through. I pray that you will fill them with your peace and will open their eyes to know that you are with them despite the fierce storm that is all around them. Help them to continue to walk in trust knowing that you will never fail them and that your divine purpose in their lives cannot be stopped by the enemy of this world. Amen

A PROMISE YOU CAN TRUST

September 6, 2008 in Christian faith, heavy burdens, Struggles in life | Tags: broken dreams, God's power in your life, help in despair, hopeless situations, Jesus, Promises of God, Trusting God, unfailing strength from God | Leave a comment

The Promises of Christ

All things in this earth will pass away and only the kingdom of God will endure forever. Each day of your life you have to decide if you will serve the temporary pleasures of this fallen world or store up riches in the never ending kingdom of heaven that is to come.

Those who endure until the end will receive the unspeakable reward which Christ has prepared for those who love him. We are given only a glimpse in Scripture of what it will be like to be in the presence of God in heaven forever because our finite minds could not possibly comprehend the magnificent beauty that awaits believers.

For now on this earth, we must face the battles that each day holds as we continue to trust in the unfailing strength of our God who provides all that we need. We serve a God who alone has the power to turn a curse in our life into a blessing (Deuteronomy 23:5). No stronghold has power over your life as a believer but what you give it. You only grow weary in the battle when you empower your situation instead of magnifying your God who has the power to crush all of your enemies. You can believe the lie that says your situation is hopeless, or you can walk in the truth that says by faith you can literally move mountains.

No struggle or trial is beyond the strength of the Creator who spoke all things into existence. He who breathed life into your body can assuredly breathe new life into your broken dreams and restore what the enemy took from you. Your situation can never separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Have no fear when it seems like the ground all around you is crumbling. You are not standing on the sinking sand of this earth but on the promises of Christ who will hold you and keep you standing while those around you are perishing.

Every believer is given a future with promise and a plan to succeed in all that God has called you to do. You cannot be robbed of your inheritance as a child of the King of Kings. Jesus came to this earth to die for us so that we might have eternal life with him in heaven. Your weaknesses and failures cannot stop the promise of God who reconciled us to himself in Christ not counting men’s sins against them Through Christ, we have become the righteousness of God. God’s word tells us in 1 Cor. 6: 11, ”But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”. We were made clean and right standing not by anything that we could do, but only by what Jesus did for us on the cross. He paid the price that gave us victory over death and set us free from the bondages of this world. We only need to believe that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

If you are unsure of your future and want assurance of eternity with God in heaven, now is the time to call upon the name of Jesus and ask him to reveal himself to you in a personal way. He is only a prayer away and his great love for you will do the rest.

YOU CAN’T BE DEFEATED

September 8, 2008 in GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary, hope through struggles, overwhelmed with problems, set free from bondages, strength when overwhelmed, trusting Jesus | Leave a comment

Christ is with you in your pain

We are told in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy but that Jesus came to give us life that is abundant and overflowing. That means that believers do not have to live an unfulfilled, mundane life. Those who put their trust in Jesus are now a new creation with the ability to live in complete victory despite the circumstances that they face. The shadow of death will bring no fear to those who know that their debt was paid for on the cross at Calvary.

The hand of God will supply you with the strength and power that you need to stand against the forces of evil that try to destroy your family, your health and your finances. You cannot be defeated because God has a perfect plan for your life to give you a future with hope. The destructive lies of the enemy cannot harm you because the force of God is mightier than any weapon that is formed against you. In Isaiah 40 we are told that God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Those who trust in the enduring love of the Savior, Jesus Christ, will never be disappointed.

Jesus tells us in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. Jesus came to bring light to a dark world. He came to bring life to a world that was perishing. He came to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus is all these things. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only way to the Father. He has given us life by his death and resurrection. And by his power, we are now set free from the bondages of sin and destruction.

There is not a force in the heavens or earth that is more powerful than the power of Christ who dwells in a believer. There is now no sin, no pain and no addiction that can hold you in chains when the truth has set you free. The knowledge that God is your protector and your vindicator should fill you with the peace that Jesus won at the cross. His sacrifice not only bought us eternal life but also the right to reign with him in heaven. That is a promise that is worth the momentary trials and pain of this world. You should live your life with the knowledge that the love of God will see you through the battles of this world and bring you safely to the glory that awaits you in heaven.

If you are feeling weary and troubled at this moment, please understand that you may be trying to carry your own burdens. Scripture says to cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you (Psalm 55:22). In order to do that, you must trust that Jesus has the power to lift the pain that you have and to give you the peace that he will work all things out for your good.

It is my prayer that all who read this will be set free by a revelation of the truth of God’s enduring love.

Dear Lord, I pray for those who are weary from the battle, who feel defeated and overwhelmed. I pray that you will lift them by your power and give them the strength to continue on knowing that you will fight the battles that come against them. I pray that they will feel your peace as you help to stand in faith and trust that you are all that they need.

HOPE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED

September 9, 2008 in Christian faith, heavy burdens | Tags: brokenhearted, Christianity, God has a perfect plan, Jesus, promise of God's help, Religion, stength to overcome, you are never alone | 4 comments

What burden are you trying to carry that is making you feel hopeless and alone? Is there a seemingly impossible situation in your life which has caused you to lose all faith and just give up? Whatever the circumstance, if your heart is breaking and you don’t know where to turn, take heart for God has a word for you today.

In Psalm 34, God’s word says that he is close to the brokenhearted. We are told in Psalm 58 that God has collected all of our tears in a bottle and recorded every one in his book. He cares about every aspect of our life and for this reason we can be comforted in any situation and know that God has a way for us to rise above every storm that we face. His power has no limit and there is absolutely nothing that he will not do to help those who call upon his name in time of need.

The enemy roams this earth and tries to blind us to the hope that Christ’s death and resurrection bought for us. That hope is a promise from God that he will fulfill his purpose in our lives no matter what struggles we face. Believers have the assurance that Jesus can restore shattered dreams and renew a future with victory and joy. He is sufficient for all of your needs and he will never fail you. The devil knows well that a child of God can never be destroyed.

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength”. Paul realized that it did not matter what he had to go through because he knew that the strength to endure and conquer all of his problems came from Christ. That truth is also for us today. If you have put your trust in the finished work of Jesus, you now have his strength living in you. You will never be alone and nothing you can do will ever defeat his perfect plan for your life despite the painful situation you may be in.

Jesus died to set you free and to give you a new life. Before he formed the earth, he knew your name and had a purpose and a plan to bring you to him. His love for you will never end no matter what you have done and all that you go through touches his heart first. Although you may not understand why God allows pain in your life, you must remember that he has the power to cause all things to be used for your good no matter how hard it is at the time to endure. Then you can grow in the understanding that the testing of your faith develops perseverance so that you will not lack any good thing.

Those who endure with Jesus to the end will reign with him in eternity. We are not going to have all of the answers on this earth, however, we can live as conquerors and defeat the enemy if we stand firm and trust that God is bigger than any of our problems.

The assurance of all of God’s promises is yours if you simply pray and ask Jesus to make himself real to you. He is willing to come and live in your heart and be the power to overcome in your struggles. He wants to heal your pain so that you can live in the peace that he died to give you. Jesus says in Revelation 3;20 that he stands at the door and knocks and that if you open the door, he will come in and be with you. Today is that day. Call upon him now. Your eternity depends on it.

THE GOD WHO CARES

September 9, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God cares, impossible situations, peace in trials, promise of God's help, purpose in trials, strength through Christ, uncertainty, victory despite marriage problems | Leave a comment

He knows how to rescue you from the storm

The darkness of these current days can appear abysmal. There are wars, earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes in the news. We watch helplessly as people throughout the world and in our own country face uncertainty as they try to rebuild their disaster devastated lives. So much is happening and some may wonder if God really cares.

The answer to this lies in God’s word. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus says,” And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. God’s word says 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you”. There is nothing that is happening that God is not sovereign over. If he is allowing it, there is a purpose. Scripture tells us that though now you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, it is so that your faith may be proved genuine. The winds that blow through your life as a believer are never meant to weaken you but rather to strengthen you in your walk with God. In the book of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and ultimately unfairly imprisoned for many years. But God was with him. Prisons then were dark, damp and filthy and the prisoners did not get much food. After all those years Joseph should have come out of prison emaciated and sickly. Instead, Joseph emerged from prison to be appointed second highest in command in Egypt. He had the energy and the sound mind to rule despite what he had endured. God was perfectly able to keep Joseph’s mind and body strong during his time of trial and to use the evil done to him for good to accomplish the saving of many lives.

God is still with us during our struggles to lift us up above our circumstances and to use them for our good. He tells us in Psalm 41:13, “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you”. Those who have hope in the shed blood of Jesus have nothing to fear from this world. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them. Jesus gave his life for you so that you can have life to the fullest. He cares about your hurts, your pain, your injustice, your addictions and anything that seeks to bring you down. He left us his peace so that we can have joy no matter what trial we have because we know that Christ is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us.

This world is not our home and Jesus has promised to go and prepare a place for us. Nothing you have done can stand in the way of Christ’s forgiveness and mercy if you call on him. For now, there will be problems and disasters on this earth, but we have the hope that God will one day wipe away every tear and bring us to eternal life with him.

THE POWER OF FAITH

September 10, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: faith, God promise to help in all trials, healing in marriage, Jesus, painful situations, power, Religion, strength to overcome, trials, victory over fear and problems | 18 comments

Power over your problems

Faith is the key to defeating all that comes against you. In order for the hand of God to work miracles in your life, you must believe that he is able. Your trials have no power over you except for what you allow. For that reason, you must never let the fear of any painful situation in your life become bigger than your God.

The bible tells us that Jesus came to set the captives free. We who were once in bondage to the evil of this world now have the power over darkness. The death and resurrection of Christ gave us the victory over anything that seeks to destroy us. He paid the price for us to live life abundantly despite what we have to endure. He became our strength to conquer all of our enemies. He has put death and destruction under his feet. Those who have a relationship with Jesus have nothing to fear from this world. He alone is the hope for all that you need and he will not fail you.

In Matthew 15, we read about how the Apostles were in a boat on the water that was being tossed around by the wind and the waves. During the night, Jesus came to them walking on the water and they became afraid. Peter asked Jesus to let him come to him on the water and Jesus said, “Come”. Peter began to walk on the water but when he saw the strong wind and the high waves he was afraid and began to sink. He cried out to Jesus who lifted him from the water and said, “Why did you doubt?”.

The truth of this matter is that it was not the wind or the waves that brought Peter down, it was his fear! Instead of keeping his eyes on his Creator who could save him from all things, Peter instead empowered the wind and the waves. He feared that he would perish even though the Master of the universe was right there with him. Jesus is over all that is in this world and even the wind must obey him. With just a word, Jesus was able to quiet the storm.

Even now, there is never a situation that Jesus can’t take you through if your trust is in him. With just his word, he can give you peace in the trial that you are enduring. The power of the blood of Christ is able to meet you wherever you are. It is not based on your good works but on his mercy. It does not matter what you have done or how far you have strayed, his love is able to reach out lift you from the waters of trouble and bring you to safety. Jesus is always willing to forgive and give you a future that has promise. For a believer, the strength to live in victory is always with you because Christ lives in you. He alone can defeat your serious health issues, family problems, financial difficulties or any addictions and pain you may have. Jesus alone has the power to heal your broken marriage and restore your family. That is your heritage as a child of the living God! Nothing is impossible for him who spoke this world into existence.

If you are feeling weary from the battle you are in, lift your eyes to Jesus who is the source of all strength. He will not leave you alone and his plan for you will never fail. The enemy has been defeated by the cross and his power has been destroyed.

Trust this day that God is able to keep you on top of the water despite what trouble comes against you. It is my hope that you understand that no matter what you are going through, God has people praying for you right now. You are never alone and your situation is never impossible for the true God whose love will never fail you..

JESUS, AN EVER-PRESENT HELP

September 11, 2008 in Christian faith, Trusting God | Tags: difficulties, hope through struggles, impossible situations, Jesus, peace, Religion, storms of life, strength, victory | 2 comments

KEEPING HOPE ALIVE

Keeping your hope alive in the midst of your struggles and fears can be difficult. Although Christ has promised us that he would never leave us but would always take us through our problems, the strength to stay in faith when the storms of life come upon us can seem impossible.

The truth is that Jesus did not die just to give you eternal life in heaven. He died so that you might have an abundant, joy-filled life right here on earth. He who knew your name before the foundation of the earth is able to heal your pain and ease the heartache that you may be going through. There is nothing that comes upon you that that can destroy your life if you have put your trust in the risen Savior. Jesus is not just waiting for us in heaven. He is here with us now in all that we do. His power and strength is the force sufficient enough to demolish any stronghold that seeks to defeat you.

Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. Those are life changing words! He is speaking with all the power of God when he tells us that we do not have to fear any problem or impossible situation. Jesus will not only take us through our problems, he will give us the peace that we need to stay trusting while we are in the battle. The peace Jesus speaks of is the truth that sets you free. It is the irrevocable promise of God that you can still have hope despite your trial because nothing can destroy his purpose and plan for you. He is ready to shine a light to guide you on the path he has set for you. Jesus is your friend, your counselor and an ever-present help in all things. There is nothing too strong or too impossible for him to do for you because he alone is the source of all power.

Throughout the scriptures, we read of how God would make a way in impossible situations to help his people. There is nothing that can change the course of victory for those whom he has redeemed. In Exodus, we learn that God did not lead the Israelites around the Red Sea but rather he brought them to the Red Sea that they might understand his power as he parted the waters for them to cross safely to the other side.

The victories written in scripture are here for us today. God is willing to part the deep waters of trouble and pain that is in your life and bring you through safely to the other side. Impossible situations are no match for the power of the risen Christ who defeated darkness and death and bought for you eternal life.

Whatever painful situation you may be experiencing at this time, take heart and remember that Jesus is with you. The hope that he gives you is not just a desire, it is a promise. It is my prayer that God will help you to understand this truth.

TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD

September 13, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: believing God, feeling hurt and alone, HOPE, Jesus, pain, peace, problems, Religion, storms of life, trials, trusting, victory in our troubles | 5 comments

Trusting God with the impossible!

There is a real joy that comes with completely trusting in the truth of God’s word. The problems of this world are too much for us to bear and unless our hope is grounded in the unfailing love of God there is no real peace. It doesn’t matter what your socio-economic standing is, trouble finds us all. The rain falls on the poor as well as the rich. Sickness, disease and death have no barriers. The only foundation that stands firm is for those who put their trust in Christ. We read in 2 Peter 9 that the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and Psalm 32:10 says, “… the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him”. The only strength that we have in this world comes from God. God’s word says in Proverbs 28 that he who trusts in himself is a fool.

So what do we do when we find ourselves in a painful trial or struggle? My friends, we should do what we read God’s people did in Scripture when they faced trouble. In 2 Chronicles, King Jehoshaphat heard that armies were coming against his people from two sides. The Israelites did not have the power on their own to stand up to these armies so they turned to their only strength as they stood trusting before the Lord. King Jehoshaphat cried out to God saying ,“We have no power to fact this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you”. The Israelites were saved that day and their enemies were destroyed.

The greatest honor you can give to God is to trust him when all seems lost. It was God who sent his only Son, Jesus, to come into this world and die for us so that we may have eternal life. Jesus suffered for us knowing that he would be rejected by many. Is there any greater love then that? He has also promised to never leave us alone. Many people are trying to carry the burdens of this life by themselves. That was never God’s plan. He knew there would be troubles in this world but he also knew that he would help us through them. Jesus says in Matthew 11:29, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”. To those who call on his name, he will lift you up and give you his peace that surpasses understanding.

God already has his people praying for those who are hurting and who feel alone. If you can trust him, God will send someone into your life to help you through your hopeless situation. The most wonderful thing about this is that God offers his love to all. It is his will that none should perish. Jesus says in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.

