God is the Giver of Life!

We need to realize that we need God more than the next breath we take. If everything were gone tomorrow, He is enough. The “stuff” we obtain is nothing. The relationships we build are meaningless, if we don’t know the Lord. Without Him we are empty, because He is the giver of Life. We need to ask God to fill the empty place in our souls and build our lives according to His will, and to fulfill His purpose. 

 “Yet, indeed I also, count all things loss, for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” ~~Philippians 3:8

Whenever everything we have placed so much importance on in our life, has been stripped away, we are not left empty, and we are not poor, or desolate and alone. God is always enough. Realization of His sufficiency becomes evident, when everything else is removed. When we come to a point in our lives, when truly in our hearts, nothing else matters. Deep down in all of us, there is something that cries from our souls, that we need more; it’s more than a new car, great job, etc.

While all of those things are great, they don’t fulfill the longing within our souls. It doesn’t matter how well we have planned our lives and how many of our dreams have come true, the things in this world were not designed to fill the empty place. The space inside our souls, that longs for our Creator, Who is more than enough and all that we actually need. We attempt to question our existence, rationalize our life and evade our purpose, but sooner or later we realize it is all about God. He is our purpose, He is the reason we exist, He is Life itself and He is always enough.

 

Advertisement

Abounding Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and It is the time of year we get together with our families and friends to forget about our hectic life for a couple hours to just be thankful for what we have. A whole holiday centered on being thankful. Ironically, we are constantly surrounded by non-thankfulness. We complain about our jobs, our living conditions, our bodies and image(so many fitness magazines and style magazines) and so much more. Why can’t we just be thankful to God for everything He so graciously gives us daily? I hope and pray everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving showing your gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings He gives you. 

 

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” ~Colossians 2:6-7.

 

Paul tells us that as a Christian, we have all that we need to be thankful for through Christ. Receiving Jesus as Lord (accepting what he did for us on the cross) should eventually lead to abundant thanksgiving in our lives. Not constant complaining.

Paul describes three characteristics of the Christian walk that will lead to abundant thanksgiving:

1. Rooted – When you put your faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, you are rooted in him. Roots bring nutrition to the plant they are connected to. Your life is now being filled by Jesus and not the things of this world.

 

2. Built Up – Becoming a Christian isn’t the end of the road. We need to be continually allow Christ to build us up and increase our love and faith for him.

3. Established – The word used for established can also be translated “strengthened” as it is in the NIV. We should constantly come back to the faith we had. We should understand that our faith in Jesus, and his death on the cross, is the only thing that completely satisfies and that will never let us down.

 

These three characteristics of the Christian’s walk in Christ should lead to an abundance of thanksgiving. We shouldn’t need a day of the year to be thankful because we should have enough thankfulness to spread year round. Our thankfulness doesn’t come from our external circumstances, but from our inward and spiritual circumstance that is now right through Christ.

 

Wait with Paitence and Expectancy!

God has put dreams and desires in every person’s heart. But most times, there’s a season of waiting involved. Maybe you’re waiting for a relationship to improve; waiting to get married; waiting for a promotion, or waiting to overcome an illness. Much of life is spent waiting. But there’s a right way to wait and a wrong way to wait. Too often, when things don’t happen on our timetable, we get down and discouraged or anxious and fretful. That’s because we’re not waiting the right way. 

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.” James 5:7.

Notice that today’s verse doesn’t say if you wait; it says as you wait. The fact is that we’re all going to wait. It goes on to say that we should consider how the farmer waits — patiently and eagerly. We’re not supposed to sit around and be discouraged; we’re supposed to be hopeful, positive and full of expectancy!

Today, no matter what you are praying for, expect things to change in your favor. Today could be the day that God turns it all around. As you wait with patience and expectancy, you’ll open the door for God to move. He’ll fight your battles, and you’ll see that abundant harvest He’s promised in every area of your life.

You Can Overcome the Lie of Satan!

