So you have been praying and praying, believing, waiting… repeat. Did God hear you, is it true what he says in Jer. 33:3 that he hears us when we pray and he answers? Who knows maybe this thing you are asking is too hard for God, He cannot do it and he is embarrassed so he has decided to just keep quiet, or maybe we have our answer and we do not like it, or possibly we are still waiting and because the answer was not immediate we are fairly sure he misunderstood us and we need to rephrase the request; or could it be that we think we have faith, but our faith is not what it should be because we have forgotten to whom we pray. We have put God on our level and figure some stuff he can do while other stuff is just too hard. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

Let’s look at some scriptures to remind ourselves who we are talking to and just what he can or cannot do.

Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm,(and) there is nothing too hard for thee. Wait He made the heavens and the earth…that is a pretty big thing to do, don’t you think?

Job 42:2 “I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholden from thee.” Umm, he knows my thoughts!

Mark 10:27 “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” All things…really?

Luke 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” It was worth saying again…All things!

Sounds to me like God can do anything he wants all the way down to seeing and knowing your thoughts. It says (everything)…which encompasses anything you can think or imagine. Right? Websters says it this way: “the whole amount, quantity or extent of” which goes back to what I said: everything…is all-encompassing. There is nothing he cannot do.

We can go back and look at some of the (things) that God has done. In Exodus 14:4 we see God saying these words, “Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” Wait, what! , he can harden someone’s heart if it pleases him to do so? So, He (God) can and does control someone’s heart. Interesting… Then go a little further down and you see where God parted the Red Sea for his people. Exodus 14:16,21 “But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide it.” 21 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.” A strong wind, so, God controls the wind too?

Then in the book of John, we read about Lazarus. Lazarus and his sisters were friends of Jesus, he loved them very much and Lazarus got sick, very sick; his sisters sent for Jesus to come, but Jesus did not go immediately, so Lazarus died. He was in the tomb or four long days. In other words, he was very, very, starting to decay dead! So, we pick up in John 11:38 “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man,” by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

WOW! You mean he can raise the stinky, decaying in the grave four days dead? Now I would say that rates under the (everything, anything) wouldn’t you? And did you notice, he did not go straight away, he hung back, waited until it was too late, at least in the eyes of his friends. But it wasn’t was it? He was right on time, his time, his way. The way that brought glory to him. And he reminded us by his prayer that God does indeed hear us every time we pray.

God will do what is best, He will do it in his timing, in His way. Sometimes our prayers are “no,” sometimes” wait,” and sometimes “yes,” but even those can take a while. All the while he is growing us, stretching our faith, teaching us and leading us. He is calling us out into the deep with him where our feet are made surer, and our faith made stronger. If we got every little thing in an instant we would be very shallow selfish people. We need to remember that our walk of faith is not just for us alone, but for those watching us as we travel this dry and weary land. How we respond to the answered prayers and the waiting prayers and the no prayers are very important to those looking on and to the growth of our own souls.

God loves us too much to give us second best, He will always give us what is best and since we do not know what that is; because our hearts are deceitful above all else, (Jeremiah 17:9), and it really cannot know what it needs for sure. If we get a no, then we can rest in the goodness of God knowing it is for our good. Regardless of where we are in the prayer arena, “no, wait, or yes,” we are told do this: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” And then we are reminded to always do this: Psalm 34:1-3 “I will praise the Lord no matter what happens, I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. 2 I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. 3 Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name.”

He understands when we are praying that sometimes the waiting makes us discouraged, our faith sometimes gets a bit weary and weak, but when those times come we are to refocus our minds and hearts on the goodness of God and praise him for who he is, not what we want from him. In other words, seek the giver, not the gift! This God we are praying to takes care of the birds of the air, every living creature has what they need, because of him. Matthew 26-34.

I do not know where you are in your walk. Maybe today you are struggling with waiting for God to answer a prayer. Do not lose heart, he has heard and your answer is on its way; accept whatever comes, be it “no,” “wait,” or a “yes.” He may swing wide the door or He may slam shut a door, but he will do what is best for you and what brings glory to himself!

I am so thankful for a God who knows me because he formed me,(Jeremiah 1:5,) he knows my deepest thoughts and longings and above all, He alone knows what it takes to move me ever closer to his side and make me ready for heaven one day. I can trust his love for me. That love sent him to the cross to die and to rise up from the grave, it causes him to intercede on my behalf constantly. His love covers my sin and washes me white as snow. I think I can trust His answers! You?

