Problemed Promise

TO KNOW GOD’S PROMISES AND HIS PROVISIONS
God has never asked anything from His children that was not for their benefit. Our Christian journey is about Faith! Learning to lean on Jesus and to live by faith! A faith that call us and moves us to Action! True worship always requires 2 things: Worship – always requires Obedience and Worship – always requires Sacrifice!

Genesis 22:1-8 (NKJV) ~ Abraham’s Faith Confirmed
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad[a] and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

Abraham was told to take his son to the mountain and sacrifice his life for God. Imagine having to sacrifice your loved one? I cannot!! But Abraham had some radical faith. Abraham believed in God’s promises and did not focus on the problem/provision. He faithfully obeyed God and took Isaac up the mountain. He left the men with full intention to fulfill God’s request and would return with full assurance that he would return ‘with the boy. He didn’t how God was going to do it but knowing God was enough.
Why do we do what we do? Such as saying grace, praying, reading the word….we do it because we want to know God!!! Our responsibility is to believe God and obey God just like Abraham did. Abraham was released from the responsibility of preforming and trying to figure out how he would not have to kill his son; he was only to trust God and know that God would provide the sacrifice. Abraham went up the mountain with the promise of God and came down the mountain with the provision of God. All Abraham saw was the promise! He held on to his faith in God!!

Point to ponder: You only see that one side of the mountain, but God sees both sides. Hold onto the Promises of God and Let Him send His Provisions!

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Weathering the Storms of Life!

 

Do you know that every problem and troubling situation believers face in this life is allowed by God for a specific purpose. He is working out something far greater than what appears to be happening as He guides the process of transforming you into the image of Christ. Your faith is being sharpened as a sword to equip you for the battles of this world. The path of victory has already been set and there is nothing that can destroy a believer who has put his faith in the cross of Jesus. We are commanded to be anxious for nothing and no one. But, is that still possible when the darkness of the storm surrounds us? Yes God can deliver us from the storms of life or take us through them, giving us the strength and courage we need. Do you find yourself in a storm today? Ask God for the strength and courage to weather it and for the wisdom to understand it, not waste it.

“He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! Psalm 107:29-30

The truth is that the strength to endure every painful trial is with you in Christ. You may be feeling weary and completely overwhelmed but the bible tells us that God is close to the broken-hearted and he is near to us in our pain. He does not abandon you when your situation is bleak. As you lift up your fears to him in thankfulness and prayer, you allow his power to be unleashed in your life as he takes your struggle and makes it work into his perfect plan for you. God knows your weaknesses and has seen your failures yet his power is more than enough to take you safely through. You may be wounded but you will never be destroyed!

Take heart my friends and know without a doubt the struggles and trials you suffer are always an opportunity for God to reveal his power to you. It is being worked out in the timing of God who already knows the outcome. Each time a painful situation brings you to your knees, use that position to give glory to God! It frustrates the devil when you do. Never let the enemy convince you to surrender in the heat of battle for you are nowhere near being defeated. You have been made more than a conqueror through Christ and he is not about to let you fail.

God’s Timing!

Peter asked Jesus why he couldn’t follow Him—why he couldn’t do what he wanted to do. But sometimes that waiting period is exactly what we need. Sometimes we can see why that waiting period is necessary, but sometimes we can’t, and that’s when we get impatient and try to run ahead of God. Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” John 13:37

I know how hard and frustrating it can be wait on God’s timing, but we have to hold steady and wait for God to move first. Otherwise, the consequences of jumping the gun can be a pile of regrets.

Let me encourage you with this faith step: Are you impatient in a waiting period of your own? Pray to Jesus—be honest and vulnerable; lay it all out before Him. Ask Him to help you to wait and just trust in His timing.

Timing is so important! As you begin to understand God’s timing you’ll be better able to cooperate with Him. When you don’t know, learn to wait with confidence on the One who does. The problem most of us have is that we attempt to take the lead role in our relationship with God and it doesn’t work. God has that role, and He won’t give it to us! He gives instructions and we’re supposed to follow, even when we don’t like or understand the way He takes us. “Why does it take God so long to do things?” you ask. Because unanswered questions create trust. When you don’t know, you have to trust the One who does, and that keeps you growing in faith. God has a definite plan and time, and while He’s getting you ready He keeps you in His waiting room. If that’s where you are today, remember, it’s only as you reach new levels of maturity that God releases new levels of blessing into your life.

God has a Purpose for your Life!

 How thrilling it is to be reminded that God has designed and created us, and He has a master-plan for our lives. You see, we can dwell on the pain. Or I can dwell on the wonderful love and faithfulness of the Father. It all depends on our focus. So many times in life we find ourselves looking for significance. What is my purpose? Why am I here? Does my life really matter? We see the vastness of the universe and wonder, “Can I really matter that much?” The good news is that God is keenly aware of who you are. Have a wonderful day in His presence.

