My grace is sufficient for you!

​Someone has said, “God always answers our prayers, either by giving us what we ask for or by giving us something even better.” In Paul’s case, God gave him something even better. Paul was afflicted with what he described as “a thorn in the flesh” — it was something that caused him constant pain. It was such a deep-felt difficulty that he took it fervently to God in prayer, three times pleading to have his suffering taken away. I hope and pray this messages will strengthen and encourage you today. Have a wonderful as you remain in His presence and that His grace is sufficient for you. Love you all. 

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

The verse above is God’s answer to Paul. But how was this an answer to prayer? God didn’t remove Paul’s painful burden. In fact, God told Paul that he wouldn’t remove it at all. But God’s answer to Paul’s prayer was even better: my grace is sufficient for you.

Notice God didn’t say, “My grace is sufficient for this difficulty;” God said “My grace is sufficient for you, Paul.” Paul asked for deliverance from one ordeal, but God guaranteed him grace for every trial, throughout his life.

And, although Paul would still experience much suffering, God reminded him that this simply gave him an even greater opportunity to exalt the name of Christ. My strength, God declared, is even more evident when you are helpless. Therefore, this struggle is an opportunity for you to fulfill your purpose as a Christian, more than you ever could in a pain-free life. My friends rest assured that God’s grace is still sufficient, and that His power is still being manifested through the difficulties you face in your life. What a marvelous answer to prayer this is!

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“Not my will, but yours be done.”

​Someone has said that these words of Jesus are the most difficult—and most important—words that we can learn in any language:  yet not my will, but yours be done.” To say these words sincerely and from the heart takes conviction, courage, and faith. It means trusting that God really is wiser than you are and really does love you more than you love yourself. It means trusting, like Jesus trusted, in the perfect wisdom of God. I hope you have an amazing day as you remain in His presence. Love you all. 

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  Luke 22:42

Although Jesus’ will was always in perfect harmony with His Father’s (John 6:38-39), ours often is not. The things that we assume would make us happy and contended He seems to withhold from us at times, and the things we seek to avoid are the very things that He frequently allows into our lives.

Is there some sickness, heartache, pain, instability, demotion, or tension that you are facing at the moment? Rather than looking for the nearest exit from your trial—by whatever means you can devise—turn to God first and take your need to Him in prayer. The same God who created your world can certainly sustain, heal, strengthen, and direct your life.

Pray for deliverance; pray for strength; pray for direction… and pray, “Not my will, but Thine, be done.” These words are difficult, because they hand the most precious parts of our life over to God. But they are liberating, because they recognize that we are in God’s hands anyway and, if we understood the situation perfectly, we would certainly want whatever God wants for us.

Dear believer, there is no prayer (outside, of course, a prayer for something that is already revealed in God’s Word as sinful) that you cannot take to God with these precious words:  yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Take delight in the Lord!

​Good morning everyone! I was led to this passage and message for everyone to reflect on. Maybe you are weary as you read this. You might be tired of seeing everyone succeed and get the answers to their prayers while you wait. You might be frustrated watching other people make it when you know that they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Another day, another month, another year, and even though you might not utter the words aloud, you start to wonder if God even cares about any of the things that are in your heart. If this is where you are i hope this message will minister to your heart. Have a wonderful as you continue to trust God completely. Love you all. 

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes…those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:4-9 

But when you have those feelings in your heart and when you start to feel as if the desires of your heart are nothing but fleeting dreams, hold tight to these verses.

This passage of scripture doesn’t mean that everything will turn just the way you expect it to. This doesn’t mean that when you take delight in the Lord, all of your earthly desires will begin to manifest and all of your enemies and foes will start to fail one by one. What it means is that taking delight in the Lord, He will provide above and beyond your expectations. He will give you more than you could ever ask. When you trust and obey Him and don’t let the weariness and worry rule your life, your life will begin to change.

Yes I know in your flesh It’s hard to watch people around you achieve success and you are not. It’s hard to end another year having not reached the goals you set out to reach in this past January. It’s hard to have another birthday and all you can think about is how much older you’re getting and how much time you’re losing. But you know what’s even harder? Walking through all of that alone. It’s even harder to let that stuff get to your core and not take it to your Heavenly Father. So whatever season you’re in, take delight in Him. Take delight in the One who gives you everything you need and more

He is our Refuge and our Fortress!

​The psalmist says of God that He is his Refuge and his Fortress – a God he can really trust! What about you? What about me? What are we saying of the Lord? We need to speak aloud the goodness of our God. He is a faithful God. He is the Source of all blessings; the very Source of all goodness in our lives. He is our Refuge and our Fortress. We need to acknowledge God and make verbal confessions about His goodness an essential part of our personal fellowship with Him. Have a wonderful day in the presence of the Lord. Love you all.

