Wait quietly before God, for our Hope is in Him!

In this psalm David pours out his heart to God, describing his difficulties, the enemies that are trying to kill him, and the lies and curses others have spoken against him. But on the battlefield of life, in the midst of every trouble, David has a Godward focus. He is honest about his complaints and problems, but he has purposed to direct his gaze to the God of all faithfulness, putting his trust in the One who alone is his rock, salvation, fortress, and refuge. 

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.” ~~Psalm 62:5-8

 

We too, like David then can wait quietly before God when we put our hope, and our very life, in the Lord’s hands. We can’t trust in human nature because it is no more secure than a breath. We can’t put our hope in riches because wealth will not save us. Our hope, confidence, and trust need to be solely in the Lord Almighty. If, like David, we are waiting for God to act when we are in the midst of trouble, we can wait frantically or impatiently. But to wait quietly in hope takes a deep confidence in knowing the One we are waiting for. He will never disappoint us.

 

Have you ever felt like David? Surrounded on every side by troubles, feeling like you need a refuge in the middle of an angry storm? Then do what David did: “Wait quietly before God”. Place all your hope in Him, He is in control no matter how out of control you may feel. When you recognize that, then you can wait patiently as he works through the situation. No matter what comes your way, God is your rock, your salvation, your fortress where you will not be shaken. Run to His fortress and wait there. You can trust him to care for you, no matter how fierce the storm may be.

Have a wonderful Christ-centered day.

 

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Surrendering to the Lord!

The heart of worship is surrender. Surrender is an unpopular word, disliked almost as much as the word submission. It implies losing, and no one wants to be a loser. Yet, the Bible teaches us that rather than trying to win, succeed, overcome, and conquer, we should instead yield, submit, obey, and surrender.

 

“Give yourselves to God … surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.” ~~Romans 6:13 

 

And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship. This is true worship: bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves completely to him.

Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience, cooperating with your Creator. You say “Yes, Lord” to whatever he asks of you. In fact, “No, Lord” is a contradiction. You can’t claim Jesus as your Lord when you refuse to obey him. God is not a cruel slave driver or a bully who uses brute force to coerce us into submission. He doesn’t try to break our will, but woos us to himself, so that we might offer it freely to him. God is a lover and a liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage. When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is not a tyrant but a savior; not a boss, but a brother; not a dictator, but a friend.

Have a wonderful day in the presence of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give your plans to God!

The thing is… God WILL determine our steps. Whether we ask Him to or not. He loves us and wants what’s best for us. I’d much rather work with Him than against Him along the way! I’d much rather learn the easy way than the hard way about just what it is and where it is that He desires to take me. That being said, remember that God knows your heart. He often will use and direct you to things in which you are gifted at or where your natural personality leans. He just may “tweak” how you get there! “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” ~~Proverbs 16:9

As you meditate upon the desires of your heart you come up with certain plans and ambitions for your life. While these plans do not always result in the perfect plan for your life, you must understand that if your heart is right towards God, this is just one of the ways that God can use to direct your steps.

One of the most important things you can do is to ensure that your heart is right before God. If you have a heart that is right towards God, then God can move on your heart to give you certain desires and ambitions. As you learn to delight in the Lord, God will direct your steps in accordance with the desires that HE has already given to you.

However, if your heart is not right towards God, Satan will try to control your heart with things that are not pleasing towards God. As you start praying for the things that Satan has filled your heart with, God will not direct your steps that direction and you will be disappointed and discouraged that God is not answering your prayers.

Remember that it is God who created your heart, why should you be surprised when God uses the desires of your heart to give you direction regarding the way that you are to go. If you spend your time ensuring that your heart is pure towards HIM, maybe the Lord has already given you the direction that you are to go based upon the desires of your heart. Maybe you already know what the Lord desires you to do and as you pursue that path, God will start opening doors.

What are the desires of your heart? Start pursuing the desires of your heart to see if this is the direction that God has for you. God may have already given you the direction you need to start preparing so HE can start opening the doors in your life. You do not know when God is going to open the door for you to start seeing the fulfillment of the desires of your heart, but you can start preparing now to ensure that you are ready to be used of God as HE has already directed you.

