God, Search My Heart!

There are times our hearts are filled with anxiety and worry, and we can’t find any peace. The stress and struggle of daily living clouds our souls, and we find ourselves losing sight of God and His plan for our life. When that happens, many times we find ourselves drawing away from God and retreating inside ourselves. But that’s not where God wants us to be. I hope this message will minister to you when your heart is filled with anxiety, worry and you can’t find any peace.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and led me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24

It’s very important to open up to God, even in the midst of our pain and confusion. His Spirit reveals the darkness of our souls, and when we see what lies inside of us, we can confess it to Him, and He has promised to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Once we face what God is revealing to us, we can move forward into His grace and love, and discover His peace, the peace that passes understanding. Opening up to God is a frightening thing to do, but He already knows what lies inside us. Nothing we ever think, feel or do is hidden from Him, and to try to hide it from Him or deny our feelings is a bit ridiculous and shortsighted. He created each one of us and He knows everything we’ve ever done and ever will do….and you know what? He loves us anyway!

We can trust Him to bring healing and peace into our lives when we allow Him to search our hearts…He has promised to lead us in the way everlasting, and He keeps His promises. Open yourself up to Him today – it’s hard, but it’s not a risk, because He loves you and has promised to forgive you.

#giveGodtheGlory

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Finding Hope!

When we’re battling difficult circumstances, how do our friends respond? Usually with encouraging words like, “I’ll be hoping for the best ” or, “hopefully things turn around soon”. They hope for the best on our behalf. However, hope isn’t a verb. It’s not something we can do for ourselves, let alone decide to do on a whim for someone else. Then where do we find hope? I hope this message will remind you where to place your hope, In the One who is the God of hope.

We find hope in God’s presence. When life feels out of control, turn to Him in prayer. “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone (Psalm 62:6–7).”

We find hope in God’s promise—His living Word. “My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word (Psalm 119:81).”

We find hope in God’s process, which almost never matches our own human understanding. Even in our pain, God is at work sewing things together for good. This may not translate to our comfort, it’s meant to conform us to be more like Christ (Romans 8:28). God uses our struggles to produce endurance, which produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3–5).

We find hope in God’s purpose for our lives. Every single one of us has been created with a divine plan in mind. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’ (Jeremiah 29:11).”

And finally, we find hope in the promise of things yet to come. In John 14:1–2, Christ says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”

Hope is not something we do, it’s something we possess; gifted to us by God’s unending grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope is the anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19) and without it, we’re incomplete (Proverbs 13:12).

Are you hopeful? If not, are there areas of your life that you’re not fully trusting the Lord?

More than a Conqueror

We need to thank the Lord that He has given us power, in the Holy Spirit, to overcome adversity, discouragement, and every spiritual attack that besets us, and to take our eyes off our past defeats and look to His love and the power of His resurrection available to us today. Remember today we are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us..” Romans 8:37

In this passage of scripture, Paul is not here referring to just his own victory over the problems he personally faced in life. He said WE are more than conquerors. Each one of us as believers can be more than conquerors, regardless of the battle or circumstances we face in life. We can have the same testimony and experience of victory as Paul. This conquering power – the ability to overcome, defeat, and control – comes not by our own ability but through the grace and power of the one that loved us. As we rely fully on Jesus Christ, we too can experience this supreme victory in our daily lives.

God does not want us to come through the battles so worn and beaten up that we can’t enjoy the victory. Thank the Lord, we can come out of the battles just like the scripture says: MORE THAN CONQUERORS. We can face the trials of the day with praise in heart in knowing that we can and will overcome.

Today see yourself coming against all the difficulties that you are having. See Jesus right there with you giving you the strength, courage and skills to overcome all your foes. Feel the joy of victory. Sense the confidence in knowing that with Jesus you are more than a conqueror. Let the peace and joy from knowing that God loves you and helps you in your hardest time, fill your heart. Proclaim out loud, “I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!”

Fran “Hope” Johnson, Artist

https://www.facebook.com/artistfortheLord/

Grace

I thought the Christian life was going to be easier than this. Have these words ever entered your mind? Sometimes we come into the family of God thinking that our heavenly Father will fix all our problems and devote Himself to our happiness and comfort. However, that is not the reality portrayed in Scripture. Paul was a man whom the Lord used greatly, and yet his life was anything but easy.

My grace is sufficient for you!

 

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 

In fact, at one point, the apostle thought his pain was too much to bear, and he begged God to remove it. There’s nothing wrong with asking the Lord to relieve our suffering, but what should our response be if He doesn’t? Paul probably had no idea that His experience would find its way into the Bible, to comfort and guide believers throughout the ages. The promise God gave him applies to us as well: “My grace is sufficient for you” 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

God’s grace could be defined as His provision for us at the point of our need. The problem is that sometimes it doesn’t seem as if the Lord truly is meeting our need. But He frequently sees deficiencies, outcomes, and complications that we don’t. His goals for us involve spiritual growth, the development of Christ like character, and strong faith. And trials play a vital role in achieving these.

 

The important issue is how we respond. If all you want is relief, you could descend into anger and doubt. But if your desire is to become the person God wants you to be, you’ll see each trial as an opportunity for Christ to display His character and strength in you.

 Have a wonderful day remembering that His grace is sufficient for you. Please share this blog with others and I pray it will bring encouragement in the Lord that they need, that we all need!

We are more than Conquerors through Him who Loved us.