Ephesians 5:10 “and find out what pleases the Lord.”

I was reading this morning in a couple different books in my Bible and as I was reading I came across this simple phrase tucked into a few verses. In my Bible I have it circled and highlighted. So, it got me thinking about the things that please the Lord and why it is important for us to find out what those things are. The obvious thing is that if we do these things, the Lord is pleased and I am confident because of his pleasure we will be blessed, for he loves to reward obedience.

So, what pleases the Lord, it is when we live our lives as imitators of our Lord. Doing those things that he did. Loving others regardless of our differences. Loving the sinner while hating the sin. Doing for others selflessly and often. Living in harmony with those around us without jealousies and envy. Helping those less fortunate, caring for the widows and orphans. Living righteous holy lives. Obeying his word/his commandments. Walking our talk and talking our walk. They should look the same and they should point others to Christ.

We should avoid things that cause us to sin, in our hearts, minds or actions. We need to be careful what we put before our eyes and what we dwell on. We should be faithful in our relationships, not gossipers; loving our neighbor as ourselves. We need to be submissive and obey the authorities God has put in our lives. Our love and service should be sacrificial just as Christ’s was. We need to be careful what we say, our talk should always be seasoned with salt and pleasing, not coarse or crude.

We need to forgive just as Jesus has forgiven us. Not bearing grudges and piling up anger and resentment. We should love, really love others more than self. We should get together with others of like faith and worship the Lord and sing praises to him, hymns and spiritual songs, for he is worthy!

We are told not to be drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery; we should be thankful people. Men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and wives should submit to their husbands and respect them. We are to pray for one another. We should be hard, honest workers in whatever job we are doing as though we were serving the Lord. We should be witnesses to the lost in word and deed. We are to be strong in the Lord and mighty in power. We should put on the full armor of God each day. We are to have the belt of truth around our waste, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We should have our shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God with us at all times. And we need to pray in the spirit at all times.

Now there are many more out there that I have not listed I am sure, but if we are trying our best to do these that are listed then we are well on our way to doing what is pleasing to the Lord.

I don’t know about you but the older I get the more pleasing the Lord first and foremost is my main goal in life. Knowing that after each day he is pleased with me makes my heart peaceful and joyful. I want to please my Father and hear the words “well done.” I believe that not only will we for sure hear them at the end of our life if we have lived surrendered spirit filled obedient lives to Christ, but I believe we can hear that whispered at the end of each day if we live lives sold out for Christ.

If you see an area where you know you are weak, ask him and he will help you do those things which please him.

Blessings!

Here it is Father’s Day 2018, and we all have the opportunity to tell our dad’s if they are still living, how much we love an appreciate them. I am sure there are lots of celebrations going on even as I type this. I can tell my husband Happy Father’s day and my son and son-in-law, which I have and I also told a few friends at church, but the one person I cannot tell is my dad. He has been in heaven since 1990. I try really hard sometimes to imagine what he might look like now. He would be in his eighties, but all I see is the middle-aged man who was laying in the casket looking as though he was just taking a nap.

For nearly all of his life my dad was not what you would call a good man. Yes, he went to church every time the door was open. He was the choir-director and had a booming awesome baritone voice. He had a laugh that could be heard from far away. An easy smile and loved a good joke. He to date was the strongest person I have ever met that never lifted weights. His nickname was Samson at his work. And a very hard worker.

He always worked hard to provide for our family of eight. He was still working three jobs at the time of his death, always going on very little sleep. He was driven by the demons of his past. See, my dad had been in church his entire life, but not saved until just three years before he passed away; while sitting in church, (insert smile here.) See, he was good at the church thing but had never repented of his sins which were many and by anyone’s standard, really bad. He had several affairs on my mother, whipped his kids until they bled, with whatever he could find and was verbally abusive and sexually abusive, and a litany of other things. Yet, I loved my dad. Hated the things he did, but chose to look at his good qualities. I used my Jesus eyes my grandmother had taught me about. What are those you ask? Well, it is when we choose to see the offender through eyes like Jesus. We hate the sin but love the sinner and we pray for them, oh how we pray.

