Month: August 2023

Tug-Of-War

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“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23

My freshman year in college, during orientation, my fellow new students and I were ushered to small field beside the library. There to greet us was what could accurately be described as a giant mud pit. Stretched across that muddy landscape was a large thick rope with a red flag at its center. We all groaned as we knew a sloppy game of tug-of-war was about to commence. I often think of that day as I deal with the endless series of emotional tug-of-wars in my life. For all of us, the war against stress wrapped up in fear, worry or anxiety usually top the list. So, if worry and stress are becoming your unwanted best friends then today is liberation day for you! What you don’t realize is who is standing in front and behind you on your tug-of-war rope. According to John 14:23: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have come to make their home with you.

That’s A Formidable Tug-Of-War Team! 

In fact, picture a big thick heavy rope and let’s play tug-o-war with it. On one end of that rope I want you to put all your fears and worry and stress. On the other end of that rope, on your team I want you to picture Jesus up front, then the Holy Spirit, then yourself, then God the Father running anchor. Now some of you are starting to say, that’s not exactly a fair fight – and you are right. You are going to win! What are you so worried about? Your fear, your anxiety and your stress don’t stand a chance against the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Get on the winning team! Jesus is standing right in front of you and holding out his hand saying, I want you! 

The Promise Of Hope

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“Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord…There is hope in your future!” Jeremiah 31:16

How do you react when life veers off course? When you are faced with a set back in your health, in your finances, in your family life, how do you react? I’m no stranger in crying out to God. There have been many times I felt like the sky was falling. Yet every time, not sometimes, not occasionally, but every single time I’ve faced a setback, my weeping soon turns to praise. This is not just something that happens by accident, I make a choice to praise God because

I Believe God’s Promises Are Real.

Try it for yourself. Praise God till your fears subside. It may take minutes, it may take hours, it make take days, but all too soon you will feel His touch upon you. You will hear God say, “dear child, refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears for your work shall be rewarded. There is hope in your future for I am your God!“

Praise

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“I will praise the Lord with my whole heart…” Psalm 111:1

There is a divine nature dwelling somewhere in each of us. Our part is to acknowledge that God is God and invite Him into our lives, for that’s when faith moves from concept to reality and becomes tangible. Once you have tasted the power of faith,

Praising God Will Become Second Nature To you.

Psalm 111 says to praise the Lord with our whole heart. Imagine the wonder of having a relationship so close with the Creator of the universe that every waking minute you are in communion with Him! Your life will become a wonder of wonders, and the cares of this world will soon begin to fade in the power of His grace!  

Move Mountains

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“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you can say to your mountain move, and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

All of us face mountains. Some mountains look so insurmountable that we try to ignore them, or trek the long way around them rather than trying to scale them. Scripture is filled with examples of impossible mountains: the Israelites backed up against the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army bearing down, David facing Goliath, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego being thrown into a burning hot furnace, Lazarus family seeing him die, the disciples as they watched Christ nailed to a cross. There is no shortage of “mountain” stories in scripture. And yet,

God Moved Each Mountain.

Perhaps not as we would expect, but in each case perfectly according to God’s will. How do you and I learn mountain moving faith? Christ tells us that if we have faith no larger than a grain of mustard seed that we can say to our mountain move and it will move. Mountain moving faith is possible, and prayer is the key! If you want mountain moving faith, build a prayer life and faith will come alive.  

Peace

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“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17

Righteousness is a word we do not often come across. In a nutshell it means, ‘seeking to do God’s will’. So, try this on for size: The result of ‘seeking to do God’s will’ shall be peace, and the effect of ‘seeking to do God’s will’, shall be quietness and assurance.

Peace And Assurance Can Be Yours

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you”, not the least of which will be a life filled with peace.

Praise, Anyway

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“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:22

A messenger comes to Job with distressing news that his herd of five hundred oxen had just been stolen and the servants tending them had been killed in the raid. Then another messenger tells him fire from the heavens just burned up his herd of seven thousand sheep. Still another messenger tells him that thieves have stolen his herd of three thousand camels. Still another tell Job that his seven sons and three daughters have been killed. A distraught Job tears his robe, shaves his head, then falls to his knees in worship to God, saying, “Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord!” 

I cannot imagine the incredible loss that Job experienced. Yet every time we experience loss in our lives the devastation feels overwhelming to us in that moment. In such times let us learn something from Job. Try falling to your knees and saying, “the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord.” When you find yourself in a pit of despair, the only way out is to look up.

Grace

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“But by the grace of God I am what I am” 1 Corinthians 15:10

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, is an ever present reminder of who I could be outside of Christ. In Paul’s case, he was a torturer and murderer. Someone who had made a vow to stamp out this new religion called Christianity, to tear at its very fibers until all who believed recanted their faith. God had other plans. He met Paul on a dusty road to Damascus with a light so bright it literally blinded Paul as he heard the voice of Christ say, “…why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Paul was never the same,

Transformed In An Instant.

Each of us has a story, some more dramatic than others, but all very real. All of us know life without faith, and the very real change that faith ushers in once the seeds are planted. Like Paul, it doesn’t matter where we start, it matters where we finish. God’s grace is sufficient.

   

The Long And Winding Road

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Jesus said, “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me.” John 16:27

The Beatles famously sang, “The long and winding road, leads me back to your door.” Life is indeed a long and winding road. Wouldn’t we all love to take an eraser to the winding roads messy bits in our lives and just enjoy the good times?

God Loves To Erase The Messy Bits.

Think of it this way. God knows tomorrow as well as you know yesterday. He knew every mistake you would make. He knew every time you have or will take His name in vain. He knew every time you will or have sinned against Him. Yet with all of that knowledge, God still sent His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for all you’ve done, or will ever do. God’s amazing eraser is there to bless you when you simply say “yes” to Jesus.

Chosen

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Jesus said, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” John 15:16

Choices, we make lots of them in our lives. Some simple, some life changing. Think about the choices Jesus made. He chose you. He went to the cross, choosing to save you. He did so knowing others would spend their lives rejecting His love, but He chose to love us anyway.

Jesus Made A Choice To Love You.

Even today, He’s looking at you and saying those very same words, “I choose you, because I love you”. All you have to do is say, “Thank you, I accept”.

Anchor Of The Soul

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“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? Psalm 139:7

Where can we flee from God’s presence? If we go into the heavens, God is there. If we sinks to the depths, God is there also. There is nowhere we can go, nor depths we can sink to, that we can escape from God’s presence. Think about it this way,

When You Hit Rock Bottom, That’s Where The Anchor Is.

God is your anchor and the chain that connects you to Him is called prayer. Just when you think you have nowhere to turn, God is waiting for you to realize He’s right there waiting for you to reach out and call His name.