Devotions - Prayer
It is easy to be frightened by the wickedness we see all around us and to be overwhelmed by the problems we face.
“One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?'” – Acts 19:15
Are you a threat to the kingdom of darkness?
Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
If we truly believe that we war against rulers and principalities that cannot be seen, then we must realize that their mandate is to hinder any believer who is seeking to walk in the fullness of God.
However, “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4b ). WE FIGHT FROM VICTORY NOT FOR VICTORY!
• If you are seeking to fully follow the Lord, you can expect harassment from the enemy.
• God permits temptation because it drives us deeper into the soil of God.
• These times reveal God’s power to keep us and walk us through the temptations.
• Our message becomes fruitful when it is born out of obedience and suffering for His name.
• We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from Jesus and back to sin.
• Although we are assured of victory we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side.
Do not consider it strange if you find yourself fighting major battles the more obedient you become to the Master.
When you begin to feel harassed, chances are you are beginning to affect the kingdom of darkness, and satan doesn’t like this.
Put on the whole Armor of God which is supernatural power to defeat satan . God Has provided this by giving us his Holy Spirit within us and giving us His armor to surround us. (Read Ephesians 6:10-20).
May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us Lord to submit to Your leadership and humble service to one another to build unity in the Body. Amen
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5).
When a measured assault enters our life we often respond in two different ways. The pain caused by the assault drives us to a place of either:
• Embracing the pain or
• We embrace anything that will make us feel better.
That becomes the entry door to a false lover.
All of us are trapped by addiction to a desire for something less than God.
For many women, that something less is relational control. “I will not be hurt again and I will not let people I love be hurt. I’ll see to it that what I fear never happens again.” They therefore live in terror of vulnerably presenting themselves to anyone and instead become determined managers of people. Their true femininity remains safely tucked away behind the walls of relational control.
More common in men is an addiction to non-relational control. “I will experience deep and consuming satisfaction without ever having to relate meaningfully with anyone.” They keep things shallow and safe with family and friends and feel driven to experience a joy they never feel, a joy that only deep relating can provide. Their commitment is twofold: to never risk revealing inadequacy by drawing close to people and, without breaking that commitment, to feel powerful and alive. Power in business and illicit sex are favorite strategies for reaching that goal.
Many times we seek to deal with our pain through various forms of addictions designed to resolve the inner pain we feel.
All addictions represent a counterfeit desire for genuine love and intimacy.
We conclude these lesser desires are legitimate needs instead of band-aids of our fleshly soul.
These addiction lovers become isolation chambers created for ourselves designed to mask our pain.
Every human being has a desire to be loved and needed. When we do not feel loved and needed because of some event in our lives we seek to reconcile this emotional pain.
So, if you are fighting any kind of addiction–over control of people, sex, drugs, alcohol, workaholism, shopping, overeating–you are seeking to fill a void only God can fill.
Pain has a useful purpose in our lives. Facing it, rather than medicating it, allows us to move to a place of discovering a capacity for a different kind of joy. That is the purpose of pain.
We must let inner pain do its work by experiencing it fully. It feels like a contradiction to actually embrace the pain, but it is the only remedy for moving past it so it can yield its purpose in our lives.
Otherwise we will remain unaware of our deeper desire for God and be driven toward a false lover.
Read Isaiah 53:4-6 Lord, Thank you for the pain and suffering You went through which resulted in forgiveness made available to all people. Lord thank you for my past pain which helped me to bring me back into Your fold. Amen
Read MoreWe must realize that the battleground for this invisible war that we’re in is actually between our ears – in our minds.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
This is why God wants us to be prepared for the spiritual attacks that come our way.
He wants to equip and prepare us in the strength of his power to stand against the enemy’s schemes and defeat him in the specific battles in our life.
Therefore 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Eph 6:14-15)
Notice that to protect ourselves from the evil:
We must do something. We must take action and stand. We’re commanded to consciously and vigorously make a decisive act to stand our ground firmly against the enemy’s assaults.