 “I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. He will send help from heaven to rescue me.”~~ Psalm 57:2-3 

The answer to the questions above is a resounding, “Yes!” You do matter, God does care and you are very significant. Like the Psalmist, when we feel overwhelmed, when we doubt whether we matter or not, we can cry out to God, the same God who said that He will fulfill His purpose for you. Did you get that? God has a purpose for you and He will fulfill it. And God is committed to do whatever it takes to fulfill that purpose, even if it means sending help from Heaven itself to help you. So today rejoice in your significance. God loves you. God is vitally interested in you. God will fulfill His purpose for you.

Visualize yourself yearning to know your purpose. You can sense an emptiness, a grief over a sense of your own insignificance. And so you yearn. As you are feeling low God comes by and calls you by name. He puts His arm around you and begins to tell you all about the purpose He has for your life. Feel the joy in knowing that you were created for a purpose. Feel the peace that comes from knowing that God loves you and has always had you in His plans. Rejoice and then affirm, “I have a purpose.”

Cry out to the Lord!

There are days that we just feel like crying. Our soul hungers for answers and we groan before God. These are the times where we don’t understand His ways – even if we still trust in His heart. Sometimes it’s enough for us to simply cry to the Lord. To vent to Him. To have Him there to listen. It’s reassuring for us to unleash our heart on His shoulders; knowing that He carries all our concerns with such great care. Have a wonderful day in the presence of God.

 “May my cry come before you, Lord; give me understanding according to your word.” Psalm 119:169

We seek understanding…often. We seek relief from our doubts, fears, and concerns. But sometimes it’s almost more important to us to be heard. We need to know that we matter. That our thoughts, heart, and voice…matter. We need to know and feel like God sees us. Yes, sometimes that’s more important to us.

He DOES see us. He DOES hear us and WE DO matter to him. He provides us a way for our cry to come before Him and to rest at His feet. Some days our heart just wants to pour out. It doesn’t want advice or direction – although it might the next day or the day after that. It simply wants to spill. It wants to unleash all that lies within it – the emotion, the feeling, and the questions.

I’m so thankful that my cry can come before the Lord in those moments and on those days. I’m so thankful that He never gets tired of you and I and that we’re not a burden. May our cries come before you, Lord. Today – and always.

 

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“Because He Loves Me!”

“Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” ~ Psalm 91:14-15

I just love reading psalm 91 because it is so full of promise and the love God has for us. I love how God wrote His word to relate to us. When He expresses a desire, He brings it down to our level. He relates to us in terms that we can understand. As I read this passages below, I can relate to the thoughts and desires God has for those who love Him. 

He starts the verse by saying “because he loves me”. He’s talking about anyone and everyone who loves Him. He doesn’t say, because he is perfect, or because he says all the right things. He doesn’t say, because he has a lot of money, or is a good parent. No, God says…”because he loves me”. That is the only requirement He has. Everything else is just fluff. What matters is that we love Him. It’s not complicated and it doesn’t require rules and regulations. It’s very simple…it’s just love. And because we love Him, the Lord promises so many things.

In these couple of verses God promises so many things He will do. He will rescue us. He will protect us. He will answer us when we call upon Him. He will be with us in trouble. He will deliver us. He will honor us. He promises to do all of this, simply because we love Him. That is so amazing to me. It is so comforting to me. It is so humbling to me.

When we begin to acknowledge God and put him first in everything we do, He will hear us and begin to answer our prayers. He will protect us and provide for all our needs. All we have to do is to learn to trust him, and when we call on Him He will be there waiting.

Have a wonderful day saturated in God’s love for you. Love you all in Christ <3!!!  Please share this blog and Please visit me on Facebook.  I pray that whoever you share this with will come closer to their walk with Jesus!

God is good—all the Time!

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” ~ Psalm 100:5

I believe the greatest lesson of faith is the acknowledgement that God is good—all the time, even when we can’t feel it with our emotions. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God’s character must be proven trustworthy in our own minds.”  But there are days, which sometimes turn into weeks, which sometimes turn into entire seasons, where our heart wonders, God, are You really good? I pray that the promises of God in His word will help encourage your heart to know that God is good, all the time.

Let me encourage you to trust the sovereignty of God. You might ask if God is in control of everything and bad things still happen, how can He be good? When life is hard, do you ever doubt that God is good? When your prayers seem to go unanswered, do you ever secretly think it’s because He’s mad at you or trying to punish you? So do you ever wonder, How could a good God let this happen?

Questions like these are the exact reason we’ve got to trust what the Bible says about who God is. Our feelings can trick us. Our limited perspective of what’s happening in our lives makes it hard to know what exactly is good for us and what isn’t. That’s why when we’re tempted to doubt that God is good, we need to run to God’s promises.

In case there’s still that nagging place in your heart that’s saying, If God is really good, why hasn’t He fixed this? this passage is just for you. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans. 8:28). In other words, a good God makes sure that even the bad stuff gets worked out to our benefit. Be reminded that  “This too shall pass and be redeemed. The more you cling, the more you’ll see He really is good. We can know for sure that He has a plan to make sure even the bad stuff in our lives will be worked for our good. Will you cling to that truth today?

Seek His Face! Growing Constantly in Strength!

