God is Sufficient for Everything you Need!

Paul was in prison when he wrote to Timothy. He was experiencing physical discomfort, personal attack, and desertion. Why would the Lord allow one of His most faithful servants to endure such suffering? Why didn’t He step in and protect him? At times God doesn’t rescue us from hard situations because He’s providing something better. We may feel as if He’s abandoning us, but in reality, He is protecting us—not by deliverance but through strengthening. Have a wonderful allowing God to strengthen you though your difficult times.

“Yes and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom” ~~ 2 Timothy 4:18

 

When trouble and pain pay a visit, we must view the circumstance from God’s perspective and ask ourselves these questions. Which is a greater demonstration of the Lord’s power—changing something around me or changing something within my heart?

 

Which is the greater faith builder—seeing God’s deliverance from every difficulty or experiencing His presence and strengthening in the midst of trials? Which reward is greater—immediate relief from discomfort or tested and refined faith that will result in praise and glory when Christ returns (1 Peter 1:7)? Which answer to prayer is greater—that God has removed something and given me external peace, or that He’s left me in a trial and given an internal peace that nothing can steal, not even my circumstances? 

 

Does God have to fix something for you to be happy? If He removes the situation, you may never learn that He is sufficient for everything you need. Instead, let Him change you, and you’ll discover His joy in whatever circumstance comes your way.

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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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God’s 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. The verse below is God’s answer to Paul. Have a wonderful day relying on God’s grace to be sufficient for you in every circumstance. 

“My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”–~~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

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!

My grace is sufficient for you!

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, 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 that it will bring encouragement in the Lord to all who read it.  God bless you!  Please find me on Facebook as well! 

GRACE-The unmerited favor of God!

There are many attributes that I personally love about God’s nature; nonetheless, there’s one attribute that I dearly love and that is the one which gives every person on earth the ability to move on in life. The unmerited favor of God (GRACE) gives fallen humanity a chance to start over and make things right. God’s grace grants us forgiveness for our past mistakes, sins and empowers us “to turn the page.” 

If today, you find yourself living with grief and regret over your past, and you feel stuck there, then there is hope for you in Christ. God is in the redemption “business” of turning hopelessness into hope. It is His will and His desire to come into your life and redeem your past. No one can go back into their past and undo what has already taken place. Even so, God has promised us that He will remove our sins and failures through His grace and will remember them no more… if we repent(turn away) and accept His plan for us.

We can either decide to live in the regret of our past mistakes and mourn about the death or loss of what has been, or we can align ourselves with God and turn the page on a new chapter in our lives. If we choose to move on with God and to fulfill His plan and purpose, then His joy will become our strength. Satan doesn’t want us to break free from regrets over our past because he can use those sins as weight. Satan enjoys holding us in bondage and wearing us down over things that we have done. In contrast, God wants us to be strong and filled with His joy.

In all things God works for the Good of those who Love Him!

In this world we will have trouble. Jesus himself says so. Being a Christian is not a guarantee of pain-free living. We can expect to face hardship because of our relationship with Christ. And the important question for each of us is “Will hardship drive me from or toward God?” 

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.~Romans 8:28

In this world we will have trouble. Jesus himself says so. Being a Christian is not a guarantee of pain-free living. We can expect to face hardship because of our relationship with Christ. And the important question for each of us is “Will hardship drive me from or toward God?” None of us is great enough, strong enough, or wise enough. We cannot control the forces of nature or other people. We live in a broken world. But Jesus has come to us as Mighty God, and he has overcome the world. He also promises us his presence: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). And he promises his all sustaining grace: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Today’s verse promises that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” But in the face of life’s pain and tragedies, the natural question is “Does God really mean in all things’?” Yes! Notice that it does not say all things are good but that God can bring good out of all things, even things that Satan intends for evil. When your heart is broken and the world crushes you, may the peace of Mighty God sustain you as you draw comfort and strength from Him.

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.

The Power of God!

Jesus had just passed by a man who was born blind. The disciples saw this man and they figured that someone had sinned and that this man’s blindness was a result of sin. In their minds, they could not see how a loving God could cause a man to suffer so much if he had not done something to deserve this punishment. 

