 
Devotions That Will Exchange Weakness for Strength

Diane K Hiltz Chamberlain

Copyright by Diane K Hiltz Chamberlain

Smashwords Edition

Acknowledgement

I thank Jesus Christ, for these beautiful words that He has given me over time! If it wasn't for His wisdom; then there would be no words to write. Jesus is the main source, for everything in my life and I know that just as these words have healed my heart and soul; they will also touch your heart in a very special way.

Through time, I have come to see that Jesus' words are the only remedy and cure, for what ails me; whether it's a physical or emotional need. His words also have a way of soothing the mind, from the cares and worries that attempt to take over our thoughts, while going through times of distress.

In addition, I would like to dedicate this book; to those who are going through very difficult moments of pain and heartache, in their lives. Our circumstances have a way of leading us down dark and dismal paths that can allow us to feel, as though we will never be able to press on in life; but when we use God's words of hope to become medicine, to our hurting souls and spirits; then once more, we can see a glimpse of light; that can keep us focused on a powerful God, rather than a weak circumstance.

Introduction

Are you looking for the key that can unlock the circumstance; that has been attempting to keep you in bondage? Have you tried everything on your own; only to find yourself still at the bottom of your pit of despair? Come and find renewed hope and a way that will lead you out of your wilderness of despair, through Author Diane K Chamberlain's devotional e-book..."Devotions that will Exchange Weakness for Strength." The devotional writings within this book were first given to the author, as she faced overwhelming moments of pain and heartache and became the tools that would cultivate her heart and produce new and lasting growth.

"Devotions that will Exchange Weakness for Strength" is filled with 99 inspirational devotions that will shed light, on the darkest moment of despair; while replacing weakness, with a greater strength that can only be found through Jesus Christ. The devotions can be used on a daily basis or they can be used as a means of inspiration, for a specific need. As the author found her own way of escape, during the deepest darkest moments of trial; she is now sharing these beautiful words; that were truly inspired by God; as a means of also reaching out to others, who live in despair.

Table of Contents

Completely Connected to God

Powerful Words of Promise

Leaving a Dormant Life Behind to Discover New Growth

Imitating Christ

New Strength through a Humble Heart

Where is Time Taking Us?

Rising Above Despair to Focus on the Prize

Never Alone in a Lonely World

What We Allow Is What We Become

Holy Ground

Words that can keep the Clutter Away

Words of Strength that become Weapons in our Lives

Should we suffer as a Christian?

Is God Seen through your Circumstance?

God Didn't Bring Us This Far To Leave Us

Where Are You God?

A Remedy for Heartache and Pain

God Holds the Keys to our Prison Cell of Despair

Do Our Actions Reveal the Desire of our Prayer?

Is It Well With Your Soul?

Exchanging My Weakness for His Strength

God Can Exchange Darkness for Light

God Walks Us through Despair

When the World Walks Away...God Remains

Do We Have the Welcome Mat Out for Jesus?

Pressing On through Past Moments of Despair

Is Our Circumstance Putting Out the Light of God's Presence?

Praising God in the Midst of a Circumstance

Looking for the Hand of God

Grace...God's Riches at Christ's Expense

Laying a Broken Spirit before God's Throne

A Heart that Loses to Find God's Heart

Seasons that Bring about God's Best

Refreshment for a Weary Soul

A God that is Greater than Fear

Injustice...a Battle that Should Be Left in God's Hands

Are We Renting Out Too Much of our Heart to Satan?

If it hadn't been for God

Do We Depend on God or the "little gods?"

Do We Listen With Our Hearts?

A Faithful God

God Can Pick Up the Broken Pieces

Are We Wearing a Temporary Sign that says..."Christianity?"

Never Alone

Being on God's Side Doesn't Mean there will never be a Battle

Focusing On God's Love Rather than Man's Rejection

God...a Crutch of Strength

Drawing Strength from God Rather than the Problem

Are we placing our Faith in our Problems or God?

God can unlock a Discouraging Heart and Free Us

We Succeed Because of an Undefeated God

God Can Only Have Control When Our Minds Walk Away from the Affliction

A Mighty Warrior that is Greater than the Worst Battle

Letting Go of the Questions to Find the Answers

God's Strength is Made Perfect through our Weaknesses

I'd Rather Have Jesus than Anything

God is Always There

New Mercies for Each New Day

Negative Thinking Can Detour God's Blessings

Faith that can take Us Away from our Circumstances

In God's Eyes...We're all Worthy

Finding Shelter with God

God's Perfect Love Casteth out Fear

Jesus Didn't Lift Us Up to Let Us Down

How Are We Going to Gain God's Strength If We're Leaning on Our Own?

Excess Baggage

Struggling through the Dark

Do We Know God or Do We Just Know of Him?

True Peace is a Sign of a Heart That's Been Given Completely to God

God Will Stand in the Gap for You

Remembering God's Faithfulness

God's Timing is Always Right

Discovering God's Will through Adversity

A Life of Dread Only Takes Us down a Pathway of Despair

Are We Connected with God's Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding?

Mistakes Don't Mean Defeat

God Will Make a Way

Have Our Words of Faith Withered in the Wind?

Weakness that Produces Strength

Weakness is Only the Beginning of God's Best

God Accepts Us for Who We Are

Whose Footprints are We Walking In?

A Close Relationship Will Lead Us unto the Right Pathway

A Grateful Heart through Heartache

Do We Have the Right Connection?

Losing to Win

Loving Arms that Become a Place of Refuge

A Shelter of Hope

No Other Power but God's

Only God Knows the Way

This Too Shall Pass

Moments that Produce New Growth

Preparing for a Storm

Too Close to Evil is Not Good

A Temporary Moment of Affliction

Reaching for Hope Rather than Despair

God's Footprints Become a Place of Security

How Do We Perceive Our Problems?

Whatever We Perceive We Receive

Completely Connected to God

We can feel distant from God, when we are experiencing difficult times in our lives. Sometimes the circumstance itself can make us feel this way but what other reason could cause us to feel so far away from God; at the time we need Him the most?

In I John 2:15, it reads..."Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Not only do we miss out on God's love, when we are connected with the world; but I believe this verse could be also telling us; that when we are trying to get through a difficult moment and we are turning to the world for the answers, then how do we expect to hear from God? We can't turn to God one moment and then turn away from God and live as the world does. When we do this, then we aren't completely plugged into God; so when we truly need Him the most in our lives; we only find that He has become distant, instead of right where we need Him.

One thing that also caught my attention with this Bible reference is "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." If we are trying to find the answers to our needs from God, while living our lives for the world, then how do we expect to find what we need, to get through the rough moments, when we have plugged ourselves into the wrong source? We can't hear God's voice, when we are connected to the world.

When we accepted Jesus into our lives; we made an agreement with Him, that we would be completely devoted to Him and let Him work out our lives according to His will. We agreed to lay our old lives down, so a new life could sprout up within us; but how are we going to allow God to have full reign of our hearts and lives, if we are caught up into the world too. If we truly want to hear God's voice within our spirits, then we need to remain plugged into His love and will for our lives, at all times. We can't have both; we will either choose to remain completely connected to God or the world; but the choice we make will either allow us to be set free or remain in bondage. We need a relationship with God that will keep us away from the worldly life. When we are bonded to God, then we will always know His voice and discover His will for our lives. May we continue to remain connected to God at all times and may you truly find God's very best for your life!

Powerful Words of Promise

What character in the Bible can you best relate to? Tonight, I'm getting ready to watch a movie on "Moses." In one way, I feel that I can relate to Moses because Moses had many things stripped from his life, so that he could give His all to serving God.

I would like to share a couple verses in Exodus 6:10-12, which reads..."Then the Lord said to Moses, (11) Go, tell Pharaoh King of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country. (12) But Moses said to the Lord, If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?" It's so easy to serve God, no matter what it may be, if everything is on our side but what about the moments when life gets a bit tougher? Do we think on our own terms and admit to failure before we have even tried? In this reading; Moses was already accepting failure. He said to God; if the Israelites won't even listen to my words, then how can I expect Pharaoh, King of Egypt to accept my words?

We can become so involved in what we see through our own eyes, that we forget how powerful God can be. If God says that He will work through us and our circumstances, then we need to trust Him completely. I guess we get so caught up in the worldly way of thinking; that we have convinced ourselves of failure, before it even happens.

We may feel stripped of many things in our lives, due to the surrounding circumstances but we need to remember that God's words aren't just ordinary words; they are powerful words of promise, which He uses to give us renewed hope, so we can continue to press on.

Can you imagine what Moses felt, when God asked him to speak to Pharaoh? I'm sure that he felt alone at first but as Moses agreed to obey God and move forward with God's will; he began to grow through the experience and learn to trust God in a greater way. We need a persistent faith, when it comes to working with God. This kind of faith will allow us to never give up; but instead, travel on with God, no matter how grim the circumstance may seem at the moment. Whether you serve God in some way or you are disabled or going through great moments of heartache; we all need to remember to never give in; no matter how the pathway may appear before us. When we can have a faith like Moses and continue on, no matter what we think or feel, then in the end, we will begin to see new growth and a greater faith in God.

Leaving a Dormant Life Behind to Discover New Growth

Today as I was resting; I looked out the window and across the road, as a light breeze was hitting the pine trees, causing the old needles to fall from the tree branches. In order for these trees to continue to grow, they must shed the old needles, so next spring; there will be room for the new branches to sprout.

Tonight, as I was thinking about this; God was taking me to a scripture in His word, which is found in II Corinthians 5:17, which reads..."Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Even though this scripture speaks about a new life in Christ; I also feel it can relate to our everyday lives. When we are allowing the old clutter of the past or the clutter of our problems to remain intact, then where is there going to be room for new growth? When we become a new creation in Christ, then this means that we are allowing the old habits and problems from the past to leave, so the new things God has for us can move in and change our lives into something new.

Life doesn't just mature on its own. Our lives become like the seasons of a year. First they sprout forth new buds and blossoms in the spring, so by summer, we can enjoy the artistic display of God's hand at work. Once fall comes, the leaves turn color and fall to the ground, so they can take a long winter's nap, before repeating the cycle all over again. What if these moments didn't exist? Then there would never be beauty and new growth surrounding us each day of the year. In a similar way; if we don't go through the moments, when we shed the old ways and allow the past to fall to the ground, then how are we going to experience new growth in our lives?

These moments may bring pain and heartache; just as winter brings a cold and dreary feeling to us; but even through the cold of winter; there is a time of cleansing and the beginning of new growth, as God once more replaces the old with the new.

Imitating Christ

Later this afternoon, as I was finishing some dishes in my kitchen; I looked out the window, to find a crow splashing around in our birdbath. I've noticed that as they have watched the robins bathe; they have now become imitators of the robins. They get in the birdbath and splash water everywhere. In a similar way...are we imitating Christ, as we live from one day into the next?

In Ephesians 5:1, it reads..."Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children..." When we can observe God, through the stories we read about Him in His word, then we too will learn how to imitate His ways. Imitating His ways will help us, not only in our day to day walk but also through the circumstances we face. When we can read stories of Job, Joseph, Jeremiah, Esther and Ruth and see how God worked through their moments of suffering, then we will be able to catch on and allow His ways to be imitated in and through our lives. Imitators of Christ will find that they can learn trust, patience and other ways, that will help to sustain and become a crutch, during times of need.

Have you ever watched a young boy try to imitate His own father? The young boy may try to do everything he can, so he can become more like his Dad. He may take a toy lawn mower and follow His dad around the yard or he may try and get into his dad's shaving cream...pretending to shave, as he wipes the shaving cream off, with the back of a comb. The reason this boy is trying to do everything to imitate his dad, is because he wants to please him and show him, that he can be just like his father.

How about us? Are we doing everything we can think of to imitate our spiritual Father? Are we showing Christ, that we long to be more like Him or are we allowing the circumstances to rule our lives instead? We need to come to a place, where we realize, that we need to become just like our Heavenly Father. When we can imitate Him; we are not only trying to be more like Him; but we are also sending God a signal or message, that we desire His ways above any circumstance that may enter our lives.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this..."are we following after Christ and imitating His ways or are we allowing our problems to dictate what kind of a life we will live? I pray that we will continue to know God's desires for our lives, as we learn to imitate Him more. May God truly give you His best each day!

New Strength through a Humble Heart

Why do we find it much easier to give up; rather than to wait out the storm with God? I think we give up because we lose our view of God's great power. We give in to life's problems because we either place limitations on God's power or maybe it's because we wait on God, until we're tired of waiting for His help.

In II Chronicles 14:11, it reads..."Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army, O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."

Have we become so dependent upon ourselves, that we have made God powerless in our eyes? In order for God to work on our circumstance; we must first prove to God that we are powerless. This brings us to a form of humbleness, so He can begin to work in our lives.

As you have already read in the verse above; Asa was calling out to God for help but at the same time; he was humbling himself before a powerful God. He was taking the power off of himself, as he said..."for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army, O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you." How many times have we reacted to our circumstances, as Asa did to the vast army that stood before them? Why do we see a great circumstance before us; but yet we still try to fight the battle alone? Do we feel that we have to have control, so that we will always know what we are facing?

God can only work through those who admit their weaknesses before Him. No matter what you may be facing today; let God know that this circumstance is too powerful for you to handle and humble yourself before Him, as you admit your limitations to God. Once He sees the humbleness of our hearts; He will be able to work in a much greater way, at meeting our needs.

Giving up will only make matters worse; instead, we need to allow God to see that we aren't strong enough, for the weakness that's standing before us. Once we lay ourselves before Him; He will be able to take hold of the circumstance and allow His will to be accomplished in our lives. I pray that we will find the strength, to lay our needs and ourselves before His throne, and may we find God's very best in return!

Where is Time Taking Us?

Tonight, as I was getting around for the evening, I was thinking about time. Time can go so slow, when we are hurting or when we have other things on our minds; while time can go so fast, when we are busy or when we are enjoying a special moment in our lives. Time can step ahead of us before we know it, until a moment of time is gone; never to return again. Moments of time can either make good memories or cause us to feel dread in our lives.

In Ecclesiastes 3; time is talked about in seasons. We have different seasons of time, which takes us from one event in our lives to another. We may have a season of time, when all we experience is pain and heartache but just as there is a season for those things, there are also seasons for joy, peace and happiness. Time can stand still, while we are hurting, to the place where we feel that we will never leave that moment of time but this is not true. I remember a time, when I was living with depression, over my past sexual abuse and I felt like time had frozen in place. The moments that I was living in weren't showing me anything but a dead end road of despair. I came to the place, where I thought, "ok, this is it...this is the way I will be forever", but as God took me through moments, that felt as though time had stood still; He showed me that there was another season of time in my life. This new time, He was showing me, was full of new ways of thinking and seeing my problems through clearer eyes. These moments began to show me that my despair could be exchanged for new growth and renewed hope.

Evil can take us into moments of time, where we feel so much despair, that we give up on looking for the next moment in time that could bring us something different. Time does move forward, even though our circumstances tell us differently. We may experience a season of despair but just as God made four seasons in a year; He has also made different seasons of time for us to live in.

God may allow a season of time into our lives that will cause us to feel as though He has deserted us but He hasn't. He's waiting for us to take advantage of the time He's given us, so He can move us on, into the next season of time. We need to ask ourselves this question..."how can a God of love and hope keep, bringing defeat into our lives?" He can't. He has to be victorious but it's up to us. We have a choice; will we remain in the season of time that has brought us defeat or will we rise above those moments of time, to find the season of renewed hope and new growth that God has for us?

It was 27 years ago, that my husband and I moved from Michigan to Washington State and as I look back; I see the many seasons of time that God had laid out for us but through it all, we are still moving forward, as God continually unveils the many moments of time He has for us.

Rising Above Despair to Focus on the Prize

Heaven can seem as though it's coming to us in slow motion, when we are going through difficult times here on earth. We can find ourselves focusing more on the problem, instead of focusing on the prize. We may see a road that's filled with boulders of circumstance; but as Christians, we should also be able to see Heaven in clear view, even if it seems a distance from us.

In Romans 8:24-25, it reads..."For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? (25) But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Our circumstances can cause us at times, to lose trust in the promises that God has already given us. God has promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us and He's promised that one day He will return for us; but do we really trust in His promises enough?

While going through very trying times; we can feel like the children of Israel...very impatient. Our circumstances cause us to want Heaven now; but even though we know this to be a place of peace, with no pain or heartache; is this the real reason we should long for Heaven? Shouldn't we long to meet the One who was always by our side, while going through these trying moments in our lives? Shouldn't we be looking to the skies, for His presence to come as He promised, instead of placing our full view on our problems? There is going to come a day, when Jesus will say..."That's enough"...and from there, He will step out on a cloud of glory, as He calls His faithful one's home.

We need to look down our pathway; beyond the large boulders of circumstance, so Heaven becomes clearer, instead of allowing the circumstances to block our view of the greatest promise God has given us...Heaven.

Never Alone in a Lonely World

What does it mean to be connected with God? How often are we plugged into Him? Do we just connect when there's an emergency, as we cry out to Him for help? In Isaiah 26:9, it reads..."With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."

How are we going to learn and grow, if we are only connected to God on a part-time basis? For the longest time, I found myself connected to God, while reading His word or when something was going wrong or during a meal but now I have found that when I begin and end my day with God, then I find that I'm always connected to Him throughout my day and even into the night hours, when I have problems sleeping, due to pain.

As I arise in the morning, I walk to the picture I have of Jesus and I say, good morning to Him. I find that if I listen quietly within my spirit; it's as if God is saying..."Good morning, Diane." From that moment, I may talk to Him about my plans for the day. When I do a devotional writing; I talk to Him about the topic that He may have in mind for that week. I may also visit with Him about other people who are going through difficult moments in their lives, as I ask for His comforting spirit to be with them.

I find that when I begin my day with Him, then I remember that His presence is there for me whenever I need Him; whether good or bad and as I close my day, before going to bed; I say good-night and I visit with Him once more, about those that have been on my mind throughout the day. I give them to Jesus and ask Him to take over, as I get ready to go to bed.

I believe that God just doesn't want to hear from us, when there's a problem or while we pray for our food. He longs for our praise and our voices to be heard each day within the heavens. When we are always connected to God throughout each day, then we seem to live with peace, instead of anxiety and frustration. There's great comfort, in knowing that our God is always there to talk to. When we can experience His fullness each day, as we remain connected to Him, then our relationship will begin to form into a greater bond, that will always be a reminder, that He is never far away from us.

No matter what you may be going through, this isn't the time to run away from God, into unknown territory, where we become vulnerable to Satan but rather, this is the time when we need to run into the most powerful and loving arms, known to man. We can also find great comfort, in knowing that we are never alone, when He is only a prayer away.

When we begin and end our day with God, then we know that His presence will always be found throughout the entire day. Could we be missing out on blessings and words of wisdom that could help us and strengthen us in our lives because we aren't fully connected to God? When we find ourselves plugged into ourselves or the world, then we are never going to be able to understand what God longs for us to have in our lives.

What We Allow Is What We Become

Our circumstances can make us feel alone and unloved. When we see our circumstance as something greater than God, then it's as if each piece of the circumstance has become a brick that builds a wall around us, until we feel as though our circumstance has become a prison wall.

We long so much for someone to just care and understand our needs but it never seems to happen. What makes us feel so lonely, when we have the greatest and most powerful God living within us? In John 3:16-17 it reads..."For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved."

It wasn't God's wish for us to feel lonely and abandoned, while going through moments of trial and testing. This is why He sent His Only Son to die on a cross, so His love and salvation could become a gift of love to all who believe. When we surround ourselves with our circumstances, then we find that we have imprisoned ourselves. People may say and do things to hurt us but at the same time, could we be allowing these feelings to build a brick wall of circumstance that Satan eventually uses, to make us feel abandoned by those we love, including God?

When Jesus came into this world to die for the sins of the world and to show His Father's love to all who believe, He also moved within our thoughts, our hearts and our minds. We gave Him permission to take control of our lives and to make us stronger through our circumstances but are we doing that? Are we allowing Jesus to surround our hearts, spirits and beings with His great love and presence or are we tying up His hands and allowing Satan to move in and build a wall of circumstance so tall, that we find ourselves alone and in despair?

Jesus didn't die, so that we would have to feel lonely and abandoned, during great trials but rather, He died to free us, so He could walk with us through these moments and help us to grow, so we could gain His strength...a strength that would allow us to become closer to God and further away from the clutches of evil. God didn't send His Only Son into the world to condemn us and make matters worse for us, but rather, He came, so even through moments of great difficulties, He could be there to lift us up and take us above the problem and give us a greater strength through Him.

Whatever we allow into our lives...those choices will make us who we are today. If we allow those around us to destroy our hearts, so we find ourselves sitting alone, behind a brick wall of problems, then that's the life we will have. Jesus also died to give us choices and if we aren't making the right choices in life, then we will feel abandoned. We may be mistreated by people around us but we don't have to allow their hurtful words to place ourselves in despair. When we allow the good things to enter our beings, while the hurtful things remain outside of us, then the loneliness we once felt will be replaced by the loving and peaceful presence of God.

