God is our Refuge and our Strength!

In this psalm below is the seriousness of a believer in times of deep distress and severe sorrow but as in all of David’s complaints and distresses, he inevitably restates his abiding confidence in the faithfulness of God, for David knew that there was nowhere else to fly to and there was no-one else in which to place his trust. Although this entire psalm restates his overflowing grief and grievances, nevertheless his prayer begins, ends with a proclamation of God’s trustworthiness, and an entreaty for God’s deliverance. David knew that his God is the first and the last the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end of everything, for God alone can be trusted.

“In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In Your righteousness deliver me.” Psalm 31:1

It is the trusting heart that has confidence in God’s character and believes His promises that pleases the Lord and it is such a man that remains persuaded of God’s never-failing goodness no matter what difficulties rise up to confound the heart or confuse the mind. Such a man is a man after God’s own heart.

Faith is expressed in prayer and prevailing prayer is an expression of faith and David pleads God’s righteousness as the legitimate reason for his own cry of deliverance. His trust in the Lord rested on the promises of our covenant-keeping God, for He has placed His word above His holy name.

When we trust in the Lord we may be sure that no matter what bitter circumstances of life rise up against us, the Lord will always be our refuge and strength, our anchor and our deliverer even when we don’t understand – for He has promised.

 

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God is my Refuge, my Place of Safety, He is my God and I Trust Him.

God is a shelter, a refuge when we are afraid. We need to be reminded that our faith in God as our protector will carry us through all storms and fears of life. This should be a picture of our trust, trading in all our fears for faith in Him.

“This I declare about the Lord. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety, he is my God and I trust him.” Psalm 91:2

As the psalmist faced the storms of life, the Lord Himself was His refuge – his place of shelter and protection in uncertain times. He could testify that those who trust in God are secure whatever is going on around them. Even though there was open threat from the enemy, hidden dangers that he couldn’t see and terror at night, because God was his refuge, his permanent place of resting, he knew he was safe. Because He knew the character of God he could say, “He’s my God and I’m trusting Him.” In this security the Psalmist didn’t give in to fear.

None of us escape the storms of life. Sometimes they come without warning and they can be quite furious at times. The noise of the storm can even deafen us so that we don’t hear the still small voice of God whispering peace to our souls.

The Christian life is about relationship with Jesus. In our turmoil He whispers His words of comfort and assurance. Does He say to you today, “Why are you troubled and so afraid? Don’t you have faith, to trust Me to carry you through the storm?”

Storms can be God’s opportunity of drawing us closer to Himself and of growing our faith as we prove His faithfulness and experience His protection. No matter what threatening circumstances are encountered by those of us who truly trust our Lord, our all-powerful God is always with us. He is fully capable of shielding us from harm, even when we are unaware of the danger.

Healing For a Broken Heart

 

“Praise be to God . . . the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” ~  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 

Healing a broken Heart. One of the most painful emotional experiences is that of a “broken heart” whether it be from a severed relationship or the death of a loved one. Everyone has to deal with a broken heart at some point in life because we live in a fallen world, and, as a result, we are constantly faced with shattered dreams, unexpected losses, and hurting relationships. Have a wonderfully day as you remain in the presence of the our Father of compassion.

 

Right now God can use you even in your heartache. Sometimes the very reason pain has been allowed into our lives is so that we can be more effective in our ministry to others.

 

God’s purposes in allowing pain in our lives are multifaceted. Not only does He teach us about His love and faithfulness amidst our times of sorrow, but after our grieving has ended, He gives us strength to offer words of edification to others who are experiencing similar trials. I Peter 5:9 says, ” . . . Your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Thus, we serve as both a support base and a hope for those who are walking through difficult situations proving that with God’s help even seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be overcome.

 

If you are struggling with emotional pain, take comfort in the fact that God has your situation as well as you in the palm of His hands. He will not let you go, and He will not let you down. A final word of hope can be found in I Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you . . . , after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, form, and steadfast.” Take heart, the pain you experience today may be your platform for ministry tomorrow.

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We are so Valuable to God!

Sometimes we buy into a terrible lie that we are worthless and not of significance to anyone, let alone God. I love this passage, a quote from Jesus, He encourages us to instead listen to Truth. God created us, He cares for us so deeply that He even knows the number of hairs on our head, can you even imagine that for a moment. We are of great worth to Him. Embrace your significance in Christ Jesus today and turn your back on the lies of the evil one. Have a wonderful day in the presence of the Lord. 