 “It is not because of his sins or his parents sins. Jesus Answered. This happen so the power of God could be seen in him.” ~John 9:3

 

Jesus ended up healing this man, but the more important lesson in this passage was that God allows bad things to happen to good people. God knew that one day this man would be seen by Jesus and that when Jesus healed this man, the testimony of what God had done for this man would spread around the world as a testimony that Christ was the Son of God. It is hard for us to fully comprehend that God allows bad things to happen to good people. Nonetheless, God has promised us that all things work together for good for those who love HIM and are called according to HIS purposes. This passage is just another example how God is looking out for every detail in our lives. We can be bitter at God or we can learn to praise HIM for the difficult things that happen to us.

 

What is the one thing you would change in your life if God allowed you to change it? If you were to talk with this blind man, he would have told you that he would have changed the fact that he was blind. However, this man who was born blind who was healed by Jesus is still being talked about almost 2,000 years later. How many people would die to be recognized by the world for just a few minutes? This man allowed God to take the thing that he would rather not deal with and turn it into something good. Because this man allowed God to have HIS way with his life, this man is remembered to this day.

 

 

The next time you would like to change something in your life, stop and pull out a piece of paper. Write down different ways that God can take this irritation in your life and use it for HIS glory. After you have found some different ways that God can use this irritation for HIS glory, you should be able to praise HIM for allowing this irritation to be in your life.

Stop thinking that you have to be in charge of everything. Instead, learn to focus upon God and allow HIM to have HIS perfect way in your life in HIS perfect timing.

 

 

 

 

 

“Never Abandoned”

I believe we need to continually remind ourselves that the Lord is with us– especially when we are going through difficult times. If we aren’t careful we can easily believe the lie that God has abandoned us, that is nothing but a lie.

...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee….” ~~Hebrews 13:5b

 

He has not abandoned you– never has, never will. He didn’t abandon the disciples while they were in the storm. He didn’t abandon the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace. He didn’t abandon Daniel in the lion’s den. He didn’t abandon the children of Israel at the Red Sea. He didn’t abandon Joshua as he faced the battles in the land of Canaan. He didn’t abandon David when he stood before Goliath. He does not change, so why would He start abandoning His people now? He wouldn’t.

 

 

There are those who believe that because they go through difficulties, trying times, hardship and testing that it is a sure sign that the Lord has abandoned them. Going through these times is not proof that He has abandoned you. While we live on planet earth we will also go through difficulties and encounter problems. This is why we must remind ourselves daily that He is with us- regardless of what is going on in our lives. 

 

 

Are you feeling like He has left you? Are you feeling abandoned by God? Don’t live by your feelings, don’t trust them, they aren’t true- they change constantly. Live by His Word- it is faithful and it is the truth- and it says He will NEVER abandon you.

GROW IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD!

There is always more to learn about God. The more time you take drawing closer to HIM, the more you will find out how much you do not know. God desires that you grow in knowledge; this means that you do not allow your relationship with HIM to grow stale but that you constantly make HIM a priority in your life.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”~~ 2 Peter 3:18

It does not matter who you are or how long you have known Christ as your personal Savior, there is always something more you can learn about your relationship with God. You may feel that you know a lot about God, but the more you mature in your relationship with God, the more you will realize just how little you actually know.

It does not matter whether you have just sinned and fallen short of the glory of God or whether you have just seen the power of God demonstrated to the world through your life, there is something more that you can learn about the ways of God. You must learn to grow in your relationship with God. You must learn to put God first in your life. As you draw closer to God, God will reveal HIMSELF to you and will enable you to do even greater things for HIM.

Where are you at right now in your relationship with God? Are you on a mountain-top or are you in the valley of the shadow of death. It does not matter where you are in your relationship with God; there is always something more that you can learn about God. You must be diligent to draw closer to God. You must put God first in your life so that HE might be glorified through your actions. You will not grow in knowledge of God by avoiding God; you will only grow in knowledge as you put HIM first in your life and you allow HIM to direct your path.

Have a wonderful day in the presence of the Lord.