We need to thank the Lord that He has given us power, in the Holy Spirit, to overcome adversity, discouragement, and every spiritual attack that besets us, and to take our eyes off our past defeats and look to His love and the power of His resurrection available to us today. Remember today we are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us..” Romans 8:37

In this passage of scripture, Paul is not here referring to just his own victory over the problems he personally faced in life. He said WE are more than conquerors. Each one of us as believers can be more than conquerors, regardless of the battle or circumstances we face in life. We can have the same testimony and experience of victory as Paul. This conquering power – the ability to overcome, defeat, and control – comes not by our own ability but through the grace and power of the one that loved us. As we rely fully on Jesus Christ, we too can experience this supreme victory in our daily lives.

God does not want us to come through the battles so worn and beaten up that we can’t enjoy the victory. Thank the Lord, we can come out of the battles just like the scripture says: MORE THAN CONQUERORS. We can face the trials of the day with praise in heart in knowing that we can and will overcome.

Today see yourself coming against all the difficulties that you are having. See Jesus right there with you giving you the strength, courage and skills to overcome all your foes. Feel the joy of victory. Sense the confidence in knowing that with Jesus you are more than a conqueror. Let the peace and joy from knowing that God loves you and helps you in your hardest time, fill your heart. Proclaim out loud, “I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!”

View Adversity from God’s Perspective!

God uses adversity to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ. So why not tell the Lord, “Lord, I don’t like it, but by faith I rejoice that You are up to something good in my life”? Ask Him to reveal what He’s teaching you in the midst of your trial. Then, look for Scripture that encourages you and helps you focus on His truth. When we’re facing a trial in our lives, the last thing we want is someone telling us to rejoice! But, James is not telling us to be joyous because of the trial. James assumes that his readers are committed to spiritual growth. When they understand that trials lead to more spiritual growth, he knows they’ll rejoice because of the end result—growth! The testing of our faith produces endurance. Endurance is a maturing factor. The term “perfect” carries with it the idea of maturity. When people are forced to endure hardship, they mature in some fashion.

“Dear brother and sisters, consider it all joy, when troubles come your way. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” –James 1:2-4

James warns us there is a way to interrupt this maturing process. He instructs his readers to “let endurance have its perfect result.” The implication is that by reacting to adversity incorrectly, we short-circuit the maturing process. I know of several people who are mad at God because of some adversity that has come their way. The tragedy in each case is that they have put themselves on the sidelines spiritually. You may be thinking, That’s ridiculous. How could anyone be so enthusiastic about growing spiritually as to rejoice when confronted with adversity? If that’s your attitude, this passage is for you:

James realized it would sound strange to tell people to rejoice in the midst of trials. So, he followed it up by saying, “Hey, if you find that hard to accept, ask the Lord to make it clear to you.” That’s what He means by asking for wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to see things from God’s perspective.

Many of us have trouble accepting this connection between adversity and growth. It is hard for us to accept that God is so intent on bringing us to maturity that He’s willing to let us suffer. But, in His economy, adversity is a small price to pay for the benefits of spiritual growth.

As we study the passages such as this one we will find the real issue becomes clear to us. Are we going to take God at His word and begin viewing adversity from His perspective? Are you persevering? Are you enduring? Or, are you resisting? Are you mad at God for what He’s doing? My friends, God wants to use adversity to mature you to the point where your character becomes a mirror image of Christ’s.

Standing Firm on the Word!

When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don’t quit. More, now than ever before, you need to stand firm in your faith. With all the corruption in this world and temptations alluring us away, you need to stand firm. These times we live in now are so difficult. But no matter what the world says, no matter how right it may sound, we need to stand firm in the faith. Love you all in Christ.

 “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous! Be Strong!” 1 Corinthians 16:13

There are times when you want to give up and give in. There are pressures from the forces of darkness trying to twist you and turn you. The power of evil lurks behind you and whispers in your ear. The power of evil tries to directly crush your spirit with an in-your-face assault.  However, at this minute, as you read these words, Christ Jesus is standing next to you. Christ pours out His spirit of strength, encouragement, and sustaining power upon you.

At this very minute, as you read these words, Christ Jesus is calling upon you to hold fast and not give in. Jesus knows the reality of Heaven is just ahead of you. Jesus can see the golden rays of heaven made ready to wrap their splendor around you. Your crucial battle in this present darkness can be won not only by your human will, but also by turning your human will toward God’s will. There are many costs to standing firm for Christ. However, there is no cost greater than the cost He paid for you upon the Cross. Because He did so much, He knows you can stand firm and never ever give in.

No matter what life may throw your way, don’t quit looking to our Lord for your strength. Today in prayer, thank Jesus that in Him you can stand in faith and never be shaken.

 

My Hope is in You Jesus!

I have felt for a long time that the biggest problem we have in the world today is there are so many people who have lost hope. There seems to be so many hurts, problems, sicknesses, troubles, financial woes, family problems, world issues, political concerns, etc. It seems the world has no hope. Apart from God, it is an awful, hopeless place. But with God’s help, we can make it. I want you to know that whatever situation you find yourself in at this moment, there is hope. You may not be able to see or feel the hope, but it is there for you. How do we find the hope? There is only one place where hope can be found, and that is in Jesus Christ.

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7

Trust God. He wants you to trust Him. You need to agree with God about your situation. What does God say about who you are and what His will is for your life? Don’t go by your feelings. Instead we should remind ourselves that God only has plans for us that are good. Jeremiah helps us remember what God has to say about us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

We do not need to be disappointed and feel alone. We can have hope! God’s love in our hearts will ignite the flames of hope we have buried deep inside our hearts. God’s Word can encourage us as we read it with great anticipation and faith.

I want this message to bring life to you. Pray out loud the words of hope into your life and your situations. I have hope! My hope is in the Lord! I will be strong and wait on the Lord. I trust God with my life and the life of my family. Speak these words every day. Hope Is Real. It comes from God! He has placed it in your heart. Speak it out and watch what God will do for you.

Please listen to this song …