God’s strength is to be found spending time in His presence, seeking His face, and developing a deeper relationship with Him. Scripture says: “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” (Psalm 105:4) If we want to live the abundant, victorious life that Jesus died to give us, then we are going to have to spend concentrated time seeking Him on a daily basis.  How do you get to really know someone? You spend time with them, of course. You communicate with each other, and you share yourselves with each other. Our relationship with God is no different. Getting to know God takes time and effort, but it is most definitely worth it. Do you want to make a difference for God while you’re on this earth? Then you’re going to have to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. When you do, He will bless you and use you in ways you never imagined, and you will impact the lives of countless people for all eternity.

We can acquire God’s strength by spending time in His Word–reading it, studying it, meditating upon it, and applying it to our lives and circumstances. By exercising these biblical principles, we literally fill ourselves with God’s Word. And a Word-filled believer is a powerful believer. The apostle John wrote: “You are strong and vigorous, and the Word of God is [always] abiding in you (in your hearts), and you have been victorious over the wicked one.” (1 John 2:14 AMP)

As soldiers of Christ, we are in a constant battle with Satan and the forces of evil. The Lord never meant for us to be weak and weary warriors; He re-created us in Christ to be overcomers. And we can find boundless strength from devoting ourselves to God’s Word.

The Bible is filled with thousands of supernatural promises that have the power to strengthen us in hard, and seemingly hopeless, times. If we will claim them in faith, we’ll receive all the help of heaven in every situation we face. No matter what difficult places you may be walking through today, the Lord wants to transform them into places of blessing and refreshment. Call upon Him now, and let Him fill you with the strength that only He can give.

Forgiven people forgive people!

Forgiven people forgive, because they are eternally grateful for the grace of God’s forgiveness in their heart. They are keenly aware that outside of Christ, they are cursed to a cycle of unforgiveness—lost in their sins. Thus, the Lord raised them up forgiven, so they in turn can forgive. Forgiveness on earth flows from forgiveness in heaven. It is something to be passed on today, not to be stored away for some unique future occasion.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” ~ Ephesians 4:32

Unforgiveness encroaches on the health of our relationships. Its cancerous affect eats away at our enjoyment of God, family and friends. Do you hold a grudge that has a hold of you? Does resentment hang over you like a bad dream, only you never wake up? This level of emotional upheaval is no way to live for the Lord. His will is not for you to be preoccupied with people who have stolen your joy and hindered your fellowship with Jesus. Forgiveness frees you from the bitter taste of bitterness and replaces it with the sweet taste of grace. Thus, forgive like you’re forgiven.

True forgiveness is sincere and all-inclusive. We are not in the position to judge who deserves forgiveness and who does not.. One test is to ask if you are tender-hearted or hard-hearted toward another. A hard heart has yet to be broken by heaven’s caring crush, it may take extended adversity to soften your heart to forgive.

Why wait in anxious resentment when you can be freed today from hatred and relational apathy? What if you forgive someone and they are unresponsive and unrepentant? You cannot control another’s response, only your own. Trust that the Lord is working and that your humble and sincere example will begin a work of grace in their heart. Love and kindness tear down walls of anger—grace and forgiveness build bridges of hope. Satan’s destructive deception is exposed and destroyed in the face of your forgiveness.

 

Please share this blog with others and I pray with all my heart that it will help to encourage another in the Lord and His love for us all!

FINDING STRENGTH IN THE LONELY PLACES!

Whatever is overwhelming you in your life right now has a purpose to bring you closer to God. The winds of trouble and the storms of your life must all submit to the will of God for you. Our battle will never be stronger than the refuge and strength of your God! The bible tells us, “Weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning”. (Psalm 30:5)  That means that every painful struggle has a timing for it to end.  And it is only then that you will understand the power of  God whose love for you never failed.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life ~ Psalm 138:7

All of the battles that you face as a believer are fought on holy ground because the power of God is with you. You are in the company of the army of heavenly forces who know well how to deal with the enemy. You are never left to fight alone. As David understood that God was giving him his victory, so must you know that you are a conqueror against all that comes against you. You must never let your situation cause you to be anxious. Worry is nothing but the whispers of lies from a defeated enemy! Satan wants you to make you feel alone and hopeless so that he can get a foothold into your mind. Don’t give him access.

The truth is all the force that you need to defeat your feelings of hopelessness. Your financial struggles, marriage problems, health issues, addictions or heartaches are all under the power of a Sovereign God who knows how to take you safely through them. Your weaknesses are not hidden from the eye of an omniscient God who offers you his strength when you have none of your own. He is never limited by the scope of your impossible situation. His power is not confined to boundaries and it supersedes the scientific laws of this world. Most importantly, your painful struggle was seen by God long before you were born and he prepared a way to take you to victory. He has not forgotten you now and he never will.  

It is the lonely places that put you next to the heart of your God. For it is when you have nowhere else to turn that you realize that God’s power was all that you ever needed. Jesus paid the price so that those who believed would be made more than a conqueror in all the battles of this world. 

Never surrender your joy no matter how bad the problems in your life seem. Though you may not understand it now, Christ is working it all out to fit into the perfect plan that he ordained for your life. The One who keeps all your tears in a bottle will not let you drown in despair. There is nothing you must face that will not be measured and timed by God’s own hand.