Jesus cares about everything that touches us in our lives. He wants to give us a life of joy that that the thief cannot steal, kill and destroy. In Deuteronomy,30:19, God tells the people, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life.” The choice is yours.

Receive the gift of a full life that God has for you now as you ask Christ to reveal himself and come into your heart. It will not only change your life, it will change your eternity!

THE GOD WHO HEARS YOUR CRY

September 13, 2008 in God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, heavy burdens, Jesus, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: burdens are lifted, faith, feeling alone, God hears your prayers, help with your problems, power for your life, Religion | 2 comments

Our prayers reach God!

The final words Christ spoke as He died on the cross were “It is finished”. As he gave up his spirit, the earth rumbled, darkness fell and Scripture tells us that at that moment the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom.

In biblical times, the temple had a thick curtain which separated the people from the Holy of Holies where God dwelled. Only the high priest could enter this area on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. When Jesus died on the cross, His blood covered our sins once and for all. As the temple veil was torn, we were now given access to the very throne of God. Christ who became our high priest was also our mediator between God and man. We can present our requests directly to God and he will hear us. God looks upon believers as the righteousness of his Son Jesus. We are now joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom of heaven and nothing good will be withheld from us.

With this knowledge in mind, the prayers of believers are the most important tool a Christian has. God only works through the prayers of his people. Jesus taught us the meaning of prayer while he was on this earth. All through the gospels we read where Jesus would go off alone to commune with the Father. Jesus knew that his prayers were the power behind all that he did. Prayer led him to follow and do only what he saw the Father doing.

Prayer is seeking the mind of God. It is a submission to have your ways line up with the ways of God. It is trusting that God is going to see you through your difficulty and keep you safe. As you pray you also open up your heart to hear from God. In those moments when you have turned to him for guidance, his still quiet voice will lead you in the paths you are to take.

There is not a trial or struggle that you go through that will not be lifted as you present it in prayer to God, Those who are trying to carry their own burdens should know that God never intended for anyone to go through trials alone. He will always put someone in your path to help you with your pain if you trust it to him. Your circumstance cannot keep you from the plan that God has for your life. The veil between heaven and earth has been torn open so it doesn’t matter what you have done in your life or what you have been though, the power of God can restore you and give you a new life. It is by prayer that you can move mountains of trouble and break the chains of bondage that seek to destroy you. This access to the throne of heaven was paid for by Jesus at the cross so it is never a burden but a true gift to be able to meet with our Creator in prayer. Satan himself knows well that heaven and earth can be moved by the prayer of one believer.

You need never fear about your situation because Christ himself goes before you to the Father to intercede for you. If you are going through a dark time in your life be assured that right now Christ has burdened someone’s heart to pray for you. You are not alone and you never will be as long as there are believers who trust in the power of prayer.

VICTORY OVER DISCOURAGEMENT

September 14, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, heavy burdens, Jesus, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: God's perfect plan, healing of our infirmities, Jesus, Religion, strength in the battle, victory | 4 comments

STANDING STRONG IN FAITH

To remain strong during difficult times requires that we stand in faith. There is nothing sadder than to see believers react defeated at a hill of trouble when Christ has given us the power to move mountains. The storms that blow through your life may be strong, but the Master of the wind is still Christ and he alone determines the outcome of your situation. There is no doctor’s report, no financial problem, no heartache and absolutely no other trial that can hinder the perfect plan that God has for you life. Jesus came to this earth to die for each of us so that we can live life to the fullest despite our problems. The hardships of this world cannot defeat us but will always be used for our good if we keep our eyes on Jesus. His power has no limit; therefore, your impossible situation cannot stand against Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our lives.

In 2 Corinthian 4:16 we read, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Those struggles that seem to weaken us can actually make us stronger as we trust in our Lord who has said that He would never leave us. It was the love of Christ who willingly took our sins upon himself and bought for us an everlasting inheritance in heaven with him.

When you can understand that the painful situations you must endure are only allowed to bring you closer to the image of Christ, you can have the peace that surpasses understanding. Even though it may not make sense to you, God has an eternal reason for all that he allows to touch your life. And God, who knew your afflictions before he even formed the earth, has prepared a way for you to be taken through them.

The enemy of our soul will always look for ways to discourage true believers. Satan knows that he cannot stop God’s perfect plan for you so he must work to convince you that your problems are bigger than your God. He wants you to forget that Jesus can still heal our diseases; that he can strengthen us against addictions; that he can restore broken homes and that he can overcome all of our weaknesses. Jesus is the only one who can make us whole and give us a future with a promise. The devil cannot take from us what Jesus has died to give us.

The enemy wants to keep us blinded to the truth, but the light of God’s word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Jesus is the light of this world and all those who turn to him can never be held in darkness and bondage by any stronghold. Your situation is never hopeless because we have a Savior who is the God of all hope. There is nothing that he cannot and will not do for those who put their trust in him.

Whatever troubling situation you may be going through right now, may you know that peace and victory can be yours if you will just call upon the name of Jesus!

PUT TRUST IN GOD’S STRENGTH

September 17, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, heavy burdens, Jesus | Tags: GOD'S PROMISES, hope in difficult situations, Jesus, peace in trials, Religion, strength in the battle, Trusting God, victory in troubles | 2 comments

The still, quiet voice of God will lead you

Believing that God can take you safely through all of the storms of this life can be difficult. God’s timing doesn’t always line up with our way of doing things and it may seem that we are alone in our battles. Life can be tough, but God’s word says that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Our prayers in difficult times unleash the limitless power of God, who is the only one who can make things right and restore us to wholeness. Believers have access to the Throne of God to present their request and the God who hears you will answer you and give you his peace. He knows how to rescue his people from trials.

The still, quiet voice of the Lord is a strength that can be trusted. In 1 Kings 19:11, the prophet Elijah was told to go out and stand on the mountain, for the glory of the Lord was about to pass by. After Elijah reached the height of the mountain, a powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks; and after the wind there was an earthquake and then a fire, but the Lord was not in any of these things. The Lord actually came to Elijah in a gentle whisper. This is true for us today.

There may be times that you feel drawn by God to a position in life only to have your dreams appear to crumble. You felt sure that God was leading you in a certain area but now that situation has become difficult and you begin to doubt if you heard from God at all. The truth in this matter is that if you want to avoid the valleys in life and just experience the mountaintop, you had better be ready for the high winds and earthquakes of life that can attempt to take you down. There are many struggles we face in our lives, but if we can trust the still, quiet voice of God who never leaves us, there is nothing that will be able to defeat us or take us from the place that God has brought us. Christ is the fulfillment of all that we hope for and there is always hope because he directs our steps. Any dream or desire that he has placed in your heart, he will make a way! One thing we must remember is that God never changes. It was God who parted the Red Sea to help save the Israelites and he has the same power to part the river of your tears that seeks to pull you under. You may feel that you are drowning in your own tears but God has the power to give you the victory no matter what you are going through.

Whatever you face in this life, you will never be alone and God has promised you glory if you run the race he has set for you. It is not always easy, but the prize of being in eternity with Christ is worth it! You must always remember that there is no power that can defeat the Sovereign God who is over all things.

Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil”. Be wise and take the opportunity to read your bible each day and give to God more time in prayer. Put your trust in Christ who has already paid the ultimate price for you.

The battle in life is not to be feared for God has already made you more than a conqueror through his son, Jesus. You now have his power, his strength and most importantly, his love that will keep you from ever being destroyed. This is the truth that Jesus died to give you. Take heart, for he is with you today!

GOD WILL FIGHT YOUR BATTLES

September 19, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, heavy burdens, Jesus, Struggles in life, Trusting God | Tags: God's peace, healing, help with your problems, impossible situations, Jesus, Religion, strength to overcome, Struggles in life | 24 comments

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD

It does not matter where you are in your life; it only matters where God is going to take you. His light is our solace in a lost and perishing world. The word of God promises us that we will have peace despite our situation and that he has a plan to give us a future with hope. Jesus has paid the price for our victory in every circumstance. There is never a battle that can defeat you. It is only when you understand that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ that you can believe that God’s strength and his perfect plan for you life are all that you need.

Too often the storms of life can leave you weary making it a struggle to stand in faith. The enemy who roams this earth seeking to kill, steal and destroy will use every effort to make you doubt that God cares about your difficult situation. Satan is the father of lies and he will try to use your heartache and pain to rob you of your joy. The truth is that he cannot steal the purpose and plan for which God sent his only Son to redeem for us.

We read in 1 Peter 5:10 that, “The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” The storms that this life brings will be turned around for your good and will bring you to the knowledge of how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.(Ephesians 3:18} It is only after you have been in a painful battle and watched as your God defeated all of your problems that you can grow in unwavering trust.

Nothing can overcome you when your life is in Christ. He is your power and the force to go on even despite the pain you may be experiencing. God is never limited by the impossibility of your situation. He who spoke the world into existence has a way out of every trial you endure. In Scripture we read that it was God who shut the mouth of the lions and saved Daniel when he was thrown into their den for not bowing down to the king. It was God who went with young David to defeat the giant. It is always the strength of God who meets us at the battle and takes down our enemies. We have nothing to fear because the word of God promises us that we cannot be destroyed.

You may be facing a serious illness, an addiction, a broken marriage, or financial problems but you need to know that God is willing and able to take you through your struggle that you may be anxious for nothing. We are told in Isaiah 26 that God will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in the one who can do all things.

You can be hard-pressed but never crushed by your problems. God knows your name and saw all of your days before one of them came to be. Jesus will guide your steps and be the light when the darkness of your situation is overwhelming. And he will never leave your side.

There will always be battles that come against you in your life, but Jesus tells us to take joy for he has overcome them all!

HAVING VICTORY THROUGH SURRENDER

September 24, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, Trusting God | Tags: God's unfailing love and help, Jesus, peace in trials, power over problems, power to overcome, promise of hope in all things, Religion, strength through Christ, victory in your battles | 2 comments

The hope of victory in all of the battles you face in this world starts with absolute surrender to Jesus Christ. It is only when you are willing to trust him with your weaknesses that he can make you strong in his power. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong-the less I have, the more I depend on him”. Paul understood that he could not endure on his own all the persecutions and hardships he suffered. His strength came from knowing that Jesus was using the pain he suffered to overcome his weaknesses. Paul was made stronger with every battle that Jesus took him through. He knew that even death had no power over him. For that reason Paul was able to say in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is for Christ and to die is gain.”

It is only by the strength of Christ who lives in us that we can overcome all the forces of evil that try to defeat us everyday. There is no stronghold in your life that can destroy you when you have put your faith in Jesus. He is all that you need because he alone can do all things. By his death and resurrection, Jesus has freed you from the chains of bondage to sin. You now can have peace in the midst of a storm because you know that God’s purpose for your life cannot be stopped. The enemy cannot steal your joy when you are in a painful trial because Jesus is always with you and he has promised you a reward that far outweighs all that you are going through. Although we live in a lost world, we can stand firmly in the hope that Christ has made us joint heirs with him in a kingdom that will never be destroyed.

The struggles of this world may make you weary but they are no match for the promises of God who has made us more than conquerors. The enemy roams this earth trying to fill you with his lies of hopelessness and defeat. But Jesus came to bring light and truth to a dark world so that we can live without fear knowing that he will bring us through all of our problems. You need to know that you have an eternal hope in Jesus Christ and he will never fail you. It does not matter what heartache or pain you are in, his love is able to heal and comfort you. The peace that God brings can sustain you in even the darkest storm if you are willing to trust him. We read in 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him”. Jesus is the only force you need to stay strong in the battle because his blood on Calvary paid the price for your victory

The best thing about the love of Christ is that he is willing to meet you where you are. He wants to give you his power to overcome your weaknesses. He wants to restore your life and give you a future. He wants to give you victory over all that comes against you. And most importantly, Jesus wants to give you eternal life with him in heaven. Your problems and failures can never stop God from restoring you to wholeness and giving you a future despite the hopelessness of your situation.. He will always make a way when there is none!

Salvation is found only in Jesus. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) It is my prayer that you will call upon his name today. His love will be sufficient to do the rest.

STRENGTH TO BELIEVE

September 26, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Trusting God | Tags: feeling overwhelmed, financial problems, God is bigger than your problems, God will never leave us, Having faith, help with illness, impossible situations, trusting Jesus | 8 comments

God’s love is with you at all times!

It is easier to trust God in the good times. It takes much more faith to keep that trust during painful trials. Tough times happen to everyone. It is sometimes difficult to believe that God is willing to take you through the impossible situations in your life. But faith is the most important thing that you must have in this age of crisis and turmoil The peace of God that transcends all understanding is predicated on believing that God’s word is true. Without faith it is impossible to please God because faith is the key to all the strength and power that God has to give us. It simply means that you believe that God is bigger than your problems.

Scripture records the miracles that Jesus performed while on this earth. In Matthew 9:29, two blind men asked Jesus to heal them. Jesus replied, “According to your faith will it be done to you”, and their sight was restored. A ruler came and asked Jesus to put his hand on his daughter that she might live. Because of the ruler’s faith, Jesus brought his daughter back to life. The Apostles also worked by faith. In Acts 14, Paul looked directly at a crippled man and saw that he had the faith to be healed. He called for the man to stand and he was healed. Many people were saved and their bodies healed as they took that first step to trust that Jesus was truly the Savior of the world.

True faith always honors God. It is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see. It is unbridled belief in the Son of God who gave his life for us. There is nothing that God won’t do for those who put their trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. It was Jesus who called us to lay our burdens at his feet. Perfect peace is given to all who are willing to trust him with everything. Though it may be difficult to stay strong when your world is crumbling all around you, the name of Jesus will always be your shield.

In Mark 9:24, a man with a son possessed by a spirit asked Jesus for his help. When Jesus asked the man if he believed that he could heal his son, the man answered, “I do believe Lord; help me overcome my unbelief!”. Jesus is so merciful to remember that we are weak. He will never hold it against us if we ask for his help to believe him through our struggles.

Striving to work out impossible situations will never succeed. It is only the power of God that can rescue us from the storm. You may have a serious health issue, financial problems, drug or alcohol addictions or even a broken heart but nothing is too hard for our God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. We are told by God in Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you”. That is a promise that Jesus bought for us at Calvary.

Whatever trial or pain you are in, remember that God’s love will never leave your side. Call on him right now to strengthen you to overcome your unbelief. He will help you take that first step in trust so that you will know that God is big enough to conquer all of your problems.

GOD’S PRESENCE IN OUR PAIN

September 28, 2008 in God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Jesus, Trusting God | Tags: feeling overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, hope in difficult situations, trusting God in your pain, victory over sickness & death | 4 comments

Times are tough and the days are growing short. It is difficult to stand in faith as the darkness fills the world. Sometimes the pain we experience is just too much for us to bear. Many may wonder if God is truly with them in all things. For instance, where is God when a loved one dies or when bad things happen to innocent people? This question and other similar ones have troubled believers everywhere.

The truth that remains is that God is with us in everything and anything that comes against us. God’s plan was for us to live in paradise with him forever, but because of man’s sin, death and destruction came into our world. But the love of God never left us.

Sin is rebellion against God and it allowed Satan and his demons to roam this earth seeking to destroy us. We were doomed. “But God so loved the world that he sent his only Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16)

His love for us was so great that he was willing to sacrifice the blood of his Son Jesus to bring us back to fellowship with him.

God’s love for us continues even though we are sinners who turned from the ways of God. To the ends of the earth, God has sent his word to seek out the lost and offer the free gift of salvation through the cross of Jesus. And though this world is perishing, those whose hope is in Christ will never be destroyed. Death that can take the body can never touch the soul of a believer. Jesus said in John 5:24, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” That means that no sickness,financial problems, divorce, pain or even death can end God’s promise for us of victory and eternity with him.

