I want to dissect these verses a little.

Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

All of us at one time or another, or possibly several times gets tires of the “rat race” of life, we get tired of an illness, or family problems, our jobs etc… sometimes we get so tired of it all that our judgement is clouded and we fall into sin; we make a wrong choice. Making a wrong choice is far different than a life of sinful behavior. Our faith gets weak and sometimes even our bodily strength fails us. We are just too tired to move forward.

When those times come we have this incredible promise sitting right hear for every believer and if you have never read these verses now is a good time to delve into them! Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord, The Creator “does not” grow tired or weary. He has limitless strength and ability, He is not bound by the confines of our human frailties. And yet he understands our human weaknesses and is waiting to give us just what we need to make it another day. It tells us that he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. It does not say he might do it, it tells us that he does do it! All of us even the young get tired overwhelmed with stuff, He is the answer, He has just what we need.

All we have to do is “hope”; Hope in the Lord. We remember how he has brought us through time and time again had he not, you probably would not still be here. We have seen his faithfulness in our hours of need and it lets hope rise up inside of us. When we do this we are promised strength, not just any strength, but his strength. It even tells us that we can soar while we are being strengthened and still trudging through the mess. We will run our course in just the right way, at the right speed, and we will not get weary and we will not faint under the weight of it all. Wow! I do not know about you, but I get excited when I read this.

I know for myself there have been so many times, even as a child that life seemed like too much. I even contemplated suicide. I did not think I could carry all that life was giving me, but God showed up, he came my way in the most unlikely way and my strength and my hope were restored. I could clearly see how he had been with me and that he was still with me every day, giving me all that I needed for that day.

I think sometimes we want tomorrows strength and mercy paid up today; we want to grab and take from tomorrow, but God tells us we have enough for this moment. His strength never fails, He never falters, He never faints. God is God of this moment. He may send you strength, encouragement from places or people that you never expected or even know.

So, let your hope rise up, claim the promise for today. Walk in God’s strength, in God’s mercy and abilities. We do not have to see what is around the corner, He is there and it will be okay. Trust him, rest in him and see what God can and will do!

Sounds like a trick question doesn’t it. In a way, you can say that it is. I am not talking about your outward appearance alone, I am talking about what is on the inside that shines to the outside.

Everywhere you look there are advertisements for products to make us more beautiful. Hollywood is full of beauty, and they keep it on display all the time. Woman especially find ourselves comparing our looks with another, wondering how we measure up. Let’s face it we want to feel attractive, pretty, pleasing to others, but there is a beauty that is far more important and if you have this beauty inside it will radiate from inside and show up on your face.

Scripture speaks about what we should be first on the inside. 1 Timothy 3:11 “In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.”

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Proverbs 31:26 “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

I have met and been around many outwardly beautiful people and often times as I have gotten to know them I have found that their outward beauty has faded, not because of anything they have changed on the outside, but as I have listened to them and learned about them, it diminished their outward beauty. They were unkind in their words and judgemental in their actions, etc…and then there are people I have been around that do not have what the world would consider an outward beauty, instead, they have an inner beauty, a love of God that radiates to their outward appearance. The more I am with them the more beautiful they outwardly become.

Outward attractiveness fades away, but what is in one’s heart remains. I want to be one of those people that radiate Jesus. I want my heart and soul so full of Jesus that it cannot be contained.

A few years back I was thinking about Moses and his encounter with the Holy God, the Great I Am on the mountain and how when he came down his appearance had changed. I imagined that the love of God, some of the glory that surrounded him was evident on his face and others could see that he had been with God. I thought a lot about that and I prayed and asked God to help me to be a light to a dark world, to let others see him in me first. I want to be so full of Jesus that it radiates out of me and people I come in contact with can see him in my face. I am not sure I am there yet, but I am constantly striving to live my talk, love and know him more. I love the Lord, I cannot imagine where I would be without him. He is my Lord and my Savior, my everything.

I want those I am around to see Christ’s attractiveness in me and on me. I will never be what the world considers a true beauty, but I can let the love of Christ shine forth from within and radiate to my outward appearance.

This does not only apply to the woman, it goes for men as well. The measure of a man is not how tall he is, how big his muscles are, or how big his bank account. A man that loves God, loves his wife and family is an attractive man. A man that does what scripture tells him to do is irresistible​ to his wife or the one who loves him.