 

“What is the price of two sparrows-one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” ~ Matthew 10:29-31

 

 

 

It is amazing to think that such insignificance in our eyes seems so important to God. God is so big that He scoops the oceans in the palm of His hand, and yet He is so small that He can number each hair on our head. Even the falling of an insignificant sparrow requires His attention. Jesus encourages us that if our Father is intimately involved in the falling of one sparrow, how much more is He involved in our everyday lives!

 

 

We don’t have to be afraid, for He is watching over us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He really, really loves us and is involved in the smallest details of our lives. If there are days that you feel alone, when you think that no one is really attending to your needs, remember this scripture passage. He has taken the time to count each hair on your head, not because He is bored or has nothing else to do, but to simply demonstrate your great worth in His sight.

 

 

His call to you is not to be afraid. He is in control of all that goes on in your life and since He cares for the sparrows, He will certainly care for you as you are far more valuable to Him then they are. You and I are so valuable that God sent His only begotten Son to die for us. This doesn’t mean, however that God will take away all our troubles. The real test of value is how something holds up under the wear, tear, and stress of everyday life. Those who stand up for Christ in spite of their troubles truly have lasting value and will receive great rewards.

The Need for Strength and Encouragement!

It is not uncommon in human experience to run up against things that are bigger than we are, that we simply cannot overcome in our own strength. It may be a lust that threatens to consume us, an addiction that repeatedly overcomes us, a resentment that is growing inside us, or a sorrow that seems to paralyze us. It is also not uncommon to try to grit our teeth, hunch our backs, and seek to make it through by shear determination. We tell ourselves we can overcome if we just try hard enough Well that is not what being a good Christian means. Let these words encourage you today that you can do all things through Christ, not yourself.

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me ~~Philippians 4:13

Yet here is the mighty apostle Paul admitting that his strength does not come from himself, or from his own willpower. He is not trying to do it on his own. Rather, he is looking to Jesus Christ for the power and deliverance he needs.

How can you make it through this trial? Through Christ. How can you overcome that temptation or addiction? Through Christ. How can you rise above your grief or depression? Through Christ. There is nothing that you cannot do through the strength that Christ has promised to you. Turn to Him my friends, and find for yourself the confidence, the joy, the strength that Paul found through Christ. When we depend on His power and strength, we can be sure that we will overcome anything that may come our way and come out a winner!

 

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God is our Strength!

If you look back at the rest of this Psalm, you’ll see he wasn’t a pious spiritual powerhouse. He was an honest man who came to a point where the life of the wicked looked a lot better than the life of the godly. The grass really did look greener on the other side of the fence – and he was stuck on the fence!How many of us have teetered back and forth on that same fence? How many of us have wavered as we tried to balance the spirit and the flesh? The Psalmist realized this was a losing proposition because ultimately he couldn’t sustain it. Have a wonderful say relying on God as the strength of your heart.

 “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart.” ~~ Psalm 73:26

 

This verse is the prayer of a man who needs God. It is the heart of a soul thirsting and hungering for the presence of God. Too many times we muster up the spiritual intensity to actually need God only when our situation calls for it. Our perception is clouded as we look around at our success and look down from the mountaintop thinking we’ve finally made it past the need for desperation. When we ultimately come down (or fall) off the mountain, we tend to look around at those who stand above us and we become jealous or bitter because their lives appear more blessed than ours. Unfortunately, we don’t become needy for God until we crawl at the bottom of the dark valley looking for a lighted pathway out.

It is impossible to walk in faith and use God as a crutch. No, the walk of faith goes so far beyond that. God isn’t my crutch. He isn’t my “aid in walking.” He is my whole support. There is no part of me that has the power to walk this Christian life on its own. I am lead to the point of faith whereby I trust God completely without any reliance on my own strength. I am lead to the point of faith whereby I trust God completely not only with my future by He is my future. He is my strength and my portion.

God give us the Strength to make it through the Day!

Through life’s journey there are many things that come that can be so overwhelming that we wonder how we are going to make it. Whether it’s raising children, financial difficulty, job loss, hurt from loved ones, sickness, death, or sometimes the busyness of life, the thought of the future can be very gloomy. Sometimes we are placed in situations where we can truly say that we are walking by faith and not by sight. Looking through our eyes, the road ahead seems very long and hard with no end in sight. But Throughout it all, we must remember that God is able to renew and restore. 

 

As He strengthens us daily, He is building our strength for the next day and the weeks and months ahead. We must remember that it is His strength that takes us through the trials and the adversities of life.  All of our power and might may take us to a certain point, but it is God that sees us through to the end (Psalm 73:26).

