Promise Keeper

 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:20

I declared God’s word last week.. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18   Guess what?  God keeps His promises.  I was low last week, but God allowed me to rest in Him.  He gave me sanctuary and calmed my nerves and alleviated my fears.  As He promised, He went before me and stood beside me-Never leaving or forsaking me.

I serve a big God.  A God that is all powerful.  A God that can do anything. He is good merciful and kind.  He cares enough about me to fight my battles. He saves my life and He gives me victory.  He gives me joy where there was sorrow.  He let me be weak so that His power could rest on me.  I am overcome by His goodness. 

The thing is that my circumstances have not changed, but He has allowed me to triumph over them.  They serve as a bridge to a closer relationship with Christ as I trust even more to show up for me.  He is “yes” and “amen”.

I want to thank all of the people who have prayed for me and continue to pray for me.  You prove that prayer works.  For those who are facing tough situations and trials, please let me know.  I would love to pray for you.  I want to encourage you to remember that God is with you through every season and in every battle.  You will get the victory because we belong to Him.

Father, I thank You for your faithfulness.  Thank You for strengthening me and allowing me to face and conquer the enemy.  Our battle is not with flesh and blood so I count on Your Spriit to lead, guide, and sustain me.  I thank You and praise You for being my God, a God who cares for His children.  Thank You for capturing every tear.  In Jesus name.  Amen

When you feel crushed

 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”~ Psalm 34:18

My spirit is crushed.  I feel guilty that it is crushed because I know that I am a blessed woman.  Yet, events have transpired that make me have a deep ache.  I feel despair.  I tell myself to trust in the Lord.  I cry out to Him because I know He is mighty to save. Yet, these feelings won't go away.  

I ask myself if I am having enough faith?  Then I acknowledge that I am indeed human and that sometimes life is just gonna be hard.  Sometimes we are going to be brokenhearted, but I can find comfort in the fact that God is near and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I also realize that i am just going to have to wait on His timing.  The enemy wants me to feel guilty for feeling weak and sad, but the Lord is going to get the glory out this.  His name is praised and will be praised.  I will not trust in my strength, but His.

I will come out of this.  I will see the other side.  His power will rest on me for His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  So I will turn my ear to God.  I will wait on His salvation and praise Him in the meantime.  I will find joy in my sorrow because I know the Lord and I know that He is able.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13.  I have angels surrounding me and prayer partners uplifting me and standing in the gap.  God will fight and win this battle for me (Exodus 14:14).

Lord, You know my burdens and You know my story.  I know my tears are not wasted on You.  I will stand in confidence waiting to see Your glory.  Help me to wait well.  Thank You for your comfort and thank You for Your truth.  Lift up my head and let me continue to look to You.  I thank You in advance for what You are going to do.  In Jesus name.  Amen

Call to the Lord

Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you. ~ 2 Chronicles 14:11

There is no one like our God.  He is mighty to save and I love how in this passage that Asa, king of Judah, calls out to the King of all things.  What we are powerless to fight, God can handle.  It does not matter, as First 5 said today, what army we face.  It be a cancer diagnosis, death of a loved one, financial hardships, weariness from working, other issues, marriage concerns, strife on the job or in your home….whatever the enemy wants to throw at us.  We will have victory because it is the Lord that we rely on and it is the Lord that fights our battles.  He is undefeated.

I have been dealing with fatigue this week and its been hard to press my way to work, but in this battle each day God has given and is giving me the victory.  So I encourage you to trust in God and rely on Him.  He will see you through.  He not only caused to me win, but He gives me overflow.

Thank You Jesus for a timely word.  You did for Asa and You will do it for us.  We just have to trust and believe.  So I lift your people up to You Lord.  We cry out to You.  Save us.  Give us the victory.  In Jesus name. Amen

When faith is hard

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ~ Hebrews 11:1

I’ve been there, where it feels like my faith is no where to be found.  I read the words and say them, but I doubt.  I do not see God in the midst f my circumstance.  It was as if the enemy had covered my spiritual eyes and the only thing I could was the despair that was right in front of me.  BUT GOD! 

Today, I proclaim to all that may be in a place of doubting and fear to hold on just a little while longer.  God has not forgotten you.  He is not blind to your struggles.  He sees your pain and He hears your prayers.  You may not be able to perceive it right not, but God is working on your behalf ( Romans 8;28)  I declare to you that God is good.  He is good to us.  We just have to trust in Him and trust the process.