Holy Ground

When we accept Jesus into our hearts, our hearts become a place called "Holy Ground." Do we feel His presence or do our eyes deeply focus on the problems, we face from day to day? As I was growing up, I sang in a church choir as a teenager and one of the songs we sang was "Holy Ground" and the chorus goes like this..."We are standing on Holy Ground, and I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now, for we are standing in His presence on Holy Ground."

Do we truly feel the presence of God each day and do we feel the excitement that comes from standing on Holy Ground? Do we feel angels surrounding us or do we feel the circumstance of darkness around us? Are we praising Jesus each day or are we allowing the problems in our lives, to quickly change our heart of praise, to a heart of despair?

In Exodus 3:5, it reads..."And he said, draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Why do we desperately search and cry out to a God that is living so deep within us? Have we buried this place, called "Holy Ground", with the rubble of each circumstance; that we cannot feel or find the presence of God in our lives? We should be feeling the presence of the Most High God, rather than dwelling on the footprints of circumstance that Satan has left behind, for us to walk in. We should feel the angels of the Most High God surrounding us, with a heart of praise, instead of the whispers of defeat that Satan speaks within our ears. We should be praising a God that is mighty, powerful and full of strength, rather than succumbing to the weakness that may have stemmed from our circumstance.

Do we know for sure that a powerful God resides within us? Do we know that "Holy Ground" surrounds us each day or are we so wrapped up in the circumstance, that all we experience is the "pit of despair"?

When we gave Jesus an invitation to come into our lives, we did it, so we could also experience His loving strength, power and goodness each day; so we need to ask ourselves, why are we walking away from what already lives within us...only to allow Satan to drag us down, to a place that's further away from God? We need to humble ourselves before a powerful God each day and plug into the power and strength that can sustain us and help us to experience "Holy Ground", rather than a "pit of despair".

Words that can keep the Clutter Away

What is residing in our hearts with God today? Are we polluting the "Holy of Holies", where we have asked God to reside? In Proverbs 4:23, it reads..."Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." As I looked up the definition of "diligence", this is one of the definitions I found..."attentive care." In other words, are we guarding our hearts, through God's word, so negativity, anger, frustration, etc..., doesn't get a chance to enter and pollute the heart? How are we going to experience the issues of life, with a heart that is polluted with evil?

When we are facing a difficult circumstance in our lives, we should only allow the words that allow Jesus to feel welcome...a place where He can reside and work out our needs for us. When we try to combine the negative feelings in our hearts, with what God is trying to reveal to us, then we are going to become more frustrated with life.

As we continue through the two verses that follow Proverbs 4:23, we learn more, so let's move on into verses 24-25, which reads..."Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. (25) Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. "The words we speak should not be taken lightly because each word tells us what we are going to live in the moments to come. If we say that this will go wrong or that will go wrong...then it will but when we say..."Lord, I don't understand why you are allowing this in my life; but I'm going to trust you", then those words will guide us unto a pathway of sustainment. Also, verse 25 is saying, that we should keep our eyes looking straight before us. When we have our eyes wandering around us, while we try and figure out the difficult moments that are heading our direction, then we will lose touch with God and find ourselves on some detour road, while we become caught deeper within the circumstance.

God has given us these words, so we can avoid the moments that may lead us to suffering needlessly. How do our hearts look today? Are they clean and open; ready for God to walk in and reside, so He can work in our lives or is our hearts so cluttered with the negative words we speak and the control we allow through our circumstance, that we find it more difficult to commune with God and find the answers we need to our problems?

Words of Strength that become Weapons in our Lives

How strong are we in the Lord? Do we see God's word as strength to our weakened bodies? In Mark 4:18-19, it reads..."And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, (19) And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful."

Do God's words become strength to our weary minds and spirits? Do we view God's words as something that can become a crutch to lean on, during difficult moments in our lives? When our circumstances become stronger than the words we read in the Bible, then the circumstance begins to choke out the word and we become unfruitful people. A great example of this; is when we see a plant, beautifully growing outside. As long as the sun and water is meeting the needs of the plant, it will continue to flourish and become strong but when weeds begin to grow and take over the plant, then the weeds also begin to slowly kill the plant. In a similar way, we can be grounded in God's word and we can be learning and growing, until one day a circumstance enters our lives. When we allow the circumstance to grow and become stronger than the presence of God, then we find that the circumstance begins to take over, while Satan attempts to strangle us with the problems we are facing for the moment.

Let's go further down into Mark 4 and read verse 20, which says..."And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit..." When we are deeply grounded into God's word, then we will find ourselves deeply rooted in Him. No matter what circumstance tries to take over, it won't succeed. In this verse, we see that if we are not only reading God's word but also living it and burying it deep within our hearts, then we will become so strong in God, that the circumstance won't be able to overtake us.

God's words should become tools and weapons within our lives but if we are only reading His word but never allowing the truth to keep us strong and free, then the first circumstance that comes along will choke out the word and we will become unfruitful and useless in the eyes of God. It's so easy to read God's word but where do these precious words go from there? Instead of becoming words of truth with no purpose, they should be words of truth that swell up within us and keep us strong, as mighty warriors for Christ, otherwise, Satan will use the circumstances in our lives to take us away from God and keep us weak.

Are we allowing the cares of the world and the afflictions we endure to drain us of the strength we once found in God's word? If so, we need to go back to God's word and take the words of truth that He has given us and allow His words to become more than words. Instead we need to allow God's strength to enter each word we read, so we can use His words, as great weapons, to fight off Satan and his works of darkness.

Should we suffer as a Christian?

Where do Christians get the idea that we should never go through affliction? If we live perfect lives, with no problems, then why aren't we in Heaven right now? How can we live a perfect life; on an imperfect planet? In Psalm 119:71, it reads..."It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."

Seems like more and more people are being hurt in churches because of their afflictions and people are misjudging, what God only knows, for that person's life. We aren't here to judge but to walk beyond the problem and see the need.

For the longest time, as a young girl; I felt that because I went through so many surgeries and lived with heartache and pain, that maybe God didn't love me anymore but as I grew through the afflictions; God taught me that I wasn't a bad person because of those afflictions. He taught me that these were opportunities to learn and grow and become stronger in Him. I remember someone asking me once..."if you wouldn't have had all these afflictions in your life, would you be as close to God today?" I quickly replied..."No!"

Over the years; I've seen where God has held this vessel within His hands; to look for the weaknesses and flaws that needed to be strengthened. As He observed one flaw or weakness; He allowed the affliction in my life, to show me how to rely on Him, instead of always trying to just live with the flaws. In Psalm 119:92-93, it reads..."Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. (93) I will never forget thy precepts; for with them thou hast quickened me." The moments I viewed as suffering in my life, were actually being allowed to spare my life from evil. We can get so caught up in the horrible moments of affliction, that instead of viewing the problem as something God may be using to help us; we can find ourselves questioning God "why" instead.

No matter what Satan is up to; when God resides within us; He takes what Satan longs to destroy us with and He uses these moments to smooth out the flaws, so our vessel can become stronger, so it can be used for Him. Instead of looking back to the awful moments of pain and heartache; we should never forget the moments that God has allowed into our lives; for they were never meant to destroy but to rebuild our lives instead.

Is God Seen through your Circumstance?

Does God's presence shine through us, even while going through difficult moments in our lives? Our affliction becomes a humble moment, when we have fallen to the ground, so Christ can rise up within us and be seen; but are we allowing His presence to shine forth?

Today, I would like to share two special verses with you. They are both found in II Timothy 3 and the first reference I'd like to share is in verse 5, which reads..."Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." A form of godliness represents "religion", so if we have religion but the power of God isn't found in that religion, then our faith isn't going to be of much good to us or to others around us. The second verse I'd like to add is found in verse 7, which reads..."Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." When we study the Bible, as if it's only another book, then we are only going to read stories and quotes but when we allow the power of God's presence to enter our reading, then the words come alive and can be used in our lives.

How is God going to be seen through the trying times in our lives, if we are taking control of everything that surrounds our circumstance? God doesn't place suffering into our lives but sometimes He allows these moments to enter our lives, so through our weakness...His strength can be seen but if we are more focused on the problem or how we are going to fix the circumstance, then there will be no room for God to work or be seen.

We need to look at our affliction as a moment, when we can allow God to shine forth to us and to others around us. If we are trying to figure out "what went wrong and why this happened to me," then our minds and hearts will become more fixed on the weakness; so that we will never be able to experience the great strength that God can use to rise up within us.

It's so easy to say..."I know what the Bible says...I've read the entire Bible several times" but let me ask you this question...what did you find between the lines? Did you discover the hidden treasure that God has just for you? When we become surface readers, then we never find the power that lies between the words and sentences, so we continue to search, while we find nothing. God's word says that when we seek with a whole heart, then we will find the words that He has for us; which become His knowledge and wisdom.

No matter what you're facing today; take this weak moment in your life and allow God to use it as an opportunity, to allow His great strength to rise up within you. If our lives aren't taking a turn for the better, then maybe we need to exchange our form of godliness, for a life that will cause God's powerful presence to rise up within us.

God Didn't Bring Us This Far To Leave Us

"He didn't bring us this far to leave us. He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn't build a home in us to move away...He didn't lift us up to let us down"... was a song I remember hearing as a teenager, while going through the very difficult moments of adversity, within my own life.

As we begin a new day, we can get so caught up in either what has already gone wrong, in the previous day, or our imagination can take hold and lead us down pathways, that bring negative thoughts, before even beginning a new day. This kind of thinking can make us feel as though God is very distant from us. Instead of allowing the surrounding circumstances to take control of our thinking, we need to get back on the right pathway, where we can truly feel the presence of God.

In Psalm 9:10, it reads..."Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." God doesn't always promise days, that are filled with good things but one promise He has made to us, is that He will never leave us or forsake us. I love the song, at the beginning of this devotional because these words can lift us up, when our circumstances are trying to pull us down. God didn't bring us this far; only for Him to die a brutal death on the cross, just so He could walk away and leave us. He doesn't long to build a home within our hearts and make His presence known to us, just so He can move out and He isn't a God to lift us up, through His words of love and encouragement...only to let us down.

Another part of the song goes like this, "never, never use the word defeat;" claim His promises, every one of them. Every promise He will keep...every promise He will keep." I believe that when we use the word "defeat" in our lives, then we have just pulled the plug out that connects ourselves with God. He wants us to claim the promises He gives us and use His promises, so we can continue to stand, even during the fiercest storm.

As we step into the unknown moments of this day, let us cling to the promises that God gives us in His word...that He will never leave us or forsake us. May you truly feel the presence of God, even while walking through the dark valleys of circumstance!

Where Are You God?

There can be moments when we wonder where God is, while going through a long, drawn out circumstance. The circumstance just seems to continue, until we feel as though we are standing on the edge of a cliff...ready to fall into a pit below us. Why does God allow us to linger on until the very last second before He rescues us? Maybe He's testing our faith, to see if we will remain committed to Him, until we reach the very edge of the circumstance.

In Psalm 94:17-18, it reads..."Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. (18) When I said, my foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up." There can be times when we misinterpret God's ways. We wonder why God hasn't come to rescue us, as we feel our feet slipping beneath the ground of our circumstance. We wonder if He's given up on us and walked away or maybe we feel as though He has stopped loving us altogether. Our minds go into a tailspin, while we try to figure out God.

Sometimes I think God is trying to show us what life would be like, if we didn't have Him around to help us. He not only wants us to learn to trust in Him but He wants it to be branded upon our hearts, so when we face other difficult situations, then the marks upon our hearts will become a quick reminder, of the times He's brought us through before.

Have you ever experienced the test on "trust"? One person is supposed to lean back and trust the other person behind him to catch him. In a similar way; God wants us to trust in Him enough; that when He sees our foot begins to slip off the edge of the cliff of our circumstance; that we will trust Him to catch us as we fall. God has already made His promises clear to us, that He would never abandon us; but when we go through a difficult time; do we truly trust in Him enough, to be there if we slip and begin to fall? We need to believe that His mercy alone will come and place us upright on our feet again. When we truly know His love, through a personal relationship with Him and when we understand the compassionate heart He has for us, then trusting Him will fall right into place.

Where would we be, if we didn't have Jesus in our lives? Who would catch us at the very moment, when we needed Him the most? If we felt God's presence in a greater way, through a personal, day to day relationship, then we would never have to wonder where He is; because we would feel His presence surrounding us each day. May you truly experience God's very best; especially through the difficult moments of your life!

A Remedy for Heartache and Pain

How many times do we go to the doctor and come out, the way we went in...with no cure or remedy, for the problem? How many times do we try to fix our own broken heart; but yet we can't piece all the shattered pieces together, that lay beneath our feet? There's a song I love, and it called..."There is a Remedy" and this is how some of it goes..."There is a remedy, for every sin sick soul...there is a cure for all, from all the heartache pain and woe; there is a solution, for every trouble deep inside, there is a remedy and His name is Jesus Christ." We may never find the cure we are looking for with our health or while going through grief and depression; but there is a cure, that will help to sustain us and guide us through these moments and His name is Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Psalm 40:1-3 and it reads..."I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry, He lifted me out of the pit of despair; out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God."

When all hope seems to be gone; we need Jesus Christ to become our cure. He will hear our cries and understand our needs, when others don't seem to understand or care. He is the only powerful being, that can lift us up and out of the despair we experience, while going through great times of testing. He will not only lift us up but He will place us on a firm pathway that will steady us and allow us to feel His peace. He will become the One, who will hold our hand, when we are alone or while experiencing grief. In fact, He will fill the empty spots in our lives with Himself and when He's finished; He will fill our hearts with a new song of praise, instead of a heart of depression. Our hearts will overflow with the love He's poured upon us, to the place where we can make it, on His love alone, until the trial comes to an end.

Even though we get bad news from the doctor or from some other source; we should never give up but instead, we should remember that He is the One who will ride the storm out with us, until all the clouds have passed by and we are restored as new. The world may not always offer us the answers but God is the One who holds the answers to our needs within Himself. Whether it's His will for us to be made whole at this moment in time or whether He just longs to sustain us and hold our hand, until the storm passes by; He is a God that will see us through and walk through the dark valleys with us, until He places us on a brand new pathway.

No matter what you're going through today...no matter what the outlook of your problem appears to be...Jesus Christ is the remedy that can sustain and turn our weaknesses into His strength. May we all experience God's very best, that we may overflow with a heart of praise to our God!

God Holds the Keys to our Prison Cell of Despair

Tonight, as I was finishing my devotion and post for the week; I was thinking about the word "prison". Prison doesn't always mean a place where someone is locked away for doing wrong. Instead, this prison I'm thinking about tonight is a prison where many have gone for doing right. We all have our own specific type of prison cell...for instance; some may live in a prison cell of chronic pain, while others may live in a prison cell of terminal illness, depression, etc... No matter what kind of prison cell we feel locked into; we need to remember that it only takes one key to open up each prison door and that is the key that God took from Satan; the day He resided in the tomb, after His death on the cross.

In Revelation 1:18, it reads..."I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." It doesn't matter if you reside in a prison cell of chronic pain or depression or any other specific section of the prison. God holds one key, that stands for Him and we can depend on His key to fit in our prison door of despair. No matter how hard we try to open the door of our prison cell or no matter how hard we try to break the lock on our own; Jesus is the ONLY One who can open these prison doors for us.

In Psalm 142:5-7, it reads..."I cry to you, O Lord; I say, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. (6) Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. (7) Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name." This is what our prayer should be, while we sit and wait for God to rescue us. We should make God our refuge and our ONLY One...we should be asking for Him to come and rescue us, instead of allowing the moments of despair to overtake us. As we see our pain, grief, depression, etc...as something pursuing us; we should be willing to admit to God that we are too frail to handle the problem on our own. We should be focused more on the key that He holds within His hand that can free us, instead of focusing on the size of the problem. No matter what kind of prison cell we may be in; we should rest assured, that God holds the key that can free us and bring us into a better life with Him.

Do Our Actions Reveal the Desire of our Prayer?

What are we seeking for, in our lives today? While going through a dark moment in our life, we cry out to God and say..."Oh God, please help me and deliver me from these problems"; but what direction are we turning to from there? Are we looking for God's answers or are we back in the pit...wallowing over our circumstance once more?

In Psalm 34:14-15, it reads..."Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (15) The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry." In this first verse, there are 4 things that will help us to remain on the right path, while we wait upon God for His answers and help. The first thing we need to do; is walk away from evil. Any form of darkness or sin in our lives, will only delay the help we need from God. We cannot serve two masters; we will either choose God all the way or not at all. We can't beg God for His help one moment, while we allow other moments of darkness to come in and clutter our hearts. We need to stop and look deep within our hearts and make sure that our hearts are only open to God and no other.

The second thing we need to do... is to follow after the things that are of good report. We need to show God, that we truly long for His help by only following after the things in our lives, that will bring honor and glory to His name. When we long to obey Him, even though we go through trying circumstances, then we also become connected with Him, so He can work in our lives and we can hear His response.

The third thing we need to do is seek peace. How can we turn to God, for help one moment and then go back and seek out the details of our circumstance the next moment? If we want God to help us, then we must let go of the problem and seek after peace and the things that we long for. When we seek after peace, instead of just talking with Him about it, then we are showing Him, the true desire of our hearts. We need to remember that whatever we seek after in life, will either bring about better things or more despair. If we are praying for God's help one minute but the next minute He finds us seeking after the negativity of our circumstance, then how do we expect to receive something better from Him?

The fourth thing we need to do is to not only seek peace but also pursue it, until we find God's perfect peace for our lives. How can we pray and ask God for His help and then go back and pursue the problem? The Bible says, that whatever we seek after, we will find and whatever door we knock on will be open to us, so if we are asking for God's help but then we go back and knock on the door of our problems and seek after them, instead of pursuing something better, then what kind of a message are we sending God? If we find ourselves seeking and knocking on the door that leads to our circumstances, then that is what we will find; but if we seek after and knock on Heavens door, until we find the answers, then in God's time, He will help us and give us the answers we so desperately need.

It's so easy to pray and ask God for help but what do our actions reveal after prayer? Are we keeping the communication open between us and God or are we allowing obstacles to get in the way? God hears our words but what He truly longs for from us, is to see us live out the desires of our hearts.

Is It Well With Your Soul?

One of the older hymns reads..."When peace, like a river, attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control; that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul. It is well, it is well...it is well, it is well with my soul." It's so easy to praise God during the moments when there is no pain racking our bodies...it is easy to praise God when we get a raise at work or when everything in our day falls into place but do we feel the same about God, when our problems worsen and the stormy waves begin to fall down upon us?

When we can praise God, during the darkest and most raging storm; then we are sending God a message that says..."It is well with my soul because I know that you are in control of everything." Our praise becomes a signal to God, that we have put our complete trust in Him. In Psalms 112:7, 8, it reads..."He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen; for he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. That is why he is not afraid, but can calmly face his foes." These verses have been of great help in my own life and they go right along with the song above because when everything is truly well with us, then we are able to sit back with a settled feeling and know that God will take care of everything, instead of living a miserable life of dread and fear. When everything is well between us and God; we are able to face our problems more calmly, instead of wondering how this will work out or how that will be accomplished.

No matter what we may be facing today; do we truly know that it is well with our soul? Do we know that the Most High God will take care of everything for us or are we choosing to wallow into a pit of despair? It's so easy to find ourselves close to God, when the sun is shining bright within our lives; but how does God appear to us, when the stormy clouds are heading our direction? Is our faith stable and on a firm foundation, so even when the hardest storm hits; we remain standing in the faith we had before the storm? Our lives are truly put to the test, when we are being tossed about on a stormy sea; but yet we can say...It is well, it is well with my soul! May we always know a God that never changes...a God that remains strong through all types of weather and may He always give you His best!

Exchanging My Weakness for His Strength

This past week was quite the challenge for me. Lately, my chronic pain levels have taken a turn for the worse. As the situation with my left knee worsens; it seems as though other parts of my body have been affected too.

Last Tuesday...the day after the long Labor Day weekend; I had planned on calling my doctor, so I could try and get in a week early. After talking to the appointment desk; I found out that he was on vacation, so all I could do is move my original appointment up a day, instead of a week. As I thought about the things that needed to be done for the week ahead; Satan began to convince me that I wouldn't make it to my appointment, without being in tremendous pain. I finally caught on to his discouraging words and said..."NO"...I can do anything with God's help. I knew that this was going to be my moment of testing; with cleaning, grocery shopping and all the writing I had planned for the week. As my thoughts began to dwell more on Jesus; He reminded me of Philippians 4:12-13, which reads..."I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (13) I can do everything through him who gives me strength." I began to realize, that I was overwhelming myself with my needs for the week because I was thinking about my own strength and how weak I was within myself. The moment I let go of my own weakness and allowed God to become my spiritual crutch for the week; I stood in amazement, as He made everything fit into place for the week.