This means becoming aware of the devil’s schemes and putting on the full armor of God.
The armor of God is a metaphor to help us understand the general thinking of how we’re to prepare ourselves for spiritual battle. READ EPHESIANS 6 FOR TOTAL ARMOR. BELOW IS 2 OF 6 PIECES OF ARMOR.
First, we need to put on the belt of truth.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
In response, our strategy is to protect our minds from Satan’s lies by knowing and believing what God’s word says is true of us: We’re accepted and deeply loved, bought with a price, part of God’s family, and sealed with the Spirit.
Putting on the belt of truth also means we’re honest with ourselves and with God. We’re open to correction when the Spirit of God speaks to us. We don’t hide or shift blame. We own our stuff.
Second, we need to put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Satan’s second tactic is condemnation. This is not the kind of condemnation we feel when we knowingly do something wrong and feel guilty. This is the kind of guilt that shames.
Satan condemns us by saying things like, “You’re a terrible person!” “God will never use you!” “If anyone knew what you did and found out who you really are!” “You call yourself a Christian!”
By putting on the breastplate of righteousness we can protect our heart against the enemy’s condemnation. What does this look like? It’s the practical application of God’s truth for our lives.
We’re already righteous before God because of Christ. But we need to apply this truth by living it out. This means living uprightly in our lifestyle and character.
When we’re living outside of God’s will, we open ourselves up to demonic attack.
So if God shows us a specific area of our lives that we need to get right, then we need to do what He says.
Jesus thank you for the cross that we Have Victory. Thank You for your Word that we can be ready to stand firm against the attacks of the evil one. Thank you-Thank you-AMEN
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Making the Resurrection Real for our family; only days to Easter!
“Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.” Psalm 145:3-5
Often holiday traditions can get mixed in with the real essence of holy days.
*As a child, I wondered what Santa caravanning his reindeer through snowstorms had to do with baby Jesus who was born in Bethlehem.
Wasn’t that in a desert?
*I never did figure out why the Easter Bunny brought me chocolate eggs each year.
Didn’t chickens lay eggs, not rabbits?
Today’s passage from Psalms encourages us to teach our children and future generations of God’s mighty acts.
*******We are to proclaim His power over all the earth. **********
I can’t think of a more powerful act than when God raised His only Son Jesus from the dead, making a way for us to gain access to heaven to live with Him for all eternity.
There are many fun, family-bonding Easter traditions to celebrate with children.
*But this year, why not be intentional to tell the powerful story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in ways that stick in little minds?
*Attend a live passion play put on by a church in your area.
*Read the account of Jesus’ last week of life out loud as a family while enjoying a favorite snack. Read a passage each night beginning in Luke 22:1 through the end of the book of Luke and compare it to Isaiah 53 a prophesy spoken 700 + years before.
*Watch a movie on the life of Jesus.
The Jesus Film by Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) is well done with each scene coming directly from the words of the Bible. Make sure to decide if the child is ready to see a depiction of the crucifixion.
All of these activities help portray the true meaning of this sacred season and point the children to the God who created them, knows them and sent His only Son to die on a cross for them. (Read Psalms 139)
Let’s tell of God’s mighty act of raising Jesus from the dead to the generations that come after us.
Fun traditions can be OK, so long as we don’t miss the real meaning of this Christian Holy Day.
Dear Lord, help me to tell of Your wondrous power and mighty acts to those generations that come after me. May I not let the season pass by without pondering, reading the Bible and sharing this Awesome news on the real meaning of Easter. Help me to direct people to Your Word to see and live in light of Your Truth rather than what we perceive to be true through our limited earthly knowledge. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
(Col. 2:2-4 & JN 14:6 & Psalms 119:160 & Hosea 6:4 & 1 JN 1:5-10 & JN 3:16-17)
Read More“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16a NIV).
Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing.
The Bible says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”(James 5:16a NIV). So let me ask you: Do you want to be forgiven? That’s the first step. Do you want to be emotionally healed? That’s something different.