Ephesians 5:25 “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her.”

Men, do you love your wives like Christ loves the church? Are you the spiritual head of your family? Do you seek to please God above all else? Are you respectful to woman, regarding them in a manner that is pure and right or are you looking at them as objects? Is your talk clean or course?

I want to please God, I want to live my life in a way that says, He is my Lord, I am his. It should dictate what I say and what I do. What has taken place on the inside should at some point show​ upon the outward appearance to some degree. We are told to be a city on a hill…we are told to let our lights shine before men so they may see and believe…do you? So, I will ask again, “How attractive are you?”

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Be an attractive Christian, one that draws people Christ, not one that repels them.

Scripture tells us that Jesus had no great outward handsomeness to him to draw men to him, instead it was something inside that was shown to them, something more than a majestic appearance.

Isaiah 53:2 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is not beauty that we should desire Him.”

Let your love of Christ, your transformed heart be what others see and you will be attractive to the one who matters…Jesus, Lord and Savior!

I hate to hear people whine all the time! There I said it! When I have to be around people who complain about everything it drives me nuts! They think that if every little thing is not exactly as they would want it that life is not being fair to them. Trust me, I know these kinds of people. Sometimes I want to tell them to put a cork in it, (in a Christian way of course), smile… What happened to being grateful for even the little things?

We just assume we are due the very best in life, or at least that is the way it seems. We forget that we are a blessed people, over much of the world. We have it pretty darn good! We should not go around expecting the world to revolve around us and our needs. Why not forget self for a moment and go out and do something for someone else? Far too many people spend far too much time just looking at themselves and how life affects them. When we step out of our (self-shell) we are able to let go of those things which weigh us down.

If we need to know what the Bible says we can find many scriptures pertaining to helping others and what God thinks about it.

Hebrews 6:10 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help him.”

Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers​ and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.”

1 Samuel 12:24 “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”

We as Christain’s need to remember daily all that the Lord has done for us. We need to keep an attitude of gratitude even in the little things; things we do not deserve but have been blessed with because of God’s great mercy toward us.
We should serve others and be grateful because of our love for the Lord, as an act of worship. Yes, I think being grateful is an act of worship. When we realize and completely understand that everything, down to our smallest blessing comes from God.

1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

When we live with a grateful spirit, fully understanding the great mercy that we receive daily, it should compel us to action toward others.
Pouring into their lives from the abundance of our own. When we do we have this promise.

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

And this: 2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Jesus came to serve and did it daily without complaint and I am positive he had a grateful heart and attitude about everything.

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to five his life as a ransom for many.”

Being grateful and thankful is something we are told in scripture to be. Lets read a few together and purpose to be both of these things so that we can go out and spread the love of Christ effectively in our daily lives.

1 Chronicles 16L34 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ” Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

And lastly, Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips.”

Walk in gratitude, look to Christ, serve others and not self, give to those in need and know that God is watching and one day He will reward you for all you do in His name.

As Christian’s we are constantly being watched by the world, and by those around us. The world is ready to pounce at any moment when they see people who claim Christ make mistakes, bad choices. It makes them feel better about themselves and confirms what they perceive to be the truth of who Christ believers really are. Liars, losers, cheats, thieves etc… no better than they are, which is true to a point, we have one thing though that makes us different. that thing that sets us apart, we have been forgiven, we are heaven bound, sons and daughters of The Most-High God. We have been born again. Should we be any of those things listed no, but as long as we carry this dead flesh around we will struggle, not be defeated by, but struggle with one sin or another.

Here is the truth, we are going to mess up, fall down, however you want to say it. As we grow in Christ hopefully it is less often with less severity, but mess up we will. What can we do “about that?” What should our reaction be to our sin? First, the Holy Spirit in us will not allow us to linger long in the wrong place, physically or spiritually. If we are truly born again we are going to know we are in sin, we are wrong. The Holy Spirit tells us we are. Once we are aware our actions or words are wrong we need to repent. Repentance is not just saying I am sorry with our lips, it is a posture of the heart. That deep awareness and distress even at knowing that we have offended God by our actions and words. If you never feel convicted of anything…you might want to examine your heart to see if you truly are his child. We have an advocate. He prays for us all the time. And because we have this Advocate, we are pronounced clean.