Life on this earth is fleeting. Eternity with God is never-ending and it is there that you will understand that the storms in your life were only the winds that brought you closer to the reward that God has prepared for you. You will know then that God never left your side despite what you had to suffer. The strength to endure and not to fear was always with you and that his power was manifested in your weakness.

There will always be death and evil on this earth until Jesus comes back. That is why as believers we must not conform to this world but be set apart. We must live different lives and not react as those who have no hope. The sickness or loss of someone close to us may tear at our heart, but our strength must come from the hope that God has given us.

Our life on this earth is not the end. Innocent people will continue to suffer at the hands of evildoers and sickness will take loved ones from this earth, but God’s justice and purpose will always prevail. We must trust that God will use for good all that comes against us.

The Apostle Paul suffered torture and pain in his life, but he knew that it was all going to be used for the glory of God. For him, to die was gain but to live was for Christ. He knew that God had an eternal purpose for everything that he had to endure.

When we don’t understand the reason God allows pain and suffering in our lives and those whom we love, we must have faith that God is always at work in us, and that those who endure to the end will receive the reward that far outweighs it all! The trials of this earth are temporary, but the reward of God is eternal. For now, I pray that you understand that God will be with you in your pain and will take you through the valley of your tears. He is always faithful!

Dear Lord, the pain and burdens of this world can bring us to our knees. Sometimes we falter in our faith as we struggle against the war that the enemy is waging against us. I pray that those who may have experienced a loss of a loved one or who is being overwhelmed by a situation that seems hopeless. Fill them with your peace and love. May they know that no problem is bigger than the God that they serve. Help them to understand that your ways are higher and better than ours. Give them the strength to persevere in the battle and to keep their eyes on you. Your perfect plan for their life will never fail!

We give you praise. Amen.

WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT

October 1, 2008 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: financial problems, God cares, God will not fail you, healing marriages, strength when we are weak, Trusting God, victory in troubles | 4 comments

He sees your broken heart

There is a peace in seeking the counsel of God in prayer for we know that he is all-powerful and there is nothing that he cannot do. But, it is very difficult not to get anxious when we don’t get an immediate answer from God after pouring out our hearts to him.

Scripture tells us in Psalm 84:11 that no good thing does he withhold from those who are his. For that reason, it is the true believer who can hold on to the promises of God even when the darkness surrounds him. No circumstance in life can stop our God who has promised that all things will be used for our good. It is a lie from the pit of hell when the enemy tries to convince you that God doesn’t care about your situation.

Jesus did not come to this earth to save us from all of life’s pain and struggles but to help us rise above our difficulties as we are being transformed into his likeness. He will always meet us in our pain and help us to carry our burdens. There will never be true happiness in this perishing world, so we need to keep or eyes on the things above. Jesus will always be our source of strength and his grace will provide all that we need. When his silence is deafening and your heart is breaking, you need to know that he has not left you.

It is during that time in our struggle when God seems silent that he is doing his best work in us. He is stretching our faith and equipping us to stand against the enemy and the evil of this world. He is working out his purpose which he has prepared in advance to bring us to victory. He has a future for you that is greater than what you can imagine and he alone has the power to make it happen.

If we can remain strong even when we don’t feel the presence of God, then we are shown to be true sons and daughters. Nothing makes the devil flee quicker than when we can praise God in the midst of our painful trials knowing that his love will never fail us. Just remember that despite a financial crisis, a marriage problem, a health issue, an addiction or a heartache, or anything that is giving you pain in your life, God will not let you be defeated and will move the mountains and part the waters that stand in the path that he has set for you.

All those that God has used for greatness have endured the silence of God. In Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery and unjustly imprisoned for many years. Yet Joseph held still unto the Lord during this period until the time of God’s plan in which he was made second in command of all of Egypt. During that time, he was being transformed from just a shepherd boy to that of royalty.

Moses endured 40 years in the wilderness. Job suffered pain and heartache at the hands of Satan yet was restored as he trusted his God. Daniel held on to God’s promise and survived the lion’s den.

Jesus himself greatly suffered as he endured the Father’s silence on the cross. He was obedient unto death. Yet the silence of God only served to reveal the greatness of God!

There is always power in God’s silence. His word says that he will never leave us or fail us ever so we are never alone in our pain. The stillness of God is his way of strengthening us for he has promised that nothing that comes against us will ever stop his purpose for our life.

God’s plan for us was so important that he sent his only Son to suffer and die for it. Remember that the silence of God is always filled with his strength to take you through whatever comes against you. He will work out all of your problems and give you his peace in the midst of your pain. You can never lose for you were bought at a price. For now, all you need to do is just be still and know that HE IS GOD!

GOD’S POWER TO RESCUE YOU

October 8, 2008 in Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: God gives us a future, nothing impossible for God, power to overcome, problems can't defeat us, promise of victory, strength through Christ | 3 comments

God will always make a way

Although we are living in troubling times, Jesus has promised believers that he would be with us and that his peace would be our comfort. For this very reason, Christ suffered and died for us so that nothing would have power to defeat us. Yet it is sad as many continue to live in the bondage of the enemy’s lies when Jesus gave us the truth that set us free.

The trials and struggles of this earth are getting more perilous as each day brings additional trouble. But we serve a risen Savior who has said that he would be with us always, even to the end of the age. He foreknew of these times and the pain that we would have but he has an unfailing way to take us through every single one of them.

Unfortunately, it is hard to keep your eyes on God when you are facing a serious medical issue, a crumbling marriage, financial difficulty, an addiction or any overwhelming problem that just won’t go away. But it is in the midst of these painful issues that you must keep your faith for they are working in you a greater glory that is going to strengthen you in this life and bring you a reward that will last through eternity.

In Daniel 3:16-18, we read of three Jewish boys who refused to bow down to a false god knowing that they would be put to death in a fiery furnace for their faith. They replied to King Nebuchadnezzar that “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it….But even if he does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods”. That is faith tested to the extreme. These young men were thrown into the furnace bound tightly. But when the king looked into the furnace, he said “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods”. When he approached the opening of the furnace and called for the young men to come out, amazingly, not only had the fire not harmed them, but they did not even smell of smoke.

The Jewish boys who were bound and thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter were brought safely through their ordeal. God could have kept them from going into the furnace but instead, he chose to take them through the fire! His glory was revealed even greater as he showed that absolutely nothing, including fire, had any power over believers who trust in their God. They were walking around in those flames, unbound, unharmed and in the presence of the Son of God who had never left them.

This is a very real truth for all of us today. The fiery affliction that you may be going through has no power to destroy you! The bondages that are hindering you and bringing you pain will be loosened and removed by the love of Christ who has a perfect plan for your life. You will come forth from that impossible circumstance and be restored by the right hand of God who has promised you the victory. If your faith is in Christ Jesus, there is no force that will ever be greater than his power to sustain you.

With his sacrifice on Calvary, Jesus defeated all of our enemies including death. Though you may grow weary in the problems of this world, he will renew your strength and give you a future. Stay in the peace knowing that Jesus will always meet you in your pain and bring you to victory. That is a promise he died to give you!

KEEPING YOUR EYES ON GOD

October 24, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: defeating the lies of the enemy, God is with you, God will fight for you, impossible situations, victory in trouble | 4 comments

Seeing the victory ahead

Standing strong when troubles overwhelm you is the key to trusting God. It is having eyes to see the victory ahead despite the darkness that surrounds you. The hope we have in all of our problems is found in Jesus Christ who paid the price for our peace. He has promised us that the afflictions of this world cannot destroy us because his power to save us will always be greater than any weapon used against us to bring us down. There is no reason to fear when Jesus has promised to light the way out of the darkness of every painful trial. Through him, you have the power to demolish strongholds and bondages in your life. By God’s own command, angels are dispatched from heaven to surround you and to help you when you fall.

In 2 Kings 6:16, we read of the prophet Elisha who was in danger from the King of Aram. The king totally surrounded the city with horses and chariots in order to attack and kill Elisha. When Elisha’s servant saw the great number of the enemy around them he was afraid. Elisha told him not to fear because “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them”. Then Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes to see and understand this. When the servant looked again, he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire from heaven ready to defend them. Elisha was saved that day by his faith as God defeated his enemies. As in the battles that we face today, God’s power will always be more than enough.

Those who give up when life gets hard have fallen into the enemy’s trap. They have believed the deceiver who says that God is too far away to hear your cry, or that your situation is impossible even for God. As time goes by, he will even try to convince you that God will not show up in time to save you. But through your pain, you must remember that these lies all come from an enemy who has been defeated at the cross of Christ. He wants you to focus on your problem instead of your God. You must decide in your struggle if you are going to believe what you see and what you feel or stand in your faith and believe the truth of what God says he can do.

Through it all, you must not lean on your own understanding but trust that God’s ways are higher and that he has a better way. Even his timing has a specific purpose that will help you to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of his love for you. He knows your past and he can see your future. Most importantly, he knows how to rescue you from your problems and pain and give you back the future that the he planned for you.

In the 23^rd Psalm, King David wrote in verse 4,”Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” David learned to trust God even as he had to run from those who were trying to kill him. Despite the danger he was in, David kept his eyes on God because he knew that God would never fail him. He understood that God had a power that would always be greater than that which came against him.

God is always with you in any battle that you face in this life. Whatever burden you are carrying, it is my prayer that you will have peace in the knowledge that God is always in control.

GOD HAS A WAY THROUGH YOUR PAIN

October 27, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Jesus, Religion | Tags: having peace despite your problems, hope for the brokenhearted, power to lift you in the storm | 4 comments

He always has a way

No matter what storm you are going through in your life, God has a way through it and above it. For believers, his strength will always be all that you need because he knew your name long before he formed the earth. That is so hard to fathom because our mind cannot contain a truth this great. The true God who knows all things loved you before you were born!

God planned every aspect of your life from where you would be born, to whom and when. Even where you live was ordained in God’s masterful plan. His desire was that all would come to him and be saved. He knew that problems you would have and he understood your weaknesses. He knows your sin and your rebellion, yet he still has a purpose and a plan to give you victory through the blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:31 tells us that,”If God is for us, who can be against us?” He justifies us from our sins and intercedes on our behalf so that we can truly be more than conquerors despite the hard times and heavy burdens we carry.

Each day is an opportunity to bring glory to God as you stand in faith trusting that he us with you in all things. If we could understand a mere iota of the love of God for us our lives would be changed forever. His love is not based on what we do for there is no way we could earn it. It is based solely on who he is for God is love. The only way that we can walk in the ways of love is to know Christ and to have him work through us.

The troubles of this world cannot defeat us no matter how weary we become. When Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished”, that was the promise shout of victory for those who believe on him. The price was paid by the blood of Jesus and we are no longer in bondage to the evil of this world. My friends, we will have troubles but they are working in you a glory that will defy the enemy of your soul. You cannot lose! The enemy can’t take what was redeemed by Christ for you. He has a way to help you and he will not fail.

Though the evil one will try to convince you that you will drown in the tears of your affliction, you must not give in. Remember the truth that set you free. Jesus has overcome the problems of this world and he will never let you go through anything that he does not have a plan to take you safely through. He knows your name and he knows where you are. He is willing to bear your pain and carry your sorrows. He has the power to lift you from your heartache and sustain you when you have no strength of your own.

Lift up your eyes for all that you need is with you now. You can truly face tomorrow despite your pain because Jesus is with you. Let his peace be your comfort because he is working all things out for you now. You don’t have to feel it or see it. You just have to know that his promises are real.

Dear Jesus, I pray that you open the eyes of all who need to hear from you and let them know that you are with them and that you are in total control of their situation. Surround them with your peace and help them to understand the depth of your love. Let them know that they have nothing to fear, for you are with them to the end! Amen

FEAR NOT, FOR GOD IS WITH YOU

November 1, 2008 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: God is always with you, healing your broken heart, help in pain, power of Christ to overcome all things, trials of life, your problems cannot destroy you | 5 comments

He will never leave you

When you are in the struggles of life and your strength is weak, the testing of your faith seems even more difficult. Though believers are in this world but not of it, there are times that we can still be brought to our knees by fiery darts of the enemy. It is then, in those painful times, that we must strive to focus on Christ who is always with us. Yet, when the storm darkens our world and waters come up to our neck, even the faithful can cry out in anguish, “My God, are you really with me?”

The heaviness of despair can blind you from hope when your heart is breaking and your tears can’t stop. Does our Savior Jesus, who told us that he has overcome the world, have a purpose in the pain of your situation? When you can’t see him or hear him, does he hear you?

The reality of this matter is found in God’s word. You won’t always feel God working through your trial to rescue you, but he is. God tells us in Isaiah 43, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze”. Those words give us a powerful truth.

God is telling us with all certainty that there is no disaster that can overtake those who put their faith in him. This world cannot come up with a trial that can alter the course of the path Christ died to give you. He will always be your way out and your way up from every painful struggle. There is no medical issues, marriage problems, addictions, financial struggles or any of life’s storms that God cannot keep from destroying you or the plan he has for your life.

In John 20, we read how Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus after his death; but when she saw that his body was not there, she began to cry. She did not realize that Jesus was standing right behind her. He said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Then he called her by name, “Mary”, and suddenly she rejoiced as she realized that it was Jesus.

Friends, I want you to understand the impact of these verses. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying and who was she looking for. He KNEW why she was crying and that she was looking for him even though he was there beside her all the time. Even now in our heartaches as we search for Jesus through our tears, he knows our pain and he is standing right with us even if we don’t fully understand it. As he calls us by name, he will never leave us alone in our struggle or trust anyone else to help us work it out. For only Jesus is a very present help in time of need. He has the power to restore us to wholeness as we hand him the pieces of our broken heart.

Whatever burden is causing you to stumble in your faith remember that Jesus is there with you. His voice is softly saying, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for? I am with you and I will never leave you. My love will cover all of your problems and with my right hand, I will lift you safely above them.”

Rest in the peace knowing that Jesus Christ paid the price for your victory in each and every situation you encounter. I pray that God will help you to understand and trust this message that he provided just for you!

GOD IS YOUR SHIELD

November 13, 2008 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: cancer can't defeat you, feeling overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God's power in troubles, marriages healed, peace in your trials | Leave a comment

He has a way to take you to victory

Fear and discouragement are two of the most powerful weapons that the enemy uses to bring believers down. Although the power of Christ lives in us, the storms of life can fill us with hopelessness and anxiety as the lies of darkness attack our soul. These fiery darts of evil attack our mind to magnify our problems and diminish the power of our God. It is a lie from the depth of hell!

As difficult as it is to stand your ground in times of trouble, the fact is that Jesus is a powerful stronghold and a strong tower to run to for protection from the battle. You absolutely cannot be defeated from an enemy that has been rendered powerless through the cross of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection finished the work of redemption and bought for us a promise of eternal life with him.

In Psalm 107:28-28 we read, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed”. Jesus alone has the power to still the storms in your life and quiet the waves of your troubles. The darkness of your situation cannot diminish the light of Christ whose power has no limits. The world around you may be crumbling but God will lift you out of your difficulties and set your feet upon a rock. As you trust in him, your cries will be changed to songs of praise as you watch the right hand of God bring victory in your life and give you strength to stand in faith.

As the days grow short and evil increases, the destroyer will try to rob you of your hope. He will attempt to fill your mind with anxiousness and fear as you endure the struggles of this life. If he can discourage you with his lies, he can make you ineffective for the kingdom of God. Satan wants to make you feel defeated when Christ has made you more than a conqueror. That which comes against you is filtered through the Savior’s hand and he knows the good that he can accomplish through it. He can do what he says he can do.