If you just want to be forgiven, you just confess your sin to God. But if you want to get over this and get on with your life, you need emotional healing. That means you need to tell somebody else.
You say, “Why? Why do we do this? Why does God want me to drag somebody else into this?” I’ll tell you why. Because God knows that the root of our problem is relational. We don’t even realize that. Our messed-up relationships with other people are the root of our problems.
When we don’t have one person in our lives that we’re completely honest with, we wear masks. We pretend and we fake it and we’re dishonest with each other and we play games and we’re hypocrites. We pretend that we have it all together, when everybody knows we don’t. We act like it’s all right when it’s not.
What does that do?
- It isolates you from other people.
- It prevents intimacy.
- And it keeps you from the deepest level of love.
- You cannot love fully with guilt in your heart.
You are only as sick as your secrets. The fact is, the more you hide, the sicker you get. On the other hand, revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing.
There’s something about telling another person that uncorks the pressure valve. When you let the boogeyman out of the closet, all of a sudden, the boogeyman isn’t so big any more.
If you want healing, you’ve got to stop concealing. The very thing that you don’t want anybody to know about, that’s the area where God wants to give you the most grace, mercy, and healing.
Lord, give me the Grace to move forward in my healing. Amen
Read MoreWhen Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. —John 19:30
- The cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning.
- His birth was so there would be His death.
- The incarnation was for our atonement.
- He was born to die so that we might live.
- And when He had accomplished the purpose He had come to fulfill, He summed it up with a single word: “finished.”
So what was finished? Finished and completed were the horrendous sufferings of Christ.
- Never again would He experience pain at the hand of wicked men.
- Never again would He have to bear the sins of the world.
- Never again would He, even for a moment, be forsaken of God. That was completed. That was taken care of.
Also finished was Satan’s stronghold on humanity.
Jesus came to deal a decisive blow against the devil and his demons at the cross of Calvary.
Hebrews 2:14 says, “Only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who hadthe power of death.” This means that you no longer have to be under the power of sin. Because of Jesus’ accomplishment at the cross, finished was the stronghold of Satan on humanity.
And lastly, finished was our salvation. It is completed. It is done. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus when He hung on the cross. His righteousness was transferred to our account.
So Jesus cried out the words, “It is finished!” It was God’s deliberate and well-thought-out plan. It is finished—so rejoice!
Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins that I may be set free to choice You as my Lord and Savior. Amen
Read MoreFaith and Blessing go hand in hand, partnering in God’s plan for you.
*Faith always leads and blessing always follows.
We must be willing to obey God’s Will and do exactly what He asks us to do, no matter what we think or how we feel.
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5
The Lord is telling us that we cannot experience victory unless we go out further than we have never gone before.
*If we continually stay at the shallow side, we will continue to experience mediocrity, which is not God’s will for us.
*We must take the first step and continue to walk on water, during this walking we will experience adversity and trials of many kinds, but we still must push until we reach our deep, where we will receive the Lord’s blessing.
*Have you ever felt tempted to look at your accomplishments with pride as if you were the reason for your success?
*Have you ever thought your prosperity was due to your ingenuity?
*Has your material success been a testimony to others that God is the ruler of all aspects of your life, even the material side?
Joseph’s greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers.
**It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make.
**God is the source of all good things. Ask God today if your life models this belief.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
When you Fall in love with Jesus it is no longer about his power it is about His person!
Heavenly Father teach me that I must go out into the deep with you, where I will experience you than like never before. Thank You Jesus that we fight FROM Victory and NOT For Victory. (1 JN 4:4) Amen
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Almost every Christian at some time in his life has had to face the problem of unanswered prayer.
*A prayer goes unanswered for weeks and months—even years.
*An unexpected illness or tragedy claims a loved one.
*Things happen that have no rhyme or reason and then faith begins to falter.
But the Word makes it very clear that a wavering person will never receive anything from God.
Jesus understood this tendency in His children to hold grudges against heaven when mountains are not moved on schedule.