Scripture tells us that if we go to Jesus with a sincere heart, confess our sins, he will forgive us.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

Ephesians 1:7-8 “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.”

After we have repented of “that” whatever it may be, scripture tells us that times of refreshing will come. Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Refreshing means to “take a breath”, “to give rest,” “quiet,” “revive” or to “invigorate.” Don’t you feel as though you need to be revived, to be invigorated after you come in from wallering in sin? The filth that you have accumulated while you ignored the Holy Spirit as He was trying to draw you back and proceeded to do whatever it was you had decided to do? Isn’t God good to give us that refreshing, that revival. His desire is that we do not sin, but when we do “that” sin he is waiting, longing for us to turn from it and come back under his Lordship and be made new once again. He is the only one who can make us new, cause us to walk away from “that” which causes us so much pain and hurt; that makes us step back in our relationship with Christ out of shame and embarrassment.

No matter what “that” sin you have committed is, no matter who it was with, or how many times it happened, it does not matter, God is there, waiting for His child to turn and run home, back into his arms. Sin is sin, no matter what it is, other than denying Christ there is nothing that cannot be forgiven.

Trust his love for you, trust his word, turn, run, receive. Once you have tasted the forgiveness of the Lord you tend to not want to do “that” again. Sometimes, we fail…but sometimes we soar, as we grow in our wisdom and knowledge of Christ and understand that we really are “wretched” and in need of forgiveness and restoration.

As we move ever closer to Christ, we tend to shed layers of our filth, not wanting to return to the pig pen from whence we came but wanting to wear that new garment of worship and praise for the only one able to make us new. “That cannot steal your salvation, but it can and will steal your joy and your fellowship. So, the next time you are sitting in the place of decision, remember that if God says no, it for our good…trust him and walk away…then you will not have the consequences to deal with, but can experience that small “well done” from your Father.

Did you know that each of us has at least at one time in our lives received some sort of “Love Letter?” Maybe you got your first one when you were in elementary school. That is where I got my first one. I remember it so well: I was in third grade in Mrs. Plymale’s class and a boy named Jerry passed me a note. It said he thought I was pretty and like me, would I please be his girlfriend. I was to circle Yes or No. I can remember even then feeling special and excited. I had been picked!

It was not mushy in its content, but a third-grade declaration of feelings (love) was what it was trying to convey. He would write me from time to time and pass it to me in class and say I love you, do you love me? It is funny to think about now, obviously, we only had the love of our parents and family to compare love to and no real idea of what those words meant.

Maybe you have not ever received a love letter of any sort from someone special, or have you? Each of us has a love letter written to us, it is our Bible’s. God’s Holy inspired word to us. In it, we read his love letter to us. It has stood the test of time through all the ages. His love letter has words like this in it.

Matthew 27:26 “Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them; and after he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified.”

Luke 23:33 “When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, and two criminals, one on his right and another on his left.”

Isaiah 53:3-5 “We despised and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him-we ignored him as if he were nothing.
“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. But because of our sins, he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received. ”

John 19:30 “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically but made alive spiritually.

Luke 20:16-18 “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners to be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”

Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

These are just a few of the life-giving words written to us in Jesus’s love letter to us. It tells a story of a love so great that it cost a life. Not just any life, but the pure sinless son of God. The perfect lamb was bruised, bled and died on a cruel cross for you and me. But, He did not stay there, He rose again! He conquered hell and the grave so that we too might have eternal life. He took the penalty for our sins on himself.
People, there is no greater love that anyone has ever displayed or will than this! His desire is that you read his “Love Letter” daily. He longs for you to be in a relationship with him. To allow him to love you and cleanse you and guide you throughout this life and then to one day take you home, to Heaven to live with him for all eternity.

We cannot know him and be in a good relationship with him if we never read his word, talk to him in prayer and daily surrender our will for his will. I want the best possible relationship with the Lord. I do not want to have to go back to him after a long absence or shame.