There is nothing in this life that can stand against the purpose and plan God has for you. It does not matter what the doctor’s report says for God alone has determined the number of your days. He does not care about what stage your cancer is in, his power will always be greater. Your financial struggle is no match for our God who owns the world and everything in it. The pain and heartache you suffer will bring you nearer to God for he is close to the brokenhearted. He will dry your tears and give you his perfect peace if you will keep your eyes on him. God is the restorer of homes and families and he can heal your brokenness. Christ who died to give us the victory is a mighty force to be reckoned with. Years of addiction and bondage can be healed as you surrender your struggles to the nail pierced hands of Jesus. He won’t fail so you can’t fail!

In the wake of all that you are going through, never surrender to the enemy! Just trust and hold on to the nail pierced hands of Jesus who always has a plan and a promise you can trust. He is with you right now. You are never alone!

TAKE HEART WEARY CHRISTIAN

November 16, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: Christ is the answer to all of your problems, feeling weary and overwhelmed, Financial difficulties, God's power in your life, having peace despite your problems, Healing in sickness, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, serious illness, strength in hard times, victory despite marriage problems | 6 comments

Your God is with you!

The times we live in are difficult and a lot of us pass the day just hoping for the strength to get through it. There seems to be so much to do and so little time to get it all done. It is a financial struggle just to make ends meet and the future holds uncertainty. Sickness and trouble are everywhere making it difficult to stand and believe. Marriages and relationships are being attacked and addictions increase as truth is thrown to the ground. Through it all we become so weary and wonder if God is really with us in the storm.

God is with us and he does care about our pain. He has promised through his word to be our strength in all of our trials and sorrows. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 of Scripture we read, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” . The battles of this world belong to the Lord and he is able to keep us in the victory that was won by the cross of Christ. Jesus told his disciples in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you”. That means that he will bear our burdens and carry our sorrows. No trial that we endure in life is a surprise to God for he knew from the foundation of the earth what struggles we would have. He has promised that he would be the way through all of our problems and he is faithful. The peace that Christ left us is divine, unchanging and perfect. It is the assurance that God gives us that he will walk with us in mighty power to overcome all obstacles in our life.

There is not an addiction, an illness or a struggle we may face that is stronger than the God who loves and rescues us. Not even death can separate us from the love that Christ has for each of us. By his blood, he paid the price that guarantees us victory over the darkness and the forces that seek to take us down. Jesus told us to come to him and he will give us rest as he works all things out for our good. He is the Author of life and he can fulfill the perfect plan that he has for you.

This world and all that is in it is passing away, but the word of God is forever. For that very reason, we must keep our eyes on the only thing that matters….eternity with Jesus Christ. You must remember that today’s pain can never stop tomorrow’s promise bought by the blood of Jesus.

In Job 19:25-26, we read that after losing his wealth, his children and his health, Job still cried out, “ I know my redeemer lives and he shall stand one day upon the earth. And after my skin is destroyed this I know, that in my flesh, I shall see God.” There is no greater faith than to stand on God’s promises when all seems lost. Finally, in Psalm 46, we read that though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, God is still our refuge and strength and an ever-present help in trouble.

The battles of this earth can make you feel weak and weary, but the truth is that God’s love for you will see you through until the end. It was God’s hand that formed you and it is God’s strength that can keep you in his perfect peace. You don’t have to wait for Jesus to find a way to help you, he is the way! Take heart my friends, for God is with you in your battle. You can’t lose!

DYING WITH FAITH

November 19, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: believing all that God says, cancer has no real power, death of a child, facing death with faith, God's calm assurance in all things, having hope in serious illness, trusting God in sickness and death | 13 comments

The faith of a dying young man will live forever

When Thanksgiving comes around each year, it brings to my mind a very special young man who showed me the real meaning of trusting God.

Two months before Thanksgiving in 2000, I was told that the Sutton family from our church had a seventeen year old son that had inoperable cancer and was not going to live long. I decided to visit this family and see if I could help out in any way. As I was heading over to the house to visit and meet Chris, I remember wondering what I could say to this young man who was dying. It was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do. I entered the house and found Chris lying on a hospital bed in the family room with his mother by his side. He looked up as I came in and gave me an awesome smile. Then suddenly as if reading my mind he looked right at me and said, “Don’t worry about me. I’m going home to Jesus and I am not afraid”. His calmness and sense of joy took me by surprise. He was working on a present that he wanted to give to someone who was special to him and he asked me for my opinion. It didn’t seem to affect his enthusiasm that he was weak or that his one eye was patched because the cancer, now in his brain, had damaged the eye. Amazingly, Chris still seemed to radiate hope and light despite the fact that the cancer was destroying his body.

I found out later that Chris never wavered in his faith despite the pain and the treatments he had to endure. He continued to encourage the young people of the church to trust in Jesus and many came to believe because of him. He stayed strong to the end even writing an encouraging eulogy that he wanted read at his funeral. His bible was engraved with the words, “No fears, no regrets” and that was how he lived. Shortly before his death he asked his mother to order a sword to be put in his coffin with him. Chris always trusted in the sword of the Spirit of God and even in death he wanted to honor the Savior that he loved so much.

On Thanksgiving day, 2000, Chris Sutton went home to be with the Lord. His years on this earth were so short but the legacy of faith that he left will live on until the Lord comes back. To the ending hours of his life, Chris never feared dying and never stopped trusting in Jesus. He understood so well what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. The peace that was with him to the end could only be from God and he taught me that this peace is for anyone who has put their faith in the finished work of the cross.

Each Thanksgiving when I reflect on all that God has done, I remember and give thanks for Chris Sutton who proved that Jesus is with us at all times. Not even the throes of death can steal the joy of a true believer for God’s love will be with you to the end.

God is with you now. He knows your fears and will be all that you need.

I am praying now for all those who needed to hear this message.

THE CHRISTMAS TRUTH

December 6, 2008 in God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, having peace despite your problems, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, peace in our trials, peace in trials, strength to overcome, victory in troubles | Leave a comment

Amid the frenzy of holiday shoppers all vying for the best sales on gifts, it is apparent that the real reason for Christmas is now just a detached story from the past. The truth of why the Son of God came down from heaven to be born in a manger has become commonplace as retail stores decide to take the name of Christ out of Christmas in their advertising verbiage lest someone be offended.

The fact is that over 2000 years ago, God so loved this world that He sent his one and only son to this earth. Jesus was called Immanuel or God is with us. He chose to leave the splendor of heaven to walk on this earth to bring hope to those who have none and life to those who are perishing. He came to suffer and die so that he might purchase our salvation and offer it as a free gift to anyone who calls on his name. He brought light and truth and showed the way to eternal life. His work here bought us freedom from the bondages of sin and oppression.

Jesus said in John 8:32 that if you hold to his teachings then “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”. No longer do you have to be a slave to sin and destructive behavior. If you are a believer, you have the power to overcome all that seeks to destroy you. John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. There is no power stronger than that of Jesus Christ who died for us and was resurrected. He is alive and his power and strength are there for you if you put your trust in him. There is nothing that can defeat a child of the living God. Nothing can overcome you or destroy you for your redemption was made at the cross. You may stumble as the storms in this life come against you, but you will only fall into the hands of the Savior who has promised never to leave you. Painful trials can only strengthen and refine you in the race that God has set for you. They will always be used for your good for there is power in all that God allows in your life. You do not need to understand the reason; you just need to trust that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 1:6)

You must always remember that the God who created you did so with great love. He knew in advance what your failures and weaknesses would be. He knew how you would sin and rebel against him. He knew that you would defy him. Yet there is absolutely nothing you could do that would ever stop his love for you. It was this love that sent Jesus to this earth to humbly be born in a stable. And it was love that made Jesus die so that we may live.

We may not be able to stop those who attempt to take Christ out of Christmas, but by God’s own promise, they will never be able to take the love out of Christ!

JESUS BRINGS PEACE AND HOPE FOR YOU

December 7, 2008 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, God cares, God's power in your life, having hope in our struggles, help in impossible situations, peace in our problems, promise of hope in all things, strength through Christ, victory in troubles | 7 comments

Christmas is the season of joy and peace yet sadly there are many people who are feeling hopeless, weary and lonely. During a time when hearts should overflow with love and giving, for some it is just a time of pain and sadness.

The joy that the birth of Christ brings can get lost among the shopping and busyness of the season. When God sent his one and only Son to this earth, he did it to bring light and salvation to a lost and dying world. He sent Jesus to walk this earth with us to give us his strength to overcome our problems. Jesus came to give us an abundant life that lacks no good thing. His birth brought us a promise that can never be taken away. It is a promise that those who believe in him would have a life with a purpose and a reward that will never end. Pain and struggles can never destroy those who have been set free through Christ. He alone can open doors to your impossible situations and cause all things to be used for your good.

Believers now have authority in Christ over all obstacles from the enemy. Through Jesus you are now more than a conqueror because he has overcome the world. You only need to trust that he can and will be with you in all of your problems. Your failures do not stop his love and your troubles can not stop his perfect plan for your life. His birth signified a pledge to bring you peace no matter what you may be going through. Jesus is the Word of God and the light of this world who will never fail you. He willingly left the splendor of heaven to come to this earth knowing that we would reject him. Yet his love was so great that he chose to walk with us and be crucified to bring us peace with God and eternity with him forever.

If the joy of this season is overcome by a situation in your life which is causing you pain and sadness, please remember that the hope that Jesus brings is not just for some situations. The peace he promised to leave us is sufficient to meet any need and to take you through any storm in your life. His power is strong enough to safely take you through all circumstances and to give you joy in the midst of your struggle. He knew your name and loved you long before you were born. He has plans to prosper you and give you a future despite your weaknesses. He is faithful to make a way for you even when the road is closed. Most importantly, he will never leave you to carry your burden alone. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age”.

Your situation is never hopeless when you have Christ in your heart. He is able to heal any sorrow your have and give you the assurance that his love will comfort you in your pain. This season, keep in your heart the truth that Jesus is the only gift that you need. He is the source of your strength and the power to restore you in all ways. His gift of life is free for the asking. His love will never fail you and his peace will keep you as you begin a new year. Take heart for the Savior is born!

THE UNSURPASSING LOVE OF GOD

December 14, 2008 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: God's love can heal your pain, God's power in our trouble, help in financial problems, hope in broken marriages, trusting God in serious illness | 7 comments

A message of hope in a dark world

The world is spinning out of control and each of us has turned to his own way as we continue to rebel against our Creator. Yet despite our iniquities, God’s love still surrounds us as he desires all to be saved. His love is so far reaching that while we were his enemy, he sent his only Son to die to pay our debt to him. Why would Jesus want to suffer on the cross for people when he knew that most would reject him? This is a love that defies definition. The depths of our minds cannot contain the understanding required to comprehend the love that God has for us.

We are told that this world and even the highest heavens cannot contain God, yet man is always attempting to define him within the limitations of our own finite understanding. If we truly realized the magnitude of the knowledge of God and how great is his love for us, we would constantly be on our face before him. His holiness would bring us to our knees in utter contempt for our sin. Sadly, the fact is that we have allowed the darkness of this perishing world to occlude the revelation of the truth.

But Jesus, the Son of God, gave up the splendor of heaven to come to earth to suffer and die so that we might have eternal life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life who gives us freedom from the bondage of sin and death. His sacrifice was made as a free gift to all so that none who call upon his name shall perish. The love of Christ invites us to be joint heirs with him in heaven for all eternity. He is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto the path of all who are seeking him. He has a way out of every storm in our life and his purpose and plan for us cannot be hindered.

For this reason, our momentary problems are far reaching in working out a reward that will last forever. The furnace of our affliction is burning off the corrupt carnal nature which keeps us from being with God. After we emerge from the crucible knowing that our God was with us the whole time, we can joyfully proclaim with the Apostle Paul in saying, “ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me”. (Galatians 2:20) As we stand by faith in the battles of this earth, we know that Jesus has already made us winners. We can never be taken from him for the Good Shepherd knows how to keep those who are his.

We are never without hope, for the peace that comes from trusting in Jesus will never fail. Those who are facing divorce or separation can know that he can restore your family. To those suffering with serious medical issues, the Great Physician has your life in his hands. He knows how to heal you and bring you to wholeness. He can give peace to the hearts of those who have lost loved ones. Our God owns the sheep on a thousand hills so your financial problems are not too hard for him. He knows how to rescue godly men from trials and he will give you rest as you struggle to make ends meet. He can and he will mend the pieces of your broken heart if you are willing to put your trust in him.

In all of life’s difficulties, faith is the key to allowing God to work through your problems. He can make a way through impossible situations and there is no tough circumstance that can hold back the promises of a loving God. The one thing you must remember as you endure hardship is that you can NEVER be defeated. Your victory has been paid in full by the blood of Jesus. The enemy of your soul knows this and will use lies from the pit of hell to convince you that your situation is hopeless. But God is faithful and will help you to understand that he alone is sufficient for all that you need. His love never fails!

May God give you the understanding to believe the truth of this message that he has given just for you!

IS YOUR NAME KNOWN IN HELL?

December 29, 2008 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion | Tags: future hope, God's reward, power over problems, purpose in trials, suffering for Christ, truth of salvation, worry not | 17 comments

How effective are you for the kingdom of God?

In order to be a follower of Jesus Christ, you must choose to walk as he did and make choices that may make you unpopular with this world that is perishing. Jesus said that he would set up his kingdom and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. He spoke of how we must pick up our cross daily and seek his kingdom until he comes. It is not enough to simply say we believe in Jesus. Our lives should bear witness to the change that was made in us as we accepted the gospel of Christ. We must walk as disciples in our faith as the Holy Spirit works in us to repent and turn from our old ways. There is no such thing as an “almost” believer.

In chapter 19 of the book of Acts, we read about the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who went around driving out evil spirits. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” One day, the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (emphasis mine) Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped and overpowered them all. He beat them so badly that they ran from the house naked and bleeding. They lost out to a demon and there is an important message for us here.

Only God can be omnipresent, or everywhere at all times. Not even Satan or his demons can be all places at all times. When the sons of Sceva tried to drive out an evil spirit, the demon said he KNEW Jesus, he KNEW ABOUT Paul, but he had no idea who these seven guys were. Why was that? Obviously, these guys were not a threat to Satan or his demons. Sceva’s sons had heard about Jesus through Paul, but they never made Jesus their LORD. These men did not have the power of Christ to battle the spiritual forces of evil and they were badly injured from trying to do it on their own. They were an easy mark for the unclean spirit who came against them.

You can apply this same truth to your life. Is your name known in hell? Are there demons who have heard about you and the work you are doing for Christ? Have you become a thorn in the side of Satan as you try to reach the lost with God’s love? Or have you settled into complacency in your Christian walk which makes you comfortable in this world? If the enemy of your soul does not consider your faith a threat, perhaps you need to examine yourself to know if you are truly saved!

I understand that all believers are a work in progress by the Holy Spirit and we each are at different levels in our walk. Even long-time followers in the faith can suffer a period of backsliding. But those who belong to Christ should experience true heart change as his love compels you to seek what is right. Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that you will recognize a tree by its fruit. Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful nature and now live by the power of the Spirit. You became a new creation as God’s light shines through you.

If you live for Christ, you will experience grief in all kinds of trials as your faith is proved genuine. Jesus said that all men will hate you because of him as darkness hates the light. The spiritual forces of evil will come against you for the work that you do for the kingdom. But in the end, the indescribable reward that God has for you will far outweigh any suffering you endure now. It is a reward that will last into eternity.

If your name is written in heaven, it should be known in hell!

LOVE WARNS!

December 30, 2008 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: ending times, love of Christ, salvation | 37 comments

Love enough to speak the truth!

My dear friends in Christ,

I want to share with you an important message that I feel compelled to put on this site. There is an increase in evil now and many are being deceived as they search for churches that tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth. The enemy has stepped up his forces as he tries to darken the light of the church with trials and troubles to make the saints ineffective in reaching the lost.