I did just that, I prayed hard for my dad to be truly born-again before he left this earth and praise God he was. The difference between the old and new man was like night and day. He longed to be like his Father in heaven. He would think about the old man and it hurt him so very much to think about all he had done and had no way of changing. His I am sorry, in light of the offenses seemed like too little, too late, and for some it was. However, I am sorry is all that was needed when he knelt down and said that to Jesus, I am sorry, truly sorry, forgive me, save me. God did just that, at that very moment in less than a second my dad became a born-again believer bound for heaven. Sound the horns and bang the drums! My prayers were answered and I am eternally grateful. I am looking forward to heaven and seeing my dad again.

And although I have thought about my dad today, not the sin, just the good that was there when one chooses to look. He was a sinner, like me and you. I have thought more about my heavenly Father. Wow, He is something else. He is so very good to me. Always on my side, always fighting for me. He never remembers my sin, once I repent it is gone as far as the East is from the West! He provides for my every need and so many of my wants. He walks with me through every second of every day. He even sent a perfect sacrifice to die in my place. He knew that I could not and would not keep the law, I was going to sin because I was a sinner at birth. He listens to every word I speak to him and gives me the desires of my heart. He never leaves me and He never forsakes me. His intent toward me is good. And right now he is making sure my forever home will be completed when I need it. When this earthly body fades away, I will move in and live with him forever.

My Heavenly Father even knows how many hairs are on my head! Oh, He is such a good, good Father. He thinks of everything and makes sure all that I need in this life is at work in me through His Holy Spirit. He remembers that I am but dust and has mercy and grace overflowing in my life; it follows me all the days of my life. My Father heals me when I am sick and holds me when I am sad. He can answer any question that I can come up with. He does all of this and so much more while holding the entire world in his hand. My Father knows the names of every star…and the number of grains of sand on every beach.

Oh, I pray you know him if you do not, now is a good time. I love sharing my Father with anyone and everyone. There is always room in his family for one more. Don’t worry that you are not good enough, he is a “come as you are” kind of Father. So, I cannot tell my earthly dad Happy Father’s Day today, but I can tell my Heavenly Father “Happy Father’s Day.” I can praise him for he truly is a good, good Father, worthy of my praise and adoration, above all else that has ever been or ever will be! I can say thank you for saving a wretch like me and for saving my dad. Isn’t he wonderful, isn’t he amazing?

Thank you, Father, for your love for me. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins, for loving me when I am unlovable and for always, always being by my side. I love you!!!

I will warn you this post is a little long…leaning in close and listening to the Lord. Hoping that this may help someone out there struggling.

I have been thinking a lot about relationships lately. I see some that are fractured and struggling to move past hurts, some that have ended due to love never having been there. Others bearing the burdens of long ago hurts that keep people burdened down and closed off, and lastly some just falling apart of one’s own selfish pride and wants.

It breaks my heart every time. Broken relationships and moving on always sound better than the actual process. Unless you are in a really abusive relationship and then the going is easy for self-preservation.

Everyone is looking for something, they want the WOW factor in play at all times. They are restless and always searching needing something or someone new to fill the spot that really belongs to just one. We have so much stuff, so many adult toys, so many distractions to keep us numb and blinded really. Not that those things are bad, but when they take over and all else is falling apart, particularly your soul, it is not a good thing. We have children growing up feeling entitled, they have been given so much in life, many not disciplined by parents who want to be their friend instead of parenting and punishing bad behavior, or disobedience to authority. We see such things in the news all the time. It all breaks my heart; we are living in hard times these days. Oh, it may not be reflected in your wallet, that is not what I am talking about, it is the watching a world trying to go on with no love of Jesus; he has been removed and left behind.

Scripture tells us that we need above all else a relationship with Jesus, the only one who can bring us true joy, no matter the circumstances of our lives.
People are feeling overwhelmed and suicide seems to be running rampant these days. Jesus, He is the everything. If we are a Christian, he should be our everything, our first love. All else should circle around that relationship. Because as a believer if your relationship is not active and rich, if you are not reading and praying daily, then you start focusing on all the things you perceive to be wrong and listening to the lies of the enemy tell yoou…you are deserving of so much more!

I have been there many years ago, I let my prayer life dwindle down to almost nothing, I stopped reading my Bible, I started focusing on all the things that seemed wrong and my loneliness, hurt, disappointments overtook me. My first love was silenced and life began to unravel. I thought, “I’ve got this,” “I will do it my way.” All I can say is be careful with that mentality, it will lead you by the nose for a long time and so many times it does not end well. Because God is Holy and you are his he will not allow you to continue to sin, continue to stagnate, as I said in my other post, you will have a”Come To Jesus Moment.” Some are much harder than others.