Allow God to love you, allow him access to your day. Give up a little of your time and spend it with your “first love.” You will not regret it, you will share and intimacy with God that cannot be trumped by another on this earth. After all, he formed you, He truly knows you, even those secret places that no one else sees or possibly even cares about. As you read, make it personal, because it is. Put your name in scripture and see that it is his love letter just for you!

Maybe, you want to write a letter to him or sing a song for him. Give him your heart…He will keep it safe and sound!

I love you, Lord, with all my heart, mind and soul. I thank you for this love letter written to me. I thank you for your shed blood that washed me clean.
I thank you that you are always with me, hearing me when I pray, answering me.
I thank you that I face nothing in this life that has not been filtered through loving hands. I thank you that one day I will be with you, not because of anything I have done, but because of all that you have done.
I thank you for my “Love Letter.” Written with your blood. No greater “Love Letter” has ever been or ever will be written.

So many Christian’s are walking around still worrying about whether or not their sins have been truly forgiven and forgotten. They live with condemnation hanging over their every waking hour, hounded by thoughts of their failures. They feel as though they will never get it right. And they are right, this side of Heaven we are always going to struggle with our sin nature, some days we will get it right and other days, we will fail.

I used to be one of those people that felt as though God’s forgiveness was not as genuine as scripture says that it is. I put Christ on my level and figured if I could not forgive and forget my sin how could he? It not only made me feel ashamed all the time but dictated to some degree how I behaved. So many times when we see ourselves as flawed, with past mistakes hanging over us we figure what difference does it make if I do this particular sin or not. After all, how much worse can I feel?

When the enemy can get you focused inwardly on yourself, and keep you questioning God’s forgiveness then he has you right where he wants you. He cannot steal your salvation, but he can make you feel condemnation all the time, but most importantly it closes your spiritual ears and makes it hard to hear the Holy Spirit inside you telling you truths that you need to hear.

God’s word is very clear; if you have repented from your sin and asked Jesus to rule and reign in your heart, it is a done deal, you are his, completely forgiven, your sins immediately are forgotten, as though they never were. Scripture says this, Hebrews 8:12″For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Psalm 103:11-12 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

When we can grasp the truth that we are his, son’s and daughter’s of God, the King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s everything will change inside of us. When we take our eyes off of us and put them on Jesus our mind and our hearts begin to reset. And as we study his word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us the truth of God’s word starts to seep into the very marrow of our bones, and we are made new. We can accept the forgiveness given to us, that precious unmerited favor. We can believe that this God who formed us will never again hold our sin against us. Consequences may come, but condemnation has to flee in his presence. And we are able to forgive ourselves and move past our mistakes to walk a new way.

We need to move and breathe and have our being in him, grounded and confident in His abilities to save us, forgive us, change us and get us to Heaven. It really is all about him and what he does, we swap our filth for his righteousness. It does not get any better than that.

Stop listening to the lies of the enemy, walk in the newness of life you have been given. Look to Jesus, meditate on his word and as you do you will see that the old you is less and less.

My pastor gave us a cloth one Sunday, he wanted us to keep it as a reminder that we belonged to the Lord. That God says “you are (mine).” I have mine taped to my mirror with (mine) written in red across it. Every morning as I look at my reflection in the mirror I am reminded (who) I belong to, and that knowledge gives me the confidence to walk each day with my head held high knowing that my Father, loves me, leads me, helps me, guides me and never, ever leaves me.

I am so very thankful for God’s “Amazing Grace!”

Do you find yourself in an ongoing war with yesterday? You cannot let it go, it whatever it is hounds you day and night. It may be a personal failure on your part or a hurt that someone inflicted or an illness that has lingered. It could be a marriage that is difficult and draining. And instead of getting up each day and taking the new mercy that is offered you drag yesterdays hurt, disappointment or argument with you into today.

You have stopped looking at the glass as being half full, to you, it is perpetually empty. God is not listening to you, he is not answering your prayer (according to you) and you just cannot and will not let it go. This luggage that is full of all those things that have been piled in over the course of days or years is yours and you are going to lug it around if it kills you!