We are in the closing days on this earth and Christ is getting ready to receive her bride. But there are people everywhere that do not understand the significance of the time and events that are unfolding. We need to get ourselves ready to meet our Savior. His kingdom is upon us and the message of truth must be reached to the ends of the earth. As time grows short, the darkness will increase in an attempt to take down the church. For that reason, there is an URGENCY TO RISE and take our stand. We were placed by God right here and now for such a time as this!

I implore you to view this link and take to heart the important message that it gives. If you have unsaved family and friends, you need to pray as you bring them the message of salvation though a relationship with Jesus Christ. You must love them enough to risk offending them. Their eternity depends on it!

God is with you as you seek him from your heart. Jesus paid the ultimate price to give all to you. Are you willing to give all to him?

Please view this message with your heart because now is the time to stand!

(click on highlighted words to see video and powerful messages)

IS IT WELL WITH YOUR SOUL?

January 16, 2009 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: believing all that God says, faith in all trials, Jesus has a plan to help, overcoming grief, promise of hope in all things, trusting God in pain | 26 comments

It doesn’t matter who you are for the rain falls on the unrighteous as well as the righteous. This world is perishing and Jesus will soon come to gather his people unto him. The difficulties we face as we await his glorious return are achieving an eternal purpose as daily we are being transformed into the image of Christ.

We know that we will suffer and endure hardship while on this earth, yet each painful trial brings with it an opportunity to trust God for what he has promised. That is not always easy but it is something that Christ empowers us to do as we grow in our understanding and belief. It takes a willing vessel, emptied of self, to maintain hope in the face of disaster and say, “I know my Redeemer lives!”{Job 19:25}

The testing of our faith is the tool that God uses to strengthen us for the battle. Each time we pass through the valley of our difficulties, defying the enemy as we stand unwavering in trust, we are giving an awesome testament to the power of God. The gates of hell are shaken every time a believer can praise God in the midst of heartbreaking pain and loss. Such was the faith of Horatio Spafford, an attorney in Chicago in the eighteenth century.

In November of 1873, Horatio decided to send his wife and four daughters ahead of him to Europe where he would later join them. He settled them in a cabin aboard the French liner, the Ville Du Havre, and then kissed them and said good-bye.

The grand ship glided upon the water for a while but then it tragically collided with another vessel. As water began filling the ship, passengers were being swept away into the torrents of an icy ocean. Loved ones were torn from each other as they sunk beneath the darkness of the water. The fatalities included the four daughters of Horatio. Mrs.Spafford was later found unconscious and clinging to a piece of the ship’s wreckage. After she was rescued and taken to dry ground, she cabled her husband with the sad news, “Saved Alone”. In a very short time, all of Horatio’s children were taken from him in death! A few years earlier, his only son had succumbed to scarlet fever at the age four. How could he still trust God in the face of such grief and loss? How could anyone?

But God has the power to transcend our understanding and to fill us with his peace even in hopeless tragedies. Horatio quickly booked passage on a ship to be with his wife. While onboard during a bitter cold December night, the captain called to Horatio while pointing out the spot where the Ville du Havre sunk. As he peered into the watery grave where his daughters perished, Horatio was filled with immense grief. With tears, he went back to his cabin and said to himself these faith filled words, “It is well; the will of God be done.” Such incredible trust! He later wrote the famous hymn entitled, It is well with my soul.

My friends, you need to know that Horatio did not have an extraordinary life, but he had an extraordinary faith! He lived his life in such a way that acknowledged his belief that God was in complete control of all that happens. He trusted even through this tragedy that the perfect will of God could not be stopped. He surrendered the pain of his breaking heart as a sacrifice to give honor and glory to God. He absolutely refused to believe that God had failed him.

Is there a struggle in your life that is making it difficult to stand in your faith? Trust is a process that the Holy Spirit takes you through one step at a time. He always knows your weakness and he knows the path to bring you to peace. If you can surrender your pain to God for his glory, he will fill you with joy and peace as he works all things out for your good.

God will never fail you and the tragedies of life can never destroy you. Because of Jesus Christ, all can be well with your soul!

TRUSTING THE PROVIDENCE OF CHRIST

February 12, 2009 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: God is able to fight for you, God's love, Jesus will help, overcoming life's difficulties, power in your problems | 39 comments

Do you really believe that the love of Christ is all you need?

The Scriptures say in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. Those are powerful words! God SO loved us that he was willing to give his Son as a bloody sacrifice to save us while we were still lost in our sin. That speaks of a love so all-encompassing that it defies our understanding.

Within that love that God has for us is his ability and willingness to provide all that we need. He did not just die and save us then leave us to fend for ourselves. Jesus paid the price so that we would be victorious in all of our circumstances. He is more than able to cause all of our problems to be used for our good. There is no trial we suffer that takes him by surprise. He has a plan for our lives that was made long before the world was formed. When Christ defeated death at the cross, he crushed the power of any force to destroy us. It is finished! Jesus fulfilled the debt so that believers can have authority over sin and the bondage of this dark world. We have been set free.

Sadly there are those who still walk in the chains of the enemies lies instead of the truth of an all-powerful Creator. They go stooped in doubt to the throne of grace and cry out in their painful trial when the answer is already with them! The reality is that though you may not physically see God or audibly hear his voice, his presence is always with you. He is with you right now. The best part is that he knows your heart and understands your fears. You just need to submit them to him.

In Mark 9, a man came to Jesus to heal his son who had an evil spirit that was trying to kill him. Jesus told the man, “Everything is possible for him who believes”. Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief”.

Your trust in God’s Sovereignty is the key to overcoming every impossible situation in your life. God is not limited by any boundaries that this world puts on him. Your problem is not too hard for the God who spoke the world into existence and who breathed into the dust to form man!

Jesus is all that you need in this fallen world and he is willing to take you past your fears and unbelief. The only questions that remains now is will you take him at his word?

Dear Lord Jesus, I lift up all those who are reading this message filled with pain and a heavy heart. I pray that you will open their eyes to the truth that you are able to take them through the trial they are experiencing now. Help them to trust you with their financial problems, failing marriages, serious health issues or any situation that is keeping them in bondage. Please give them your peace and comfort them as they learn that you will never fail. Amen

MAGNIFY GOD NOT YOUR PROBLEMS

March 31, 2009 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: financial problems lifted, God will always help you, hope in difficult situations, No problem is too big for God, strength in problems, victory despite marriage problems | 22 comments

God will always be bigger than that which comes against you

We are living in a season of change and a pervading darkness is rapidly filling this earth. People are struggling financially, physically and with each other as more than half of marriages end in divorce. Satan has blinded the eyes of most and it is sad to watch people caught up in the bondage of alcohol, drugs, pornography and every form of deception. Crime has increased and prisons are filled with lost souls. The truth has been compromised as the enemy seeks to blind the world and destroy it. Has he succeeded?

The Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3 that there will be terrible times in the last days. Believers must keep watch as the enemy seeks to weaken them and make them ineffective for the kingdom. The days are growing short and our strength is only in the power of Christ who lives in us. He has promised to never leave us and to help us in time of distress. Our hope in times of testing is to magnify the Lord to see him as he truly is – which is always bigger than our problems.

Though God is always with us, we will have to suffer in this world. If it is the storms of this life that cause us to grow in our faith, then God must allow this struggle to reveal his power and give us the knowledge of who we are in Christ. His purpose and plan for our lives cannot fail. You may feel alone in your time of pain but you never are. You belong to him and he has given his angels charge over you. If you can magnify God and trust him in all things, he will prove himself faithful as he takes you through the furnace of your affliction and bring you safely to a place of his peace. He has power over all that comes against you and there is always a purpose in what he allows in your life.

The strength to hold on is having knowledge of the God who created you. His power cannot fit into the confines of our finite minds. So what is impossible for us is never impossible for God. Get hold of the fact that you aren’t going to completely understand the ways of God. Who could understand why a holy, loving God would send his only begotten Son to die for the sins of an ungrateful world? There is nothing good that you have that was not given to you by his power. Yet we constantly just dwell on the question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people! It is because this world is not heaven. This world is perishing and there will one day be an end to those who love evil. But for now, we are aliens in a lost civilization and Christ has been sent as our only hope for salvation. He has given those who believe in him the right to become joint heirs with him in a kingdom whose wonder cannot be described. As unbelievable as it sounds, many are choosing to sell eternity with Christ in absolute perfection to the highest bidder of the perishing things of this world!

Trusting that God will work everything out and give to you all that he has promised can be difficult as the shadow of the enemy permeates this earth. For that reason, it is so important that you see and understand the God who had no beginning and no end. He is the source of all that is good and he withholds nothing of benefit from those who love him. You have to know that God is bigger and stronger than all of the evil that is happening. He sent Jesus to die for you so that you will have a future with promise. He defeated death and made us more than conquerors in the battle of this world.

Remember always that the trials that assail you will one day end. God has a plan to dry your tears and give you life everlasting with more beauty than your mind can comprehend. The truth that sets you free and that gives you victory in every area of your life is the cross of Jesus Christ. Because he loves you with an everlasting love, he was willing to pay the price for your debt of sin. He doesn’t care how far you have strayed or how badly you have failed. He has a love that will cover it all.

My friends, if you are reading this message and don’t know Christ, I hope that you will seek him now and ask him to reveal himself to you. My prayers will be with you. I may not know who you are or what problems you have, but God knows your name and he knows how to rescue you. Your life matters to him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. He is stronger than the enemy and his plan for you will never fail. That is the promise he died to give you!

GOD’S WAYS WILL ALWAYS BE HIGHER

April 24, 2009 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: God will not fail you, God's power in your life, hope when you're overwhelmed, strength to believe, Trusting God | 17 comments

We do not need to understand, just to trust

We serve a God of all hope who has an unfailing plan for all that he has created. Those who have put their trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ are now called children and co-heirs in the kingdom of God. Yet as we hold on to this truth and live for Christ, the darkness of this present world can overwhelm even the most seasoned Christian. As much as we trust and believe that God has a purpose in all that comes against us, why is it so difficult to understand it when troubles besiege us?

The word of God tells us plainly in Isaiah 55:8-9,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Our finite reasoning can never align with God’s judgments. His ways are perfect. We are the dust of the ground who only have worth because we are loved by our Creator. For the same reasoning, who can understand the love of a pure and holy God who would send his only Son to suffer and die to pay to redeem a lost and ungrateful people? It is a love that knows no boundaries. It is an all consuming love that never fails. God is never hedged in by our ways or our thoughts. He knows the right and perfect way and he alone has the power to make it happen.

When Jesus left this world, he promised to send us the Holy Spirit who would be our helper. He knew that there would be many problems for us while we are here and he knew that we would need his Spirit to get us through. Day by day we are being transformed into the image of Christ by the Spirit’s power. Our daily battles are fought and won by God’s right hand. However, painful trials can make us question if God is really with us. It is not an easy task to trust him when you watch as a loved one suffers. It takes every ounce of strength to keep your eyes on God instead of your pain. Many believers had to endure financial difficulties, marriage strife and heart aches of every kind. Jesus did not say that we would be without these struggles. He said that he would always be with us and give us the victory. All that he allows is for a divine purpose. He alone knows what it will take to fulfill the plan he had for our lives long before the earth was formed. He knew every storm we would face while we were in our mothers’ womb. He had a way to part the sea and move the mountains that would try to stop us. And he knew that we would not understand his ways. It would take an uncompromising faith in him that defied our reasoning to believe when we have no power to do anything else.

Paul tells us in Philippians 1: 29,” For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him“. Who among us can know the mind of God or understand his judgments? Jesus said that we would not even comprehend the beauty of heaven until we got there. No one in all of Scripture that God used for glory ever understood how or why God made them take the path that he did. Human logic certainly can’t explain it. The fact that remains is that you will not ever understand why God allows evil at times to prosper while the righteous suffer. That is when we have to trust in the unfailing love of God. This love that we learn of when we are in the furnace of our affliction is the power that is going to take us into glory. If we can trust and believe when the ground around us is crumbling, then we have shown ourselves to be true sons and daughters of the living God! And God has said that he will give an immeasurable reward to those who hold on and trust to the end.

You don’t have to understand the ways of God. You only need to know of his unfailing love. By his own word, God has promised to withhold no good from those whose walk is righteous. That means that if you belong to Christ, every struggle, pain, heartache and suffering that you withstand is ordained and timed by him and will be used for your good. You can’t lose because with Christ, you will always be more than a conqueror!

Dear Jesus, I lift up all those who are going through a painful time in their life. I pray that you will give them the peace that they need to stand in trust knowing that you are with them. Help them to know that you have a purpose and a direction for their lives that cannot be stopped by their circumstance. I pray that they will understand that in you, there is always victory. Please comfort them now with your love and hold them close to you. Amen

TRUSTING GOD’S POWER

May 4, 2009 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: help when you are overwhelmed, Jesus will never fail us, power to overcome, problems lifted, victory in our troubles | 95 comments

Fear is a lie from hell

One of the greatest weapons that the enemy uses against us is doubt. The devil himself knows the truth that believers are victors and mighty warriors in the army of God. He knows that God has a plan for us that cannot be stopped by anything or anyone. That means not by our weaknesses, not by our rebellion, not by our past and certainly not by the enemy whose power was overcome by the cross of Jesus Christ!

The strength to walk in victory comes with a realization that God’s power will always be enough. If you can understand that his plan was made long before we were created and he foreknew the struggles that we would face, then you can trust that he can rescue you whatever your situation. Our Savior knew of the plans that the enemy had to destroy us and he knew how to take us through to victory. A painful trial or circumstance in our life has no power except that which you give it. If God already had knowledge of what you would have to endure and gave his power to overcome all things, why would you ever allow your problem to make you anxious? When you give in to fear, you are giving in to the lies from a defeated enemy!

You have to know who your God is. You must seek for an understanding of his love that covers everything. There is no bondage that can stand against the cross. Jesus finished the work of salvation and he is alive and intercedes for us every day. Christ will always be sovereign over all that comes against us. Everything in all of creation must submit to him! Anything that he allows in your life is for a purpose and must conform to the plan that he has for your life. Remember that God made us into his image from the dust. He knows where you are and he knows your pain. He created the 70 million trillion stars and calls them out by name each night. There is no place you can go that can make him forget you. The hairs of your head are numbered by him and he saw the length of your days on this earth before one of them came to be. There is nothing in your life that is impossible for him.

It is not always easy to trust when you are in a battle with the spiritual forces of evil that fill this earth. The days are dismal and filled with more problems. Financial difficulties are hitting everyone. Who can think about the future when it is hard enough to get through a day? Yet that position is right where you need to be. Christ will see you through all things but he will take you through one day at a time, sometimes minute to minute. You won’t be able to see where he is taking you so you must trust him with all of your heart. Jesus did not die to lose you now! Beloved, you will never be destroyed by this lost and crumbling world for you will be taken above it by the Spirit of Christ who lives in you. You aren’t standing on the perishing earth, you are standing on the Promise which is Jesus Christ!

My friends, I want you to understand one very important truth. It does not matter where you are, what problems you have or how low you have fallen. If your hope is in the cross of Jesus, you will come through every battle as a conqueror. The victory has already been won. Never let the enemy or your painful situation convince you that God’s power is not enough. It is more than enough. The enemy of your soul knows this. You need to know it also. If you ever believe anything, believe this: JESUS WILL NEVER FAIL YOU!