In my walk with the Lord and helping to minister to others I have seen many Christians fall into the traps that were set by Satan, the adversary of their soul. To fall into a trap of Satan simply means we believe a lie about ourselves, and we, therefore, remain in bondage to a demonic stronghold. A lie of Satan becomes a stronghold the moment we believe what he is telling us about a situation or a condition we are facing instead of standing on the Word of God. Remember Christ didn’t come to save us from sin so that we could die in bondage to its power. According to Luke 4:18, He was sent and anointed to set us FREE!!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Like many others, you may be in a trap of Satan today. Are you fighting a battle against something in your life that won’t seem to let go? Then you need “MORE GRACE.” This is not a cliche’. Instead, it is a truth that can set you free so that you can begin to walk out of the trap. You must not accept defeat. If you are a born-again believer, then Christ will cause you to triumph ALWAYS. The key is to turn to the Lord and submit yourself (including any doubts, fears, or unbelief) you may be holding onto in your heart. God is for you. However, you must be willing to believe and accept this truth before He can give you the power to come out completely.

Just because you have a stronghold in your life, it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. The Lord has promised that He would never leave or forsake us. Even so, we must give Jesus our full attention and cooperation in this matter. When the Holy Spirit instructs you to make the first step or to take action, you have to obey His voice and let Him take care of the details. This will require you to submit to Him and trust His instructions at all times. As you take the initial steps, doubt, fear, and unbelief will begin to scream out, “You can’t do this.” Nevertheless, don’t worry; once you obey God’s voice, it’s not you doing the work. It is God’s strength and grace flowing through you.

The more we submit by faith to God’s will and His Word, the more grace He will extend to us so that we can come out of the traps of Satan.

Let the Peace of Christ Rule in your Hearts!

Peace seems to be on everyone’s mind, which is nothing new. We want a peaceful world, a peaceful home, and a peaceful workplace – a peaceful life. I know people who would give everything they have for a few minutes of peace. Peace is an inside job and can only be found in one place – a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When we know Him, we can experience and know peace.

 

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts….”~ Colossians 3:15

Peace is the condition of wholeness and the sense of well-being that comes from knowing God and being made right in His eyes. Peace is completely dependent upon His presence in us, and His gift of eternal life. We come into this world with an ache in our soul, a longing in our heart and a deep sense of being lost. When we find God, we find home. Peace immediately takes up residence in our hearts, and we are eternally “found.”

How is the peace level in your life? I know that we live in uncertain times and can often fall prey to worry, doubt and fear. We don’t understand what is happening or why. Solutions seem scarce while problems multiply. What should we do? Stop! Take a deep breath and remember who you are and whose you are. As a born-again believer, you are a child of the King, my dear friends, and He is fully aware of your circumstances. Where you are is no surprise to Him. God often allows His children to be cast into a fiery furnace, but His hand is always on the thermostat. Stand firm in your faith and choose peace.

 

 

Please share this blog and share JESUS with another today! May God bless you!

“Blessed is the Man who Remains Steadfast under Trial!”

We are all going through the battle of our life, my friends. No one is exempt from the sufferings of this world. Whatever you are facing, there is always hope when you belong to Christ. There will be a time for your trial to end; and if you have held out in faith to the end, you will be rewarded in this life and the next.

 

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” ~ James 1:12

Why does God allow us to go through heartache and pain? It is only  in the crucible that we gain an eternal perspective of the power of the God we serve. It is there that we see that Christ does meet us in every trial causing it all to work according to his perfect plan. It is there  that we are strengthened as  he draws us near to him.

Believers who can praise Christ through the pain and keep their eyes on him no matter what storm surrounds them are proven to be the true sons and daughters  of the King. Remember the words of God in Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.” That is a promise from God.

I am praying for those who need to hear this message. May you know that your tears are not in vain. You still have hope regardless of what you are facing. This world is perishing and yet those who belong to Christ shall never be destroyed. Let him work out your problem restore your peace.  Don’t settle for the lies of the enemy. You were meant for more!

Let go and know God is in Control!

Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life — you or God. That choice is a battle. There are things in your life that you want to control. You want to make your own rules. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.” Have a wonderful day letting go and God be in control.

 “Be still, and know that I am God…”~ Psalm 46:10 

I don’t know what you’re going to face this week. You don’t, either. But I can already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go, and know that He is God. Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Let go, and know! This is the first step to serenity in your life. Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. For some of you, the more out-of-control your life gets, the harder you try to control it. Some of you do the exact opposite: You just give up! You have a pity party and invite yourself to it. Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. They don’t work. Instead of being a victim or becoming hyper controlling, you need to pray the prayer of surrender.

The number one reason you’re under stress is because you’re in conflict with God. You’re trying to control things that only God can control. You can’t control your husband or your kids or your wife or your job or your future or your past or any of that stuff. The more you do it, the more you’re trying to play God, and that puts you in opposition to God. Not only are you going to lose that conflict, but you’re also going to be tired.

Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen.

God Keeps Track of all Your Sorrows!

Do you know how important you are to God? He cares so much about every detail of your life. He cares about your thoughts, feelings and emotions. In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him that He records every sorrow and collects the tears you’ve shed.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” ~ Psalm 56:8.

Why would God record your sorrows and collect your tears? Because everything that affects you matters to Him. He is your Vindicator. He’s keeping an account of every wrong that’s ever been done to you so that He can make up for every single one of them. He wants to restore to you everything that has ever been stolen. He wants to heal every hurt and pain.

Today, know that God cares about the things that concern you. He cares about the things that hurt you. He is close to the brokenhearted, and He wants to bring you peace and comfort. Turn to Him and receive His love. Let Him bring healing to your heart and restoration to your soul.

The Power of Faith!

In the scripture for today’s word, Jesus teaches us how to release our faith so that it can work on our behalf to bring about the things that we need. Jesus told the disciples that if they had faith, they could say what they wanted to see come to pass, and then they would have it. This means that we are to speak those things that we have the faith for; and then we should expect to receive what we have spoken. Our mouths have the ability to create… this is especially true when we confess with our mouth based on what we believe in our heart.

 

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”~ Matthew 17:19-20

It’s amazing to me how faith can be so tiny, and yet be so powerful that if it is used effectively can move something as massive as a mountain. Nevertheless, that is exactly what Jesus said, and He didn’t exaggerate. This tells us that faith is powerful. Therefore, when we declare those things that we need to happen in our lives, we must stand in faith.

Furthermore, when we choose to respond to a negative report or a bad situation in faith, we are empowered to move forward to victory over the enemy that has attacked us. In other words, faith will help us walk “out of” problems that might otherwise try to hold us captive. Instead of accepting an evil report as the final word for this season of our lives, we must choose to stand on God’s Word in faith and trust in God’s plan to bring us through victoriously.

If you’ve hit a seemingly impossible situation, and everything in your soul is telling you that it won’t pass, then make a conscious decision to stand by faith. Many Christians are living in bondage to past situations simply because they don’t know how to “choose to respond” by faith and walk out of the pit of hopelessness. If you see yourself as more than a conqueror through Christ, you will be more than a conqueror. Faith works, but you have to work it!

Perseverance will carry you to the promise.

What are you believing God for today? Promotion? Healing? Stronger relationships? Deliverance? God has promised all these things to you in His Word because it’s His heart for you to live in blessing and wholeness. When you follow the will of God by obeying His Word and precepts, it opens the door for His promises to be fulfilled in your life. You may be doing all the right things today — don’t give up! Perseverance will carry you to the promise.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised” ~~ Hebrews 10:36

Perseverance means that you are focused, that you are believing what God says about your situation. It’s looking away from distractions and any negative, defeating thoughts. Perseverance looks away from discouragement and looks to the Word of God. Perseverance has a voice, and it says things like, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper! If God is for me, who can be against me! I am more than a conqueror through Jesus!” Whatever you are believing for today, keep believing! Stand strong and fight the good fight of faith. Ask God to give you endurance, perseverance and patience so that you can see His promises fulfilled in every area of your life!