I get it, I have been there. I have carried hurts and failures with me to the point that I could not function and when I did it was in my flesh not in my spirit. I wanted to feel happy again, I wanted to get off of the negative, hard train of life and make myself happy, make this day better in my strength. Yes, there are times when we are not happy, we have a hurt that robs us of sleep or an illness that has drained us physically and mentally. But in those times where do, we go to fix it. To whom do we turn when life is constantly made up of lemons. Do you just watch your lemons mold? Or do you allow God to make your lemonade? When we do, it is the sweetest, best-tasting lemonade you will ever drink.

We want all hurt, however, it comes to not come, at least not to us. We want a life free of any discomfort, we want more mountaintops than valleys, we want, we want, we want… It is a merry-go-round of me’s and I’s…

God in his word tells us that we will have trouble. It is going to happen, maybe not today, but it will touch us all, and some of us more than once in varying ways. And his word tells us that since we know we will have trouble ( he told us ), then we can have peace in spite of said trouble. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

If that is true that we can have peace, we do not have to drag our dirty laundry into the next day, we can rest in the one who is able, where do we get that peace. We go to his word, we read it, pray it and let it seep into the very marrow of our bones. His word is living and active. It can change lives, it can change your outlook, your mindset. The Holy Spirit will step into your situation and bring you that peace that we have heard, that peace that passes understanding. Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 29:11 “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

Is it possible to be in the very middle of a war and still have peace? His word says we can. It is not because of anything we do other than trust in his unfailing goodness and remember all the times he has been faithful. The fact that you are still alive to go through another battle is proof of his faithfulness. You did not die or cease to exist because of the battle that was raging. I dare say you were stretched to the point that you thought you could not bear it, but somehow you did and here you are in a new day.

The Greek word “peirasmos” means trial or proving. God is proving our faith to see how weak or strong it may be. He only gives what he knows you can handle. He knows you better than you know you. He formed you. 1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you.” If we have faith that has never been tested, we have faith that cannot be trusted.

As hard as it is we need to surrender each day’s battlefields to the Lord, we need to grab hold of the new mercies that are ours for the day. Yes, maybe that will mean a good cry in your (Father’s) lap, maybe it will be a new laying down of yesterdays burdens and a walk through the pages of his word that has the power to change us. When we try to shoulder our heavy luggage alone we are beaten down and sometimes we must sit down, but when we leave it at the foot of the cross, and we pick up our new mercy bag, somehow in the midst of that we find our joy tank refilling and the day seems brighter and the war easier to fight. God longs for us to come to him, he wants to heal our wounds, he wants us to trust his heart for us.

As a child, I went to my special place to talk to God. My grandmother had told me that I could talk openly to him just like I talked to her. I found that fascinating. She said I could be honest with him because he already knew what was in my heart and what I wanted to say. So, I would go to my special place away from everyone which happened to be a big field across a cow pasture and a creek where no one was. There I would tell God how mad it made me that my dad was doing the hurtful things to me. I would tell him that my grandmother had told me that he (God) could do anything, so why was he not? (at that age she was my Bible)

I would ask God why he would let my daddy do the things he did if he (God) really loved me like she said he did. Did I get an audible answer to my questions, NO! Did my daddy suddenly stop sexually abusing me, NO! Did I walk away with new peace in my heart, YES! Did I somehow understand that although God was not stopping him, he was somehow allowing it and would make it all be okay somehow, someday, some way, YES! God ministered to my young heart. He supernaturally spoke into my wounded spirit and I believe it is because although I was a young child, I had small faith, but my grandmother had great faith and I trusted what I saw her walk out each day and I trusted as much as a child can what I heard my pastor say on Sunday’s and God grew my faith with each encounter and when I went to him, I got my peace, I got my bag of new mercy, it was always there, but the act of going after it is helpful.

Even then I was laying down my hurts and leaving them with the only one I knew could handle them, I believe that in part is what has helped me walk through all the ugly places of my life. Could God have stopped my dad, Yes I know he could, but he chose not to. And to be honest it really is a mute point at this juncture of my life. I look back on that time in my life and I see God, all over it, working it for my good, holding me when I needed to be held and giving me that peace that passes understanding when I needed it most. I did not always see him then because I was looking through a lense of pain and hurt. Focused on how it was affecting me, which is entirely a normal thing to do. But when I changed my focus to God and asked him to help me, my feelings changed and my faith grew. It has grown my faith and moved me ever closer to the Lord. He was faithful then and he is faithful now. He saved my dad mightily and my dad has been in Heaven for 28 years, Praise God!