Dear Lord, I know the times are hard and people are struggling with the problems that this dark world brings. I pray that you will open their eyes and affirm in their heart the truth that your power and love will take them through all things no matter how impossible it may seem. Jesus, help them to know that you are the light which has conquered the darkness. Let them know that whatever illness, bondage, marriage problem, financial issue or heartache they have, you always have a way to give them your peace. You alone paid the price for our victory. Jesus, I thank you for being all that we need. Amen

KNOW WHOM YOU HAVE BELIEVED

June 20, 2009 in Christian faith, God's unfailing love, Jesus, Religion | Tags: being weary, God is faithful to help, overwhelmed by troubles, peace in heartache, power of Christ, strength in hard times, trusting that God will work all things out, victory despite our problems | 30 comments

God always has the power to help you overcome

So much is happening in this world and the struggle to survive is getting more difficult. Everyone has been affected in some way by the economy as jobs are scarce and homes are being foreclosed on daily. The increase of broken marriages is staggering even among Christians. And it seems like so many health issues are affecting people everywhere. Though prayers are being offered, some may wonder if God’s power is enough to take us through.

The Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12, “For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard that which I give to him for this day“. That was a powerful statement coming from a man who in his lifetime was beaten, stoned, homeless and imprisoned. How could such faith come from Paul in the midst of all that he had to endure? It seems like God should have made Paul’s life a little easier since he was entrusted with bringing the good news of Christ to the lost. But God’s ways are higher.

The truth lies in the fact that Paul intimately KNEW the God he served. He was confident that he could have peace in his blessings as well as his trials. He understood that in all things, God was working out a perfect plan that would strengthen Paul in this life and earn him reward in heaven. The reality was that God had a purpose in using all that came against Paul to further his kingdom as he transformed Paul into the image of Christ. Paul was ready for the day when he would meet his Savior face to face. For that reason he believed that to die was gain and to go on living was for Christ. Paul was ready to do whatever was asked of him.

The grace that you need to face all of the challenges in your life as a believer is living in you! There is now no mountain of trouble and no sea of tears that can stop you from living an abundant life in Christ Jesus. The enemy can’t do anything to you that God knows will destroy you. You can’t lose the battle when the power of Christ is your force and your strength. You must always remember that God knows your struggles and your pain. It was by his will that you were created and by his word he spoke the universe into existence. There is nothing hidden from the all-knowing, all present God.

God will always be sovereign over all that you go through. In the book of Job, we read that Satan had to first ask permission to come against Job. Satan wanted to destroy Job but God knew that the testing was only going to make Job stronger in his faith and more blessed than before. He knew his power would be more than enough for Job to overcome all of the enemy’s attacks. Do you not know that the same is true for you and in your circumstance? The wind, the waves and every storm and battle that you face must first come before Christ who allows only that which he will cause to be used for your good despite how painful it seems now. Beloved, for that reason you must never give up. Your God is working out blessings in your life that you can’t even imagine! You may feel weak, but God will keep you from sinking if you will just keep your eyes on him.

In my own life, I am experiencing a struggle that is causing me much pain. There are times I also feel overwhelmed and weakened from the battle that never seems to end. It is difficult some mornings for me to just get out of bed. Yet in my heart, I know the God whom I have believed. I can trust through all things that God will not fail me. I may not see or feel him working out my problem, but I know that he is. When I get weary, I turn to his word and seek his strength. I have purposed in my heart to keep my trust in Christ no matter how dark the storm gets. Sometimes I write these posts through my tears. It is difficult but I know my Redeemer lives! He has taken me too far for me to give up now. Each day I grow in the strength that he gives me. All that I am going through has a purpose that God has designed and that he will work out in his perfect way.

It is my prayer that if you are in a difficult situation that you will give your pain to the One who paid the price to give you a future with hope. Jesus overcame all of our enemies and all of our problems by his death on the cross. There is nothing can can hold you in bondage if you will trust that God is bigger. I will be praying with you.

Dear Lord, there is so much darkness in this world and we are all struggling to stay in the battle. I pray for all of those who are just too weary to pray and who feel that you have given up on them. I stand in the gap for those who are hurting and I pray that you will lead them to your perfect peace. Let them feel your presence as you give them the knowledge that nothing will stop your plan and the future that you have ordained for them. You are more than able to guard all the pain and struggles that we give to you for this day. Open their eyes to see that you already have them surrounded by your angels who are greater than the troubles that come against them. Please give them an understanding of your enduring love. Amen

AT THE WATER’S EDGE

October 22, 2009 in Christian faith | Tags: believing all that God says, feeling weary and overwhelmed, free from fear and worry, impossible situations helped, Jesus will not fail, overcome trouble in life, problems can't defeat us, trusting God's promises in our battles in life | 40 comments

I want to bring a message of truth for those struggling in this lost and perishing world. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you must stop acting as the world does every time a crisis happens in your life. We are children of the Promise and nothing can change that or destroy the purpose God has for our lives. Don’t let a little shaking of the ground or the darkness of the storm around you cause you to take your eyes off the One who ransomed your life for all eternity! It is nothing less than blasphemy against your God to let the enemy see you giving more credence to his lies than to the truth of Jesus Christ! How many rivers and seas does God have to part before we will believe that he has all the power we ever need to fight our battles?

It takes true faith to trust that God is actually going to work your struggles out for your good. God never fails and he is faithful but the silence can be tormenting as you wait on his promises to be fulfilled. The enemy will taunt you to make you doubt God’s faithfulness, but the truth is that he is a defeated foe whose only weapon is his lies. The purpose and plan of God for your life have been settled long before you were created. Every single detail was known by God and he provided a way through every one of them. All it takes is for us to keep our eyes on him and trust him, but so often we forget what he has done for us in the past.

Each trial brings fear and anxious thoughts. The devil always has a way to make you see the worst of each situation. For that reason, you are to take captive every thought and line them up to be obedient to the teachings of Christ. He has told us that he can rescue us from any situation. God’s has already planned in advance to supply the power that is needed for his people to climb the hills and survive the valleys in this life. There is not a single struggle you endure that he has not seen long before the world was created. Why then do we still worry that God is not going to show up in time to help us? Do we actually believe that the Creator of this world and everything in it is going to forget a single detail of our lives? Our hope is secure and the battle is won in every area of our lives. All that we must do is surrender our weaknesses to the one who can work them all out for our good. It means waiting and trusting while the battle rages on knowing that we are victors. There is no such thing as a defeated Christian! Stop carrying around burdens that are not yours. Worry is a tool that the enemy uses to deflect the truth from believers. He can’t steal your joy so don’t just hand it over to him when problems arise.

The fact is that God will always take you to the edge of the water so that his power will be revealed as he makes a way to cross when there is none. You need to get to the end of your own strength before you can understand the immeasurable power that God has. Weary believers need to wake up and realize that God ‘s plan for your life cannot be hindered by your impossible situation. There is never a time when he leaves you to work things out on your own. It is for his good purpose that he allows the storms in your life. He is working out a perfect plan for you that has eternal rewards. You usually won’t understand the reason for all that happens to you but your faith should still not waver. Jesus is truth and he has said he will not forsake you!

Jesus said to his Apostle Thomas in John 20:27, “Stop doubting and believe.” That is his command to us today. Your problems can’t destroy you unless you let them. God still knows how to part the waters, move the mountains and hold back the sun to help you in the battle you are facing. To give up is to give in to the lie of a defeated enemy. That army of the living God has surrounded the camp and is taking back what was stolen from you! You are a force to be reckoned with because Christ is your leader. Never forget that your life was redeemed by the righteous blood of Jesus and he is not ever going to let you lose this fight!

Dear Lord, for those who are struggling and in a painful trial, I pray that you will help them to see that this message is for them!

TRUSTING GOD NOT YOUR MONEY

August 1, 2009 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems, God can work all things out, Jesus has a way to help | 31 comments

He knows how to provide for your need

It is so difficult to watch the television reports each night as bad news just seems to get worse. The economy is grim and has taken its toll on just about everyone. So many people are now without jobs and fear losing their homes. The struggle of this bleak forecast is causing us all to take a closer look at how we spend our money. People everywhere are now having to worry how they will survive in these dark days.

As tough as things are in this world, we serve a God who is the provider of all that we need. He planned long before the world was formed to take us through every battle and every storm. He knew what we would face and he has a way in his perfect plan to take us through no matter what the economy dictates. But I wonder how many can continue to trust God when the bank is foreclosing on their home?

In Luke 12:22, Jesus said, ” Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.” He then says in in verse 31, “ But seek first the kingdom of God and all things will be given to you as well”. Worrying about your finances is not going to change them. It is only going to take years from your life. Jesus did not leave us on this earth helpless and alone for he is with us in every struggle that comes our way. Your faith must not grow weary when times get tough. Our God is the same in the night as he is in the day. The darkness of your situation does not limit his power. He is ruler over all things and he can bring peace into your life with just a word.

Despite your difficulty, it is important to remember that God is always in control. He is working all things out for his purpose. The things of this world are perishing and will not last. Although you may be struggling just to make ends meet, your faith can be earning for you a reward that far outweighs anything you have to endure. The evil of this world will increase but believers have nothing to fear. Jesus paid that ultimate price for our victory and nothing can destroy his plan for us. Christ has overcome the world and the enemy has been defeated. That means that you can have joy despite the storm you are in because we serve the Master over the wind and he will not let you perish.

Never let your problems or financial difficulties make you doubt the power of your God! He owns the sheep on a thousand hills and all that is created is his. He is so much bigger than anything that comes against you. He is limitless and cannot fit within the confines of your finite minds. His will prevails in all situations. It is the enemy of your soul that wants to fill your mind with fear and doubt that God will help you. Don’t give him a foothold. Take those thoughts of defeat captive and line them up with the promises of God. He hasn’t take you this far in your life just to have you fail now.

Keep in mind that you are alive and breathing right now because of God’s power. Your heart is beating because he tells it to beat. He put the sun in the sky; he tells the waters where to stop; he calls the stars out by name and he spoke the worlds into existence. Do you still think it is too difficult for him to find a way to help you work out your financial problems?

My friend, God cares about the struggles you are facing. Ask him to help you to stand in faith until he has brought you the victory. Don’t give up when the prize is just ahead. Psalm 32:10 tells us , “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts him“. That is his promise to you.

Dear Lord, I know that many are having financial problems that seems like it is going to destroy them. I stand in the gap for those who need a touch from you in the area of their finances. I pray for jobs to be restored to those who have lost them. I pray for new and better opportunities to be come about. I pray for you to provide homes for those who need them. I pray for you to provide them the food and transportation that they need.. I pray that you will be able to keep families together along with their pets. I pray that they will keep their trust in you no matter how hard it gets. Lord, help them to understand that you will not fail them. You will come through for them at the perfect time and in the perfect way. My heart is with them, Lord, and I know that your love will keep them. Amen

IS WORRY YOUR GOD?

August 24, 2009 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling worried and overwhelmed, God's promise to help you, help to overcome, hope in Christ, problems lifted, struggling in your faith, trusting God in your pain | 17 comments

It all comes down to where you put your trust

The promises of God are real and he has a way to work all things in your life for good. He knows what it takes to rescue you from the pain and the struggles of this earth and how to make you stronger for having endured them. He can do all things for he is the Creator of all that is on this earth and the heavens. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. With knowledge that God ‘s love is enough, why do we still worry and fret when trouble comes upon us?

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 6:25-27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

You are so valuable to God that he gave his only Son to suffer and die for you that you may have everlasting life! There is nothing that he will allow to destroy those who belong to him, so to give in to worry and doubt is sin.

The truth in this verse is that when you worry, you are making your problems bigger than your God. You are saying in effect that God is not strong enough or loving enough to help you through your trial. When you give in to worry and fear, you are falling for the lies of the enemy who wants to destroy you. He knows that God is more than enough to bring you to victory but he wants you to forget that. We serve a risen Savior who came to this earth to bring us hope and to give us a future despite what we may have to endure. He knew our problems and weaknesses long before we were born and he made a way to overcome all of them. He has a perfect plan and a purpose for your life. Even though you may have fallen short and rebelled against him, he can always lift you from your past and restore you to wholeness.

All that it takes is for you to allow Christ to reign in your life. You must make him first over all that you have. In order for him to help you through the bondages that have kept you prisoner for so long, you need to trust him completely. You must never take your eyes off Christ and put them on your problems. Only then will you fall. Jesus is always bigger and stronger than anything the world throws at you. You cannot be defeated for he has destroyed the power of the enemy. Even death no longer holds fear for those who are in Christ for we will not perish but be made whole to live in heaven with God. There is nothing that man can do to you that will crush you for you are protected by the right hand of the King!

When you find yourself worrying and getting anxious about things that are going on in your life, seek Christ out in his word. Let him fill you with peace as you read of his faithful promises to you. Giving in to fear indicates a lack of faith. You must trust that the One who gave you life will be able to sustain you no matter what happens! Jesus died to release you from the prison of fear and worry. Don’t go back into bondage when Jesus paid your bail in full. His blood at Calvary covered your iniquities and made you righteous before God. That is the power you need to cling to and to use when you are weak and weary. Take the yoke of Christ for he will lift your burden and give you the strength you need to continue.

There is always hope when your trust is in Christ. He is the Lifter of your head and the Restorer of things taken from you. He can mend your heartache and bring your family together. He has the power to provide for your financial needs no matter how impossible it seems. He can heal your sickness and break the chains of your addictions. Most importantly, he can give you the force to conquer any battle you must fight. He knows your name. He has numbered your days. His promise is to never leave you or fail to give you all that you need. Give him your worry and anxious thoughts and let him bring you to a place of peace. No matter where you are in your life, Jesus has a way to reach you!

Dear Lord, I pray that you will touch all those who read this message and give them peace in the trouble they are experiencing in their lives. Help them to know that you are with them and that you are bigger than their problem. Give them the strength to walk in faith and not lose sight of the victory that you have given us. Amen

STANDING ON THE PROMISE

September 20, 2009 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion | Tags: a promise you can trust, financial problems, God won't fail, healing in marriages, Jesus has a way to help, nothing is impossible for God, overwhelmed and weary | 19 comments

Being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see!

In Psalm 69:1, David cries out to the LORD , “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck, I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help.” How many of us feel like that right now?

Even those who have put their faith in the cross of Christ can find it difficult to survive in this fallen world where there is bad news after bad news and each day brings another set of problems. It is truly heartbreaking to watch so many people struggling financially. Those who were once secure in their homes are now facing foreclosure. Disease and sickness is affecting every family in some way. We now have a lethal flu that is threatening to become pandemic. Homes are broken as the enemy seeks to destroy the family and deceive our children. Disasters of every kind are reported in countries all over the world with increasing occurrence and severity. Immorality is rampant and accepted. The ways of God are perverted as we now label sin as “choice”! Paul tells us in Romans 1:25, “They exchanged the truth for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.” Sadly, God has been thrown out of decisions made by our government leaders as they give in to the clamor of the lost. Mankind now believes he has a better way than God to do things. That is a lie from Satan himself who somehow convinced one third of the angels in heaven and in the presence of the true and holy God that there was something better! He is the father of lies. Ask yourself, who do you believe when troubles surround you?

The truth is that Jesus died to give us hope with a promise that he will be with us to the end. You may be hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and struck down in your life but you can never be destroyed! There now is no power to defeat those whose trust is in the cross of Jesus Christ. Though the world is darkened as evil fills the sky, believers will always have a light to shine on the path they are to take. It is by faith that we know that God will complete the good work that he started in us. We need unwavering trust to believe and not doubt that Jesus has a plan that cannot be stopped by the problems of this world. It does not matter how impossible your situation is or how painful your heartache, God knows how to move mountains and part the waters of trouble so that you can get to that place in your life that he has ordained for you long before you were born. The trials and struggles that you face are merely the wind that he uses to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ! He can still save your marriage, give you victory over addictions, heal your body, and restore your finances. There is nothing too hard for him who first loved you.