*Jesus warned Peter not to ask anything when standing in God’s presence lest he be unforgiving in some matter.
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).
I believe Jesus is saying, Don’t stand in God’s presence asking for
mountains to be removed or for forgiveness of your sins, if you have a secret grudge in your heart against a brother or sister in Christ.
*Get it out! Let the Spirit of forgiveness flow through you.
*Cry out to your faithful Father. He has not failed. He will answer. He will supply.
*Submit yourself and ask Him to forgive you for allowing these doubts to spring up.
The most difficult thing in all the world for Christians to do is forgive.
Even the best Christians find it hard to forgive those who injure their pride.
Nothing infuriates us more than to discover someone has lied to us.
In His teaching on prayer Jesus said, “Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:11-12).
Lord, my prayer is that the entire Body of Christ (the Church) will go to You in prayer and work out our differences and not suppress the truth, but renew our minds on the Truths and Promises You give us through Your word on the Spirit of Forgiveness. Take the Pride from our hearts and minds, helping us see clearly that we are all on the same team and will be spending Eternity Together. Amen
“For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2
Let go of everything that is beyond your ability to control.
There will be things that will not work out the way you desired or intended, but the Lord’s ways are higher than your ways.
The Lord knows the beginning from the end, and He is giving you opportunities to align yourself with His purposes for your life.
Move with the flow of His Spirit to come into divine order so that His purposes will be established in, around, and through you. Do not be afraid.
Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Refuse to be drawn away from that which is vitally important to your spiritual well-being. Even as many things demand your attention and resources, you must continually guard your heart.
Maintain integrity and be true to yourself.
Psalms 26:11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.
*God’s Giving is an overflow of His character(Matthew 5:3-12 Beatitudes) and an example of how He calls us to share what we have with others.(Testimonies of what Jesus has done for us—The Cross, the Gospel)
*God gives lovingly. (Exodus 34:6)
*God gives freely. (James 1:17)
*God gives abundantly. (Psalm 132:15)
*God gives wisely. (Romans 16:27)
#3 of 8 Truths to Master Life. (You can get all 8 at):
www.movingforwardwithhope.com
I sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to do and empower me to follow through in obedience.
Result: I am released from my need to control everything.
I am “Free.”
*The reason for this is that I now trust God, Who knows all, and He has promised those who are meek, that they will inherit the earth. Faith is God has freed one from the burden of trying to push, manipulate or force, in order to get one’s way.
Jeremiah 9:23,24. “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Lord, help me daily to release my need to control everything. Help me come to you for direction in all my ways and thoughts—for Your Glory. Amen
Read Moreby John Piper
Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:5)
The great missionary hope is that when the gospel is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, God himself does what man cannot do: he creates the faith that saves. The call of God does what the call of man can’t. It raises the dead. It creates spiritual life. It is like the call of Jesus to Lazarus in the tomb, “Come out!” (John 11:43).
We can waken someone from sleep with our call, but God’s call can summon into being things that are not (Romans 4:17). God’s call is irresistible in the sense that it can overcome all resistance. It is infallibly effective according to God’s purpose — so much so that Paul can say, “Those whom [God] called he also justified” (Romans 8:30).
In other words, God’s call is so effectual that it infallibly creates the faith through which a person is justified. All the called are justified. But none is justified without faith (Romans 5:1). So the call of God cannot fail in its intended effect. It irresistibly secures the faith that justifies.
This is what man cannot do. It is impossible.
- Only God can take out the heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26).
- Only God can draw people to the Son (John 6:44, 65).
- Only God can open the heart so that it gives heed to the gospel (Acts 16:14).
- Only the Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name.
He calls them and they follow (John 10:3–4, 14). The sovereign grace of God, doing the humanly impossible, is the great missionary hope.
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Forget Regret
Leave your mistakes and regret in the past. They don’t define your value, then or now.
When you stay in the past you become stuck and unable to move forward.