 

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

We are on the battlefield every day. We are faced with dangers every day, and everywhere. Only God knows what traps the enemy has laid to bring diseases, accidents, violence, evil and destruction to our lives and to the lives of those we love. But our good Lord has promised that even though “the wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him, the Lord will not leave him in his hand” (Psalm 37:32, 33). Our faithful God has promised that He would be “a shield to those who put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). He can be a shield to someone we pray about because of our faith!

May this day be a day that you will find confidence in the promises of God provided in His Word. When it seems as though you’re surrounded by enemies, remember that your God is your Refuge and your Fortress. Put your full trust in His unfailing strength because He has already won this fight with the enemy. You can rest in the assurance that if you need defending, He will defend you. If you need protection, He will protect you. If you need courage, your God will encourage you! 

When We Fail!

​I know what lots of people do. They beat themselves up with guilt and shame. They tell themselves what a loser they are. They heap condemnation on their heads and walk around in defeat mode. That is not the thing God wants us to do when we fail. Even the righteous person, even the one who desires to do right and please God, that one falls, fails and blows it—not once or twice but seven times (over and over and over again). Have a wonderful as you remain in His presence and that His grace is sufficient for you. Love you all. 

 

“For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked  stumble in time of calamity.”  Proverbs 24:16

 

Now, the devil will tell you when you fall, “Give up! Throw in the towel and quit!  You will never walk in victory over this anger, this worry, this bitterness, this lust, this greed, this addiction, this whatever.  You are a loser and a failure and a major disappointment to God.”  Have you ever heard those words play in your head? Well, the good news is this: “The devil is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

 

When we fall, God never says, “Give up.” God says, “Get up!  Rise again!  Confess that sin; get it out of your heart and under My blood.  Take my hand, and let’s walk together.  Keep looking to Me, and we will slay this giant in your life.” WE CAN’T DO IT ALONE … AND WE DON’T HAVE TO.

My friends, you and I do not have the power to change our hearts, but God does. He can change your sinful desires. He can give you a heart that beats for Him and His righteousness. He can clean you up and set you on a path of joy, peace and victory. The little poem I like says, “I can’t … He never said I could. He will … He always said He would.”

 

If you have fallen, will you quit beating yourself down over your failures and start looking up?  Will you open your eyes and see a Savior who loves you, who has a nail-scarred hand stretched out to you, who says to you, “Will you take My hand, and walk with Me?”  What is your answer to Him.

Don’t let anyone Steal Your CHRISTmas!

​Without a doubt, CHRISTmas is to be a time of GREAT JOY. On that first CHRISTmas night, the angel announced to the shepherds “good news of a great joy.” The Savior has come!!  WOW!!  Those shepherds were so excited. That announcement changed their lives forever. They were filled with joy and wonder and praise. At CHRISTmas time, are you filled with joy and wonder and praise?  Or has the devil, the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy, stolen those things from you?  If so, there is still time to get it back! Have a wonderfully day as you allow the joy of the Lord to be your strength this CHRISTMAS. Love you all. 

Think about the angel’s announcement, “There has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” What does that really mean for you and me?

1.  The Savior has come to save you from a dark past. So many people are suffering with intense guilt over bad things they have done in the past. The devil beats them to death with shame and guilt. But be beaten no longer!  All the terrible, horrible things you have done are no match for the Savior’s blood that He shed for you on the cross. The moment you confess those sins to God and repent of them, you are forgiven!!  Remember what the Savior said to Peter, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15).

2.  The Savior has come to save you from an empty present. Many people are surviving and not really living. Jesus came at CHRISTmas not to fill your empty stocking, but to fill your empty life! He has a purpose and a plan for you. Come to Him. Surrender to Him. Let Him lead you. He wants to bring you joy and peace, regardless of your circumstances. He wants to use your life to make a difference in others, a difference that will last for all eternity. It makes life worth living to know that everyday is an exciting adventure with the Lord, an opportunity to touch another person with the love and joy of Jesus.

3.  The Savior has come to save you from a hopeless future. Everyone without God is without hope. No one comes to the Father without the Savior, Jesus Christ. But now He has come, and we can really know Him personally, and we can be assured of His presence and provision while we live … and His heaven when we die. Paul said, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). WOW!  What a future is in store for the child of God!

My friends do not let the devil steal from you and your Christmas time any longer! The Savior has come, and He has come for you! Receive the good news and rejoice in the truth!

When my Heart is Overwhelmed

​No matter where we are, no matter how far we are from home, we can cry to Him for help and God will hear our cry. Wherever we are, we have access to the throne of grace where we will find help in the time of need. That’s a promise, one that will lead us to the Rock every time there’s a need.That which separates us from our other comforts should drive us so much the nearer to God, the fountain of all comfort. Even when we are around strange surroundings. God never abandons us. His all-surpassing strength is always with us. Have a wonderful day as you remain in the presence of the towering rock of safety. Love you all. 