Before I went shopping, I asked God to have His angels help me push the cart. I not only asked this of Him; but I also believed that it was possible and again, I stood in amazement, as I got through the store and came out with less pain. From there, I knew that if I worked side by side with God, as I went through other days in the week that He would also help me through the other tasks that needed to be done. Thursday, as I sat for 4 hours on my bed; writing the weekly devotion and other posts; I felt the presence of my best friend, as He dictated each word that flowed through my fingers onto the computer, to form into such beautiful words for all of us to read. Friday came and I knew by then, that if I got through the other difficult tasks; that my God was going to see me through this one too. I cleaned for 2-3 hours, on a bad leg and felt God lifting me up and over the hurdle of the day. The more I felt God's presence at work in my life...the more my heart began to praise Him and love Him so.

Today, I went to my doctor appointment and as I was getting around; I continued to marvel at all that God had done for me. As I sat in the examination room...waiting for the doctor; I asked God to help me through one more thing today and once more, He proved Himself as a faithful and loving God.

I think that sometimes we are too busy sizing up the obstacles, instead of remembering what a strong God we serve. Verse 13 doesn't say...I can do all things through my own strength...no, instead, it says...I can do ALL things through His strength. We not only make the mistake of sizing up the obstacles in our lives but we also seem to forget whose strength we make it on.

This week started out to be a challenge but instead, it ended up being a blessing that caused my heart to overflow with praise, to a God that can do all things.

God Can Exchange Darkness for Light

Our circumstances can make us feel defeated at times. We can feel as though we are caught into a web of problems; to a place where we feel as though we will never be freed from the moments of despair, we are going through.

One thing God has taught me within the past 15 years is that He is a God who will take the bad and exchange it for something better. In Isaiah 61:2-3 it reads..."to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, (3) and provide for those who grieve in Zion...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

Sometimes I think we get so caught up into the size of our circumstance that we forget that our God is much more powerful than any obstacle Satan may place in our way. What we need to remember, is that God holds the keys that can unlock us from a shackle of pain and heartache. He can take the dark ashes of despair and make something beautiful out of the darkness, as His light covers us with His beauty. He is a God that can anoint us with the oil of gladness, in exchange for the moments of mourning and depression and most of all; He can cover us with a garment of His own praise, while He removes the garment of despair from us.

We don't have to sit in our ashes of despair and allow the trial to have its way with us, when we have a God that will exchange our weaknesses for His mighty strength. The thing is...that we must first be willing to make the trade with God too. He already longs to replace the dark ashes of despair with His beauty; but He's also waiting to see if we trust in Him enough, to let Him take control of the problems we may be facing. We will never be able to experience the exchange of His beauty, for our ashes of despair, if we aren't willing to give our needs to Him first and leave them with Him.

No matter what you may be facing in your life right now; just know that God longs to replace the darkness, with the beauty of His light and presence. As we begin a new week; let's take all the ashes of darkness and lay them at the feet of Jesus that we may walk in His beauty.

God Walks Us through Despair

Have you ever felt God holding your hand during difficult moments in your life? Tonight, as I was thinking about this; I thought for a moment...how is it that God can really hold our hand? As I searched within His word, I found Isaiah 41:13, which reads..."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."

As I look back into the years that lay behind me; I can truly see the moments when God held my hand. He was there holding my hand and walking me through the moments of sexual abuse and He was there, holding my hand and walking with me through the counseling that followed. He held my hand many times, while He assisted the surgeons and nurses by the operating table. He held my hand, when no one else could ever understand the depth of my pain and heartache and He held tight, until we walked out of the trial together; where He led me to the moments I now live for Him. I guess that when He is holding our hand; He is actually keeping us from failure. The trial may seem as though we are defeated but as long as we still remain standing; these become the moments when we recognize that His hand had led us safely through the difficult moments of darkness.

We can feel so alone and in despair that we forget that God is longing to hold our hand and be there for us, while walking through dark and lonely pathways. I guess the moments I felt His hand the most, was when I would think back to Psalm 34:18a, which reads..."The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking..." The first time I read this verse; it helped me to understand that God is always with us but He's especially with us, when our hearts are broken and we feel so alone. Knowing that His presence was hovering over me during these painful moments in my life helped me to feel His hand within mine. For the first time, I knew that I wasn't walking alone and as He gave me this verse; the grip of His hand upon mine became even tighter.

So many times, we long for someone to embrace us and to hold our hand and be with us, during the very trying times of life; but one thing we can know, is that God is already waiting, as His hand is reaching out to ours; longing to hold tight and make us feel secure, until the storm passes by. No matter what you may be walking through today; whether it's grief, loneliness, illness, or just a bad day; know that God is already reaching out for your hand, so He can walk with you through the storm; until it's time to walk out onto higher ground. The question I leave with you is this...Are we reaching back?

When the World Walks Away...God Remains

When we know that we have a big God watching over us, can bring peace to our tired and worn out bodies. Tonight, as I was looking through God's word; He led me to Psalm 27:13-14, which reads..."I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (14) Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." I think that waiting on God can sometimes be the hardest thing to do because trust, faith and hope have to be there with us, while we wait on God. We need to trust, that God has made a promise to us, that He will never leave us or forsake us...we need to have faith, that this moment will pass and God will bring a better moment in its place...and we need to have hope, that God will soon come to us.

The hope I find in verse 13, is that "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord..." Sometimes the circumstances surrounding us can make us feel alone and abandoned by those we love but when we read this verse we realize that if it wasn't for God's promises, then we definitely wouldn't make it through this life. It's nice to have a hug and know that someone cares but when we read these verses; it's as if God's promises become a huge hug of love from Heaven.

In the beginning of verse 14, it reads..."...be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart." Sometimes, the waiting can feel as though we are being drained of what little strength we have left within us; but this really isn't true because these are the moments when we are being strengthened. Strength doesn't just come to us; it comes through the moments when we are waiting on God. We learn to be stronger and know that we can go further in distance, when we really need His help and love.

You may be facing an overwhelming circumstance today and you may feel as though everyone around you doesn't understand or care and we may face moments like this because we are living in an imperfect world but when we really come to know God and the greatest love He has for us, then we begin to feel God's presence; filling the empty voids within us. In Psalm 23:3-4, it reads..."He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Are we looking for the world to always comfort us and make our problems better or are we turning to a God that can restore what's been broken...a God that can lead us down better paths of righteousness and even if we find ourselves walking down a dark pathway; we never have to fear because He is always there to comfort us.

Do We Have the Welcome Mat Out for Jesus?

There's a song that came to my mind tonight and it goes like this..."We are standing on Holy ground and I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now; for we are standing in His presence on Holy ground. When we accepted Jesus to come and live within our hearts; His presence made our hearts Holy ground...a place where we could commune with Him. In Exodus 26:31-33 it reads..."Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. (32) Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. (33) Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place." The curtain, that is talked about in these verses was made to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place; where the ark of the Testimony was placed. This place became Holy Ground, where the priests would commune with God.

How are our hearts or places of Holy ground being presented to the Most High God? Are they cluttered with sin, the weight of the world or our circumstances? When Jesus resides in our hearts; we need to make our hearts a place where we can commune with Him, like the priests did. If we were to look deep within our hearts; what clutter would we find? Would there be unforgiving sin or burdens that we should have left with God? Would there be circumstances that have been ongoing because we have become so wrapped around them, that we have made our heart their home?

No matter what we are facing today; we need to ask ourselves a question..."Is our hearts in order; that God may have the very best place to dwell within us? God was speaking to me about this today and He was showing me that we need hearts that will make Him welcome...a heart that will allow us to reside within His presence and commune with Him about our daily needs.

Do we see our hearts as Holy Ground or just your ordinary heart? Do we have a welcome sign out for Him or is the door jammed up because of all the clutter? A king deserves His very best, so we need to take some time and see if we need to do some early fall cleaning of the heart. I pray that we all will make our hearts to be the best place, where we can commune with God each day!

Pressing On through Past Moments of Despair

Many times we can become so caught up in the past, that we have dragged the past into the present. How are we going to reach for what God has for us today, if our thoughts are still in our yesterdays? In Philippians 3:13-14, it says ..."Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. (14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Our everyday lives should start out by forgetting about yesterday, so we can concentrate on what God has for us today. If we are spending more time with the past and the things that have gone wrong, then we will never be able to hear God's words of wisdom and know what we should be doing for this present moment.

In this reading...Paul is saying that he doesn't have time to look behind him because he needs to put his all into what is ahead of him. Paul knows that there is a prize awaiting him, for his service to God and he's more interested in pressing on, until he reaches the prize that God has for him, which is Heaven. How are we going to be able to keep pressing forward towards the prize, if we waste moments in our lives thinking about the yesterdays? When we walk into the past and find that we are alone; we also find ourselves more vulnerable to Satan's traps.

I believe that God allows us to go into the past, so we can make amends of something or to forgive something but he doesn't want us to walk through the dark valleys of the past without His presence being by our side.

Our yesterdays can become a trap, set up by Satan himself, to keep us focused on what is wrong in our lives, instead of what God can do to make life better. When we are deeply focused on our yesterdays, then it's as if we have stopped in the middle of our pathway with God; just so we can keep recycling the same thoughts over and over. The only bad thing about this is that it never makes life easier; only more frustrating and more overwhelming.

We know that we are going to face difficult moments in our lives down here, so instead of trying to figure out what went wrong yesterday; maybe we should leave that up to God and keep pressing forward today.

Is Our Circumstance Putting Out the Light of God's Presence?

When we are living with chronic pain or illness is there only one specific part of the body that is affected by the illness or pain? From my own experience; when a person is experiencing anything, then the whole body seems to suffer too. When a person experiences a bad day; is there only one isolated part of the body that is affected? No...No matter what goes wrong with us; whether it's physical or emotional, it seems to affect our whole life and body.

In Matthew 6:22-23, it reads..."The eye is a lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. (23) But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Jesus is writing these verses and He's telling us, that the eye is the lamp of the body, so whatever comes into our eye; will determine what lives within us. If we are allowing God's goodness to enter our eye, as we remain focused on Him, then God's presence will work for our entire self. What happens, if we are more fixed on the problems that surround us from day to day? If our eye is only allowing the darkness of our circumstance to come through, then won't we feel the weight of the circumstance even more?

When we are sick with the flu, we not only feel the symptoms of the flu but we also feel the weakness that comes along with the illness. In a similar way, when we are so caught up in the problems that are continually surrounding us, then we won't only feel the symptoms of the circumstance but the circumstance will also weaken our entire mind and body.

How are we going to be able to see the pathway that God has for us, if our circumstance is constantly putting out the light of God's presence within us? We need God, to lighten our pathway and to show us which direction to follow but if we are constantly living off of the circumstance, then when will we ever find enough light to continue on?

Praising God in the Midst of a Circumstance

Why do we seek to praise God; only when everything in life seems to be going our way? Do we have it fixed within our thoughts, that we should only praise God when the day is going good or when our circumstance has taken a turn for the better?

In Psalm 42:11, it reads...'Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." In this verse, the psalmist seemed to have stopped in the middle of his distress to ask himself this question..."Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" From there he goes on to say..."why art thou disquieted with me?", then he tells himself this..."hope thou in God:"

How many times do we find ourselves so caught up with the circumstance, that we become like the psalmist? Maybe we need to ask ourselves the same questions...why art thou cast down and why are we so drawn within ourselves, while facing a difficult problem in our lives? I think that if we were to stop and think about these questions, then I think we would find ourselves saying...I need to look to God as my hope, instead of allowing the problem to bring me further down.

How many times do we actually stop and praise God, while in the midst of a trying circumstance? Does it even make sense to praise God, when everything is going wrong and what do we have to praise God for during these moments in our lives? When we can actually praise God or sing a song of praise, then we are sending God a message that we believe in Him, as the most powerful God and we know that He will never let us down. Maybe we need to take ourselves out of the traditional ways of the world and start viewing our situations, with new thoughts and hearts. When we can praise God, even during the most trying times in our lives, then we are also allowing the chains of bondage to fall to the ground and become powerless, so we can continue to press on.

Praising God, in the middle of a crisis also will keep us in tune with the most powerful being. Instead of the problem bringing us down; the praise will keep us lifted up and keep the hope within us that we need to lean on each day. No matter what we may be going through today; remember that the powerful words of praise can tear down the walls of circumstance and allow us to remain free through Christ.

Looking for the Hand of God

Are we too busy looking for our circumstance to end or are we looking for the sustaining hand of God at work in our lives? In Isaiah 30:20-21, it reads..."And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. (21) And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

God may allow us to partake of the "bread of adversity" and the "water of affliction"; but no matter what He allows into our lives; He will always be there to walk through it with us. So many times, while going through affliction; we can find ourselves dreading every step of the affliction. Instead of looking for the worse that can come from our afflictions; maybe we should be looking for the hand of God at work in our lives. Instead of looking for the branch, that may seem withered and broken down; maybe instead, we should be looking for the new growth that can stem from the painful experience.

God never said that being a Christian would be easy; in fact, in Psalm 34:19 it reads..."Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." If we can remember that God is an undefeated God and that He is using our afflictions for a specific purpose in our lives, then maybe our focus would be more on the hand of God; as He continually works to make us more like Him.

The week may begin and seem dark and dismal as the week before. We may feel like our life is just a play back from the last week but if we were to use our afflictions to look beyond the problem and search for the hand of God at work in our lives, then maybe we would just see something new this week.

Grace...God's Riches at Christ's Expense

Nothing can reign or rise above the grace of God. We can be going through so many things in our lives, that there can be moments when they appear to be larger than anything else around us. In Romans 5:20-21 it reads..."Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (21) That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." The last part of verse 20 caught my attention...which reads..."But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" I love this because no matter if we are bound by sin or circumstance; grace remains greater.

When I was a young girl; I remember my Sunday School teacher telling us that the word "grace" stood for God's Riches At Christ Expense", so grace is really God's very best gift...given to us, at His Son's expense. God gave us the greatest gift, when He allowed His Son to die a brutal death on the cross. Jesus' death on the cross covered every sin and circumstance we would go through.

We can have days, when Satan displays our circumstances in an overwhelming way and it seems like the moments of pain and heartache continue on, while we find ourselves asking God..."Where are you?" First of all, if we are a Christian, we don't need to ask God where He is because He is living and working within us. Even though we can't find a way through our sin and circumstance; Jesus died, that we may have enough grace, to cover everything that we may go through in life.

Grace covers us with the precious blood that was shed on Calvary but grace can also cover the overwhelming circumstances we go through. His grace can cover us and keep us safe within His love, through the worst moments in our lives and become a comforter, to cover us and to keep us safe and sheltered from other things that Satan may try to weaken us with.

The next time we see our circumstance as something great, I pray that we will remember, that God's grace is greater, then all of our moments of weakness.

Laying a Broken Spirit before God's Throne

Why do we try to be strong on our own, when we are going through a difficult trial? Why do we turn inwardly and work so hard to keep everything in our lives together, when we have a God who accepts us, even while going through the good and the bad?

In Psalm 51:16-17 it reads..."For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offerings. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." God doesn't desire anything from us but to lay our broken spirits, as a sacrifice before Him. When we humble ourselves in the midst of despair and lay our needs, trials, or any other thing before His throne, then we are letting Him know that we aren't capable of fixing our own needs.

When He sees that we are laying everything before His throne, then we have not only given Him a sacrifice from the heart but we have also released ourselves from the trial and our own thoughts and desires, so He can repair and rebuild us into the people He longs for us to be. When we hold tight to the problem, we are not only making our lives worse but we aren't giving God a place, so He can work in our lives. When I think of this, I see a God that we have tied up, while we cling to our own so called power. The only way that we are going to be able to let go of our circumstances, so God can work, is when we untie His hands, as we lay our whole and complete self, as a sacrifice before Him. The moments when we try to remain tough and strong, will only keep a powerful God in chains. Jesus died, that He might give us a life of freedom, not bondage. When we lay our lives before Him, then He becomes the great physician that can reach down and make our lives into something stronger, rather than living a life of weakness.

No matter what we may be experiencing today, we will only find that our lives continually remain in bondage, until we are willing to let go and allow our broken spirits to become a humble sacrifice before God. I pray that we all may be able to find the strength through God, to lay our broken spirits before His mighty throne and may He always give us His very best each day!

A Heart that Loses to Find God's Heart

There can be days when we feel like our suffering is in vain. We feel as though each moment has just been one more moment of pain or heartache. Tonight, as I was getting around for the evening, a song came to my thoughts, which is based on Galatians 2:20, which reads..."I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

The moments of pain, heartache and testing can make us feel drained, as though another piece of us is being taken away. These moments are a process of dying to ourselves, so that Christ can arise within us and bring new growth...a new heart...a reason to depend on Him and a reason to serve Him.

For every trial or moment of testing we go through; we find God in a greater way and a much closer way. Even though Jesus died a sinless death on the cross; His death was meant not only for forgiveness of sins but His death was meant as a way, that others may come to know His Father in Heaven. In a similar way; we are crucified with Christ in a spiritual way that we may die to ourselves and give room for Christ to arise within us. Even though we still live a life in the flesh; we live it through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that others may see Him instead of us.

As we go through these difficult moments in our lives; we are losing more of our own thoughts, ways and desires, so Christ can be seen through our moments of trial. As we slowly allow the old thoughts, ways and desire to die off; the awful, dormant days of winter begin to end, as spring brings forth new buds of growth. These buds of new growth are a sign that we have allowed something else in our lives to die off, so this new growth could take place. When a person plants a seed; doesn't the seed have to die before it can begin to root and grow? In a similar way, this is what is happening day by day. These aren't just moments of pain or heartache; instead, this is the process that's taking place, to prepare for something new to bud and bloom within our lives.

We may have moments of discouragement, as we go through these difficult moments of trial; but we must remember that these moments aren't a waste and they are not meant to torture us; instead, they are meant to bring us closer to God, so His light can shine out to a world in need.

Seasons that Bring about God's best

There can be days when we feel like our suffering is in vain. We feel as though each moment has just been one more moment of pain or heartache. Tonight, as I was getting around for the evening, a song came to my thoughts, which is based on Galatians 2:20, which reads..."I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

The moments of pain, heartache and testing can make us feel drained, as though another piece of us is being taken away. These moments are a process of dying to ourselves, so that Christ can arise within us and bring new growth...a new heart...a reason to depend on Him and a reason to serve Him.

For every trial or moment of testing we go through; we find God in a greater way and a much closer way. Even though Jesus died a sinless death on the cross; His death was meant not only for forgiveness of sins but His death was meant as a way, that others may come to know His Father in Heaven. In a similar way; we are crucified with Christ in a spiritual way that we may die to ourselves and give room for Christ to rise up within us. Even though we still live a life in the flesh; we live it through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that others may see Him instead of us.

As we go through these difficult moments in our lives; we are losing more of our own thoughts, ways and desires, so Christ can be seen through our moments of trial. As we slowly allow the old thoughts, ways and desire to die off; the awful, dormant days of winter begin to end, as spring brings forth new buds of growth. These buds of new growth are a sign that we have allowed something else in our lives to die off, so this new growth could take place. When a person plants a seed; doesn't the seed have to die before it can begin to root and grow? In a similar way, this is what is happening day by day. These aren't just moments of pain or heartache; instead, this is the process that's taking place, to prepare for something new to bud and bloom within our lives.

We may have moments of discouragement, as we go through these difficult moments of trial; but we must remember that these moments aren't a waste and they are not meant to torture us; instead, they are meant to bring us closer to God, so His light can shine out to a world in need.

Refreshment for a Weary Soul

I remember, as a teenager, the moments, when I would walk back to the woods, a little distance from where I lived and in the fall, the colors were spectacular. The colors were so vibrant, with shades of pear yellow, pumpkin orange and barn red. As a young girl, I remember standing in the corner of the woods, while swirls of leaves fell around me. Fall, has always been a time, when I enjoyed the feeling of the crisp, cool air, as everything around me was resting from a hot summers day, while preparing for a season of rest. I loved walking through the woods, with a cool, crunchy apple. The taste of the fruit was so much better to me, at that time of the year.

Just like all of creation around us, we too need refreshment, from the scorching moments of pain and heartache, in our lives. We need to feel the cool presence of God's spirit, as we are bathed and comforted in His peace.

Yesterday, while taking a break from my work, I went outside, to look at my flowers and rosebush. After a few days of cooler temperatures, it was vibrant with salmon pink roses. I couldn't resist the thought of cutting a bouquet, to take in the house and set on my nightstand. Just as these beautiful roses replenished themselves on the bush, after cooler temperatures, we too need to feel that way, at times. Sometimes, all we need is to feel the cool, refreshing presence of God in our lives. The overwhelming moments in a day, can weigh us down, until we begin to feel lifeless but once we refresh ourselves in the peaceful fountain of God's word and meditate on His presence, rather than the problems, we may be experiencing at the moment; we will begin to feel invigorated once more, so we can continue to pursue each moment of our day.

A God that is Greater than Fear

Why do we have moments when we fear man or the world or even the circumstances we face, when we have a powerful God in our lives? Could it be that our words are playing a part in the way we feel about our circumstances? Tonight, I found a couple uplifting verses that caught my attention and they are found in Hebrews 13:5, 6, which reads..."Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (6) So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Can the words we speak bring us down into further despair? The first part of verse 5 is saying..." Let your conversation be without covetousness..." When I looked up the meaning of "covetousness", this is what I found..."a strong desire to obtain and possess some supposed good...excessive desire for riches or money." When we allow covetousness to enter into our thoughts or conversation; we are disconnecting ourselves from God and what He desires to do for us. The second part of that verse says..."and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." What we really need to do, is look at what we already have and praise God for that because when we do, then we are sending a message to God, that says that we know that He will never forget us, even during the most difficult moments of need.