We all have made mistakes with our job choices, friends and relationships. The consequences can hit us pretty hard.
Give yourself the gift of forgiveness and keep moving forward.
Learn from Failure
Learning from failure and having regret are two separate things. Regret is an emotion; a feeling of disappointment along with a modest amount of shame or guilt.
But to look back at a circumstance and figure out what went wrong gives you some very important information.
This review allows you to evaluate what worked and what didn’t, and more importantly, why.
Ask for Help
You are not alone. It may feel that way sometimes, but there are many people who would extend their hand and lift you up if asked. Often times we are afraid to ask because we don’t believe we are worthy to receive the help.
Believe You are Worthy
Whatever your goal, your dream, or your desire, you are worthy of achieving it.
Take 100% Responsibility
Except in rare and unfortunate circumstances, you are responsible for the quality and condition of your life.
- Sometimes we choose to do nothing when we get hit hard because it’s just easier and less painful that way.
- But the real pain is only deferred.
Know What You Want
This isn’t about the how, only the what. In order to move forward in life, you need a firm foundation to step from. Understanding what and where you want to go in life will provide your vision and spirit – your foundation. The how will figure itself out when you know you want to keep moving forward.
Trust
There are no accidents without value.
When you get hit hard and land on your back, look for the reasons and for the value in this. Open your heart and trust this happened for a reason. Trust the experience is happening for a reason and be open to making adjustments in order to keep moving forward.
Want it More
How badly do you want it?
How badly do you really want to achieve what you are working so hard to accomplish? To walk through the pain; to get up and keep moving forward knowing there may be more pain ahead, is a test of your determination and resolve.
Keep the Faith
Faith: A strong belief in something without proof or evidence
At the end of the day the one thing that tells you to keep going; to get up tomorrow and to keep moving forward, is your faith.
Lord direct my path in 2018-2019. Help me move forward with life giving You all the Glory. Help us each to be your hands and feet for the lost, that just One may come to know you. Amen
TAKEN FROM: Alex Blackwell is the Founder of The BridgeMaker. His book, Saying Yes to Change
Read More“Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord” (Lamentations 2:19).
At times we may have been discouraged to the point of despair and felt totally abandoned by a God we know that loves us.
And yet in the midst of all of our despair we can find comfort in Jeremiah’s words in Lamentations 3. ( I challenge you to read each day for a week and see what the Lord has to say to you about “who can I trust and why).
“He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed He has turned His hand against me again and again, all day long. He has made my skin and my flesh grow old… Even when I call out or cry for help He shuts out my prayer… I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “my splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” I remember my affliction and my wandering… I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion NEVER fails. They are new every morning; GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'” (emphasis mine).
If you are at the point of despair, do what Jeremiah did and pour out your heart to God. And then call to your mind the fact that GREAT is God’s faithfulness.
- God has not abandoned you and He loves you.
- Don’t allow Satan to deceive you to think anything else. God will be faithful in your life.
But Job is an example for us of how we must break through our natural view of life so that we begin to see things in a different light. This book of Job is here to teach us that God sometimes has to translate theology into painful experience before we really begin to grasp what He is trying to say to us.
Father, thank You that You have sent Your Son, who has endured more suffering than I. Grant me the strength to endure whatever You allow into my life. Amen
Christ is actively working within you to shape your character and empower your obedience.
John 15:26 “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.
We need to leave our failures behind and he keep moving forward.
Two wonderful absolutes.
1. The first absolute: GOD REALLY LOVES ME.
*God is not in the business of condemning His children, failures or not. He is a loving Father, wanting only to lift us out of our weaknesses.
*Sometimes we recognize His great love only when we hit bottom. You will have won a great victory if you can be convinced God loves you even in your wounded, crippled condition.
*Our strength is renewed by His everlasting love.
*Just rest in that wonderful love. Don’t panic. Deliverance will come.
2. The second absolute: IT IS MY FAITH THAT PLEASES HIM THE MOST!
“Without faith, it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6).