All that you need to survive in this world is within you if you have put your complete trust in Jesus and have made him Master of your life. It is not in saying a certain prayer but by surrendering your life to his perfect will. There is nothing good that you can do to save yourself but Jesus finished the work of our redemption when he gave his life for us. He is alive to intercede on our behalf and he has prepared a place for us in heaven. He did not die and leave us to fend for ourselves. He is with us now. He knows your name. He sees your face. He hears your voice. His strength is always with you. And while others are standing on the sinking sands of a lost earth, you are standing on the promise of Jesus Christ who will not fail to keep you in the victory that he won. You must stand and believe to the end. We have nothing to fear from this world for our citizenship is in heaven, guaranteed by the blood of Christ.

My friends, I give this message because these days are very difficult and painful. There is so much to deal with. I just pray that you can trust that your hope is secure. Christ will never fail you. Even the enemy knows that we are more than conquerors through Jesus. Believe the promise, mighty warrior, for the reward is yours for eternity!

Dear Jesus, there is just so much stress to deal with in our struggle to get through each day. I pray that you will comfort those who read this message and give them your peace that will fill them with hope. I pray that marriages will be healed; sickness cured and bodies made whole; strength to overcome bondage and addiction; healing for those who hurt; and, help in financial struggles. May they understand that the enemy is trying defeat them with his lies but that he has no power to destroy them or take them from you. Help them to know that you are always can find a way for them. I pray for favor for those who need a miracle right now in their life. We humbly bow and trust that you will not fail us. We give thanks and praise in your name. Amen

TRUSTING GOD THROUGH THE STORM

December 1, 2009 in Christian faith, defeating all fears, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling overwhelmed and weary, having peace in hardship, the enemy cannot defeat you, trusting God in hardship, victory over fear and problems | 42 comments

Knowing by faith that God will not fail you

Every problem and troubling situation believers face in this life is allowed by God for a specific purpose. He is working out something far greater than what appears to be happening as he guides the process of transforming you into the image of Christ. Your faith is being sharpened as a sword to equip you for the battles of this world. The path of victory has already been set and there is nothing that can destroy a believer who has put his faith in the cross of Jesus. We are commanded to be anxious for nothing and no one. But, is that still possible when the darkness of the storm surrounds us?

The truth is that the strength to endure every painful trial is with you in Christ. If your eyes were opened to view the spiritual battle that is raging, you would see the grand army of the living God totally surrounding and protecting you with powerful weapons far greater than those against you. Though you will still endure the attacks of the enemy, your hope of victory is secure because of the cross of Christ. You may be feeling weary and completely overwhelmed but the bible tells us that God is close to the broken-hearted and he is near to us in our pain. He does not abandon you when your situation is bleak. As you lift up your fears to him in thankfulness and prayer, you allow his power to be unleashed in your life as he takes your struggle and makes it work into his perfect plan for you. God knows your weaknesses and has seen your failures yet his power is more than enough to take you safely through. You may be wounded but you will never be destroyed!

The Apostle Paul knew that each step of his journey was put in place by his Savior. He learned how to wait on God for all that he needed. He was able to be content even in suffering and persecution because he trusted in Christ. He never thought that God forgot about him when he was without food or money. He was willing to endure whatever it took for his purpose in Christ to be fulfilled. The thorn in his side was not to take him down but to remind him that it was all for God’s glory. Paul expressed his trust in 2 Timothy 1:12 when he said, ” For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is more than able to care for that which I give to him for this day“. That is faith in action!

God is not late to help us even when all hope appears to be dwindling down. Even the timing of Christ’ suffering and death on the cross was planned long before the world was formed. It happened at the perfect, precise moment that God chose it to be. There was no detail left undone as Jesus completed the work of redemption for a lost world. Sin and death was overcome by the cross as Jesus uttered this powerful promise saying, “It is finished!”

Take heart, dear beloved, and know without a doubt that your situation is not dead. It is being worked out in the timing of God who already knows the outcome. There is an eternal purpose for your suffering. You are not waiting for God to show up for he already has. You are holding on for the perfection of the plan he is now working out in your life.

The struggles and trials you suffer are always an opportunity for God to reveal his power to you. Each time a painful situation brings you to your knees, use that position to give glory to God! It frustrates the devil when you do. Never let the enemy convince you to surrender in the heat of battle for you are nowhere near being defeated. You have been made more than a conqueror through Christ and he is not about to let you fail.

Dear Lord, I pray that you make your promise and your hope real to those who are struggling in a painful circumstance. Help them to know that you are with them no matter how weary they become. Strengthen them in your will and give them your peace to hold onto the truth. Amen

LOVE SO AMAZING

January 19, 2010 in GOD'S PROMISES, God's unfailing love, heavy burdens, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling overwhelmed and weary, feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God's unfailing love and help, having hope in our struggles, no strength to even pray, overcoming worry and doubt, peace in trials, trusting that God will work all things out | 31 comments

Knowing that God will rescue you

Where is God in all of our struggles? We are living in unbelievably difficult days and it does not appear to be getting any better. Trying to hold on in faith while the darkness surrounds our situation can literally seem impossible. In our finite minds, it doesn’t make sense that God appears to wait so long to come to our rescue.

The pain of a trial in life can be overwhelming. A troubled marriage can turn your life upside down. Financial problems seem to have no end in sight. A serious illness can interrupt your life in a big way. Addictions to alcohol, drugs, pornography or any bondage can bring total havoc in your life. There are just too many problems to deal with as utter darkness covers the earth. Where is the peace that surpasses understanding that Jesus promised us believers? Sometimes it may take all the effort you have just to get out of bed in the morning and face life. Without a doubt, we are living in troubling times. So what can we do?

We are told in God’s word that then enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour you. He is seeking to kill, steal and destroy all that you have. But, the truth is that the enemy cannot take anything from one whose faith is in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. All that he can do is convince you of a lie that his power to destroy you is bigger than God’s power to rescue you. You must remember that the tomb could not hold back the Holy Spirit’s power to raise Christ from the dead and that same power is living in you! For that reason, you cannot be defeated no matter how wounded you are in the battle you are fighting. Christ has conquered death and the power of evil. Though the enemy can wage war all around you, you will not be a casualty of a battle that has already been won. Don’t look at your circumstances – look at your God! Our weakness comes when we take our eyes off the Source of our power. Jesus does not take cover in the attacks of the enemy. He is our fortress and a very present help to us. The weary can find safety in his shadow and experience peace in his never-ending love.

By knowing and understanding the God you serve, you are able to rest and trust him to get you through the storm. If Jesus tells us to take joy despite our problems, he must have a way for us to do so. We know by all that is true that God cannot lie. In every one of our troubles, God is present and working them out. You don’t have to feel him or see him working to know that he is causing all things to be used for your good. It is by faith, which is greater than silver or gold, that we trust despite our pain. My friends, you must understand that while this earth is not heaven, it is here that God is getting us ready to be royalty in a glorious place that will never end! It is difficult to endure the hardships that surround us each day, but it is not impossible. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross gave us hope that our future is secure. If he has the hairs on your head numbered, he surely is not going to forget to help you when you need him. In his timing, you will understand that he never left you for one second! The Apostle Peter took his eyes off of Jesus when he was walking on the water and began to sink. But understand this – JESUS NEVER TOOK HIS EYES OFF OF PETER! Jesus was able to lift Peter up from the sea because his power did not cease even when Peter doubted him.

God’s love and power for you are real. If you are struggling it is because you are listening to the lies of the enemy and have taken your eyes from Christ. I know that your financial problems are real and that your marriage may be in serious trouble. All that I am saying is that God is not going to fail you. You may think he is not with you now in your pain but the truth is that he is. Even in your fear and weakness, he is not going to abandon you. His love is just so amazing that it will meet you wherever you are. He knows how to lift you from your sea of trouble and he will not let you drown. God can make a way even when there is none.

Let the amazing love that Christ has for you be your strength in the battle you are facing. Get into his word and let him fill you will the knowledge of his power so that you will not be afraid of what the future holds for you. The words that God gave to his people long ago are for you today: “For I am the LORD, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you”. (Isaiah 41:13)

PERSEVERING UNDER TRIALS

March 14, 2010 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life | Tags: financial problems lifted, help in our struggles, help with pain and addictions, hope in broken marriages, Hope that won't fail, Jesus can always make a way to help, trusting God in hardship | 16 comments

Let not your heart be troubled, neither be afraid

It is way too hard to hold on in this perishing world by your own efforts. Anyone who is trying to do so will fail. All of our force and all of our strength comes only from our relationship with Christ who has promised to give us all that we need. It is for that reason that we can have hope knowing that our life is being worked out by divine hands!

Struggles and storms are filling the lives of everyone. No one is exempt from the dark skies that have filled this world. As time grows short, the enemy has stepped up his attacks and they are brutal. Even the strongest Christians are being tossed by the winds of trouble. There is no air, land or sea to go where the war for souls is not fiercely raging. The enemy is relentless. Yet, the truth remains that there is a place of peace to rest when we are weary from the battle. That is the hiding place of Jesus Christ and in his mighty promise.

I have never witnessed such evil and darkness as I do in this present time. Believers are experiencing testing of all kinds as they are proven to be true sons and daughters of the living God. Jesus left us a promise that needs to be understood. He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) Your problems are ALL being worked out in the plan that he has set for you. Nothing you face comes as a surprise to him. You may not understand now why he is allowing you to suffer as you do, but you must continue to trust him despite what you feel. Every word in Scripture is utter truth and written for you to use as the power to stand against the attacks you face. When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, he did not use physical force to defeat him. He could have turned him to ashes with just a look. Instead, he used the powerful, unfailing word of God for which Satan had no power over! Jesus wasn’t just proving his strength to the enemy, he was showing us that we also have that power to overcome all obstacles that stand in our way. As bad as it now appears, the light of Christ is still a consuming fire with power to overcome all obstacles of battle.

There are many people suffering oppressive financial problems all over this world. The forecast is bleak as homes are foreclosed and many have to do without the basic necessities to live. Marriages are collapsing like dominoes as the lie of the enemy fills homes and destroys families. Health issues are increasing as families must deal with loved ones who have serious or terminal illnesses. My heart breaks to watch so many fall into the trap of addictive substances and literally exist to get their next fix. Pornography is destroying many and making slaves to those who are caught in its deadly obsession. Not even Christians aren’t exempt from this trap.

In addition to all this, we are facing wars and threats of wars, earthquakes, severe weather conditions and pandemic diseases. Through it all we may wonder, is Christ still sovereign when bad things are happening to good people? Can we still trust God to get us through all of these problems? The answer is a resounding yes! We can still rely on God to help us no matter what is happening in this world. He will never let the faithful in him be destroyed!

Psalm 34:19 tells us, “ A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” God will not fail in his promises to us. All circumstances of our lives have been predestined to work out for our good. There are no conditions that Satan puts in our lives that have power enough to take from the promise that Jesus died to give us. It may be tough for you now, but these times will not last. When the purpose for which they were allowed has been fulfilled than God will raise you above the waters and take you up the mountain of victory. You can’t lose if you keep your trust in the One who paid the price for your redemption.

The point is not whether or not you can rely on Christ to take you through these turbulent times. The truth is that you must rely on him and trust him even when all of your hope is gone. Your trials in this life are merely the workings of your transformation into the image of Christ. If God can create the heavens and the earth with just a word, he surely can move the mountains that come against your marriage, finances, health and everything else that stand in the way of what God has promised for you!

Those who wait upon the LORD will never be disappointed. God’s promise says in Psalm 72:26, ” My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” You may be down but you are not out. God still has a plan for your life. It is my prayer that those who are struggling in a trial will know that God will make a way!

THE BATTLE IS WON

March 28, 2010 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: faith to overcome, help when you are overwhelmed, Jesus will never fail you, knowing that Jesus is all you need, problems can't defeat you, trials have no power to destroy you, victory despite marriage problems, weary in struggles with finances and health issues, you can't lose the battle | 23 comments

Those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16)

How big does the storm in your life have to get for you to take your eyes off of Christ and put them on your circumstance? Although God may not respond to your prayer the way you thought he should, that surely does not mean that he failed you. Your cries in the night for help are not going unanswered for they are always heard by a God who knows how to provide for your need. He has created a course for your life and the twists and turns you must take are not meant to hinder you but rather to get you ready for something far greater. Scripture is filled with verses where God’s strength is revealed in those who trusted him.

We read in Exodus in the Old Testament where the Israelites were led on a forty-year journey in the desert to get to the land God promised to give them. But because their hearts were hardened and unbelieving, God directed them the long way around. His plan was to give them peace from their enemies and a land that was overflowing with every good thing. However, most of them did nothing but grumble and gripe to God. Their faith was not in God but focused instead on only that which their eyes could see. They did not have faith that God could give them what he promised though every day he provided them with all that they needed. It was for that reason most of them died before they ever got to the land. They thought the giants in the land were bigger than their God! They were dead wrong. Only Joshua and Caleb had faith enough to trust God and they led their people to win over the enemy in the land given them.

In Genesis, Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers and then sold into slavery. As dark as it was in that pit, God was using this injustice against Joseph to get him ready to rule in the palace of Egypt! Joseph had to travel as a slave in chains to Egypt. He was sold to a commander there named Potiphar and forced to work in his house. Joseph then was thrown into prison after being falsely accused of a crime. Here is a man who went from the pit, to chains, to slave and then to prison. Where was his God? As painful as it was for Joseph to endure all this, God was using this trial as training. He was equipping this young man to be the top royal commander second only to Pharaoh. That was quite an elevation for just a young shepherd boy.

The truth is that God will not promote you to a higher calling without first equipping you to succeed. The pain that you are experiencing is the chisel God is using to perfect his plan for you. You are literally becoming a work of art in the kingdom of God! Your struggles never had any power to destroy you. God knows well how to cause all things to work in harmony with the purpose he has ordained for you. All of your troubles are unfolding into his perfect plan to bring you to victory. You are not going to lose this battle if you can keep your eyes on Christ and in his mighty power.

Though you can get weary as the pain of your situation overwhelms you, there is hope knowing that there is a divine purpose for your momentary problems. It should help you to know that God saw these stumbling blocks in your path before you were born. He could have led you around them but instead he has chosen to use them to make you stronger as he takes you over and above in strength and glory. His plan is to make you royalty in a kingdom that will never end. It was for this exact purpose that Christ died so that you might have an abundant life even while facing the wind and the waves of the raging sea of life.

My prayer is that you understand that all God allows in your life, he allows for a specific purpose. He will never send you alone in the battle for he is always with you. Nothing can defeat you. Your marriage problems, health issues, financial crisis or any struggle you face cannot keep his purpose for you from being fulfilled. The days remaining in this perishing world are numbered and known by God. He sees the beginning and the end and all that goes on in between. He is with you right now. You must never let the lies of the enemy make you feel defeated. If you are a child of God, that can never happen! Don’t be like the Israelites wandering in the desert who did not have faith that God could take them where he promised. God can and will do abundantly more than anything you can ask or imagine!

Cease striving, my friends, the battle is won. The enemy knows it and you need to know it too. If your trust is in Christ, he already has your situation worked out. All you have left to do is to have faith and take him at his word!

Dear Lord, I pray that those who are facing trials and pain in their lives right now may know that you are working them out for a purpose that is good. Help them to stand in faith through this storm knowing that you are with them to the end. Amen

FINDING STRENGTH IN THE LONELY PLACES

May 26, 2010 in Christian faith, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God's unfailing love and help, healing, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, promise of God's help, serious illness, victory despite marriage problems, victory in troubles | 27 comments

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life (Psalm 138:7)

Have you ever been in a painful trial in life which made you feel like you were all alone? The storms you face in this world can sometimes make you feel isolated and without hope. And, although well-meaning friends want to help you, there often is little that they can do. You really want to believe that God is with you in that battle, but that may be hard to do when the enemy surrounds you on all sides! When you come to these lonely places, it is then that you must take all thoughts captive to the truth of the promises of Christ!