If you would like to see that the desires of your heart are fulfilled, then you must first take the time to ensure that your heart is right towards God. You must daily spend time drawing closer to God so you learn to hear HIS still small voice. As you spend time adding to your knowledge of the ways of God, God will be able to use your heart to start directing your path long before you actually receive the direction to go and serve HIM in a certain way.

So give your plans over to God and seek Him in your quest to fulfill your life’s dreams and longings.

Setbacks

Recovering from pain and disappointments of any kind is not something that just happens to some people and not to others.  It is a decision!  You make a decision to let go and move on.  You gather up the fragments and give them to Jesus and He will make sure nothing is wasted. ¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ~ John 6:12

You refuse to think about what you have lost or what you have not, but instead you inventory what you have left and what you have now and begin using it.  Not only can you recover, but you can also be used to help others recover and pass along the lessons you have learned.  Be a living example of a confident person who always recovers from setbacks no matter how difficult or frequent they are.  You can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens you because you are an overcomer in Him. 

Have a blessed day in the presence of the Lord!  God bless you!  and remember God loves you more than anything or anyone in this world ever could.  Put your faith and trust in Him for He will not hold anything good back from His children.  His promises are for everyone!

Your Life!

Anyone who has walked with Jesus for any period of time knows this journey will be sprinkled with joys and struggles. There will be times of peace along with times of turbulence. That is the way of this world. But Jesus remains in happiness and in grief. When we have Him, we can get through anything. There are times when we are on top of the world jumping for joy over His blessings. And there will be times when we cling to Him for dear life because every ounce of hope has been stripped away. Through it all Jesus is right there with us.

“He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” ~ 1 John 5:12

Jesus came that we may have “the life”, eternal life. His motivation was a love stronger than any other love. And His desire is for a relationship with us. He cares and wants to rejoice with us when life is good. He wants to walk with us through the deepest valleys of our journey. Sometimes, He gently lifts us into His arms when we are too weak. He never leaves because He loves us.

I don’t know where you are in your walk. I don’t know if life is gliding along with ease, or if this is the most difficult time in your life. What I do know, is that Jesus came to walk with you in this life. He will never forsake you. He will never withhold His love from you. There is no sin greater than His grace. He wants to know you, love you and care for you. He wants you to have “the life”.

Have a  blessed day in the presence of the Lord.

 

When our Faith Wavers!

If we believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually waver in our prayers? Instead of exercising bold faith, we come to the Lord “hoping” He will hear us and answer our requests, but we’re just not sure He will. With this kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from Him.

 ^“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” ~~James 1:5-8

One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and preparing us to receive what He wants to give. Another cause for uncertainty is ignorance. If we don’t know God’s ways, we will be disappointed in His response. All too often our prayers are accompanied by expectations of how He will work. When He fails to intervene according to our timetable or anticipated method, we start to doubt. But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways gives us stability as we wait for His answer.

To overcome doubts, spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways. Then you’ll begin to grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He goes about it. Examine your past from a biblical perspective—faith will grow as you see the unexpected ways He answered your prayers.

Have a wonderful day in the Lord’s presence.

 

God doesn’t waste anything!

It’s comforting to know that God doesn’t waste anything. Every piece – broken, incomplete or whole – in the collections of our lives is made beautiful and significant in His hands. Just think about this story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 hungry people in John 6. Once everyone was fed, it seemed the story would end, but Jesus had one more lesson to teach. He instructed the disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted” (John 6:12b). It wasn’t enough for Jesus to feed the people until they were full. He wanted every last crumb collected.

There’s nothing that escapes the notice of God. Everything matters to Him. Not only does it matter, but if you are His child(a born-again believer), He promises that every part of your life will be used for your good and His glory.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This verse tells us that God uses our grief, our joy, our loss, our gain, our trials and our triumphs. Nothing is wasted.

Today may hold hard things for you—a sick child, a difficult day at work, an unforgiving friend. Or it may hold beautiful things—a new love, a chat with an old friend, a job promotion. Either way, we can trust God that He is collecting the pieces of our life in His hand and creating something more beautiful than we can imagine.