*God counts our trust as righteousness. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness”. (Romans 4:3).
I may not understand why He sometimes seems to take a long time to intervene, but I know He will keep His word to me.
*God is not in the business of condemning His children, failures or not. He is a loving Father, wanting only to lift us out of our weaknesses.(Read Romans 8).
*Sometimes we recognize His great love only when we hit bottom. You will have won a great victory if you can be convinced God loves you even in your wounded, crippled condition.
*Our strength is renewed by His everlasting love.
*Just rest in that wonderful love. Don’t panic. Deliverance will come.
*When Adam sinned, he tried to hide from God.
*When Jonah refused to preach to Nineveh, his fear drove him into the ocean to flee from the presence of the Lord.
*When Peter denied Christ, he was afraid to face Him.
God has shown us a truth: Something much worse than failure is the fear that goes with it.
**Adam, Jonah and Peter ran away from God not because they had lost their love for Him, but because they were afraid He was too angry with them to understand.
Satan uses such fear to make people think there is no use trying.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Jesus, Help me see your Character in people as well as myself—-Knowing we all are Your Masterpieces. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Read MorePsalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.
2 He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a rock and made me secure.
We all have pits we fall into—that’s just life—but God’s Word shows us that as Christians we are to face our pits through eyes of faith.
Maybe you are stuck in a pit right now.
*It could be a difficult relationship, a financial hole, an illness—something you’ve been caught in for a while—and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to climb out.
*Your situation may look fatal & terminal but God’s saying you won’t die; you’ll live to declare the goodness of the Lord.
James 1:2 My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.
One type of pit is the kind we create for ourselves.
*We may fall back into an old sin habit or unhealthy life pattern that keeps us going in circles.
*We find ourselves drifting, wandering, moving farther away from the abundant life God has provided.
*But it does not matter what kind of pit we are in. Our merciful Lord makes a way for us out of every one of them.
Psalms 34:19 Good people suffer many troubles, but the Lord saves them from them all;
“Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?” (Matthew 12:11).
Jesus says, “It doesn’t matter if you created your pit. Even the law won’t stop Me from coming to lift you out of it.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.
Today, make the decision to shake off any negative, self-defeating mindsets.
*Choose to cooperate with God.
*Trust that He is preparing you for promotion.
*As you keep an attitude of faith, expectancy and thanks giving, He will lift you up out of the pit and set you on the solid path of victory He has in store for you!
Thank You Lord, for using every situation in my life for my good. I bless You today no matter what is going on around me, knowing that You have a good plan for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
” We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (Ro. 8:28)
Read MoreGod Has A Greater Plan for Me—Since this is true — since nothing happens outside God’s will and plan(Read Ecclesiastes 7:14) — then my daily challenges are under his sovereign control, too.
*God knows about my tantrums, Sickness, and the everyday-stress of getting through each day.
*He is not surprised—All the events of our lives that feel out of our control are actually in God’s control.
Lamentations 3:37–38 says, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”
*God is in control of every circumstance and every event of our lives, and he uses them, often in some mysterious way, to change us more into the likeness of Christ.
When my days are long and everything seems to go wrong, I know it has all happened for a reason. (Romans 8:28–29).
This is what God is about. He is not in the business of making my life comfortable and free of any stress. He has something greater planned for me: my holiness.
In the midst of the chaos, I see Jesus and how much I need the gospel each and every moment.
The God of grace who saved me from sin is the God of grace who will help me have patience.
Every challenging situation becomes an opportunity for me to trust him — to obey, to learn, to grow, to rely more on his grace.
So when the air condition breaks and I get a flat tire, instead of despair there is hope. Life doesn’t feel out of control if we know “Who is in control”.
We can trust and rest in God’s sovereignty, knowing that he is using our every stress for our transformation and his glory.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-1
Lord, help me Focus on encouraging love in one another, not pointing out their faults. Let love cover my mistakes because Jesus forgives all mistakes and sins– that is why Jesus died for us. Thank You Jesus! Amen
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