When we can look at the distance that God has already brought us and know within our hearts, that God never abandoned us, while going through other difficult moments, then we can boldly say that God is our helper and because we know that; we don't need to fear what man can do to us or how our circumstance can affect our lives now.

When we become too attached to the problem, then we begin to listen to ourselves instead of God, which only allows us to seek out our own ways, through our own thoughts. We need to look at our circumstances and come to grips with God; knowing that He hasn't forsaken us now and He will never forsake us, during any other circumstance we may face. How are we going to know that God is truly working in our lives; if we are allowing our thoughts and conversation to be based on our own thoughts, desires and ideas? When we can look around us and see that God has already been there to take care of us throughout times past, then we will be able to rely on Him to take care of us once more. We don't have to fear man...the world...or any other circumstance, when we have given room for God to work in our thoughts and through our spirits. Let's ask ourselves this question..."what can man or any other thing do to us, when we have the most powerful being living within us? No one or nothing can ever make life easier, than the God who reigns within us.

Injustice...a Battle that Should Be Left in God's Hands

There seems to be moments in our lives; that no matter what we do right, it always seems to go wrong. We are fighting battles with the evil one and Satan is good at using decoys to come against us and the good we do for Christ. Tonight as I was opening up my study Bible; God began to open up some powerful verses to me, which are found in I Peter 3:16-18, and they read..."Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good. Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing well than for doing wrong. Christ also suffered. He died once for the sins of all us guilty sinners, although he himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that he might bring us safely home to God."

Even as a Christian it can be so easy to want to fight back, when someone has done something against us but these verses are saying that more can be accomplished when we repay wrong with something good. Something begins to happen to a person's conscience, when they realize that what they did wrong to a person has had no effect on them. They begin to think twice on what they did wrong, as they begin to feel ashamed for what they did.

Another good thought to think on, is that if God wants us to suffer for something that has been wrongly done to us, then it's better for it to happen that way, then to suffer for something we have actually done wrong. Christ became the first example of this, when He died a sinless death. Even though Jesus had done no wrong; they still accused Him and these accusations lead Him to His death on the cross but even though He died a sinless death; many eyes were opened, to who He really was.

We may have people in our lives that have treated us wrong, for no reason at all but we must remember that nothing is going to be gained by fighting back because fighting back will only make matters worse. We may feel that injustice has been done to us and that we didn't deserve what was said or done to us but when we can handle the situation in a good way, even when false accusations have been brought against us, then we never know how these moments may affect the other person; to a place where they may discover Jesus in their lives.

Moments of injustice can be hard to take at times but when we know the truth and God knows the truth, then that's all that should matter. We never know when a moment of injustice may lead a person out of the clutches of evil and into the hands of God. May we always look for God's desires; that He may continue to reign as an undefeated God.

Are We Renting Out Too Much of our Heart to Satan?

How easily we lose out on God's blessings because we are not plugged into God all of the time. Is our hearts becoming like a motel; where we allow God to reside in one of the rooms, while we try to rent out the rest of the space to the world? In I John 2:15, it reads..."Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

God didn't design our hearts, so more than one could occupy the space. He wants all of us. If we try to allow the world to blend in with God, then our lives will become one confused mess. We are either going to have all of Him or none of Him. When we are trying to allow the world to move in with God, then we are going to find ourselves distant from God.

Could it be that we aren't being blessed because we turn to God on Sunday or during other special occasions of the week, while we push God out on other days, to make room for the things that we are compromising God for? How are we going to receive the benefits we need, that come along with God's salvation, if we make Him distant at other times in our lives?

Maybe we need to ask ourselves a question..."are we only using God for the moments when we are desperate and in dire need of Him?

Are we allowing other things to reside in our hearts that keep God from working? How many times do we cry out to Him for help or wonder where He is, when all along we are the ones who have pushed Him out the back door. When I think about my life here on earth; I see that God designed and created us all, so that we could work for Him. Even though we may have fun and experience happy moments here on earth; the real party won't begin until we walk into Heaven.

Right now; I believe that it's God's desire for us to keep our hearts free from clutter and unwanted debris. We should allow our hearts to represent a palace, for the King of all Kings. When we can allow God to know that our heart is His permanent home, then we will begin to experience even greater things to come!

If it hadn't been for God

How many times have we said to ourselves..."if it hadn't been for God; I don't know where I'd be today?" Many times we can look back into our lives and see a place where we could have fallen into Satan's hands; but instead, God loved us enough, to swoop down and catch us in midair, before the fall. Tonight, as I was thumbing through the Psalms; I found a couple beautiful verses of hope and they are found in chapter 27:13-14 and they read..."I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (14) Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord."

Lately, I've seen God at work in my life, when I least expect Him to be there. What would we do, if we didn't have God to come down and help us, during the most difficult moments in our lives? Maybe there was a time when He came just before something could have gone worse.

One of the pictures I love in our home is a picture of Jesus as a Shepherd. In the picture He is reaching out for a lamb, just before the lamb is about to fall over the cliff. How many times has God reached out and grabbed onto us, just before falling over a cliff and into a deeper pit of despair?

While going through very trying moments in our lives; we can be looking for hope but all we seem to have in clear view is the circumstance. What hope we have; in just knowing that God will reach out and grab ahold of us, just before we fall over the cliff. Maybe God is waiting for us to get right to the edge of our circumstance, so we can feel and understand His presence, in a clearer way. Even when we feel the edge of the cliff beneath our feet; we must continue to have hope, that God will never be defeated. He knows when the time is right and even if we find ourselves standing on the edge of hope; He will come through for us.

There is one thing that God longs for us to do and that is to wait upon Him; with a heart that's filled with hope and courage. There may be moments when God waits until the very last second to rescue us; so our hearts can become strengthened and more dependent on Him. When we grow impatient and walk away from the circumstance on our own; this is where we find ourselves disconnected from the powerful presence of a God that can make all things right within us.

Waiting isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially when we have already waited for God's help for so long; but when we wait, trust and know that God will never forget us or abandon us; these are the moments when we have truly found a renewed hope in God.

Do We Depend on God or the "little gods?"

We can find ourselves depending on little gods to see us through the troubles we may be facing in our lives, without even realizing it. We may experience moments, when we are in need of funds, to pay our bills or to buy food but instead of turning to the main source of provision, which is God; we grow impatient; so we turn to the lottery or we lean on money as the only source for our deliverance. We can be going through struggles or depression and instead of allowing God to be our counselor; we find ourselves turning more deeply to ourselves or other people's opinions. There can also be other ways that we can find ourselves leaning on a little god, instead of leaning on the all-powerful God, if we were to slow down and look around us.

In Jeremiah 2:28a, it reads..."But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble;" We don't have to have a man-made idol, in order to follow after other gods. We can become so dependent on money and other things in life, that we find ourselves depending on them as our main source of provision. Yes, we need money to pay bills and buy food; but when we begin to see money as the only source of provision; to the place where we take our eyes off of God, then money has become a little god in our lives. There can also be times when we need to see a Christian counselor or Pastor for guidance but when we find him/her to be the only way out of our problems; then we have made them a god too. Instead of depending completely on them; we should accept the wisdom they give us, as a gift from the true provider...God.

If we were to look around us; we would see that there are other ways of creating little gods in our lives. Anything that keeps us from depending on God or anything that turns our focus away from Him; has already become another god in our lives. I like this verse because it's as if God is saying...ok, if these other means of provision are working for you, then let me see them at work in your life.

We can easily find ourselves falling into the same trap that the world falls into. We can find that we become so focused on the traditional ways of life, that we quit leaning on God and begin to allow little gods to take His place. God has given us money and other things in life as a means of provision; but only as a gift or blessing from Him. If we were to really look at a one, five or ten dollar bill; we would only see a piece of paper with ink on it. The only way that piece of paper has become of value to us, is because man has placed a value on it.

These things that can easily become little gods in our lives are only temporary but the God of all provision is eternal. He is the owner of everything He's created on this planet and He is the only true source of wisdom, when we are in need of help. Yes, we need these blessings that God has given us; we just need to remember that there is only one source of provision and help in this world and that's Jesus Christ.

Do We Listen With Our Hearts?

We can see with our eyes and hear with our ears but if we don't allow God to transfer the message that He has for us to the heart, then what good is it to hear or see at all? In Isaiah 42:20, it reads..."Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not." How many of us see what God has for us as individuals but yet we don't take it in and allow it to be put into practice? How many of us hear God's words of wisdom but yet we don't hear them with our hearts?

We can find it so easy to hear God's words of truth or see the words He has for us, as we read the Bible; but what are we doing with the wisdom later? Are we allowing God's wisdom to take root and make better people of ourselves or are we only allowing our eyes and ears to just look and listen to what God has for us.

We can block out God's wisdom, so it can't travel from our eyes and ears to the heart, when we allow excuses to get in the way. We can become like grass that sways in the wind; one minute we are accepting God's words of wisdom, while at other moments, we are swaying towards another direction, so the wisdom isn't able to take root and grow. Could it be that we don't want to work at our lives? Could it be that we are waiting for God to do it all? Nothing is going to be accomplished in our lives, until we meet with God and work together on our lives.

The verse above says..."seeing many things, but thou observest not", which means that we know what we see; we just aren't doing anything about it. Then in the last part of the verse it says..."opening the ears, but he heareth not", which is saying...why should we even open our ears to hear God's truth, if we aren't going to take it deep within our spirits? We just can't see what we should do or hear about the truth that can free us and yet do nothing. God wants us to take the piece of wisdom He has for us and allow something to grow from it, so we can become greater people for Him.

Life isn't always easy. Sometimes we may have been through so much already in our lives that we just can't deal with another thing but if we don't, will we be able to grow more and become what God has called us to be?

God doesn't want us to just see or listen to His words of wisdom; He wants those words to be taken deep within our spirits, so He can work, to make us stronger and greater people for Him. May we not only see and hear but may we allow each word of wisdom He gives us, to be drawn into our spirits, so that we can experience God's very best for our lives.

A Faithful God

There have been many times in my life when God has proven that He is so faithful to me. There have been moments when I have felt lost in a wilderness of circumstance but even though I couldn't find my way out at the moment; God became my sunlight by day and my moonlight at night. Even though the circumstances remained dark and dismal around me; God always seemed to show His light down upon me.

There can be times when we wonder how long God is going to allow us to remain in the wilderness. We begin to wonder if this is where we will reside forever and there are other times when we feel as though we aren't making any head way, as we continually go in circles, while seeking a way out.

In Psalm 37:23-24, it reads..."The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. (24) Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." Even though the journey through the wilderness can seem long and tiredsome; we need to keep in mind that these moments in the wilderness are to teach us new things, so we can become stronger people for Him. God is allowing us to wonder in the wilderness, so He can take the weaker part of our vessel and allow it to become strengthened.

As I continued to walk aimlessly through the wilderness, that God was leading me through; I learned that He was strengthening me, so I would be strong enough to climb the mountains with Him. In other words, He was getting me in shape, for the journey He now has me on. There were times when I thought I'd never see anything beyond my wilderness of despair; but God was once more proving that He was faithful to me. As we left the wilderness to climb the mountains; He was also showing me how far I had come. By the time I reached the top of the mountain, He began to show me the distance I had traveled.

As we begin a new week; we can already find ourselves walking aimlessly in a wilderness of despair; but one thing we must hold true to, is that God will continue to prove Himself as a faithful God. No matter what we may be facing right now; when we look beyond the darkness of the wilderness; He will show us the mountain top, that He has just for us. Be encouraged this week, that even though the circumstance seems impossible to get through; God will be there to guide you, as He leads you one step at a time and when you come out of the wilderness; God will have given you His strength, so you can climb to the top of the mountain and look below and view all that God has brought you through.

God Can Pick Up the Broken Pieces

Life can be full of surprises from day to day. Isn't it amazing how we go to bed the night before; thinking about all that we will be doing in the next day and then when the day arrives, we experience new and different things, which we never had planned to have happened? To me, this shows how God is in charge of our lives. How often do we worry needlessly about things that may go wrong the next day and yet they never arrive?

God is teaching me more and more, that I need to live from one moment into the next. When we learned to walk as young children, we had to place one foot out and let the other foot follow and once we learned the rhythm of walking, then we were able to walk with no problems. In a similar way, when we step into one moment and then step into the next moment, then we begin to learn how to live. Instead of looking miles down the road, we begin to just see what's in front of us.

How many times do we upset ourselves and put our minds and bodies through needless stress; all because we are living in moments that haven't been made for us to walk into. When we walk into moments that are too far ahead of us, it's as though we are leaping from one step into another step ahead of us and meanwhile, we are missing everything in between those steps. The other day was a very stressful day and sometimes we can be so caught up in the stress of a day that we carry the stress into a new day, that could be filled with peace instead and all because we don't let go.

When we think about it; the little things we need to learn can become more forgetful in our lives. There are times when God shows the major mistakes that need to be corrected but sometimes He walks along and shows us the minor flaws too. Each day, I feel that He is working on each of us, so we can become stronger people for Him. If we are so caught up in what we think; instead of what He desires for us, then we will never walk into the steps He has laid out for us to follow, from one day into the next.

The other day may have felt a little unorganized but by the end of the day; I found that God placed all the pieces in place that He had desired to do in my life for those moments. Tomorrow will be a day of waking up and saying..."Ok Lord, just let me walk in your footsteps, one step at a time."

I sure enjoy our visits each day! I pray that these words will become stepping stones for your own life too.

Are We Wearing a Temporary Sign that says..."Christianity?"

Has the Spirit of God become a brand upon us...a mark of ownership or do we just wear a "Christian Sign" upon our foreheads when we're in church? In II Corinthians 1:22, it reads..."He has put his brand upon us...his mark of ownership...and given us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee that we belong to him, and as the first installment of all that he is going to give us." Also, Romans 8:9-11 reads..."You are controlled by your new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that if anyone doesn't have the Spirit of Christ living in him, he is not a Christian at all.)" When we are true followers of Christ, we will not only wear the title "Christian" but everything that was a part of our old nature will begin to die, so room is made for Christ to bring the new man within us.

Seems like these day, people are carrying a portable sign, titled "Christianity", so they can wear it when it's convenient and take it off, when they want to live life their way. There is not enough room within us, for the old nature and the new nature to be together. The old nature needs to die off for good, so new and better things can begin to take root...so Christ can be shown to others who need Him.

While going through difficult circumstances, God isn't going to look for a temporary sign of ownership, saying that we belong to Him but rather, He is going to look for a brand mark upon us that allows Him to know that we truly belong to Him. How can we expect God to meet our needs, while wearing a temporary sign of ownership? God wants to see that we truly are His and not only when it's convenient.

If Christ was to come today, what kind of a sign would He find upon us? Would it be a sign that shows temporary ownership or complete ownership? My prayer is that we will live each day, as though this would be the moment, when we would meet Christ for the first time.

Never Alone

One of the things that can enhance our circumstances is when we feel alone. It seems as though Satan uses loneliness to wiggle the thorn of circumstance, so we are once more reminded, that we are going through a moment of weakness in our lives.

Today, I would like to share 3 of my favorite Bible verses that will help us to know that we aren't alone, while facing these difficult trials in our lives. The first verse is in Psalm 4:8, which reads..."I will lie down in peace and sleep, for though I am alone, O Lord, you will keep me safe." The one thing I like about this verse is that the verse has a way of bringing peace into a heart that's been torn apart by life's struggles. The verse is saying, that no matter how lonely I feel...no matter how many people have walked away...no matter how many people don't understand my struggle; I will still be able to lie down in peace and rest because God will be there to watch over me. We can be facing a moment, when the only thing we have to keep us company is our trial but one thing we need to remember, is that God will never allow us to go through a difficult moment, unless He knows that He is able to walk us through it. When others walk away and don't seem to care, God will be there. We don't need to see His face...just knowing that His presence is watching over us, should bring us peace.

My second favorite Bible verse that deals with loneliness is found in Isaiah 54:10, which reads..."For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but my kindness shall not leave you. My promise of peace for you will never be broken, says the Lord who has mercy upon you." We can face a day when everything seems to crumble down around us. This goes wrong and this person doesn't care, and I don't know how I'm going to be able to get through this but God says that no matter what may depart or disappear in our lives He will remain. I think we get so caught up into thinking that we need to see someone face to face, in order to find comfort but we don't. When we know that the greatest being is watching over us, while we stand in our moments of despair, then we once more find hope...knowing that God will always be there to listen for our first cry.

The final verse that I've chosen is found in John 14:18, which is one of my favorite Bible verses and it goes like this..."No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm...I will come to you." We can feel as though we are the only ship on a stormy sea and the waters can be building up around us, until we begin to lose all hope of surviving the trial but we must remember that the same Jesus that calmed the storm will once more be there to calm our storms. I think we have the tendency of being so caught up in all that we are going through and how many people have walked away from us that we can't seem to feel God's presence. We allow the circumstance and the loneliness to overtake us, like a mighty wave, until we find ourselves lost at sea, while the loneliness and circumstance continue to beat us up. We need to get our heads out of the water and call out for God's help and know that He will always be there for us.
No matter what you may be going through today...no matter how lonely life may seem; there is a God who is watching over you. When we know Jesus; it's as if we are on a pathway that is heading towards Heaven. The pathway may be filled with obstacles and the pathway may seem dark and dingy but when we take our view away from those things and begin to look for God and the home we will soon have in Heaven, then we will find that the darkness has now fallen beneath us, as the light of God's presence reminds us, that He is with us once more.

Being on God's Side...

Doesn't mean there will never be a Battle

Seems as though the battles are raging harder these days and as we give our love and hope to others who are hurting in this world, we are also throwing a weapon in Satan's direction. When we injure Satan, while sharing Jesus with others, he seems to be working overtime, to wound us as well. In James 1:12, it reads..."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."

The crown of life is like the award or medal that is received after someone has run a difficult race and received first place. There is one difference between the awards we receive here on earth, in comparison to the crown of life. The crown of life is an award that we will receive in Heaven, when the battles have finally come to an end. For those who endure the race of testing and trial, they will be the one in the end, who will receive their reward.

An award is only achieved, when a person has endured great hardship but has remained faithful through it all. Are we living that kind of life? I'm teaching myself, that it is so easy to quit and give up but this is just what Satan wants us to do. His weapons are meant to take us away from God and everything that pertains to God.

One thing that will help us during the difficult battles is this; we need to refer back to our training manual, which is God's word and we need to seek our commander, which is Jesus Christ and ask Him what our next plan of strategy is. We can never win these battles on our own but when we press on, even during the weakest moments; then each step will become a reminder, that my God is able to help me through anything.

No matter if we serve God or just attempt to live for Him each day, according to the plan He has for our lives, we will always face battles. Why do we think that we will never face battles as a Christian? Just because we are in God's rank, doesn't mean that Satan isn't going to be lurking around, trying to seek whom he may devour. No person is different than another. We all have our battles but when we are fighting with the armor of God and when we are walking in God's footsteps and following His war manual, which is the Bible, then we will never lose these battles in life.

I pray that we all may continue to hold tight to Jesus and follow in His footsteps, as the battles continue to rage on! May you feel God's very best for your life today; no matter what kind of a battle you may be facing in life.

Focusing On God's Love Rather than Man's Rejection

It's bad enough, when we go through times of chronic pain, loss of a job, depression, etc... But when we feel as though no one understands our needs, this can make our trial even more difficult to bear. There are times when we can feel rejected by man because of these difficult moments we face in life but there are also times when we can feel hated by the world because of our faith in God.

In John 15:18-21, it reads..."If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (20) remember the word that I said unto you; The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (21) But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."

When we feel hated or rejected by the world; these moments can make our circumstance even worse but if we were to think these verses through more clearly, then we would understand that these moments of rejection weren't meant to hurt us and make life more difficult.

We need to remember that even before we were hated or rejected by the world; Jesus was rejected first. When we find ourselves connected to the world instead of God, then the world is going to love us and draw us into their crowd because we are following their ways, instead of God's ways. When we take our own way of thinking and move it to the side, so we can understand God's ways; we find that as we become more drawn into God's desires for our lives; we are also going to be hated or rejected by the world. Actually this is a good sign, that we are where we're supposed to be with God.

As the return of Christ is drawing closer; we are also seeing some of the end time prophesies coming to pass. In II Timothy 3:1-5, it reads..."This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof; from such turn away." As we face these moments ahead, we need to remember that the only way we are going to feel loved and cared for in this life, is through Jesus Christ. When we get so caught up in what this person did to us or that person did to us, then we are only allowing Satan to bring us further down into despair.

We may feel rejected and hated by those around us but when we have Jesus living within our hearts; we know that He will never leave us or forsake us. Maybe it's about time, that we focus more on the love of Jesus, than the rejection of the world.