Yes, he will discipline you and love you back into a right relationship when you yield to him, and sometimes he makes it all work out okay and sometimes it does not, more pain comes.

Let’s look at some scripture that can feed your soul, put the focus back where it is intended to be.

1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message we heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim we have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
(When we focus on the light, those dark thoughts and actions slip away. We are changed in his presence and when we spend time with him.)

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creations is hidden from God’s sight.”
(I don’t know about you, but this is a sobering verse.)

Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”
(Don’t you crave a flawless word, truth. Doesn’t being shielded and protected sound so good?”)

John 4:24 ” God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
(He already knows everything, be honest, tell him your heart, he will listen and he will guide you back into truth.)

! John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
(Oh, how I want to live in love, which brings joy and peace.)

Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him.” 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
(He can hold you together, even when life seems to be tearing you apart. He created you and knows your frame, knows your heart, better than you. Lean in close and listen to the Holy Spirit teach you and guide you.)

And lastly, I have to end with this one.
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
(Enough said: if you want true happiness, contentment, guidance, protection, answers etc…He is…and He can…)

I have learned through many a hard experience and lesson that there is nothing that can fill the longings of our hearts and minds like Jesus. There is nothing sweeter than a right relationship with him. Nothing in this world can give you a joy that passes understanding not matter what. So, if you have fixed yourself on yourself; your wants, your thoughts, the me mentality, get if focused back on Jesus, the lies the enemy is spuing will be gone, you will think clearly again and life will look be much better in a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Our hearts will deceive us, Jesus never will. He knows our hearts more than we, and even tells us that our hearts are deceitful above all else.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure, Who can understand it?” ( I know, I know…the one who formed it!)

Well, in closing let me just say that I have learned surrender to the Lord is better than disobedience. His love covers a multitude of sin. He is good, He is faithful, He is able, He is. It is never too late to right your relationship with Jesus, trust His love for you and lean in close as he teaches you His truths, His ways. Blessings as you journey toward peace, joy and true happiness that is only found in knowing Him.

We all have them, in different forms, but each at one time or another will have the question through circumstances that say, “What are you going to do now?” “Where will you seek comfort?” “Who do you say that I am?”

I have had several “Come to Jesus moments” in my life. Some of those moments have literally cut me to the core of my being, peeled back layers of self that to be honest I did NOT want to see. Moments where I was pretty sure I would NEVER be okay again. Moments that I had to choose to either draw nearer to my Savior or turn away and seek my own solution, my path against what I knew in my heart God was calling me to do. Sometimes these things came by my own behavior and bad chooses and at other times they were forced upon me. Either way, they come and it is those moments that define us, grow us, change us forever.

When the nights are long and the pain is so great whether physical or mental that you feel you just cannot, this is a great Psalm to think on and read.

Psalm 77: 1-14 “I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. 2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. 4 You kept my eyes from closing. I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years long ago; 6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired; 7 Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? 10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal; the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. 13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

At the time of your “Come to Jesus moment” you probably feel forsaken, sucker punched below the belt; almost as though God is not there, He cannot hear your distress. But these moments are Holy moments, moments where God wants you to lean in and listen. Moments where he wants to mature your faith and show you who he is. Moments when you realize that you cannot do life without him. Sitting on the fence with your legs dangling on either side is no longer an option. We can go back in scripture and see the goodness of God, we can remember that even when his children were complacent, or in rebellion and sin He was there allowing the pain and discomfort for a season, but not forever. Some seasons are longer than others, and I think it is a matter of how hard your heart is.

Psalm 78:12-16 we read these reminders of what God did for his rebellious sinful children. He had delivered them, promised them a new land and yet they did not get his goodness, deliberately rebelled and sinned. Demanded and acted like spoiled kids.
12 He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. 14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. 15 He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; 16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

Even though they were demanding and sinning willfully God took care of them. He was angry very angry. Psalm 78:21 “When the Lord heard them, he was angry, very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel.” And he gave them what they wanted, manna fell from the skies, men ate the bread of angels it tells us in verse 25. He sent them all the food they could eat. He rained meat down on them like dust…they ate until they had more than enough. Time and again God would deliver, feed, cover, help and time and again they would sin and rebel and complain. And he would forgive and answer and help. Why? Verse 39 tells us why; “He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.”