Do not take yesterdays hurts with you, it gives the enemy an opportunity to drag you down, keeps your self-focused and sometimes stuck. Lay them at the Father’s feet, trust him to work it out and lean on him through prayer and his word. This too shall pass!

“The Lord is my Banner!” Can you say this with confidence? Is the Lord your banner, your hope, your victory in life’s situations? If you can say with confidence that yes, the Lord is my banner, he is my rock, he wins my battles, it is with him I will one day live for all eternity, then you can walk this earth with confidence knowing you are not alone, you cannot be defeated and heaven will be your home one day! 

Jehovah Raah means ” The Lord is my shepherd”. Is the Lord your shepherd, your keeper? If he is then you need not worry about what you will eat or drink, whether your needs will be met. You do not have to be concerned with this world and its many trials. The good shepherd will lead you and keep you; he alone will provide for you. When you are tired and weary he is provided rest and peace for your soul.  Meditate on his word, pray to him daily, seek his wisdom. 

All throughout scripture these truths are told to us. Matthew 26:26-27 says: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

Isaiah 45:2 says: 2 “I will go before you and will level the mountains[a]; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.”

I have had many battles in my life, some I brought on myself and others that were not of my own making, but in each battle, the Lord showed up mighty and strong. He has gone before me and he has covered me with protection. Even in the abuse, I suffered as a child at the hands of my father and others; I can look back and see God at work and even then I could feel his presence near to me, giving me strength and help. God does not always choose to give us instant victory, although at times he has. Sometimes God walks before us conquering our foes Moment by moment, giving us just what we need at the very moment we need it. 

God knows that we can be weak and unwise, but even in times of trials of our own making he is there, working it all out for our good and his glory.  Roman’s 8:28 says:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”

God has many names, this is just two examples. If you do not know him as Yahweh-Nissi or Jehovah Raah ask him to reveal himself to you. God has equipped us with everything we need to succeed, he has promised to never leave us, and he is always fighting for us! 

It seems that every time I talk to someone they are worried and concerned about something. They want to have the kind of faith that simply trusts all the time, and they are good at quoting all the scriptures that speak about worrying like, Philippians 4:6-7 which says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” Sounds easy, doesn’t it? However, the actuality of it is much harder. Is it that these people just cannot muster enough faith to move their mountain? Maybe they are in sin and they know that God must be angry with them. I do not think so. We each have the amount of faith God wants us to have and He grows it at the pace we can follow. Some people seem to be victorious over the mountains in their lives all the time, but why not us?

The Lord tells us in Luke 12:24-26 that we should consider the ravens: “They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” So, God cares more for us than birds, yes and that is a good place to start.

We need to remember that we are His creation, we are His children and He longs to give us good things and to make us more like him. He does this by sometimes saying yes to a prayer, sometimes saying maybe/wait for a prayer and other times by a resounding no! We, of course, want what we want when we want it, but that does not make it good for us or the right thing. As we sit in His presence and ask him to fill us with more of him, we begin to see more clearly as He does. We find it easier to be in His will resting in His Sovereignty over a situation.

If we could just understand that God is not a slot machine, or a scratch off. He wants to give us the things in life that move us toward him and eternity with him. Changing us as we make our way through this life. We are promised in his word trials and tribulations, not just a fun easy life of ease. We must remind ourselves daily of God’s Sovereignty over everything and our absolute dependence on him for everything, even our very breath! It all belongs to him. When we take the time to study his word and spend time with him in prayer we will find that the worry just seems to dissipate and our faith begins to grow. We find ourselves waiting with expectation for the answer to those things of life that trouble us and give us cause for pause.

The Lord hears us, Jeremiah 33:3 tells us this. He also says in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Do you see it? The answer to your worry is to come to him! He promises us if we come we will get rest and the burden he has is light.

God wants to give us peace. He wants to make our burden light. He is a gentleman and he will not force you to come and surrender your worry. It isn’t that other people’s lives are free of stress and hardships, but for those in Christ, maybe just maybe they have already learned the art of resting in Jesus and receiving the peace that comes from it. Why don’t you try it, who knows it may be addictive and you can walk around with that faith and peace you so desperately desire!