God will completely get us through any situation, we just have to have faith in Him. God will give us strength to get through the trials of today but He does not want us to worry about tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, he will give us strength to get through that day. God wants to instill in us a sense of HOPE for what he will bring us to tomorrow. Wouldn’t you prefer to HOPE instead of worry? We need to be reminded that every morning when we wake up we need to thank God for giving us the strength to get through the day and be hopeful about what the next day will bring.

God promised that He would see up through-whatever the situation. It our responsibility to release it to Him. We forget that He already sees and knows the events that will take place in our life.  In our weakness and through the struggles of life, God has the opportunity to really “show up” and prove Himself in our lives (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It may be seemingly unbearable now, but pray, “Lord, give me strength for just one more day!”

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.

“Life is hard. But God is good.” (When the Way Gets Tough)

“Life is hard. But God is good.”…. But just because something is cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true. Life is hard. Pain comes to us all!

Adversity and trials are par for the course. Each of us will encounter those places in the journey when it becomes extremely tough. We will be tempted to quit, to give in to the despair and give up. To cast aside our faith as something meaningless and ineffectual. But during those times we need to remember the second part of the phrase. Yes, life is hard… But God is good! All the time. Hold fast to your faith. More importantly, hold fast to Him. The clouds may have grown dark in your life. The wind may be blowing and the rain is pouring down. But I promise you that He will not fail you. More importantly, He promises you that He will not fail you. He is a very present help in your time of trouble. 

 

Psalm 46:1-2, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change…”

 

If you have walked the road of life for any length of time, you have encountered your share of bad news, dark days, and tough places in the road. All of us have had to deal with pain at some point (some more than others). The sun doesn’t always shine. The flowers don’t always bloom. The harvest is not always plentiful. Night comes. Winter comes. Seasons of famine come. To all of us. Much like our God, pain and adversity are no respecter of persons. Young or old. Rich or poor. Male or female. We will all encounter those tough places in the journey of life. 

 

In fact, the Bible tells us it to us like this in 1 Peter, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” On this side of eternity we will experience trials, testings and temptations. We shouldn’t be surprised when our turn comes. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make it through the tough places and the difficult times.

 

Tough times do not minimize the reality of God. Rather, they MAGNIFY our need of Him!!! When the tough times come don’t make the mistake of turning away from God. Don’t turn inward. Don’t allow the adversity to turn you against Him. Rather, turn to Him. He is our refuge when the storm winds blow. He is our strength when the bad news has knocked us down. He is a very present help in our times of trouble!!!

 

A Living Hope!

My friends, begin today to walk the steps of faith. Surrender your troubles to the One who can lift you above them all.  Let God’s strength fill you and give you peace for He has given His angels charge over you. You were never meant to carry your burdens alone. No matter what heartache or pain you have now, the peace of Christ can be still be yours if you trust it all to Him. Remember that Christ death and resurrection were part of His plan. He knew that we were hopelessly lost and prisoners of sin. He provided a way that will keep us in peace on this earth and take us through to the glory of heaven forever. Jesus left the grave!  He is alive within the hearts of all believers. His power is yours forever! Jesus is a living hope and he will always make a way to help you.

  “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)                             

We each have our own idea of how we think God should help us in the problems of this life. Most of us have a pre-conceived notion of what is good for God to do for us. Unfortunately, when God does not work things out as expected, many believers let seeds of doubt  fill their mind. Fear is given reign in their lives instead of the risen Christ. Weary from the battle, many give up hope reacting as though Christ were still in the tomb instead of being alive with full authority over everything. They search for the living in the dead areas of their lives. The enemy’s lies become real for them. Our trust in the trials we face is not based on that which can be seen. The bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that , “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  If you were able to see and understand everything that God is permitting in your life, you would have no need for faith. Without faith, it is not only impossible to please God, it is impossible to know the God you serve! We have to remember in every storm of life that Christ is at the center and He permits only that which fulfills His will for you. You may not like the attacks that come against you, but they are powerful tools used to equip you for eternal victory. You will never be able to stand in the struggles of life if you do not have the knowledge of God’s power and a belief that He will not fail you. In the time of testing, the enemy is going to pull out all the stops to tempt you to think that you are beyond help. He is going to fill your mind with thoughts of failure and defeat. Unless you are firmly grounded in the truth of God’s love and His power in your battles, you will not have the strength to fight. Keep pressing forward!  Keep believing and move ahead into your destiny into the plans the Lord has for you!