God...a Crutch of Strength

Why do we find it so easy to lean on people or other things in our lives, when we have a God that longs to be our crutch of strength, while we are going through difficult times? In Proverbs 3:3-7, it reads..."Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart; (4) So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (5) Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (7) Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil." Let's ask ourselves this question...do we know how to find mercy and truth on our own? How can we know which pathway to take, when we are leaning on our own understanding or the understanding of others? It's so easy to lean on people or material things to make ourselves happy but the happiness we are experiencing is only temporary, while the peace and happiness from God is eternal.

In verse 3, it's saying that we should accept God's mercy and truth and never let it depart from us. Mercy should become one crutch of strength, while truth becomes the other crutch of strength. The words and inspiration that God gives us, through His word, should not be a one-time experience. We should be so connected to God and His words of truth, that they actually become etched upon our hearts, so while facing difficult moments; we can refer back to them and allow them to keep us strengthened and uplifted.

In verse 5 it's saying that we should trust in the Lord with all thine heart, not just a portion of our heart. We can't make God a part-time god. We will either experience His fullness or we will find ourselves depending on other means to see us through a problem, which will never take us anywhere in life. As we finish this verse, we also see that we are not to lean on our own understanding. Let's ask ourselves another question...if we felt that we were able to lean on our own understanding, then why would we need God, in our lives? God wants us to acknowledge Him in all of our ways, not just when we are desperate for His help. He already knows the right pathway that will lead us closer to Him but if we are depending on ourselves or others to make that work; then we will find that we aren't heading in any real direction.

As we finish in verse 7, the verse is saying that we should not be wise in our own eyes or our own ways. We need to leave our own thoughts behind us and begin to reach out for God's desires instead. Our own thoughts and ways will only make it easier for Satan to have his way with us. There's nothing wrong with sharing our thoughts and needs with each other in prayer but when we begin to depend on our own ways or the thoughts of others, rather than, what God desires for us, then we will find ourselves sinking further into despair.

Drawing Strength from God Rather than the Problem

Today, as I was wondering what God would have me to write; I was thinking about the difference between looking upward to Jesus, in comparison to just focusing on our day to day lives. In Psalm 121:1-2, it reads..."I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (2) My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." and then I noticed Psalm 123:1, which reads..."Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens." In Psalm 121:1; the verse talks about lifting up our eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh our help. Even though it says that we should lift up our eyes to the hills; that doesn't mean that we will draw strength from the hills. What it's symbolizing, is that we should keep our sight upward towards the heavens, where we can gather our strength from God.

An old hymn just came to my thoughts and it goes a little like this..."Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face and the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." As I began to think even deeper on this song, God was showing me, that He longs for us to look high above the mountain of problems in our lives and into the heavens, where we can focus and find the presence of a living God. If we were to think about it; we would find that we are drawing more power and strength from our circumstances, when we aren't seeking God, during these difficult moments in our lives.

I love the way this song goes because it's saying in so many words...Keep your eyes focused on the light of the presence of Jesus; keep looking in His wondrous face, instead of the problem and when we find Him as a refuge during the awful storms of our lives, then the things here below will begin to look strange and dim to us, rather than, being in our way because the power of His presence will be so bright, that we will only be able to experience Him.

Let's begin our day, by looking upward; beyond the place of our problems and seek out the light of the God that still lives and surrounds us each day. When we find Him in the early morning, we will continue to find His presence with us, throughout the remainder of each day.

Are we placing our Faith in our Problems or God?

Tonight, as I was searching through God's word; He opened up a couple of verses in Psalm 112:7-8. Many times, I had read these verses in a small study bible of mine but as I was viewing them for the first time in my King James Bible, this is what I read..."He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. (8) His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies." Wow!

How many of us today can say that we are so fixed on Jesus, that our circumstance begins to seem like a spot in our vision, instead of something huge in our way? Let's take these verses apart because they are so rich with God's wisdom. First of all, it says..."He shall not be afraid of evil tidings..." No matter what we may be going through right now; we don't need to fear anything. We may have gotten some bad news from the doctor or maybe we are struggling to make ends meet. No matter what it may be; if we have Jesus in our lives, then we don't have to fear any evil tiding that may come our direction.

Ok...now the rest of the verse says..."his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." We should be trusting in God because when we begin to focus too much on the problem; we are also trusting in the problem instead of God and that won't take us anywhere but down.

Now, let's go into verse 8 and the beginning of this verse says..."His heart is established," In other words; our hearts should be totally focused on God and no other thing, while we are going through a trial in our life, then the end of verse 8 says..."he shall not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies", which continues on to say, that if we have our hearts attached, focused and established with God's heart, then we have nothing to fear. When we are focused on God, that doesn't mean that we are just looking into His eyes but this means that we are more concerned about God at the moment, instead of anything else around us. This means that we have nothing on our mind but God and when we focus that much on Him, then we realize that we are in the presence of a great and mighty God; a God that will never let us down. One thing we need to remember though...that even through moments of discouragement, we can't just remain focused on Him for a few minutes or a few hours and then turn back to our old way of thinking; we need to remain focused on Him, until He walks us out of the problem or circumstance.

God can unlock a Discouraging Heart and Free Us

This past couple of weeks; it seems as if I've heard of so many people who are going through great trials and tribulations in their lives. With my own pain and the pain and heartache of so many; I felt as though God was laying it upon my heart to share a tidbit of encouragement for all of us tonight. In Revelations 2:10, it reads..."Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." I think we all need to hear this verse tonight.

We can become deeply discouraged, when our trials just seem to go on, with no end in sight. We can begin to wonder if God even hears our prayers or if He is still there for us. Satan is the one who places us in the pit of trial; but one thing we need to keep in mind is that God isn't allowing these moments just to torture us; instead, God takes these moments and uses them as a test. He's testing our strength and He's longing to see if we are completely devoted to Him, even threw difficult moments in our lives. God hears our words of love but when we are placed in a pit of trial; He is even more interested in knowing how much we truly love Him. If our love is as deep as we tell Him, then the love we have for Him alone will sustain us and help us to keep pressing on.

Even though Satan has the power to place us in a prison of testing; we need to remember who holds the keys that can free us and rescue us from despair. In Revelations 1:18, it reads..."I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death." We may feel as though we have been bound up and placed into a prison cell of circumstance, while Satan continually reminds us that there is no hope; but we must remember that God is on the other side of the prison cell and He is the One who holds the keys, that can free us and this is where we experience God's power, even during the darkest moments of despair. We may not always understand the reasons, for why God doesn't unlock the prison cell door immediately but maybe He's waiting for us to believe He's there for us or maybe He wants us to quit fretting about our circumstance and go back to our first love, which is Jesus Christ. Maybe He wants us to know that He will never let us down and that in His good time; the key will enter the lock and free us for good.

We Succeed Because of an Undefeated God

After writing all day, I was resting for a bit and a song was coming to mind and as I was singing it; I found myself catching onto one part of the song, where it says..."that even in losing you win". For a moment, I stopped and thought about that part of the song. My mind seemed to go blank for a minute, until God opened up my thoughts and said..."Diane, even when you feel as though you have lost a lot in this life and even when you feel like Satan has control; you still win because I am undefeated. All of a sudden, my thoughts began to go wild, as I kept my thoughts, on the words that God had given me.

Tonight, as I write this daily blog, I wanted to share this with you and another reading in II Corinthians 4:16, which reads..."Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." As God lead me to this verse tonight; I just sat here in awe of His wondrous presence.

We can feel as though everything has been stripped from us and we can feel as though we are losing every battle in our lives. Our outward appearance can be telling us, that life has taken a toll on us; but even though we feel these feelings; we are being renewed every day by God. Wow! In other words; whatever Satan strips away from us; God replaces those worn out pieces with a beautiful piece of Him.

No matter what you may be experiencing today and no matter how you feel from your circumstances, remember one thing; God is allowing these moments into our lives as gain, not loss. Satan can try to convince us, that because this didn't go right or that didn't go right, that we are losers in the eyes of God but as long as we hold God within our hearts, we can never be losers...only winners. God loves us so much, that He never gave us up; even during the most painful and brutal death of the cross, so why should we give up on Him?

God Can Only Have Control

When Our Minds Walk Away from the Affliction

The circumstances we go through from time to time can begin to tell us negative stories that only allow us to go further into despair. For instance...we can be going through a problem that never seems to go away and after a while, the circumstance can begin to tell us that God is doing these things to us. Each circumstance we go through is being controlled by the hand of Satan and we need to remember this because we can get so caught up into thinking that God has abandoned us and placed us in this time of despair instead.

In Lamentations 3:24-26, 38, it reads..."The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (25) The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (26) It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. (38) Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not evil and good?"

We can begin a journey with God and feel so full of hope, while we wait for His response to our needs but there may be times when we get tired of waiting and instead of continuing on the road we were traveling, we begin to allow the circumstance to take us down a detour road, that only allows us to feel hopeless and full of despair. The circumstance can be controlling us so deeply, that we begin to see God in a different light. Instead of seeing God, as a God filled with hope, we begin to view Him as a God that may not love us anymore or a God that has forgotten us and abandoned us. We can become so overwhelmed with our trials that we begin to think that God brought this problem into our lives, instead of God just allowing these moments for a reason.

We need to remember that God isn't a god that can do both good and evil in our lives. God loved us so much, that He gave His Son's life up for us, that we may know His love and learn forgiveness, so why would we ever think that God is the One who has destroyed our lives and brought us into despair? I believe that God allows these moments of despair into our lives; but only to help us and make us stronger and more like Him. When we don't follow in His loving footsteps, as He allows these moments to come, then we are actually the one who is taking ourselves further down into despair. God gives us choices and it's up to us to make the right choice that will keep us moving forward with Him, even while going through difficult moments in our lives. When we can remain focused on God's plan, instead of the circumstance; then God will have complete control, as we learn and grow through the experience.

A Mighty Warrior that is Greater than the Worst Battle

We may experience moments in our lives, when we don't feel as though we have another ounce of hope. The circumstance looks grim; while feeling completely drained from the battle within but in Psalms 44:5-7, it reads..."Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. (6) For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. (7) But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us."

When we feel as though a day or week has taken us down and we feel as if we are surrounded by the circumstance, rather than the presence of God; we need to remember that God is a mighty warrior that can take us through anything; for He is the One who stands before us and allows evil to be pushed down, while God continues to make a pathway for us to walk in.

The problem seems to become overwhelming, when we begin to trust in our own thoughts and ways, rather than placing God, where He rightfully deserves to be...right before us. Once we admit to God, that the circumstance is too big for us, than God will have His place, as He marches in front of us and becomes a shield that defends us from the enemy. As His mighty power begins to work for us, we will begin to feel the overwhelming effects of the circumstance fall to our feet.

In Psalms 44:8...the verse reads..."In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah." When we find ourselves more deeply involved with God throughout our day, instead of focusing so deeply on every problem that may arise before us, then we are letting go of a circumstance that's trying to manipulate us, so a powerful God can step in its place and give us peace.

We all go through one thing or another, while traveling this journey with God but if we can keep in mind that there is a God that is more powerful than anything that may hit us head on; then we will be able to complete our day; knowing that God is always there for us.

Letting Go of the Questions to Find the Answers

Tonight, as I was opening my Bible; I came across 3 verses that demonstrate the great power of God. They are found in Genesis 2:4-6, which reads..."These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, (5) And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. (6) but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."

As I began to read these verses tonight; I began to visualize these plants and herbs coming forth from the earth. There was no one there to till the ground or plant the seeds and no one was around to water the ground; but yet God's great power brought forth a mist from the earth and watered everything that was there. We couldn't even begin to create a sprinkler that large.

God is showing us in these verses, that He has control over every living thing. Why do we allow our eyes to view God as a weak God; when He is the God that hath made all things? Not only did He create every living thing; but He also sustained each thing and made a way for it to live and continue to thrive here on earth.

Have you ever looked at a starry sky? Each star is doing its own dance before its creator. God has such control over the stars; that with one spoken word, He can cause one to fall from the sky. Do we think about the oceans and lakes? It's as if God drew a line around each one and commanded the waters to not go beyond the points within the sand. How about the mountains? Can you imagine how many loads of dirt and plants it would take, just to make one mountain? When we begin to take some time and see how much control God holds within His hands, then we will begin to leave our lives in His hands too.

Many times we don't see the mighty hand of God at work in our lives because we are too busy trying to visualize His ways through our own sight. We begin to think that God will meet our needs this way or that way. Maybe if we could just trust God enough, to let go of the questions that we hold within our thoughts; then maybe we would begin to see the strength of a mighty God, as He responds and answers each need.

God's Strength is Made Perfect through our Weaknesses

What leads us to believe that we have the strength for anything in this life? Do we just think that we are born with strength? In II Corinthians 12:9 it reads..."But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Two things are being pointed out to us in this one verse. The first is that God's grace is sufficient for us and the second thing is that God's power is made perfect through our weaknesses. What is the meaning of grace? I learned a long time back, that grace stands for God's riches at Christ expense, which means that God gave us His greatest gift, through His Son's death on the cross. Jesus gave up everything in His own life, so that we could have a better life through Him; so Jesus gave us His very best; knowing that His death would be sufficient, to cover the cost of everything we may go through.

The same power that was illustrated to us through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, can also be seen in us, when we are struggling with weaknesses of our own. Jesus became the example to us; as He went through many moments of weakness, before and during His death on the cross; but these moments were only allowed, so that His Father in Heaven could be seen to the world in a greater way. Now, Jesus offers us the same gift but in order to experience or receive this gift of strength from God; our strength must be emptied out, so there is room for God to work.

When God sees that we still have some of the old strength lingering behind, then we can't experience the free gift that God offers us because this old strength is revealing to God, that we are still trying to remain in control. We must come to the place, where we realize that no other strength will get us through the rough moments, except for God's strength.

As we begin a new week, are we willing to let go of everything in our lives, so God's sufficient grace and strength can become our hope for a new week? My prayer is that we all will become humbled and weakened before God, so that we can be filled with His sufficient and powerful strength! My you experience God's very best for your lives this week!

I'd Rather Have Jesus than Anything

One of my favorite hymns goes like this..."I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I'd rather be His than have riches untold; I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands; I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. Than to be the king of a vast domain, or be held in sin's dread sway; I'd rather have Jesus than anything; this world affords today. I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause; I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;

I'd rather be true to His holy name." This has become one of my favorite hymns, especially as we are entering the end times. With all we go through as Christians; it's so easy to have our minds fixed on the worldly way of thinking. We can see others who never go through anything but yet they seem to have everything; while we struggle just to survive. When our worldly way of thinking kicks in; we seem to dwell more on our losses, in comparison to what others have in the world but this isn't the way that God wants us to see our lives.

In Matthew 10:39, it reads..."He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." When we meet Jesus for the first time; He isn't going to ask us if we had a good time on earth and He isn't going to ask us how rich we are in material goods; instead, He's going to judge us by the life we gave up for Him. The verse above says that "he that findeth his life shall lose it", which means that if we are living for ourselves on this earth, then in the end, it won't take us anywhere with God. In other words, our life down here won't show love and sacrifice to God; only what we desired for ourselves. On the other hand; the last part of the verse says..."he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it", which means that if we are willing to give up the worldly life altogether; in order that we may find God in a greater way, then we will find a life with Christ forever.

Why do we try to compete with the material way of living in this world? Why do we see our losses as something that is defeated in our life? Instead, shouldn't we see that we were placed down here to serve a purpose for God? We can say "I Love You God" all we want but what happens when we are faced with an unexpected illness or placed in a wheelchair for life or some other drastic thing happens in our lives? Are we willing to lay our losses to the side and show God that the life we are striving for with Him is more important than any other thing the world could offer us?

When life or this world comes to an end; God is not only going to look at the type of relationship we had with Him, while we lived on this planet; He is also going to look at the loving sacrifices we gave up for Him, in order that we may gain a life with Him, for all eternity.

Are houses, land and gold and silver more important to us, then meeting the One with the nail pierced hand? Are we more preoccupied with the life we long to have now, that we may be missing out on the life we could have for all eternity? Are we looking for man's applause and love; rather than God's? Are we more into a life that would bring worldwide fame to our name, instead of His? We may find it difficult, when we are going through one illness after another or we may find it difficult to lose a job, that we have had for a long time and maybe we are just so tired of the same old type of living, where more things go wrong than right but we must remember that God isn't trying to make life miserable for us. God is allowing these moments, so He can see for Himself if we are just speaking our words of love to Him or if we are truly living a life that shows great love and sacrifice.

God is Always There

No matter what God allows us to go through in life; He will always be there to guide us safely through. The question we need to ask ourselves is this..."Are we listening for His voice of guidance and are we looking for the direction that He's pointing out to us?" In Isaiah 30:20-21 it reads..."And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: (21) And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

How many times do we find ourselves so consumed with our circumstances, that we find that our attention has been taken away from God's leading for our lives? How are we going to be able to hear God's voice of guidance and feel His tender hand leading us, if we are more in touch with the problem than God?

God may allow us to be placed in a moment of adversity and affliction; but that doesn't mean that He will leave us, while we go through these moments. How many times do we say..."Where are you God?" while going through a difficult moment in our lives. If we were to think about this question in the right frame of mind; we would realize that God has been there all along. The real problem is that we have allowed the circumstance to form a fog or barrier between us and God, so we can't hear His words within our spirit or feel His hand, gently guiding us out of the circumstance. If we would just allow the presence of God to shine through the fog of circumstance, then we would once more feel his presence at work in our lives.

Again, if we can keep reminding ourselves that God isn't a defeated God, then we would find that our ears would be more attentive to His instructions; instead of always trying to figure out the problem. Another thing we need to remember is that the problem can't give us the cure; only God can give us the answers of truth that can free us from despair. When we go to the problem, as a source for our freedom, then we will never be alert to God's words of deliverance.

New Mercies for Each New Day

One of the greatest gifts we could ever receive from God is the gift of new beginnings. From one day to the next; we don't know what kind of a day we will live. We could wake up with a day that's filled with good things; while other days can make us feel as if we need to go back to bed and begin again. In Job 14:7-9, it reads..."For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. (8) Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; (9) yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant." What a beautiful writing! Job is saying that even though a tree is cut down and even if it's roots die; just with the scent of the water alone; buds will begin to come forth and bring forth boughs like a plant. This writing from Job was written even before the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It's amazing what Job is thinking about, even during times of great trials.

We can get up one day and face one bad thing after another but when we go to bed and wake up the next day; God's mercies begin all over again. No matter what comes against us or tries to destroy us; we can discover another new day that will give us another chance to begin anew. Even if we feel cut down, like the tree in this reading and even if our connection roots with God feel as though they may be deteriorating; all we need is the fragrance of the Holy Spirit, to revitalize us and make us new.

With God, we don't die to our circumstances; instead, God uses our circumstance to produce new growth, so we can flourish even more for Him. When we know that God's presence is the greatest and when we believe that He cannot be defeated, then no matter how many things try to blow us down; the next day will begin again and we will sprout new shoots of growth, from the moments that seemed defeated from our yesterdays.

Negative Thinking Can Detour God's Blessings

What happens when we allow negative words to enter our hearts and thoughts? Do we ever give thought to what is entering our minds and hearts throughout the day? In II Timothy 2:16-17a, it reads..."But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (17a) And their word will eat as doth a canker..." Once we have opened a door, for a negative thought to enter in, then it's as if we have brought a cancer cell into our thoughts and hearts. In other words; negative thoughts can be a deceptive way, for Satan to take control of our thinking. What only seems to be as one small negative word or phrase can increase and bring more negativity into our lives. Once this form of negativity enters our thoughts and hearts; it continues to eat away the good thoughts that we need, so we can remain close to God.

In II Timothy 2:4, it reads..."No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." Negative thoughts can be destructive; to the place that a simple thought can quickly take a person from a place of peace and tranquility, to a place of sudden despair. What starts out to be, as one simple negative thought; can eventually turn into a circumstance that becomes blown out of proportion. Even our day to day thoughts can turn from positive to negative very easily. One minute we can feel faith and strength, in what we are experiencing for the moment; until a negative thought comes in and attempts to take control.

If we are going to continue to have a personal relationship with God, then we need to avoid the negative thinking. When we allow negative thinking to have control, then we find it harder to experience God's blessings and peace. Satan can try and allow these negative thoughts to slip under the door of our hearts but we must be on guard, for the moment they may try to creep in, so they don't eat away at the good things in our lives and cause us to fall into a place of despair.

Through God...we can prevent a positive day from turning into something dark and negative, by keeping a close connection with God. When His presence lights up our hearts each day, then no matter what tries to creep in and steel our joy; God's presence alone will be there to destroy the negative, before it even has a chance to flourish.

Faith that can take Us Away from our Circumstances

Sometimes it can be difficult to find faith, while going through a very trying moment in our lives. Seems like we see more of the problem, then the faith we once had and as we see the problem getting stronger; our strength in God can sometimes feel as though it's becoming weaker. In I Samuel 14:12 it reads..."The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson." So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel." Jonathan did not have the authority at the time to lead all the troops into battle; instead he started a smaller one in the corner of the enemy camp. When he did this, panic broke out among the Philistines, and the Hebrews who had been drafted into the Philistine army revolted, and the men who had hid themselves in the hills began to regain their courage and came back to fight.

