This mornings devotion from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young is worth sharing. It really spoke to me and I hope that my readers will be encouraged by it also.
I AM WITH YOU AND FOR YOU. When you decide on a course of action that is in line with My Will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you. You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don’t be discouraged, never give up!
With My help, you can overcome any obstacle. Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with Me, but do remember that I, your very-present Helper, am omnipotent.
Much, much stress results from your wanting to make things happen before their times have come. One of the main ways I assert My sovereignty is in the timing of events. If you want to stay close to Me and do things My way, ask Me to show you the path forward moment by moment. Istead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let Me set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in My Presence.
Romans 8:31 (NIV) What , then, shall. we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Luke 1:37 (NIV) For no word from God will ever fail.
I will not fear because the Word of God says “FEAR NOT” . He says that He will never leave me or forsake me. No matter where I am or what I am going through His Love surrounds me. No weapon that is formed against me will prosper. I am safe and secure under the Shadow of the All Mighty God, my Father. If God is for me who can be against me. What can mere man do to me. When I am weary, He will cause me to lay down in green pastures. I never have to face any situation or person on my own, because the Holy Spirit lives in me. Nothings happens in my life that God is not aware of. He knows my comings and my goings. His love endures forever. Therefor I will not be concerned about what I shall eat, drink or wear because My father provides all that I need. This year I choose to trust in the Lord with all my heart and I will not lean on my own understanding therefore I can trust Him to lead me and guide me throughout the whole of 2020.
The above is an entry that I found in my journal that I wrote a while ago, and I thought it is a good word to speak out over our lives at the beginning of this year. God’s Word is absolute TRUTH. The devil is powerless against the Word of GOD
Isaiah 43:1 “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”
God actually commands us not to fear, or worry. The phrase “FEAR NOT is used at least 80 times in the Bible, most likely because He know the devil uses fear to decrease our hope and limit our victories.
Hebrews 13:5 keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.
Isaiah 54:17 no weapon forged against you will prevail and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me, declares the Lord.
Psalm 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Romans 8: 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Psalm 18:3 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Psalm 121:8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.
Psalm 118:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
Matthew 6: 25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.
We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Do you see with eternal eyes or are you seeing only with your natural eyes? It is an important question that we need to ask ourselves frequently; because otherwise we get bogged down by our circumstances and what is going on around us.
Our life here on earth is but a crumb when it is measured against eternity; we spend a lot of time being anxious about the here and now, especially things we cannot change. Fix your eyes today on the eternal one, your Father in Heaven, who knows everything about you and is totally aware of your circumstances. Being thankful is a great weapon to combat that feeling of being overwhelmed by the here and now.
I want to remind you today that you are never alone. It might feel like you are and you may not understand what is going on in your life or around you, but I promise you, you never walk alone. How can I be so sure of that? it says so in the Bible in the book of Jeremiah 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
And when you feel like you cannot take another step, He will carry you. Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and grey hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Even if you feel like it is too hard to pray, the Holy Spirit will beseech the Father on your behalf. Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to prayer, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Habakuk 3:17 -19 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.
That was a scripture that became very real to us during the time when we were fighting for our business.
When we lost everything we paraphrased this scripture to something like this.
Though we lost the business and the Salary is no more, and there are no cars in the garage, The bank account is empty; yet will we rejoice in the Lord. We will put our trust in the Lord and He will enable us to go on.
Sometimes the worst outcome can become the best thing that ever happened to you. When we lost the business as devastating as it was, we had already made a decision in our hearts that if the worst were to happen, we would still rejoice in the Lord and put our total trust in God. And as we look back over our lives now, we can see clearly that God had it all worked out.
So dear friends if you are going through some tough circumstances be like Habakuk, make a decision to say, “Yet will I rejoice in the Lord”.
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)