God knows how we are made, He who formed our hearts, our minds, our souls knows us better than we know us or even our parents know us. He sees those corners of our hearts that we refuse to surrender, we refuse to give up that sin, we refuse to tame our tongue, we refuse to listen. And sometimes we can seem to be doing all the right things and we still get a hard “Come to Jesus moment.” His desire is to never leave us as we are. He grows us through adversity and times of drought. But we need to look back in our own lives and see how many times he rescued us, how many times he gave us good gifts when we did not deserve them. God will move heaven and earth to come rescue the one. He will reach so low, so far that when we truly look at it, we will fall down on our knees and say thank you!

This hardship, this hurt whatever form it comes in is not meant to kill us but to turn us to the One, the only One who has the power to redeem, to forgive, to heal, to change, to mold and make us, fit for the kingdom of God, where we one day will live. He bought us with a price, his life. We are his sheep and He is a good shepherd and because of that we must have those hard seasons, those Come to Jesus moments.” They change us, the stretch us and wake us up to the reality that we need Him (Jesus) every moment of every day. We are feeble, fumbling, wicked at birth people and our time on earth is short, we must be fully surrendered and committed to our Lord and Savior.

Have you had a “Come to Jesus moment?” What will you do with it? Will you yell, rebel, kick and scream? Or, will you lean in close, listen to the voice of your Shepherd, read his word, pray and seek His face and wait to see what will happen. Maybe it won’t have a good ending according to man’s idea of a good ending, and maybe it will. Maybe you will get well, maybe you won’t. I can guarantee that when you lean in, the outcome does not matter, your walk does. And if when you leave this earth you are stripped of everything you thought you needed, but your soul is free and thriving in Jesus and your destination is eternity with God, it will not matter.

“Come to Jesus moments are holy, blessed times indeed!”

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Have you ever had a major life storm swirling all around you? You feel as though a tornado has swept by and you are caught in the vortex and it just will not throw you out? You are not sure which way is up or down. Twirling and twirling you wait to get your legs under you, feel solid ground again, yet while this is happening, you are not afraid, you are peaceful almost joyful? How can that be possible, what has had to take place first?

If we are walking in relationship with Jesus each and every day, reading his word, praying, living in gentleness, settledness, peacefulness, and thanksgiving, we are already way ahead of the one who isn’t. If we are not walking in line with God’s word then when the storm comes, and it will, we do not have what it takes to weather well what is happening. We have to stop in the middle of the horrible winds and try to gain footing, collect our thoughts, get our minds right. It is much harder to do while the storm is raging than if we are prepared beforehand.

The Bible tells us that we are to rejoice always, always? Really? It is so important it is repeated. It tells us that the Lord is near. We are not alone in this tornado, God is very near to us. He does not leave us to fight the battle by ourselves, He is in the midst of it, has allowed it for purposes that ultimately are for our good, but most assuredly are meant to draw us nearer to him. To raise our trust level. We are to go to him, take our petitions and prayers and leave our worries there, at his feet, surrendering our control or the control we felt we had. And while we are surrendering through prayer we are to be thankful, give thanks to him. Is it possible to thank the Lord in the middle of a storm, yes, it is when we remember his faithfulness to us in the past, when we meditate on his word and remember the heroes of the faith that he was with and so faithful to.

When we fully surrender our right to be angry, to be anxious, to worry; God steps into the situation and bathes our hearts with a peace unlike any other. It washes over us with an assurance that He is able to bring us through, that no matter the storm, He is in control, He will not leave us or forsake us, He loves us with an everlasting love and even if we fall, it is into the loving hands of Jesus.

Most of our battles are fought and won in our minds. That is where they start and where they end. Our minds can be so fickle when they are not anchored in God’s word. When they are focused solely on us, our comfort, our wants, the world, there is no anchor there, nothing to keep us grounded and steady. However, if we are filled up with God, walking in a relationship with Jesus, letting the Holy Spirit of God walk us through life, that power that raised Jesus is already moving and working and keeping and giving us what we need as we need it. We may have a momentary time of feeling overwhelmed, but the power of God will rise up in us, our faith will come to the surface and we will realize that Jesus is near, we will get through and we can even rejoice all the while the storm has never ceased.

It is kinda like a soldier, being prepared. What if the soldier never trained, never handled his weapons, never put on his uniform or did even the first soldierly thing and was called to immediate action in a war. He would not do well, he would not be ready, he would be caught off guard and have to hurry to get battle ready. A soldier is trained for months and sometimes years. He is taught everything from how to make his bed to how to aim, shoot and kill the enemy.