When we are facing overwhelming moments in our lives; do we seek out the small steps of faith that could eventually lead us into a victory through God? We tend to sit back, while we wait for God to do everything on His own but shouldn't we be seeking out a way that will show our faith to God? When we can begin with the smaller steps, then God will see our faith and lead us into bigger and stronger steps that will increase our faith and trust in Him.

As we begin a new week; we may come in contact with a new circumstance. We may not know how to handle it or get over it but when we show God an ounce of faith; then He sees our faith and eventually leads us into moments of victory. Our relationship with God can begin to grow stronger when we work together with Him and communicate with Him, while waiting for His will to be accomplished. We may not have the strength to accomplish or overcome the larger circumstances but when God sees us aiming our faith in His direction, then God will meet us there and our efforts will be crowned with victory through Him. We never know what a few small steps of faith with accomplish, until we give it a try. Those few steps of faith could be all that's needed; for God to unfold His plan and lead us towards a greater victory in our lives.

In God's Eyes...We're all Worthy

How do we see ourselves through the eyes of God? Are we measuring up our self-worth, through our own eyes or by the faith that God has given us? In Romans 12:3-5 it reads..."As God's messenger I give each of you God's warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others."

While going through trying times in our lives, we can feel worthless but we must remember that it's the circumstance that's trying to convince us of this. Instead of looking at ourselves through our own eyes, we should look through the eyes of faith, which God has given us. When we look through His eyes, we don't see a person who is filled with pride or failure but a person who is worthy of God's love.

I like the example that is used in these verses, where it says..."Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body." In other words, God has created us to be a special part of His plan and in order for His plan to be complete; we all must serve the purpose that God created, for us to do. God doesn't just need a handful of people to serve; He needs all of us. Due to difficult moments in our lives, we can feel as though we are not worthy but whether the task is great or small in our eyes, all of our lives play an important part in completing God's plan.

I remember the story in the Bible, when God wanted Samuel the prophet to anoint David as king. Samuel looked at David and responded to God, as if to say...are you sure God? God responded back and said...Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. It doesn't matter what our outward appearance seems to be or whether we live with a chronic illness or whether we live in a wheelchair because God is more concerned with our hearts, then the outward appearance. God didn't place us down here to see who appeared to be the best but rather, He placed us each down here, with a purpose to fulfill His plan and we need to be more concerned about whether we are doing His will, rather than how we appear to each other.

It doesn't matter what kind of work God has for us to do; all He requires, is a heart of faith, so we can reach the world for Him. My prayer today, is that we will find ourselves seeking God's purpose for our lives each day. May we always find God's very best; that we may continue to fulfill His will and plan for our lives and this world we live in.

Finding Shelter with God

Today has been a hot day but as I am writing you tonight, the sky is clouding up and it's looking as though we may get a storm. As I look out my window, the pine trees are blowing, while the chimes on the front porch seem to be playing music in the wind. Each symptom, that becomes a warning signal before a storm, is God's way of preparing us for what lies ahead.

While looking out the window; God brought a favorite hymn to my mind, which goes like this..."I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest; I won't sail the wild seas anymore. The tempest may sweep over the wild and stormy deep but in Jesus I am safe ever more." Just as we seek shelter before a storm arrives; we need to look to God and seek Him as our shelter, before the raging storms begin to surround us. Symptoms may appear before us, as God is giving us a warning signal, to seek shelter from the storm that Satan is attempting to blow our way. Are we alert to God's signals or are we so preoccupied with everything that is going on around us, that we panic and lose sight of the warning signals that are coming from God?

As we feel the storm approaching us; we need to seek shelter under the Almighty wings of God. We need to realize that God will always be there for us and that we never have to face these storms alone. When we have our soul anchored to God; we don't have to fear the raging storm that surrounds us because God becomes an anchor of strength that keeps us stable and safe, until the storm passes by.

Sometimes the storms can take our thoughts to places of fear and anxiety but in Isaiah 41:10, it reads..."Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." This verse is filled with promises, that God gives us, so we can live with renewed hope instead of fear. We don't have to fear the circumstances that are trying to take control of our lives because we have a strong God that becomes the anchor that keeps us strong, while He upholds us with His victorious hand.

Fear will only allow us to be drawn into the storm but when we find shelter in God, while facing a storm; we not only find Him to be our refuge but we can find a new strength that we never had before the storm.

God's Perfect Love Casteth out Fear

How can we remove fear or any other negative thing from our lives? What allows negativity to remain with us? In I John 4:18, it reads..."There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

When we allow negative situations or feelings to remain in our lives, it's because we have made them more powerful than God. Whatever we allow into our lives, will become the master of our lives. When we allow God's love to become greater than any other thing that may try to possess us, then He becomes the master of our lives but on the other hand, when we cling to the negative feelings and circumstances that try to enter our lives, then they become the ruler or master that dictates our lives.

In John 15:13-14, it reads..."Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (14) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." When we are looking for the good things that come from God, then we are also experiencing the greatest love of all...God's love. We must be willing to lay our own lives down for Him, rather than the circumstance. If we aren't willing to place God's love above the negative feelings that stem from our circumstances, then we will always feel like we are living a life of defeat. We must not only be willing to lay down our lives for Christ but we must also be willing to lay down every circumstance and every negative feeling that would try to creep in and take control of our lives.

Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross, as He hung with arms outstretched and full of love for all mankind. Are we showing that same love back to Him or are we so tied into our circumstance, that our feelings are taking control of our lives?

When our love for God becomes greater than any other thing in our lives and we are connected to Him, through a personal relationship each day, then we will be able to be free from fear, doubt, anxiety or any other feeling, that is trying to block our connection with God. How is it that we find it easier to become more committed to our problems and the feelings that come from our circumstances, rather than sharing a simple, loving relationship with God? We can try and escape the feelings that stem from our problems but the only way we will ever find peace, is when we find the perfect love that casteth out the works of darkness.

Jesus Didn't Lift Us Up to Let Us Down

There are different ways to look for renewed hope in God. The first way, is to remember that God cannot be a defeated God and another way, is to remember that God never leaves anything unfinished in our lives. In Philippians 1:6, it reads..."Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

When we are facing difficult problems, it's so easy to get wrapped up in the circumstance, that we forget the hope we have in God. I believe that God places each of us on this earth for a specific purpose and God isn't going to quit working in our lives, until His purpose has been made complete. Maybe we need to take more time and look at the things that God has already begun in our lives, rather than looking at the things that seem to be incomplete. When we get caught up in the things that seem to be unfinished in our lives, then we begin to feel greatly discouraged, while we wonder if God will ever complete His work in us.

As we look back to the story of Jesus' life, we see that God never left His work unfinished. As Jesus began to grow and journey His way towards the cross, His Father was constantly with His Son, even up to the time of His death and even after His death, His Father never left anything incomplete. God's work was finally accomplished, when His Son was resurrected from the grave and became victorious, over sin and death.

We can feel overwhelmed with what we may be going through...to the place where we wonder if God will finish what He's begun. We need to remember, that God never allowed His Son's work to remain incomplete and in a similar way, He will not allow our lives to remain incomplete also. We need to keep our thoughts going upward and remember that God can never be defeated and will never leave anything incomplete in our lives. These two thoughts will keep our minds at peace, while we wait for God to finish His work, in and through us.

How Are We Going to Gain God's Strength if we're leaning on Our Own?

This past week I've been writing a lot about God's strength. How can we trust in our God, if we are trusting in our own strength? How can we hear his voice within our spirits, if we are committed only to ourselves? Proverbs 24:10 reads..."If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."

Two things we will discover about our own strength; it won't take us far and if we are drained out when we are only dealing with just the little things in life, then I guess we can say that we have tried to lean on our own strength, instead of God's strength. When we fall apart, while only dealing with the little things in life, then we are going nowhere but down.

As we begin another new week; we need to be equipped with a strength that will see us through the worst and help us over the obstacles. In Proverbs 3:5-6, it reads..."Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths." So first of all, we need to quit trusting in ourselves and our own so called strength and we need to begin to lean on God's understanding and strength; the strength that can keep us going, even when we feel as though we have nothing more to give. Next, we need to acknowledge His ways and leave our thoughts and desires behind. When we can acknowledge His ways, then we will gain His strength even more. After we have completed these two things, then God will be able to strengthen us and direct us through our week.

When we can begin our week by leaning on His strength instead of our own, then we will discover everything He longs to give us, as we travel through each day with Him. The problem that we often face is when we try to make it on our own. When we attempt to do this, then all we are headed for is a fall. My prayer, is that we will begin our week...acknowledging our own weaknesses before God; so He will be able to exchange our weakness for the greatest strength of all...His strength.

Excess Baggage

Now that it's summer; many are taking vacations. Seems like we pack everything but the kitchen sink before we leave. We find ourselves packing items, in case there is cool weather, along with the things we've already packed for the hot weather. By time we are ready to leave; we find that our suit cases are bulging.

When we are taking a journey with Jesus; we don't have to have much. There's only 3 items we need to remember, as we begin our journey with Him. In John 14:6, it reads..."Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." All we need to remember on our journey with Jesus, is to know which way He longs for us to go and to know the truth that can keep our minds free from being lost and to seek the life that will eventually lead us to Him, for all eternity.

How many times do we try to add items of our own for the journey; to the place where we have excess baggage? We end up packing more of our own thoughts and desires; which only weighs us down and makes the journey more difficult. Could we be feeling overwhelmed, tired and completely drained, while traveling with God because we have packed too much for the journey? When we can trust Jesus to lead us the right direction and know that His truth will always teach us what we need to know for the journey, while always seeking out the complete life He has to offer, then the journey will become pleasant, while peaceful thoughts begin to bring back the enjoyment we should be sharing with Him, while we travel with Jesus each day.

While feeling overwhelmed...maybe we should check and see what things we brought on this daily journey with Jesus. Maybe there is excess baggage that we need to let go of. May we only travel the pathway, that will keep us free from burdens and may we always seek His way...His truth...and His life; that we may always be able to walk in peace with Him.

Struggling through the Dark

How many of us experience dark moments of pain, heartache and grief and we feel as though we are trying to remain on God's pathway but the darkness that's surrounding us seems to make it more difficult? God gives us renewed hope in His word, in Psalm 119:105, which reads..."Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

As we search the scriptures for words of hope, we may discover something that we may have never noticed before in God's word. As the words begin to come alive within us for the first time; they begin to shed light unto our pathway and even in the midst of the darkness and struggles we face, we experience the light of God's presence that seems to take away the darkness, so we can see where God is leading us once more.

Many times we struggle in the darkness; just as the moments we experience, when we walk into a dark room with no light. Our circumstances become dark clouds that darken our pathway, as Satan attempts to keep us lost and away from God. One thing we need to remember is that we don't need to continue to stumble around in the darkness of despair, when we have the light of God's word, to become a lantern, to brighten the darkest pathway.

In Psalm 119:107, it reads..."I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word." This is the desire that we all should have, that God would open His word up to us and use it to lighten up our pathway. God has already provided the way to sustain us through affliction; all we need to do, is to be willing to seek for it, through His word.

We can either allow our afflictions to keep us in a dark pit of despair or we can reach out to God, through His powerful word and allow His presence to shine upon our pathway once more. He's already provided the lamp, oil and matches, that can help illuminate our pathway; all we need to do, is to be willing to seek His words...the words that can place the oil in the lamp and allow the match to lighten the lamp that will sustain us and guide us along His pathway of love and renewed hope!

Do We Know God or Do We Just Know of Him?

No matter what we may be facing in life right now; do we still give our all to God? Do we take whatever God gives us and do we use it mightily, as unto Him or are we so caught up in our day to day lives that we end up placing God on the back burner? In Ecclesiastes 9:10, it reads..."Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, no wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Are we so drawn into the problems we face from day to day, that we only give God a small amount of our time and if we had to stand before God today; could we say that we did everything possible, to help others and ourselves? Sometimes, I think we get so caught up in the worldly way of things, that we find ourselves living in a routine of habits, instead of discovering new ways to use our lives for Christ.

If we were to stand before God in Heaven right now and He was to ask us if He knew us; could we truthfully say that we do know Him? Knowing God isn't just about reading the Bible and praying; it's about using our lives and our circumstances, to communicate with Him more and to reach out to others in need. When we get to Heaven; God isn't going to say..."what did you do on earth" or "did you have a fun life"...no, He's going to ask us if we knew Him and if He knew us. Having a relationship with God doesn't mean that we just relate with Him, when everything is wrong, while we wait for everything in our life to get better. A relationship with God, is when we share everyday with Him; like waking up in the morning and communicating with Him through a devotion...talking with Him throughout our day, whether we have good news or bad news to share with Him. At the end of our day, do we thank Him for His help and guidance, as we say good night to Him? I just wonder how many of us would sleep better, if we were to say good night to God and ask Him for His comforting peace, before going to bed.

This verse is saying that we should do everything with all thy might because there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave. Once our life has come to an end; there is no turning back of the clock. God is watching over us but He's also looking to see what we are up to for Him. May we all find Him to be more than a god; but a good friend, that will be with us each day? May you truly find His best today!

True Peace is a Sign of a Heart that's Been Given

Completely to God

How is it, that we find it so easy to cling to our circumstances and follow our own ways? Tonight, as I was reading in Proverbs 23; I found 2 verses that I would like to share with you. The verses are found in Proverbs 23:12, 26, which reads..."Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. (26) My son, gives me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." Wow! First of all...God wants us to give Him our heart; not just a portion of it but the complete heart. When we give Him only a portion; it's because we hold a part of our heart back, so we can still try to make our circumstances work out for ourselves. In other words; it's like we are saying to God..."here is your portion and here is mine"..."you work with this part and I will take control of the rest". Sorry to say...this way isn't acceptable to God. He wants all of us...the complete package.

After we give God our complete heart, then we will discover that we can observe His ways and learn from them. We need to ask ourselves this question...why do we need a God in our life, if we aren't going to let Him work in our lives, according to His will and desire? As we observe His hand at work in our lives; we find that we are more able to apply our heart unto His instructions. How can we grow and become more like God; if we aren't willing to let God teach us first? When we have our hearts and ears open to His voice, then we will always remain connected to Him.

We can be there for one another and for ourselves, in a way that will encourage and bring our hearts to God but from there; we must be willing to let God do the rest. We can't fix our own problems and no one else can fix them for us either but God can because He made us and He already knows the desires He has for us.

I think that sometimes we spend so much time reaching out to every source around us, that we end up missing out on the true source for our needs, which is God. If we aren't feeling peace and if we are always feeling frustrated and anxious with our circumstances, then maybe it's because we haven't given Him the whole heart. When we can give God everything, then we will find that there is no need to worry...feel upset and be anxious or frustrated. True peace is a sign that we have laid everything out for God to handle because we can only experience the positive, when we are connected to the right source for our needs, which is only God.

God Will Stand in the Gap for You

Tonight, as I was seeking God for His wisdom; my thoughts went back to the story of Daniel in the lion's den. God didn't just give us these stories in the Bible; to become an adventure story to read; instead, God allowed us to have stories like Daniel's, so we would be encouraged to go on, even during the most trying times of our lives.

In Daniel 6:19-22, it reads..."Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. (20) And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from lions? (21) Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. (22) My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lion's mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." Can you imagine being near the den of lions, that surrounded Daniel that day? To see the king's response, after the angel of the Lord had shut the mouths of the lions?

God knows our hearts and He knows what's honest and true and just as He stood up for Daniel that day; He will do the same for us. We can feel as though no one can understand the depth of our heart; but just as God never gave up on Daniel; He will never give up on us either. If God could allow the powerful mouth of a lion to remain shut, so Daniel could remain unharmed; then God can do the same for us, no matter what we may be going through at the moment. When it feels as though a trial is slowly destroying us and taking us to a place of hopelessness; God will step in and close the mouth of each circumstance and make a way for us to once more remain free through Him.

No matter what you are going through today; the circumstance may seem as though it has become more powerful than God. You may feel as though each part of your circumstance is a lion; waiting to attack you, in your pit of despair. Just remember, that even though the circumstance may seem as though it's on the verge of destroying you; God will be there at the right moment, when you need His help the most. May you truly find God's very best for your life today!

Remembering God's Faithfulness

Tonight, I discovered some beautiful verses of hope, in Lamentations 3:22-26 and I would like to share them with you. They read..."It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (24) The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (25) The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (26) It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."

As we begin this reading, verse 22 is reminding us that it's only because of the Lord's daily mercies, that we aren't completely consumed. His compassion towards us can never bring failure into our lives. We can feel as though we have gone from hanging onto a piece of rope to a piece of string, while going through trials in our lives; but if we were to slow down and think it through...we would discover that we are still alive and living with God's new mercies each day. God has so much compassion; that His love alone sustains us and keeps us from a defeated fall. Verse 23 goes on to say that His mercies are new every day. In other words...each day brings new and better things from God. To me, it's like going around a mountain bend. Each curve we travel will bring new and exciting discoveries with God.

Now, as we go into verse 25, we see that God is good to the one who waits and seeks for His guidance. When we are waiting for Him to respond to our questions and when we are seeking for the answers, as we wait, then we have connected ourselves with God. When we have a good connection with God, then we will be able to wait for His response, because of the trust we have placed in Him. We will also find it easier to seek His will, instead of trying to do everything our own way.

Our final verse...verse 26 is one of my favorites, of all these verses because it says..."a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." In other words, we should have a settled feeling that God is going to deliver us from our trial. When we can hope for God's best, while quietly waiting for His response, then we have truly found the best connection with God. When we are unable to see what God has in store for us; but yet at the same time, be able and willing to sit and quietly trust in God, then He sees a heart that has truly placed their trust in Him.

Even though we have never seen God face to face, we can think back to the moments when God was there for us and when we can remember His loving faithfulness, then we will once more be able to have a deep faith, that everything will be alright. May we continue to always seek God for His best, even when it's at the darkest moments.

God's Timing is Always Right

How many times do we grow impatient with God? We want God to make everything better right now but why doesn't He always do it that way? In Acts 1:6-8...it reads..."When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (7) And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Why is it that God works quicker through some trials than others? Even as God was being approached with the question..."wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?; His response was, that it was not for them to know the times or seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." God has reasons or seasons for delaying an answer to prayer but that doesn't mean that He has abandoned us or that He doesn't love us. It could be that He has something for us to learn and even when we come to recognize the reason; sometimes God wants to make sure that His desire is etched upon our hearts, before granting our request. God doesn't want us to just know the reason for the trial but He longs for us to have it placed upon our hearts, so we will remember the next time.

In verse 8 it says..."But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." In other words, God is going to approach us at the right time and season, so His name is made known to others around us. It would be great, if God would relieve us, of all we are going through right now but we must remember that the moment of trial doesn't just represent suffering; it also represents the hand of God at work in our lives and if He was to remove us from the trial, at the wrong time, then the suffering would be for nothing.

Just as God has put all the seasons in place, so His creation can grow and continue to flourish; He also allows our moments of suffering to be put in place, so we will flourish even more in the end and His name will be known in a greater way.

God has everything planned out; just as He does with the seasons. All we need to do is trust Him for His very best and once His desires have been placed into motion, then He will once more walk us out of the trial and we will continue to walk down God's pathway of love and peace.

Discovering God's Will through Adversity

Today, I was reminded of something from God and I would like to share it with you tonight. How many times do we catch ourselves saying...well, when God has healed me or when my problems are over, then I will begin to seek out God's will for my life? In Acts 28:30-31, it reads..."For two whole years Paul stayed there, in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. (31) Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." While Paul was under house arrest for 2 years; he didn't sit there and wait for his sentence to be complete, before serving God; instead, he spoke to many, and wrote letters, while in his prison cell.

In a similar way; we can feel like our circumstance has placed us in a prison cell. We don't know how long we may be there but if Paul was able to use the moments in his own life to serve God, then why aren't we serving God through our own moments of trial? I'm sure that Paul wasn't very comfortable, while under house arrest and I'm sure that he didn't have all the comforts of home but instead of thinking about the terrible moments he was going through; he took those moments and used them for Christ.

We may be going through chronic pain or chronic illness or some other emotional problem in our life right now but should that stop us from serving God? Of all the people; we should be the most equipped, to care for others and understand their needs. We may not have the cure for another person's need; for that can only come from God but we can let someone else know that we've been there and through our experiences, show some compassion to others in need.

Many times, while writing my weekly devotions; I sit in pain and I feel exhausted from the pain but I also notice that when I press on, despite the pain and tiredness, that God is able to touch another hurting heart, through the words He gives me to write. I also notice that while I'm writing; that God has more control of my circumstance, as I let go of my own needs, in order to help the needs of many.

I truly believe that we are going through a time of testing...not only a time of trial. God is watching, to see how we are using our circumstances for Him. When another person's heart is touched, through our own moments of pain and heartache, then our circumstance will never be in vain but instead; our circumstance will be showing Satan, that no matter what we may be facing; God always remains victorious.