When my Heart is Overwhelmed, Lord lead me to the Towering Rock of Safety!

“From the ends of the earth will I cry to you for help, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the towering rock of safety.” Psalm 61:2

No matter how overwhelmed our heart may feel at times, it must be lifted up to God in prayer. There is no other solution for life’s problems, and He’s always there with arms opened wide; many times He’s waiting for us just to ask for His help.

The next time you’re at the end of your rope, or your circumstances seem to be swallowing you up, or problems are overwhelming you, be sure to run to Him in prayer . . . no amount of wishing and hoping and positive thinking will rescue you like the arm of the Most High reaching down and guiding you to the path of deliverance from your situation.

Remember, if He leads you to the rock (and He will), you will be on top of your problems and see your circumstances from a far different perspective. This Rock is Christ, and we are safe if we are in Him.

Lord God, thank You for reminding us that You are always near, that we can, at any moment, reach out to You and You will concern Yourself about our business. Father, at times there are many that are reading this that feel overwhelmed, but I thank You and praise You for the assurance that there is a Rock that is higher than we are. It is Your desire to meet our every need regardless of where we are, what the situation is, and how difficult the circumstances are. Lord, thank You for all You’ve done . . . Amen!

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.

How do I maintain my hope in the midst of adversity?

​God’s grace is sufficient for whatever you’re facing. If you’ll draw near to Him, suffering will ultimately bear spiritual fruit in your life and in the lives of others. As part of the Father’s divine plan, you can experience hope and joy, regardless of your circumstances. 

Remember, my dear friends, if you are in Christ, no one can steal your hope. Satan wants to destroy your hope and have you despairing. No matter how extensive the ruins surrounding you, stop surveying the landscape through earthy eyes and ask the Lord to open your the eyes of your heart, so that you can see your life and the adversity you are facing through the eyes of hope. 

Have you ever felt ignored by God? Have you wondered why others are blessed, while the Lord continues to allow suffering, disappointment, and hardship in your life?

Scripture records the stories of faithful believers who were able to maintain their hope in the midst of painful circumstances. The apostle Paul is a perfect example. He experienced persecution, beatings, unfair trials, imprisonment, and sickness, among other frustrations. Let’s explore what he discovered about rising above adversity.

Fulfillment in life does not hinge on our circumstances. A change in scenery will never bring lasting joy. Some people believe that personal contentment is linked to one’s circumstances. Consequently, when they become frustrated with life, they might quit their job, sell their house, divorce their spouse, or buy a new car. A little while later, they begin to feel unsatisfied again. Have you ever believed a certain circumstance would bring you contentment, and then been disappointed when it arrived and didn’t satisfy? Describe the situation and how you felt. From this experience, what did you learn and how can you apply that to your current circumstances?

God can show us how to be satisfied, regardless of our circumstances, if we will rely on Him. When we don’t find our joy in the Lord, we’ll spend the majority of our time trying to improve circumstances (or escape trial) rather than serving Christ.  Having experienced all that, why did Paul say he was content? Read 2 Corinthians 12:10 and Romans 15:13.

God’s grace is sufficient during adversity. A. Paul discovered that God’s power is most evident when we are weak. God did not remove Paul’s thorn. But what the Lord gave him was far better in the long run. God granted Paul the grace he needed to endure his hardship victoriously (2 Corinthians 12:9). Weakness forces us to depend on God’s power.

Lonely but not being Alone!

​Some of you reading this at times in your life you have felt very lonely. Jesus described this scenario of being left alone, but not being alone. He verbalized to His disciples how they were about to be scattered and how Jesus would be left by Himself to face His accusers. In Christ’s greatest time of need those He needed most fled from His presence. As Jesus faced His arrest, trial and death the disciples’ fear superseded their loyalty to Christ. Jesus was left alone by many who loved Him the most, yet He was not alone. His Father was with Him. Loneliness can strike down the most devout followers of the Lord, but they are not alone. 

“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” John 16:32

Have you been left alone by those you thought would never leave you? Have life’s pressures driven people from your presence? If you are in a season of loneliness, do not be surprised if some do not remain with you. Friends can be fickle when you face adversity. Family can grow silent when they don’t know what to say. In fact, it is during your hardest times that you learn who loves you the most. Do not fall into a pit of pity. Rise above self pity with your focus on your heavenly Father. When you get down, let God’s grace get you up. You are not alone when the Lord is with you!

It’s in our loneliness that the Lord can become the most real. Our aloneness is our opportunity for authenticity. We see our true faith when solitude strips away the trappings of trust. As long as we are sucked in by stuff’s distractions and the world’s noise, we become deaf to the deeper things of God. Our spiritual ears eventually close when waxed by constant stimulation. Hence loneliness, especially during painful periods, is our divine appointment to commune with Christ. Trust learned at this level of desperation is not soon forgotten. We may be lonely, but we are not alone!