Have a wonderful Christ-centered day.

Dear Lord, we trust You with every circumstance and moment of our precious lives. Help us to see glimpses of how You are making our lives beautiful for You. we trust that You don’t waste anything, but You use everything. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Our Help comes from The Lord!

Where do you turn in your time of need? Are you surveying friends and relatives as to which path you should take regarding your situation? Or are you turning to our Creator Almighty God, for wisdom and strength to fight the enemy that has invaded your mind at this time? 

 

“I look up to the mountains, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” ~ Psalm 121:1-2

 

It is comforting to know that we have the Lord as our helper. Each day has it own circumstances and challenges and sometimes we get perplexed and anxious. How good it is to know that we have the Lord with us and nothing is too big for him. Let us keep looking to Him for help each step of the way. Regardless of your situation today, a mere word spoken into your circumstance can and will make a way where there seems to be no way. Not only is He our Waymaker, He’s the source of our strength, He’s the strength of our life, He’s holy, wonderful, marvelous, glorious, magnificent and righteous, and mighty! 

Lord, our circumstances at times seem to overwhelm us and we fall short. We worry, fret, and allow fear to take hold in our heart. Father, help us remember that You ARE the strength of our lives. You ARE the source of our strength. Help us hold onto your unchanging hand as we walk through these next days together. Lord, we lift our heart to You in total praise. There is nothing too difficult for You, and that’s why we can say without reservation, “My help comes from the Lord!” Amen.

Have a Wonderful day in His Presence.

Putting God First!

To the human mind, it sometimes seems easier to run ahead of God, and then just pray that He protects us from the consequences of our own ways. Nonetheless, when we trust in our personal wisdom, and we follow our desires over God’s will, our lives become chaotic. Chaos and confusion aren’t from God, but are the result of our flesh being in control of our decisions in life. When God is given preeminence in our hearts, He will bring order into our lives. 

 

“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” ~~James 4:6-8

 

Even though God has given us freewill, willpower is no match to the spiritual power that Satan can exert over us when we run from the plan that God has for us. We may be able to say “no” to Satan for a while in our own strength, but eventually we will wear down and give into his devices. Therefore, we have to realize and acknowledge that we’re in desperate need of God’s grace so that we can overcome the spiritual struggles we face.  Does your life have order and structure? Do you put God first in your life? There is a direct correlation between running from God’s authority and experiencing chaos in our lives. In order for life to exist and produce, be fruitful and multiply, there has to be a healthy environment. God’s Word sets the structure into place, which allows life to exist and flourish. Placing God first is simply an act of your will that involves your heart. However, before we can place God as number one in our lives, we will have to love Him more than this world or its pleasures. Therefore, if you’ve been running from God, and now you’re running from Satan, then stop, submit to God, and you will have the power to resist the Devil and watch him run from you.

Have a wonderful day in His presence.

 

Trusting in God’s Loving Care!

There is no such thing as a problem-free life. You just have to learn to have peace in the middle of your problems, or you’re never going to have peace — period. As soon as one pops up and you deal with it, another one is going to take its place.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~~Philippians 4:6-7 

So, why is your life just one problem after another? There are three reasons:

First, Adam choked. He blew it. He and Eve gave into temptation and allowed sin to come into the world, and we’re all paying the consequences. We live in a fallen world. Second, you have an enemy, and his name is Satan. He wants to mess with your mind, your family, your health, your finances — particularly if you are a follower of Christ and you’re trying to do the right thing. On top of all that, you make your own mistakes. Most of the problems and pain in your life comes from your own poor decisions, believe me I made my share of them. When we make dumb decisions,though forgiven when we repent, we pay the penalties. But sometimes the pain in your life is no one’s fault. Sometimes there’s a problem in your life so that the work of God may be displayed in your life. Regardless of why you have the problem that’s unsolvable, unchangeable, unexplainable, or uncontrollable, whether it came from the world, the devil, or yourself, you still need the same response every time — trust in the loving care of God.

Have a wonderful day in the presence of the Lord.