In Scripture, David told King Saul that he would go against the giant Goliath who was threatening to kill the Israelites. Although he was only a young man alone, David knew that the force and strength of his God would be with him. As David ran toward the giant armed only with a sling and 5 stones, he was confident that he would be victorious against the enemy – and he was. David won this battle before he even started because his hope was steadfast in his faith that God would not fail him. He never hesitated by allowing worry to have entry to his mind. He knew the God that he served enough to take him at his word.

All of the battles that you face as a believer are fought on holy ground because the power of God is with you. You are in the company of the army of heavenly forces who know well how to deal with the enemy. You are never left to fight alone. As David understood that God was giving him his victory, so must you know that you are a conqueror against all that comes against you. You must never let your situation cause you to be anxious. Worry is nothing but the whispers of lies from a defeated enemy! Satan wants you to make you feel alone and hopeless so that he can get a foothold into your mind. Don’t give him access.

The truth is all the force that you need to defeat your feelings of hopelessness. Your financial struggles, marriage problems, health issues, addictions or heartaches are all under the power of a Sovereign God who knows how to take you safely through them. Your weaknesses are not hidden from the eye of an omniscient God who offers you his strength when you have none of your own. He is never limited by the scope of your impossible situation. His power is not confined to boundaries and it supersedes the scientific laws of this world. Most importantly, your painful struggle was seen by God long before you were born and he prepared a way to take you to victory. He has not forgotten you now and he never will.

It is the lonely places that put you next to the heart of your God. For it is when you have nowhere else to turn that you realize that God’s power was all that you ever needed. Jesus paid the price so that those who believed would be made more than a conqueror in all the battles of this world. Never surrender your joy no matter how bad the problems in your life seem. Though you may not understand it now, Christ is working it all out to fit into the perfect plan that he ordained for your life. The One who keeps all your tears in a bottle will not let you drown in despair. Jesus said “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows”.(Matthew 10:29-31) There is nothing you must face that will not be measured and timed by God’s own hand.

Whatever is overwhelming you in your life right now has a purpose to bring you closer to God. The winds of trouble and the storms of your life must all submit to the will of God for you. Your battle will never be stronger than the refuge and strength of your God! The bible tells us, “Weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning”. (Psalm 30:5) That means that every painful struggle has a timing for it to end. And it is only then that you will understand the power of God whose love for you never failed.

I pray that those who are struggling or in a painful trial will know the peace of God that surpasses understanding. No matter what is going on in your life, please remember that it will never be bigger than your God!

TRUSTING IN GOD’S PEACE

July 18, 2010 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God will take you through life's storms, help with your problems, hope in difficult situations, strength to overcome, victory in your battles | 18 comments

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

It is hard to release all of our hopes and fears and trust that God has a better way for our lives. When you try to work things out as the world does, you are headed for failure. Charles Spurgeon once wrote: ”You cannot grow in grace to any high degree while you are conformed to the world“. That which you won’t surrender to God will be the foothold that the enemy uses to take you down. All that you have that is good has been given you by God. There is nothing that you can keep except that which you give up.

Jesus calls for us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and yet that is very difficult to do when you let the influences of this lost world cloud your judgment. The darkness of these present times can fill you with fear when it seems like God isn’t showing up in time to help you through a crisis. Some people are suffering with the pain of a serious or terminal illness. Many are facing monumental financial difficulties as they battle to survive past the list of endless bills. Marriages are under attack as Satan has targeted families for destruction. Drugs and alcohol are literally robbing people of their future. Pornography is a deadly addiction that poisons and imprisons its victims. Sadly, lies from hell are being traded for the truth by the lost everywhere. Many in our country and in the world are now accepting evil as good.

Yet, despite the battles that rage all around, Jesus promised believers that he would fill them with the peace that surpasses all understanding. That peace only comes by trusting and following the path of Christ. You cannot seek out the riches and glory of this world and expect that God’s peace will reign in your heart. I can’t put it more clearly than to say outright that if you live in rebellion to God, you will never be happy! You will always be searching and never be satisfied. The true joy that comes only from a relationship with Christ is found nowhere else. Nothing that you can attain on this earth will last forever or prevent you from dying one day. But those who seek Christ and his kingdom, all that is good will be added to their life. As a believer you understand that death has no power except to release you to be with God in his kingdom forever.

While all will suffer in this life, God works everything for the good those who belong to him. The temporary struggles you face have divine ramifications as the hand of God uses them to form and shape you into the image of Jesus. We read in 1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast“. After you have been through your painful trial, God himself lifts you up and restores you to wholeness. You can’t lose in the battle you are in so hang on and know the power that lives in you. Never surrender your joy no matter how dark your situation may appear. God always has a way to take you through it if you will believe and wait on his timing God ‘s power is more than enough for all that you need. You should keep that truth in your heart!

Dear Lord, I know that many are struggling in areas of their lives and they wonder if you truly care about what they are going through. I pray that you draw near to them in their pain and give them the strength they need to believe that you will not fail them. May you give them a very real sense of your peace as you work out all their difficulties and make them strong, firm and steadfast in their faith. I pray this in the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

THE END OF YOURSELF- A GOOD PLACE TO BE

September 10, 2010 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: feeling overwhelmed, feeling weary and overwhelmed, God's power in your life, hope in difficult situations, peace in trials, power to overcome, storms of life, trusting God in your pain, victory in your battles | 20 comments

The righteous cry out and the LORD hears them (Psalm 34:17)

It is obvious that so many believers are growing weary in these dark days of oppression that we live. Struggles surround us at every corner and it is hard to stave off the growing fears of uncertainty. We were told in Scripture that these times would come and test the faithful, but how do we keep standing when the ground is trembling and darkness is filling the sky?

Fear is a tool that the enemy uses to take your focus from the truth. When you understand that your hope in Christ is secure, you can cease striving. There is nothing that is going to destroy a believer who is holding onto the promises that Jesus died to give. Your future is never determined by your circumstance. Trials that you face are only the wind that brings you closer to God. Every single one of your struggles are used by God to equip you for the battles that come against you.

Throughout the bible, God allowed his people to be taken to the end of their own strength but yet they were conquerors over all that came against them. It was in the lion’s den that Daniel watched as his God shut the mouths of the lions and brought him safely out. The three Jewish boys were bound and thrown into the furnace for refusing to bow in worship to Nebuchadnezzar.(Daniel 3) Yet it was there that they came face to face with the Son of God who protected them from even the smell of fire and smoke. Young David ran against the giant, Goliath, in the power of the God in whom he trusted. He never doubted that his God could save him as he killed that heathen Philistine with just a stone. King Hezekiah cried out to his God for help when the Assyrian army was surrounding his people on all sides. He had no power to face this mighty army but his God did! We are told in 2 Kings 19:35, ” That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning – there were all dead bodies!” It was God who fought their battle and saved them. You need to understand clearly that when you are in Christ, you are a force to be reckoned with!

Beloved, you must understand that no battle you ever face is hopeless. You don’t need to run from your problems; you just need to turn to your God! Never lose faith when you get to the end of your ability for it is at that point that you discover the all-encompassing power of God. Jesus paid the price for our redemption and to give us a future with hope. The enemy may prowl around trying to rob you of your joy but he can never steal the future that Christ paid with his blood. Death has no sting for Jesus overcame the grave. All of your momentary trials are working out a divine purpose to prepare you for the royalty that awaits you in eternity. Your painful situation has a time to end. God knows how to take you from your distress and into his peace if you will just surrender to him.

We are living in a time like no other. We are watching as wars, famines, floods, severe weather, poverty, sickness of all kinds of evil are permeating this entire world. The hearts of many have grown cold as marriages are failing, evil and violence are increasing and all forms of perversions are becoming common. The only hope we have is the enduring love of Christ who will never fail. He is called Faithful and True and he is ready to return and gather those who love him.

May you know this day that you are never out of God’s sight for a second. Whatever you are suffering is before the eyes of God. Remember, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. (Psalm 34:18)

Dear Lord, I am praying for those who are struggling with a painful situation in their lives. They feel like they are losing in the battle that they face. I pray for your peace and strength to fill them. Let them know without a doubt that you are with them to the end. For those who have financial problems – may you meet them and provide for what they need. Those who have marriage and relationship problems – may you join them in peace and restore their families. I pray for you to heal the pain of those who are sick or who have lost a loved one. May you comfort and heal those who are in serious bondage to alcohol or drugs. I pray for your favor in their lives in all that they need. And may they know that you will not fail them no matter how impossible their problem is to them. Amen.

YOU MATTER HERE!

September 23, 2010 in Christian faith, God's power in your life, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Trusting God | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, promise of God's help, strength to overcome, trusting God in your pain, victory in troubles | 22 comments

FOR I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED ( 2 Tim.1:12)

Dear friends and visitors to this blog,

I want everyone who comes to this site to know that I have a burden for those who are in pain, feeling troubled and who come looking for a message from God. I never cease praying for those who have asked for prayer. I take all of your prayer requests very seriously and they stay on my heart. And God cares for each of you through your pain. He is not going to leave you in your struggle.

Remember that no matter what you are going through, God will always be bigger and he cares! He has a way out and above every single situation that you go through. To those who have put their trust in the finished work of Christ at the cross, your future is sealed and the enemy cannot steal it away. Don’t let any of the devil’s lies and frustrations make you doubt God’s perfect plan for your life. If you could see with spiritual eyes, you would know that if God is allowing a trial in the life of a believer, he has a plan to not only take you through it but to make you better for having gone through it.

Most importantly, I want you to remember that no situation is impossible for the true God who spoke the worlds into existence! Never let anyone tell you that you circumstance is beyond all help. That is a lie. There is nothing that God cannot and will not do for those who belong to him.

I care very deeply about all whom God sends to my site. You matter here! It was no coincidence that you stopped by for God has a message in one of these articles just for you. He is the one who has inspired these truths for me to write.

God bless you for now. Stay in peace and take your stand in the battle. Your God is very near and he is fighting for you!

GIVING THANKS FOR ALL THINGS

November 23, 2010 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion, Struggles in life | Tags: feeling weary and overwhelmed, financial problems lifted, God's power in your life, having peace despite your problems, promise of God's help, purpose in trials, victory in troubles | 29 comments

Let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably (Hebrews 12:28)

To those of you who visit this site during the holy season of peace, I wish you blessings and happiness. But, I know that it is difficult for some of you to have a spirit of joy during these holidays because you are experiencing struggles and pain in your life. It is not easy to praise God when your world is crumbling around you, but it is then that you must. All that God allows for you will always be for your best interest. I have struggled many times with my problems and yet not one of them defeated me, even when I felt I was literally drowning in a sea of trouble. The truth is that God’s purpose for allowing you to endure this pain is always to bring you higher and to have a greater knowledge of the God you serve. Believers will always find that God was with them in the midst of every storm they faced.

The Apostle Paul knew first hand that when your faith was in Christ, all things that you endured were allowed by Christ for a reason. Because of his faith, he knew that even though he was suffering in jail for witnessing to others, Jesus had a divine plan to work it out for Paul’s good and for the kingdom. Paul understood that nothing was going to happen to him apart from the will of God. Paul wrote:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

God knows what you need and he is able to provide for all that is good for you. So many times you may forget how many things God has taken you through. When a trial in your life takes you down, your attitude in dealing with it depends on whether you trust that God will take you through it. Our hope is secure because God’s promises never fail. That does not stop the devil from trying to fill you mind with lies and fear. Don’t give in to them for they come from an enemy who was defeated by the cross of Christ. All things will work out in God’s way and in his timing. He is not going to let you be destroyed by the storms of this world.

Paul endured a hardship in prison but his God never left him. He knew that he would suffer for a while for the purpose that God planned but that he could not be destroyed by this time of pain – he could only be made better and stronger! That is what happens when you can give thanks in ALL things including those trials that you don’t understand why God would allow. You can give praise and thanksgiving in all things knowing without a doubt that God’s grace is the force that will take you to victory.

You may be feeling weary and overwhelmed right now because your situation may seem hopeless. That is not true. Nothing is beyond the power of God to work out. There are no impossible situations with God. He who spoke the worlds into existence and who breathed into the dust and made man has no boundaries or limitations. He can do all things and he will move heaven and earth in his perfect plan for you. You just need to trust him and put your complete faith in him.

It doesn’t matter what you have done in your life or how far you have run from God. The only thing that matters is that he wants you with him. You have tried every other way to bring happiness in your life but all you were left with was the consequence of bad decisions. Only the path that God set for you will give you peace and joy despite your struggles.

This holiday season and always, give God praise and honor for all things . Be thankful for what God has given you thus far and put your trust in the future he planned for your life long before you were born.

Dear Lord,

This season of peace and joy is also a time when many people are struggling with finances, marriages failing, health issues, sin bondages and thoughts of depression. I am praying for all who are in pain right now. I pray that you will make your presence known to them in a very real way. Please help them to know that you are going to be with them in their struggle and will take them to victory. My prayer, dear Jesus, is that you will meet them where they are right now and take them to your peace. I pray that everyone who is overwhelmed and defeated to know that your perfect plan for their life will not fail. Most importantly, I pray that each one who visits here will know the depth of the love that you have for them. If there are any who do not know you as Savior and LORD, I pray that you will unveil their eyes and give them the knowledge of who you are. I pray this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen

GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY!

December 21, 2010 in Christian faith, GOD'S PROMISES, Jesus, Religion | Tags: difficulties, God's unfailing love and help, help when you are ovewhelmed and weary, hope in difficult situations, impossible situations, peace in trials, storms of life, strength in the battle, Trusting God, victory in troubles | 12 comments

I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY

( John 10:10)

We were all born sinners in a lost and perishing world. Our rebellion made us enemies of God and the price was eternal separation from him. Yet despite our weaknesses, the bible tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal love” (John 3:16) That is love beyond measure! Christ left the splendor of heaven to walk among us and give us hope for a life with him. The night that Christ was born, we read in Luke 2:8-11 :

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

What an awesome message to receive! Imagine being in that lonely field and seeing the the glory of God shining all around. Shepherds were considered low class, they were not trusted as witnesses in a court of law, and they weren’t well educated. They lived and worked outdoors, they typically were not able to keep the ceremonial law the way the priests did in the city. As a result, they had a reputation for being unclean. Yet God deemed them the perfect ones for him to witness the birth of the Savior of this world.

Christ became flesh to walk with his creation. He came to bring hope and joy despite the fact that there are many troubles in this world. His birth was the greatest gift that this world has ever known. Jesus came to defeat death and bring new life. He came to shine a light in a dark world. And he came to show profound, amazing love to a world that would reject him.

There is nothing else that we need in this life for Jesus brought us the free gift of salvation and friendship with God. We no longer have to be imprisoned to sin and destruction. He offered us power over all the storms of this life and the promise of glory in heaven. Struggles and pain can no longer defeat those who accept Christ as Savior. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you have done, Jesus brought forgiveness and abundant life for all who seek him.

The enemy wants you to believe that you can live your life apart from Christ and still be okay. That is a lie from the pit of hell for you will face destruction if you reject Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. You will never have victory any way other than the path that God prepared for you before the foundation of the earth. Jesus is the only way to eternal life.

I pray that you will understand that despite what you have done, you can still have a life with promise if you start now to put your trust in Jesus. You have to want to live according to his ways and to turn from the ways that keep you in bondage. Your weakness can be made strong in Christ, and by his power you can overcome all obstacles in your life. But time is growing short and you need to choose to live for Jesus now!

Let this Christmas be the one where you decide to live in the victory of Jesus! That will be the best gift you could ever get and it is one that will last into eternity!

Merry Christmas to all who read this. Whatever you are going through, your God is already there, willing and able to help. Please know that I am praying for you!

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