Well, we are soldiers in the Lord’s army. We must be prepared at all times for war to break out. We must be filled up with the power and knowledge of God that comes from reading his word, praying and living in relationship. We need to be so full, so ready that we can still sing, praise, shout, give thanks, move forward and even run this race well all the while life is going crazy, you are twirling around in the storm, yet settled in the knowledge that God brought it, God can stop it, and victory is already yours, but also whatever the outcome it is a victory, because you rest in Jesus and his plan for you.

The Lord is near, the enemy will say he isn’t, but we know that is a lie because if the enemy is talking, he being the father of lies, does just that every time he utters a word, it is all lies…don’t believe a word! Keep believing what you know to be true about God, keep reading and persevering in prayer and see the goodness of God come to pass. It will just wait for it and while you do, praise him, give thanks and rest in peace, you may be battered, but you will survive and live to share your war story to help another fellow soldier on their way.

Ephesians3:16-19 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in. your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-thay you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Why is it so important for us to be with the “body of Christ,” other believers? Well, scripture tells us that there is power to be had by assembling together with other believers. When we cut ourselves off from other believers, we choose to stay home from church, we are cutting ourselves off from an important source of power, that we need to walk this walk of faith. Let’s face it, life is hard. Walking this walk of faith is not easy, as a matter of fact, sometimes it feels as though we are being swallowed up.

For myself I love to go to church, I love people, but more importantly, my faith is made stronger by the testimony of others. When I witness other believers who I know are going through a very dry season with hard things going on and yet they do it with seeming grace and a joy that is just amazing.

All too often if being with other believers is not a priority then we can grow stagnant, we can start focusing on all the wrongs in life with no way of lifting ourselves up. When we get isolated the enemy of our souls starts to tell us lies and we begin listening and believing them. There is strength in numbers. Also, when we hear God’s word not just preached from the pulpit, but sung in songs of praise, our hearts and minds get elevated to higher places. Our worship gets lifted up and when that happens our spirits gain strength.

The truths we hear will better penetrate our souls and hearts. I have read the scriptures many times and received from the Lord a blessing in my spirit, but that same word can come more alive as I hear it and experience it within the body of Christ. As I listen to others tell what they received from that word, my faith is made stronger and my lesson in that word more complete.

When life gets hard we tend to want to run away and hide in our pain. We want to nurse it and meditate on it; well, that is the wrong thinking. Yes, there are times when we need to be alone, but in the midst of hurt is not a good time. We need the building up that comes from the body of Christ. We need our attention focused on what the pastor is saying, we need the words of God through song and speaking to penetrate the desert places we are experiencing and when we do the voice of the evil one will grow dimmer and we can better hear our Lord speak to us.

It is like anything else. When you are in a room and only one person is talking you hear it loudly, but if you are in a room with a lot of other loudness that one voice seems less and you cannot fully hear what they are saying, you must lean in. And that is what Satan wants, he wants you to lean in, get alone and lean in so he can tell you lies.

We think that if we are alone we will hear a better word from God. We will lean into him a little closer. Sometimes this is true, but most of the time, especially in seasons of hurt it is not true.

Bottom line we are to obey every word that we read in scripture. So, therefore, if he says we need to assemble together, then let us assemble together. It will build the body up as a whole and build us up in our faith alone at the same time.

Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

What is the “DAY” is it talking about? The day the Lord will return for us. As this day draws ever closer our world will get more and more into the evil that permeates it. We need to stand together, leaning on one another, strengthening one another for the trials and hardships that may come. As this “DAY” comes closer and closer there will be more and more spiritual struggles that come to us. So, as more and more difficulties arise we need to make even more of an effort to assemble ourselves together, united in worship and praise and strength.

You were not meant to be an island…think about it!

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Here is the question, “Have you hidden God’s word in your heart?” I don’t mean have you read your Bible, attend a Bible study, read a scripture today, I mean really hidden it in your heart. It is the very heartbeat of your heart, God’s word leading and guiding you every day in each and every circumstance that you find yourself in?

So often we think “I’ve got this,” I have read a scripture today, checked it off my list and I am ready for whatever comes my way. Seriously, you are not! Sometimes the storms of life come so hard and so fast that it takes your breath away, you feel as though you have been punched below the belt. When this happens your five seconds of reading will not hold you and guide you or help you. You may not even remember it. No, we need to get down to the business of reading God’s word, meditating on it, getting to know him with a heart knowledge and not just our heads. We need to let it absorb into the very marrow of our bones, so that when a storm arises in your life,(and it will,) you can stand firm on God’s word. You can see clearly that he has been faithful and will see you through.