A Life of Dread Only Takes Us down a Pathway of Despair

How many times do we begin a day, with a heart that dreads the hours ahead of us or maybe we find ourselves thinking that this or that will go wrong? Why do we find it so easy to seek out the awful things that could happen, rather than looking for the good things that could replace the bad? In Psalm 118:24, it reads..."This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Why do we find it so difficult to rejoice, in a new day? God didn't say in this verse...this is the day that I have made, so we will look for the worst and the bad in it. No, He gave us this verse, as a daily verse of hope. If we can remember that each day is made by Him, then we will be able to find it easier to begin a new day and look for the good, as we live each moment.

A while back, I listened; as a Christian singer was being interviewed and they asked her, how it was; that she was always so happy. She mentioned that it has to do, with how we begin our day. If we get up in the morning and put a smile on our face and begin the day, by seeking out the positive things that could happen, rather than the things that could go wrong, then we will have a reason to smile throughout the whole day.

As we begin a new day and a new week, God has already pulled down the shades once more, on the previous day and has given us a brand new day, with new beginnings. While we have been sleeping, He is getting everything ready and in place, for a day that is meant to rejoice in but what happens when we get up in the morning and begin to look for the awful things that could happen, even before the day has begun? What happens is that we miss out on the beginning; of a special day that He has made just for us because we are too busy traveling down our own road of gloom and despair.

We will face days that are filled with pain, heartache and grief but when we can begin a new day, with a smile that can reach God in the heavens, then no matter what we may experience in life, we will find God's strength to get through it. When we can rejoice and find gladness in a day, even while walking through the dark valleys, then we are sending God a message that says that we know He is with us, to strengthen us and see us through whatever we may be facing.

In Psalm 118:17, it reads..."I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord." We are here to show the world who Jesus is but how are we going to let them see Jesus, if we are walking down a different pathway, that only reveals sadness and despair? Jesus is seen in a day that may seem bad but can still continue on, with a heart that rejoices.

Even while walking through difficult and dark pathways, may we allow Jesus, to shine through us and may we find God's very best, as we begin a new day with Him!

Are We Connected with God's Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding?

How do we come to a place, where we can truly understand the wisdom and knowledge of God? When we are in need of the answers, to the questions we face in life; how are we able to come to God's level, so we can hear His voice and fear His name? Let's read Proverbs 2:3-5 and find out. These verses read..."Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; (4) If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; (5) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."

When we are searching for the answers that we so desperately need from God; are we just praying and walking back to the old way of doubt and fear? Do we find that we are not truly searching for the answers to life's questions? These verses say, that if we cry after knowledge and lift up our voice for understanding and seekest these things as silver and a hidden treasure, then we will be able to find the level God longs for us to be at, so that His wisdom and knowledge can reach our thoughts; to set us free from the questions that sometimes bring despair into our lives.

If we were to search for silver, gold or some hidden treasure; then wouldn't we search and search until we find the treasure? In a similar way; are we searching through God's word, until God has unveiled the hidden answers to our questions? Sometimes the answers aren't always on the surface, where they can be easily found; sometimes we need to dig deep within God's word, where we can meet God and the knowledge and wisdom He has for us.

Sometimes, we can find ourselves searching for God's answers, as though we are in a boat; looking down into the deep water, where the treasure is hidden on the ocean floor. If we just look into the water; we may know that the treasure is there but until we dive deep within the water; we will never be able to obtain it. In a similar way; we can find ourselves looking for the answers we need on the surface of each page of God's word but until we dig deep within God's word; with a heart that's searching for the truth, then we may never find the treasure of wisdom that will set us free.

Mistakes Don't Mean Defeat

There can be times when we feel like our mistakes have taken us away from God and we find it harder to get back up and begin again but we must remember that God can use our mistakes to complete His will for our lives. In II Chronicles 18:33 reads..."But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told the chariot driver. Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I've been wounded." Micaiah prophesied death for Ahab, so Ahab disguised himself to fool the enemy. Apparently the disguise worked, but that didn't change what had been prophesied. An arrow found a crack in his armor and killed him.

No matter what we do wrong; God has a way of taking the mistake and using it anyways. We may do something that took us out of God's will or maybe we thought we were doing God's will and everything went wrong. There's no need to worry because God has a way of picking up, from where He left off. We need to remember that God is the greatest being in existence and there is nothing that He can't do, fix or repair.

We may think that our circumstances are taking us away from God; due to the symptoms we experience from the circumstance but no matter how dark our circumstance appears to be; God is still in it; working to make His ways known. I guess we can get so caught up into the mistakes the world makes and the consequences they live with, that we begin to see our mistakes the same way but we need to remember that when we are one of God's followers, that life, in every way is different.

This blog takes us back to some of my recent blogs, where I talk about God as an undefeated God. When we are followers of Jesus Christ; we need to remember He is a God of His word. Even if something tries to mess up His plan for our lives; He still remains the god of new beginnings and a god that can be trusted to complete His work in and through us and when we can see God, in a way that separates our thinking from the world's way of thinking, then we will always be able to view renewed hope, even from a distance.

God Will Make a Way

Tonight, after a very trying day; I was getting ready to write my blog, when one of the songs came on my site. The song I began to listen to was "God Will Make A Way", by Janet Paschal and the lyrics go like this..."Must have felt strange to end up stranded between an army and the sea. They must have felt forsaken wondering why God wasn't all He said He'd be. When your back's against the wall; it's the hardest place of all; but somewhere between provisions and impossibility...God will make a way, when there seems to be no way; forever He is faithful. He will make a road, when you bear a heavy load...I know, God will make a way. When a wall of circumstances leaves you crying in the night, and you struggle till your strength is almost gone. God will gently hold you in the shelter of His heart and carve a road for you to carry on...so carry on. God will make a way, when there seems to be no way; forever He is faithful. He will make a road, when you bear a heavy load...I know, God will make a way."

We can feel as though we have lost touch with God; as evil surrounds itself around us but we must remember that God cannot be defeated. He has already won the battle, through His Son's death on the cross, while He died a rugged and brutal death, to save us from these moments.

When we can keep our minds set on the victory of the cross, then we will begin to feel that nothing can defeat us. God may allow these moments; but He cannot leave us defeated; otherwise His death would be in vain and serve no purpose. We need to cling to the old rugged cross, instead of clinging to the thoughts that Satan is trying to destroy us with. God says in His word, in Matthew 10:22b..."but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

These battles we face in life aren't always easy but when we have the assurance that God has already won the battle, then we will live with confidence, that this too shall pass.

Have Our Words of Faith Withered in the Wind?

Words are so easily spoken but when we find that we have to live the words we speak; do our words wither away in the wind or do they come alive? In Matthew 14:22-29...these verses speak about the time when Jesus walked on the stormy sea, to where the disciples began to cry out for help, while experiencing a storm. As Jesus continues to walk towards them, they become frightened; thinking it was a spirit, until Jesus speaks out in verse 27 and says..."Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." From there Peter says in verse 28..."Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water" and in verse 29, Jesus says..."Come". As Peter begins to walk out on the water...verses 30-31 says..."But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save me. (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

This Bible story has become one of my favorites and it seems that each time I write about these verses, I learn even more. I'm sure, that as Peter began to walk out to Jesus; he was so focused on walking towards Him, that at first, he didn't notice the stormy sea beneath his feet but as he continued to walk and hear the clashing of the waves and the wind hurling all around him, then he became more drawn to the fear of the storm, instead of the faith he once had.

Our thoughts and words can make everything in life seem easy but what happens to our faith, when it's time to live the words we speak? Does our faith soar above the circumstance, so we can live the words we speak or do we have our focus so tightly on the "what if this happens", or "I don't know if I can do this", or other thoughts that can shift our faith and cause us to plummet like Peter. We can become so drawn to the core of the circumstance, that we let go of the rope of faith we once held onto. The only way our words are going to be able to come alive, is when we feed them a good portion of faith. We can rise above defeat and exchange our weaknesses for something greater through God, when we keep our eyes focused on Him. Only through Him, will we find the strength we need, to keep our words of faith alive.

Weakness that Produces Strength

We are taught that laughter is the best medicine for the soul. This is true but the Bible teaches us that sorrow or sadness is better than laughter also. How can this be? In Ecclesiastes 7:3, it reads..."Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better."

Laughter is a way that can bring gladness into our hearts but when we experience sadness in our lives; this too can become a way of healing the heart. When we experience days that cause us to feel sadness and despair, then a lesson is beginning to take shape within our hearts and lives. Through times of weakness; we find that this becomes a time when we tend to lean more on God. If we lived a perfect life, with no heartache or sadness, then would we come to know God in the same way, as when we lean on Him through moments of despair?

Sadness can also make the heart stronger, when we go through times of trial; because as we come out of the trial; we discover that there is new growth. Through time, I've had several people ask me this question..."Diane, would you be as close to God, if you would've never experienced the trials you've been through?" I'm always quick to reply and say, "No". Each painful moment in my life has become a stepping stone that has brought me one step closer to God. Seems like there have been times in my own life, when there has been more sadness than laughter but each moment of sadness that began as an open wound; prepared a way, so that God could heal and restore what had been broken in my life.

Laughter can be a great source of medicine to heal the heart but sadness can also become the beginning of new growth, so the heart can become stronger in God. None of us enjoy sadness and I'm sure that we would rather have more days of laughter but just as we experience sunshine and rain; there will also be days of laughter and tears. Nothing here on earth would grow and produce, unless there was a balance of sunshine and rain. In a similar way; God allows moments of laughter and tears, so that a balance of both, will work together to make us better people for God.

Weakness is Only the Beginning of God's Best

Weakness in the life of a believer in Christ doesn't mean defeat; for weakness means only the beginning of better things to come between us and Christ. In II Corinthians 13:4, it reads..."For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he lived by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you." Jesus was crucified through weakness but resurrected through the great power that was demonstrated from His Father in Heaven. Jesus died an innocent death, so that God's power could be seen in a greater way, to a dying world. Even as Jesus died an innocent death on the cross; we too die a different death, through weakness and suffering. Just as Jesus' innocent death was seen in a powerful way; our weaknesses and suffering are meant to reveal God's power to us and others around us, through new growth and renewed strength.

As I'm writing this blog; I think of a seed. In order that a seed may produce a beautiful plant, that can bloom and make itself known in such a beautiful way; the seed has to die first. Once the seed has died, then roots begin to form, that will make the plant strong and then from there a stem will form, that will provide buds and blossoms that will be seen to everyone who admires the plant. In a similar way; we need to die to ourselves and sometimes God uses weakness to help the process, before new growth can begin. Once we are humbled and open to God, instead of ourselves, then God will help us to produce strong roots of new growth, that will help us to remain stable and strong in Him. From there, God will continue to allow more growth, until His ways are made known to us and to those who view His hand at work in our lives.

When the world's eyes are open to weakness, all they see is a defeated situation but we must remember that God isn't a defeated God, so He's not going to allow anything to enter our lives that would cause defeat to His name. Life may not always go the way we plan or something may be taken away from us in life, through death or through some other means but we must remember, that God isn't allowing these moments into our lives, so we can become defeated people. His desires are to make us a strong army of people that will shine forth His presence to others around us.

God Accepts Us for Who We Are

We live in a world, where people around us seem to remember every wrong deed we have done. The mistakes of the past become an unforgiving memory that is dangled over a person's head, when people want to get back at one another but God doesn't operate that way. In Hebrews 8:12, it reads..."And I will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, and I will remember their sins no more." God can be trusted, as a merciful, loving and forgiving God. His Son died, so when we do make mistakes; His forgiveness becomes like an eraser on a chalkboard that erases our mistakes forever.

When we live with the mistakes of the past, then we can't move forward and discover all that God has for us. Our mistakes can become a brick wall that is constantly standing before our eyes, so we can't see anything but the wall of mistakes. When God has forgiven us, then He remembers our sins no more; so when He sees us overwhelmed by something that He has already forgiven; He must stand up in Heaven...wondering why our thoughts are still fixed on something He has erased forever.

Isaiah 44:22 says..."I've blotted out your sins; they are gone like morning mist at noon! Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free." Sometimes we get up in the morning and the grass is filled with morning dew but as the sun gets warmer into the afternoon; we notice that the dew has evaporated into the air. In a similar way; when we have asked God to forgive us of something in our lives; then the sin no longer remains. He takes the mistake and blots it out; just as the morning dew evaporates and never returns.

When we live with a past of mistakes, then Satan uses these moments against us; to keep us from moving forward with God. In fact, Satan is the one who keeps the mistake alive, as he whispers the memory of the mistake into our thoughts, as a means of keeping us disabled or crippled within the past.

No matter what mistakes we may have done; God can wash it white as snow, as He speaks of in Isaiah 1:18, which reads..."Come, let's talk this over! Says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool." We don't have to live with the past and its mistakes; all we need to do is sit down and have a talk with God. As He takes each filthy mistake away from us; He will place us on a bright new pathway, where the brick walls of the past no longer exist.

Whose Footprints are We Walking In?

Do we truly know that we are walking directly in the footsteps that God has laid out for us to follow or are we walking in man-made footprints; thinking that they have been designed by God, when all along, we have been the designer of our own footprints? How can we know the difference? In Psalm 25:9, 10 it reads..."He will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him. And when we obey him, every path he guides us on is fragrant with his lovingkindness and his truth."

If we are going to know the right direction for our lives, then we first need to become humble before God. We need to lay all our own thoughts and desires to the side. When we find ourselves deeply connected to our own thoughts and desires, then we are creating our own footprints to follow in but when we lay our own thoughts and desires completely to the side, then we will find ourselves humbled before God and open to His thoughts and desires instead.

We will know for sure that we are on the right pathway, when we feel the fragrance or peace that comes from His presence and truth. In other words; life won't be a scrambled up mess; instead, we will walk in paths of truth that will free us from anxiety and frustration and lead us to His will. When we are trying to figure out God's desires for our lives, then it's as if we are trying to make a piece of a puzzle fit that never belonged there to begin with. When we are walking on God's pathway, then there will be calmness and peace and everything will fall directly into its place.

When we feel the fragrance of peace along a pathway designed by God, then we won't feel the need to do anything on our own. The fragrance of His presence will walk ahead of us and lead and guide us, along with everything associated with the need, until God's will has been made complete. We won't have to make it work because God will make it work for us.

In Psalm 16:7, 8 it reads..."I will bless the Lord who counsels me; he gives me wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do. I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so near, I never need to stumble or to fall." When we are being directed into the footsteps of God, then there is nothing to figure out because God has already done it in advance. We will also know that we are on the right pathway, when we feel the connection we should have with God. We will hear His voice of guidance and because our minds are set on Him; we will never have to worry about a thing.

Are we headed down the right pathway with God today? Are we so connected to Him that we don't have to think twice about whether we are in the right set of footprints? If not, then we need to reconnect with God and learn His ways, instead of our own. Once we discover His direction for our lives, then we will know it because we will find ourselves walking down a beautiful, fragrant pathway, that's filled with His loving peace, while He allows each part of His will to be made complete in our lives.

A Close Relationship Will Lead Us unto the Right Pathway

Tonight, as I was getting around for the evening, a song came to my thoughts and it goes like this..."He leadeth me, O blessed thought; Oh words, with heavenly comfort rought. What aver I do; where aver I be; it is only God's hand that leadeth me. He leadeth me, He leadeth me; by His own hand He leadeth me. His faithful follower I would be; for by His hand He leadeth me." As I was singing this song; I began to think, that we are only led to certain places in time because God is the One who is leading us there.

I know that I wouldn't be where I am in life today, if it wasn't for God leading me each step of the way. Isn't it amazing how we never know what God is up to, until we walk into the place He is leading us? Psalm 48:14 reads..."For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." We need a tour guide that can lead us to Heaven. We are living on a planet, where it's so easy to be led astray...away from God. We need someone to show us where the obstacles are and we need someone to tell us whether we should go towards this direction or another direction.

God made us and He's the only One who knows the map that was drawn out for each of our lives, so why are we trying to do it alone? I personally wouldn't know where to begin. In fact, every time I've tried to figure the way out on my own; I just end up tripping over an obstacle of despair or I end up taking a detour road that leads me nowhere.

God made a pathway for His Son, from His birth to His death; so now we need Him to take us on the pathway that will lead us to Heaven. It's not always easy to know or understand God's way but we can follow God's lead, when we communicate with Him, through a close relationship. When we are plugged into God, then He will send us the signals that will help us to understand which pathway is the best pathway to take.

If we were to slow down and think about each moment of our day; then we would also begin to see where the hand of God had been leading us throughout the day. These are the moments that keep us longing for His presence; a presence that can lead us and guide us safely through life.

A Grateful Heart through Heartache

Today, as my husband and I were doing some grocery shopping; we were feeling the effects of a very warm day. As we headed home, after some time of being on our feet in the heat; my mind and legs were telling me that they did not like what they were experiencing. As we got home and got the groceries put away; I decided to take a cool shower and rest my legs. As I was beginning to cool down, from a hot afternoon; God was revealing something to me. We can get so caught up in the moments of circumstance or even the heat, that we forget the things that God gives us, to sustain us, while going through these difficult moments in our lives. I began to praise God; that even though it was hot outside; I still had a cool refreshing shower to look forward to.

In I Thessalonians 5:16-18, it reads..."Be joyful always; (17) pray continually; (18) give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." We can find ourselves so entangled in the circumstance, that we don't always see the moments of sustainment that God offers us; that can be used to see us through the difficult moment in our lives. When we can discover a moment of sustainment through God, while facing a difficult circumstance in our life, then we can find a reason to praise God, instead of dwelling on the problem.

God always supplies us with moments of sustainment but sometimes we don't see them because we are too busy looking at what we are going through for the moment. God doesn't want us to wait and praise Him, when the problem has been resolved. He wants us to praise and rejoice, even during the difficult moments of pain and heartache. When we can find a reason to rejoice, then we not only see our circumstance in a clearer way but we are also using our moments of praise as a weapon against the works of darkness. God lives for our praise, while our praise becomes a way of weakening Satan. When Satan sees that we can praise God, even during the hard and difficult moments, then he begins to feel defeated and weakened. Satan sees our praise as a message that relays to him, that his works of darkness are no longer working in our lives.

Do We Have the Right Connection?

Why do we find it difficult to understand God's ways and why must we experience weakness, in order that we may see His hand at work in our lives? Proverbs 20:24 says..."Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" We find it difficult to understand God at times because we are trying to figure out our problems, in our own way. We are too busy searching for answers that aren't even contained within our own thoughts and minds. The only way we are going to be able to know God's desires for our lives, is when we are connected to the main source, that can answer all our questions and that connection is with the mind and heart of Christ. An example is when we use our computer to look for something on the internet. We learn that we can only find the source of help we are searching for, when we are connected to the internet. If we are on the computer but unable to make a connection, then we will never find what we are looking for. So we need to communicate with God and seek His thoughts and ways, rather than traveling down a dead end road, that only leads us to no results.

Once we find a clear connection with God, we may ask ourselves...why do we still face battles with our weaknesses, before renewed strength and help can begin to take affect? II Corinthians 12:10, says..."Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." We find that even though we begin to communicate with God and receive a clear connection, we can still find ourselves battling the weaknesses that attempt to take us down. Even though we feel we have a good connection with God, why hasn't He replaced our weaknesses with His strength? We begin to feel despair lingering around us but are we looking at our weakness in the right way? In this verse, it says that we should take pleasure in what we are going through because when we are weak, then we will be made strong? You say, well that doesn't make sense to me. Why would I ever want to rejoice in a weak moment? When we experience a weak circumstance in our lives, it may be bad news for the one without Christ but for the one who truly knows Christ, it is good news. We begin to rejoice in our weaknesses because we have been taken down to a place in our lives, where there is nothing left of ourselves and when we reach this level, during moments of adversity, then we find that there is more room for God's strength and work to begin.

We may be talking to God and reading His word but yet we still find ourselves at a weak point in our lives, so we need to begin to rejoice because this weakness isn't a sign of defeat but rather, it's a sign that God is working towards replenishing our weakness with His strength and goodness. We need to keep the communication open and continue to rejoice and look for the desires and good things that God longs to give us. Then instead of seeing the weakness and suffering, we will begin to experience the hand of a strong God, at work in our lives.

Losing to Win

Why do we have to experience loss in our lives? Are we being punished? Are we being rejected by God? Philippians 3:7-9 reads..."But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"

When the world views loss, they see defeat. The only thing the world sees, is that life is going from bad to worse but if we were to look at loss through godly eyes, then we would see that one thing is being taken away, so something greater can be put in its place. In other words, God is allowing the loss of something in our lives but when He allows this loss to come into our lives, it's just so He can fill the emptiness with more of Himself; that we may lean on Him, rather than ourselves.

In my own life...I loss many things and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why a God of love would allow so many things to be taken away from one life. Each desire of my heart continued to become a loss, until all I felt was only the air I breathed. I began to wonder if God loved me anymore. Was I being punished for something I did wrong? These are the questions that went continually through my thoughts, until God introduced these verses to my heart. As I began to study these verses, I began to realize that the loss of each thing in my life was the beginning of something new. God wasn't allowing anything to be removed from my life, unless He had something better to replace it with.

If we are going to allow God to work in our lives, through our illnesses, pain or heartache, then we must be willing to allow God to remove the things from our lives that may get in the way of His will for us. We must realize that we are on this planet for Him and if we are going to press on, then that may mean a sacrifice or loss of something dear to us, so that we may find God's best for our lives.