He is not out to get us but rather promises us a future ( Jeremiah 29:11).  We do more than survive…we thrive.  We have the favor of God because we are His children.  We are blessed to have a relationship with Him.  So, let’s place our faith in Him.  In the God who never fails.  Let’s not trust our circumstances but the God who created and runs the universe, God Almighty.

Father, increase our faith.  Let us stand on Your word especially when our eyes can’t see.  Open our spiritual eyes to the truth of You.  Let us be the conquerors in Christ that You have proclaimed us to be. Let us hold on to the blessed assurance of You Lord. Let us remember all that You have done for us, especially the Cross and faint not. Let me stand in the gap for those who are having a testing of their faith. Move on their behalf.  Show up mightily.  In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Reflections of His Glory

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18

Each day is a gift.  An opportunity to become like Christ.  It’s a privilege given to us through Jesus Christ because when He died on the cross taking on our sin and rose again the veil was torn in two.  Because of Jesus we have direct access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18).  We can approach the throne grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).  And when we get in the presence of God His Spirit transforms us.  We reflect on His glory as we worship Him.

As we walk through this journey on earth there should be a difference about us as believers, God’s chosen people (1 Peter 2:9).  We should be lights that shine bright for Christ, this is our reasonable service.  So, as we breathe in and exhale, let’s breathe the sweet aroma of Christ on others (2 Corinthians 2:15). 

Let us endeavor to surrender our lives to Christ and spend time in His presence so that we can become more like Him; kind, loving, faithful, and true. We don’t have to strive, but trust God and His process.  Yes, this may include trials and tribulations.  But remember Jesus suffered and our suffering will not be in vain. The joy on the other side of that possible sorrow is that we are more like Him and others will be blessed because of it. Let us be the fruit of God so that others may see and taste of His goodness.

Father, as the song says, “let me come into Your glory.  For in Your glory there is peace and Your glory Your reveal yourself to me.” You show me who I am meant to be.  You are God and I want others to see You in me.  I want to glorify you in my everyday actions.  I want to be an instrument worship.  I want to be more like You.  I want to decrease so that You may increase. So I humbly thank You for each day that You give me.  Let me live it with purpose and intention.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen

Hard Lessons- worth it

 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.~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Today in my First 5 studies of Chronicles we looked at the consequences of following your own understanding.  The consequences of good intentions rather than God’s will and word. In 1 Chronicles 13:5 we read “ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.”  This has always been a hard verse for me to swallow.  In my finite understanding I just think Uzzah was trying to keep the Ark from following off the cart.  But it wasn’t supposed to be on a cart in the first place.  It was to be carried on poles by the Levites (Exodus 25:12-15). Uzzah, unfortunately was doing what was right in his mind, even though they were good intentions it was a fatal decision.

No matter  what we may think, good intentions or not, we have to trust in God alone.  We have to let His will be done and word be followed.  As I say this, I think of God’s grace because we are all doing the best that we can.  Which is why we need Jesus because our good(best) is not enough.  We have to be covered by blood and rest in the goodness of our Savior.  We have to continuously inquire of the Lord for every decision; big and small.  We have to trust God to make our paths straight.  We also have to remember that God loves us fiercely.  He doesn’t love us because we are so good, but because He is.  He loves us because  we are His.

Lord, reading passages like today make even more grateful for your grace and mercy.  Help me to understand Your will.  Help me not lean to what I think, but trust in what You say, what You do and Who You are.  Help me trust You with all my heart and always seek You first.  Help me to wait on You.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen

Humpty Dumpty

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. ~Isaiah 40:2

There is a nursery rhyme called Humpty Dumpty. “ Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.  Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”   I used to be that egg, broken and disillusioned with life.  I knew God, but I doubted.  I let the shame of my mistakes and the lies of the enemy keep from realizing the truth.

Today, I consider myself a Fabergé egg.  I am put together and whole.  I glisten with blessings.  I am valued and loved because the King put me back together.  King Jesus pulled me out the mire and muck of sin.  The King took the shattered pieces of my heart and gave me a new one.  He gave me a new way to love and a new way to view love.

His grace and mercy gave me a firm place to stand.  I am not sliding and slipping, but firmly placed on the Rock of Christ.  He has seen  to every detail of my life.  There is not a piece of me missing. What man can not do, God did and I am grateful.  He restored me and gave me a new life.  There is nothing that God cannot do and no one that He cannot save.  Give Him a try, you wont regret it.

Lord, I thank You for love and Your redemption.  Thank You for transforming me and my life.  You are a good, good Father and I love you.  In Jesus name.  Amen