The question is asked in Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure?” And then the answer is given in the very next part of that verse, “By living according to your word.” People do not live right because they do not know what is right. They have not dug into God’s word and let it shape them, mold their thoughts, corral their hearts. They chase every form of pleasure looking for that something that will satisfy and all the while it is right under their noses. Nothing satisfies like Jesus, nothing lasts like Jesus, nothing can help us like Jesus.

I want to know God fully. I want my heart to beat with every word that he ever spoke and gave to us. Because when I do, even when life hurts us, beats us up, confuses us or whatever, we can stand firm, knowing that God is working it out on our behalf, he hears our cries for mercy and longs to answer us and be gracious to us. He is a good God! If we do not study his word we can tend to forget that. Life is hard, sometimes it rolls over us like a freight train and other times like a gentle wave.

As I see and hear almost every day now about another school shooting, or murder I am reminded that when you remove God from everything, you can expect nothing less than chaos and evil to take over, for a time mind you. God is still sovereign, He is still in control and he is letting the lusts of our flesh play out until He says enough!!! One day He will return, and those of us who know him have no reason to fear, but for those who do not…you need to be very afraid!

My pastor spoke about how we have forgotten the need to fear God. Yes, he loves us, yes, he came to save us, yes, he is good to us, but He is HOLY! We forget his holiness and think we can just do as we please, even as Christians, not so my friends not so. You may think you have gotten away with it, but even those things done in secret are seen by an all-seeing God. A Holy God.

When you really comprehend his holiness and how he hates our sin, it will change the way you think and do. Hide is the word in your heart, eat the manna in front of you and be filled to overflowing. Jesus is coming, it could be today, shouldn’t we live like it is?

What does Amen mean? For a short explanation, it means,”so be it.”

So be what? Whatever has been declared.

I learned the meaning of this word in fifth grade, quite by accident. Our teacher was out for a few days and no substitute was available, so our principal stepped in and taught our class. Several of us had not done our homework and she jokingly said, if you all don’t get your work done Mrs. Keeney will fire me; to which I suddenly piped up with “Amen!” Now, I did not really know what it meant at the time, I heard it quite often at church and certainly at the end of prayers, but to know its meaning I did not. However, my principal did not find it funny and my loud exclamation was now the subject of a lesson.

She asked me if I knew what that word meant, to which I said, no, not really.
I was then made to get the dictionary and look it up, tell the class its meaning. I was also given a punishment, no recess for my remark. She asked me if I was sorry I had said it, I said yes, (I did not want to be in more trouble,) but I wanted to say no because at that moment of humiliation I wanted her gone. It was a good lesson though, I have never forgotten the meaning.

Amen is used in scripture so many times, too many for me to tell right now. Over one hundred times in the Old Testament. In the Hebrew, it means to take care, to be faithful, reliable, or established, or to believe someone or something. To believe something seems to be the meaning behind several occasions in the OT.

1 Chronicles 16:36 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.”

Nehemiah 8:6 “And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered. “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

Isaiah called God “the God of Amen,” in whose name his servants should invoke blessings and take oaths. But Jesus, however, uses “Amen” by saying “amen lego humin,” that is, “truly I say to you.” Where the prophet would say, “thus, says the Lord,” Jesus, would say, “Amen, I say to you.”
It seems that this was another way of Jesus emphasizing his diety when he spoke, not merely to emphasize a point. He had the right to forgive sins, to judge and to heal by his own authority. God was to get the glory for such things, yet Jesus did them all in his name. All these things because He was God incarnate, God in the flesh.

In Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen”

In this passage, we hear Paul praising God and also asking him to bestow grace on the readers. This passage both declares and pleads and is sealed with “Amen,” “so be it!”

So, in closing be careful how you use the word “Amen.” It is not a flippant word to be tossed around haphazardly. It has serious meaning and should be used carefully. Otherwise, you may find yourself losing your recess like I did. (haha)

I am no authority but wanted to give just a short lesson on this word which I myself have used haphazardly many times. I will leave you with how I want to use it now, in all seriousness. I wish it were today!

Revelation 22:20 ” He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen, Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And I say: “Amen and Amen!” “So Be It!”