James 1: 2-3 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to count my trials as joy, but what I have learnt over the years is that when I feel like giving up, that is the time to hang on, to hang onto what God’s word says, and to remind myself that God is not surprised by anything that is happening in my life, and He will give me the strength to get through it, and not just get through it, but learn something about myself while I am hanging on.
The scripture I go back to time and time again is in Proverbs 3: 5-6 trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.
Some days it seems that everything goes wrong, one thing after another, after another. The last few weeks for me have been like that. But in it all I have had the peace of God, I have been acutely aware that even though my circumstances don’t make sense to me, my God has a plan in it all. If this sounds like you today, don’t just talk to yourself, saying, “I just cant take anymore of this.” Don’t talk to your friends, saying, “I just cant put up with anymore of this.” Don’t struggle with the same tests day after day; If you feel your peace and joy slipping away, talk out loud to satan. If he is trying to steal from you, say, “Forget it, devil; you are not getting me upset today!” Try it, it works.
Romans 5:3 Moreover (let us also be full of joy now!) Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.
I enjoy looking at Facebook and my many Christian friends share wonderful insights and encouragements..Some of them I save in my account and some I share on to others. I want to share this one with all you ladies and gentlemen to focus your gaze on the Shepherd. Be blessed with all HE gives to His own sheep!!
Samuel 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lords and he will give all of you into our hands.
Word for today is one of my favourite daily devotions, I was greatly encouraged by today’s that is why I want to share it with you.
How you handle life depends on how big you believe God is. If He is too small;
(1) You will live in constant anxiety thinking everything depends on you.
(2) Your outlook will be dictated by your surroundings, or worse, your critic’s
(3) Without the acceptance of a loving God you will be a slave to people’s opinions.
(4) You will constantly crave recognition because you don’t understand that your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you
John Ortberg says that when we make the mistake of shrinking God, we offer prayer without faith, work without passion, service without joy, and suffering without hope – which results in fear, retreat, loss of vision, and failure to persevere.
When Goliath threatened the Israelites, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (1 Samuel 17:11) They din not think God was big enough for the job. But not David! He knew how big his God was and he simply said “the Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will save me.
You and I can face anything when we know what David knew – “the battle is the Lords, and He has never lost a battle yet!! So we do not have to depend on our own resources. David may have felt small, but he knew God was big enough for the job.
Converted slave-trader John Newton said, “if the Lord be with us we have no cause for fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer, His grace sufficient, and His promises un changeable.” It all depends on how big your God is.
In America, “escape rooms” are the latest obsession. According to Wikipedia, “An escape room is a physical adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles using clues, hints and strategies to complete the objectives at hand.”
The whole object of an escape room is to find freedom before a set time runs out. Escape rooms are truly about the experience. Some people crumble under the pressure of time and are unable to overcome the room. While others remain calm, examine the information before them, apply what they learn, and are triumphant.
Now, I have not participated in an escape room yet, but I can attest that I have allowed circumstances to defeat me in the moment. I’ve also had experiences when a job before me seemed so incredibly intimidating, but when I go with what I know, I find the solution I needed as a result. In those times, I leave feeling thrilled and free because the burden is gone.
As I think about the escape room, it brings me to thinking about Jesus. Jesus is the one and only way to freedom, to life from the escape room (this world) that we are navigating through. Throughout God’s Word, Jesus is revealed as the one and only way to move from death to life. Jesus is the Resurrection for all times, but so often we live as those trapped in this world. If we have trusted in Christ and have a relationship with him, we do not live under the bondage of sin but in the newness and freedom of life in Jesus.
So live for today! Live walking in the power of his resurrection! I believe with all my heart and soul that it is impossible not to be changed by Christ after reading his Word and even touching on his redeeming love for us. Live, knowing that every day is Easter when we live in Christ.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”John 14:6 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”John 11:25-26 (ESV) “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
Have you ever locked yourself out of your house or your car? Do you get that feeling of Oh, No! How stupid can I be?? Your day is halted, right there and nothing will move forward until you get a key! In Bible times prisoners were kept in chains with a great lock and key for a closure. Huge heavy chains that were too heavy to carry out to freedom. In the Carol, ‘O, Holy Night’, we hear, “Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.” Slavery has always been a part of the human story. Some say more so today than any other time with all the human trafficking that is experienced all over the world. But no key needed there! Chains will be broken by His NAME!! We can do all the social and political actions, and maybe make some difference, but it is going to take His NAME to finally break those chains and stop oppression. And who bears His NAME? CHRISTians bear his name, and only when the people in the church who claim the name of Christ change hearts and attitudes will those chains be broken.
I have had the privilege of international travel, and not only do I hear racial bigotry, but nationalistic bigotry from one country to another. I have seen a lady refused entrance to a hotel because of her nationality while they were checking in a man with a prostitute. I have heard from the mouths of fellow CHRISTians slurs against bordering neighbor countries. We should be different. We need to break those chains of superiority in our own hearts and look at others with the eyes if Christ. Caring, compassionate, loving eyes break chains, heal and show Christ. No key needed when Christ breaks the chain!! There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain!