How are we going to know God in a greater way and how are we going to be able to let go of our own self-righteousness and find His righteousness, if we are so caught up in grieving the loss of things in our lives? If we were to take a moment and look for the reason behind each loss, I'm sure that God would reveal something great that would allow each loss, to seem as nothing in our eyes.

Loving Arms that Become a Place of Refuge

We can feel as though we are walking alone in life. Seems like this day and age we live in; people don't seem to understand one another, as God did, when He walked on this earth. Psalm 142:3-7 reads..."When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me? (4) I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. (5) I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. (6) Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. (7) Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me."

When we feel as though life has become a lonely journey of pain and heartache, we have the hope that God is there for us. He becomes a refuge to run to, when we have no one who cares or understands our needs. We can feel as though we need a human touch...a hug of hope from someone but when there is no one around to care and understand our needs; we need to remember that God is there. When we truly feel that we have found a place of refuge in Him, then His peace becomes a lasting hug that satisfies our hurting soul.

God already knows the pathway we are on because He was the One who placed us there to begin with. He recognizes the cry that comes from a heart that's reaching up to His. He's there to hold our spirit within the arms of His own spirit, like no other person could begin to comprehend or understand on this earth. Even though we long for the feel of someone's caring arms around us, when we are hurting, there is nothing that can compare to the touch we experience, when God reaches down and allows us to feel His peace, as He unlocks the prison door of pain and heartache within our soul.

There may be times in our lives when no one is around to care. We may feel that there is no one there at this time, to hold us up and console our broken spirit but there is. God is waiting for us to come to Him, so He can minister to our spirits. He longs to talk with us and write words of hope upon our hearts that can mend the brokenness in our lives. No matter what we may be going through today, just remember that He is there. Let Him exchange the brokenness in your life, for His strength and peace and as we feel the brokenness leave; we will be feeling the tender arms of a loving God surrounding us.

A Shelter of Hope

Trials can sometimes allow us to feel as though we have been separated from God. We tend to experience more of the trial, than the feeling we once had, while in the presence of God. While the trial remains before us, it may allow us to feel, as if a dense fog is surrounding us, and that can allow the presence of God to seem distant to us. No matter what we may be experiencing in life, we need to remember that nothing can take and separate us from the power of the Most High God. In Romans 8:35, 38, 39, it reads..."Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

At the moment, we chose to accept Jesus, to come and live within our hearts; God has always resided within us and has surrounded us with His presence. Nothing can take Him away from us, as long as we choose to follow Him. We may have moments when we feel the need to call out for His presence, while going through a difficult time in our lives but even in the midst of crying out to Him, He is already there; waiting for us to acknowledge His presence.

While walking through difficult times of adversity, our trials come to us from a power of darkness but no matter how large the trial may seem; darkness cannot rise above the power of light, which is found through Jesus Christ our Lord. When we believe the truth and accept the power of God, as a power that cannot be controlled by any other thing, including the power of darkness, then we will begin to experience a renewed hope in God that will continually give us the faith we need to press on.

We need to remember, that when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death or any other circumstance, that God's presence is there too. God becomes a shelter of love that allows us to walk away from darkness, so we can discover His loving presence instead. It doesn't matter how difficult the storm may seem or how rough, the waves of adversity, may come at us; because nothing can destroy our shelter of hope.

No Other Power but God's

We can learn to trust God in a greater way, when we are confident that He is the only One who has control of our lives. Lately, I've been reading in the book of Ecclesiastes and tonight I found several verses that have caught my attention, so I would like to share them with you. The first one is found in Ecclesiastes 7:13, which reads..."Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?" The "crooked pathway" in this verse resembles a circumstance that God may have allowed into our lives. He doesn't deliberately allow us to go from a straight pathway to a crooked pathway just to hurt us. He allows these crooked pathways to enter into our lives, so we will learn to see Him as the only One who can make them straight again. When we find ourselves traveling down a pathway that seems to be going nowhere and God comes along and straightens the pathway for us, then we not only observe His hand at work in our lives but this moment in our lives also becomes etched upon our hearts, which allows us to remain connected to Him even more.

In Ecclesiastes 3:14, it says..."I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." So first we learned that God may allow the crooked pathways to come into our lives but only so His power can be seen and experienced, as He makes the crooked ways straight. Now in this verse, we see that whatever God does in our lives...is forever. No one can interfere with the power of God and no one can add or take away, from what God has done in our lives, so if God is allowing something into our lives, it's so He can be seen as Him alone. His ways allow us to fear Him, but not in a way, like the fear we experience in this world. A godly fear is a healthy fear that connects us to the most powerful being, which is God. Our fear becomes a message that says to God, that we need Him and a desire to do whatever He longs to do within our lives. This is a way of relaying to Him, that He is the only powerful being that can make the crooked ways straight.

No matter how our pathway appears before us today, we need to remember that God is a god of power. He is the only One who can take something that has been broken or blown out of proportion and make it right. Once His work begins in our lives, there is no other power that can rise above or compare to the all-powerful God we serve. No person or thing can take away or add to what God is already doing in our lives and once God has finished His work; He stamps His seal of approval on it, so it can never be taken away from us.

We need to remember, that God doesn't allow these broken pathways into our lives, just so He can make life more difficult for us. He allows these moments into our lives, so when He makes the crooked ways straight, then we will leave the circumstance with something new, that will always make a difference in our lives forever.

Only God Knows the Way

Why do we try and figure out the mind of Christ? How do we know what He's thinking, before He even speaks to our spirits? In Ecclesiastes 11:3-5, it says..."If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. (4) He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. (5) As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all."

Only God can know the moments when each event will take place in our lives. He knows when the clouds are about ready to overflow and He knows which direction a tree will fall in the woods, before it even hits the ground. He knows just the right time for a baby to be born and He knows just the right time to pick summer fruits and vegetables. He has His hand on the control stick and knows the exact time for each thing to fall into place, so why do we worry? Why do we dwell on our problems and allow them to control us, when God is the One who is in control?

God has made the road easy for us; all we have to do is follow His lead. He's saying to us...I already know the way...just walk here. We can live with a greater peace and we can experience more of His comforting spirit, when we let Him do His job.

Each day awakens us to new experiences. I think of it this way...it's as if we are driving around a mountain road; never knowing what we may see. If we were to get up in the morning and look at life that way; we would begin to see new things that we may have never experienced in our lives before. We can come to know God's ways more, when we observe His hand at work in our lives.

This Too Shall Pass

We all deal with one problem or another in life because we live in such an imperfect world. Seems like all we long for, is a word of reassurance that this too shall pass. In Psalm 71:20-21, it reads..."Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. (21) Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side." These verses have been of such inspiration in my own life. The first verse brings us renewed hope; knowing that if God allows a circumstance into our life, then He will also bring us out of the circumstance. God cannot be a defeated God, so if He does allow something difficult into our lives; it's only because He longs for us to become stronger, in an area of our life, where we are weak.

Verse 21 becomes the icing on the cake because God not only brings us through the moments He allows but He also brings us through the circumstance with something greater. In order that God should remain undefeated; He not only brings us through the problem but He also strengthens us, so we are stronger, than the moments we went through, before the problem came into existence.

Battles are only brought into our lives by Satan because of a weak point in our lives. God may allow Satan to attack us through that weakness but because of God's great power; God still remains in control. What Satan sees as a means to destroy us; God sees the problem as a means to make us stronger. Once the circumstance begins; the test also begins for us. Are we going to fall prey to the attack or are we going to allow God to strengthen the weakness through the attack?

The hope we can cling to, is that God always remains undefeated, when we follow His lead. Once we have learned the lesson that God has for us to learn, through the weakness or failure in our life, then He will bring us up and out of the depths of that circumstance. Even though our circumstance tells us that we are defeated and that life will never be the same again; God has a different response to our circumstance and His response, is that all things are possible through Him.

Moments that Produce New Growth

It's nice to be back with you today! Yesterday, I ran into a problem with my computer, so I wasn't able to write last night. As I was dealing with the problem; I was looking through God's word for something that He may want me to write about later. As I continued to flip through His word; He lead me to I Peter 1:6-7, which reads..."Wherein ye greatly rejoice though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: (7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I have to admit; the first time I read these verses, I thought...how could these trials we go through become more precious than gold? But as I continued to read; God was showing me that these trials or difficulties we face in life will bring about better things that will help us to become more acquainted with Him.

Man has placed a value on gold but if that value was removed; all we would see is a shiny, gold colored rock. Money, gold and silver may buy us material things but what we learn in this life will continue to be imprinted upon our hearts forever. It's only through the tough times, that we are made strong. We learn; when we fall to the ground and have to depend on God to lift us back up. When a child first begins to walk, they may fall down many times before finally walking with no difficulties but they only discover how to walk, when they learn how to get up and keep going.

All the money and material things we hold to within our hands, will never compare to the moments that bring about new growth within our hearts. Even though we experience the miserable storms that come into our lives; there's always a rainbow of hope that reminds us of God's faithfulness.

Whether we experience a tough day at work...an illness...or a computer that doesn't want to cooperate; each thing that is brought into our life will mold us into a greater vessel that can be used for God. As we begin a new week; we don't know what our pathway may lead us to but whether it's a good day or not; God has a purpose... to refine us, so we can continually become more like Him.

Preparing for a Storm

We've just begun a new day and we notice the signs of a storm brewing in the horizon, so we run around the last minute...checking everything, to make sure it's able to withstand the storm. As we are racing around, we notice all the beauty and hard work that has gone into the garden and flowers and we wonder if we planted everything deep enough, so they can weather the wind and storm. Only time will tell, what will become of them after the storm is over.

In Colossians 2:6-7, it reads..."As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." Today, we may wake up and begin to see the signs of darkness surrounding us. As we begin to figure out how we are going to get through this storm; are we also checking to see if we are rooted deep enough in God, so we can weather the storm that may be headed our direction? Are we more focused on God and our faith or the storm?

When we have an intimate relationship with God, we also have produced roots of faith, strength and stability and these roots allow us to be grounded more deeply with God. When our faith is put to the test, our roots will either be strong and stable or they will be rotted and dormant, from a lack of communication with God. If the roots of faith, strength, and stability aren't there, then when the first storm arises, we will be blown away with the storm.

We need to allow God to increase the strength of each root, through the moments we talk with Him, read His word, and meditate on His presence. We don't have to wait until the last moment, to prepare for a storm. Now is the time, when we need God's presence to strengthen us and make us strong and secure, so when a storm does arise, then we will remain standing tall...never wavering in the wind...only looking up to our creator; knowing that His strength in us can weather any storm that comes our way. Only time will tell, what will become of us, after the storm is over? Are we ready, in case a storm was to head our direction today?

Too Close to Evil is Not Good

We need to take the time to recognize our weaknesses and allow God to strengthen them. When we remain more committed to our weaknesses instead of God's strength, then we also make ourselves vulnerable to Satan's attacks.

In Luke 4:2-4, it reads..."Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. (3) And the devil said unto him, if thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. (4) And Jesus answered him, saying, it is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." In this reading, Jesus remained strong and committed to His Father; even while going through 40 days and 40 nights of no food...only temptation. Satan was trying to work, with what he saw as a weak moment in Jesus' life but because Jesus was more committed to His Father in Heaven, instead of His need to eat; He was able to stand up against the devil. As Satan threw a weapon of temptation towards Jesus...Jesus was able to throw a weapon of strength back to Satan, which completely destroyed the temptation altogether.

Are we allowing God to use our weaknesses, so that we can be strengthened, in a way that will cause us to turn away from temptation? When Satan is whispering in our ears and he's reminding us of all our downfalls; are we still strong enough through God to resist the temptation? Satan can only feast on our weaknesses, so when we take our weaknesses and allow God to make them stronger through Him, then we experience more of God's presence instead.

Temptation can cause us to be drawn down into the clutches of evil, where Satan can work even more, to keep us separated from God but we must not allow our weaknesses to take us to that place; but instead, we should see a weakness in our lives, as an opportunity, to allow God to spring forth new growth, that we may remain disconnected from temptation.

A Temporary Moment of Affliction

Our moments of affliction can seem at times, as though they are here to stay but we need to remember that these "thorns" of affliction that come from Satan cannot prosper. Isaiah 54:17 reads..."No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."

Satan forms weapons of destruction, to try and destroy our relationship with God. He knows what our weak points are, so he builds them up, to use them against us. In his mind, he isn't out to wound us but to totally destroy us but when we remember the greatness of God; we also need to remember that these weapons of destruction cannot prosper...only if we allow them too. No matter how high the stormy waves appear before us, they can be destroyed and brought low, just by speaking the word "Jesus". When we allow our fear of the waves to become greater than our trust and belief, in an all knowing, powerful God, then Satan uses more "thorns" to bring us to a lower place of despair.

God may allow Satan to begin his attacks but in the end, God has to be victorious. I can see it now...Satan takes a form of weakness and throws the thorn of affliction our way, while he laughs in the face of God, thinking that he has won the battle; but then God comes along and takes the weakness and uses the weakness to produce something better, than what Satan first expected. It's like a boomerang affect. Satan begins to throw a boomerang of affliction our way; but then God takes hold of the boomerang and uses it, and then He reveals Himself as an ongoing victorious God, while the boomerang ends up back into the lap of Satan.

No matter what we go through from day to day, we need to remember that God always remains victorious; otherwise His death on the cross would be in vain. When we grow discouraged and we feel as though our need hasn't been met by God, just remember that He is at work in our lives. The boomerang of affliction may attempt to take us down but just remember that with God, the boomerang will make its way back to Satan, as God reveals Himself, as a victorious and powerful God.

Reaching for Hope, Rather than Despair

Can we truly say that we have stood up against the battles that we have faced in life? Do we wear the armor of God or do we fall prey to evil attacks, while sitting in the middle of despair? In II Timothy 4:6-8, it reads..."For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

When it was Paul's time to die, he knew in his heart that he had done his best. He knew that even through times of testing, that he had kept the faith and finished the course that God had laid out before him to complete. He left this world, with no doubt, that he was ready to meet God and live with him for all of eternity. How are we reacting to life's struggles? Yes, we may have moments when we waver or fall but are we standing back up and remaining true to God?

Our lives can feel as though we are training for a marathon. We may face obstacles in our pathway and sometimes those obstacles can seem too big to get over. We may fall and feel defeated but are we getting back up and completing the race or are we giving in to our failures?

Paul's love for God was greater than anything he went through. He didn't see the obstacles as something too great for him because His God became greater. He knew that God had a complete course of action planned for his life and he knew that it wouldn't be easy but rather than falling prey to the feelings that came from his trials, he allowed his trials to strengthen his faith. Paul knew that if he fought the battle, with true faith, then he could complete the course and find the greatest prize at the finish line, which was God. He saw the purpose God had for him and Paul didn't allow life to overtake that purpose.

When we are walking down a difficult pathway but yet we can focus on God, then we discover hope instead of despair. As long as we have a goal to reach for, we will be able to be strong enough in our faith, to complete the pathway God has, for us to follow. Life can be worth it all, when we are focused on the prize, rather than the affliction. We need to run, with our eyes away from the obstacles, so we can have a great faith and determination to complete the course that God has placed before us.

God's Footprints Become a Place of Security

As we begin another new week; we don't know what we will face, as we walk the pathway with God. Each of His footsteps can become unknown to us, until we step into them. No matter what we go through this week; we have the assurance that nothing can destroy or separate us from God. Each footstep we follow in, will keep us connected to God, as long as we are walking in His footsteps.

In II Corinthians 4:7-10, it reads..."But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."

God's footsteps become a place of security. Even though we may feel surrounded by problems or uncertainties this week; we are still standing in the presence of One that is greater than our needs. When we are standing and following in the footsteps of God, then each step we take becomes Holy ground. Satan may attack from every angle but as long as we are walking in God's footsteps; the power that comes from evil remains weaker than God's.

These verses point out, that as Christians; we have this surety, that God's power lives within us. We can become so taken in by the problem, that we forget who is greater than the problem. We can feel troubled but yet, when we walk in God's footsteps, we aren't in total despair. We may feel persecuted by man; but yet God hasn't forsaken us. We may feel as though everything that could go wrong has gone wrong; yet we aren't destroyed. It may seem at times, that we are always suffering for the cause of Christ; but it's only because Christ is seen more clearly and more powerful through our weakness.

No matter what may come our way this week and no matter how much we feel like throwing in the towel and giving up; God's presence lives within us and nothing can destroy or take us away, from an all-powerful...all knowing God. As long as we are standing in His footprints; we will prevail; just as He has always prevailed. We need to keep our focus off the weakness of the problem and start focusing on the strength of a mighty God. Instead of looking intensely into our problems; we should be looking intensely into God's word. Instead of dwelling on our problems; we should be meditating on God, through prayer. We can either allow God's footsteps to surround us with power this week or we can allow His footsteps to merely become nothing more than prints in the sand.

How Do We Perceive Our Problems?

While walking through the midst of trouble and affliction; we can feel the weakness within us, that comes from the stress that can accompany our problems but when we are walking with God through the fire; we are completely surrounded with His presence and strength. In Psalm 138:7, it reads..."Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me."

Whenever I read this verse, this is what I perceive; I see a pathway that I've traveled on for some time; a pathway that once was green and lush and beautiful. This pathway was filled with the fragrance of peace, until darkness began to overtake it but as I continued to travel down the dark pathway; God began to revive me and fill me with His strength. It was as if He was letting me know, that even though I was surrounded by darkness; His presence still remained the same and faithful to me. As I continued to walk down the pathway with God; it was as if the darkness was trying to take me down and bring fear, weakness and all sorts of negative things my way; until God's hand reached down and destroyed it all.

Our problems can seem stronger to us at times, than God's power. We can feel so controlled and manipulated by our circumstances, that we begin to fall prey to the weakness but we must remember that even in the darkest moment; God is still with us because nothing can rise above His power. When we see God as something greater than our problems, then the darkness won't seem as though it's trying to overpower us. Instead of allowing the darkness to pursue us; we need to pursue the mighty strength of God. In Psalm 23:3, it reads..."He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Even though darkness is meant to take us away from God; this isn't God's desire for our lives. When we have the most powerful God living within us; nothing can overtake us; not even the darkness of the circumstance.

Remember David, when he fought Goliath? The reason why he was able to kill Goliath is because he took his thoughts away from the size and strength of Goliath and placed his thoughts on the power of His God. God was with David because David believed more in the power of God, than the power and strength of Goliath.

How do we perceive our problems today? Do they appear to be like Goliath in size or do we see our God as something greater than the circumstance? Once we have our focus right, then we will also begin to see the power of God at work in our lives once more.

Whatever We Perceive We Receive

Why do we choose to live with the symptoms of our afflictions, when God offers peace to our hurting minds and spirits? How can we truly obtain peace? I believe that we obtain peace, when we go after it. In fact, whatever we are seeking in our lives right now, will determine how we are feeling. In Psalm 34:14, it reads..."Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." We can ask God to give us peace but I also believe in these verses that read..."Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8. Whatever door we knock on, will determine what will be opened to us. If we are knocking on a door that's connected to the symptoms of our affliction, then a door will open to more despair but when we are seeking for something better, than what we are experiencing, then a door of peace will be opened.

A person who longs for peace will not only look with their hearts but they will pursue peace through their actions. Instead of allowing the moments of despair to become out of control, with anger, anxiety, confusion and frustration; we should aim towards exchanging these feelings for peace. By doing this, we will allow God to quiet our spirits and bring us back to Him and further away from the problem.

Once we find peace; we must continue to pursue it. Each day when we rise; we should start out our day; looking for the good things that can keep peace alive within us. We may still face disturbing moments but once we seek God's peace; the stormy waves that are out of control, will once more become calm.

Jesus died, that we may have a better life; but we will only receive His peace, when we knock on Heaven's door. May we all seek for the better things that God has to offer, that they may be opened unto us.

Author Diane K Hiltz Chamberlain

I was raised in a small town in Michigan and was born with a congenital problem in both knees. I went through many surgeries, trying to correct the problem but there was never really a cure. Little did I know; that God had "branded" me at birth, for such a moment as this. Many in this world grow up and go to school or college, to get their education but that's not what God had in store for me. My education for writing came from twenty-one painful knee surgeries, heartache from sexual abuse as a child, and the loss of many things in my life, including the loss of children. As each painful moment came and as each loving desire left, God was taking all the brokenness in my life, and He was piecing it together, so I could have the heart He desired...a heart that could understand and care, for others, who live in despair.

As of this year, I have ministered, to those in need, for over 12 years and God continues to open new doors for me to walk through. Now, I am serving God full-time, as I continue to reach out to others in need, through my writings and the Diane K Chamberlain Ministry. One thing that God has taught me over the years; is that no matter what we lose out on or experience in life; He will always be there to pick up the broken pieces and fill the empty voids in our lives. At the most difficult and heartbreaking moments of my life, I have come to see; that God never abandons His own but rather, He exchanges the painful moments, for the true plan He has, for each of our lives.

Visit Diane at Risen Hope Ministries – www.risenhopeministries.com
