"Lack of Faith"

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Are you struggling with an issue? Are you having a hard time doing what you know is the right thing to do? Are you wrestling with keeping the commandments in a certain area? Then go to God about it. Tell Him you are struggling and ask for His help.

In my early Christian walk I was taught that you don't "confess" anything that is "negative" (even to God), and admitting that you are weak and struggling was considered negative. So I was left to try to solve my own dilemmas- which of course I never could do. I was told that all I had to do was just "speak the Word" (speak positive) and it would all be all right. There is power in God's word and we do need to remember what His word says concerning our situation, but it is not "negative" or wrong to admit to Him that you have a problem.

Asking God for help when you are struggling is not a sign of weak faith, it actually shows a great deal of faith because you are putting your trust in God's ability to help you. It takes faith to go to God and believe that He will help you.

He knows you are struggling with that issue and He wants to help you, that is why He makes Himself available to you. That is why He has given us the invitation to come to Him. So go to Him. Don't try to handle it yourself. Ask for His help. Ask for His strength. Ask Him to give you whatever it is that you need in order to get victory in this area.

Have a great day. It is not a lack of faith to admit to God that you need His help.

For further reading:
Hebrews 11:6
James 4:2
Luke 11:9
2 Corinthians 12:9
Mark 9:23,24

Standing For Jesus

"And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus."- John 19:38

When we read this verse, we don't usually think about the courage that it took for Joseph to go to Pilate and request Jesus' dead body so that he might bury it.  Pilate had Jesus whipped and sentenced Him to be crucified.  Jesus had been accused of blasphemy and claims of being the King of the Jews.  Claims of being a king would mean that He opposed Caesar. Pilate could have sentenced Joseph to imprisonment or death by association with Jesus.  Nevertheless, Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.

Joseph stood up for Jesus, even after He had died.  He didn't know what Pilate would do or say when he went to him, but he let his love, devotion and faith in Jesus override his fear of Pilate.  Are we doing the same?  Is our love, faith and devotion to Jesus causing us to stand up for Him?  Even in the face of persecution, rejection, fear, ridicule or opposition?  Will we stand for our Beloved Savior even at risk to our own safety and well-being like Joseph did?  Or will we coward down and stand back and allow others to do whatever they want to or say whatever they want to about Him?  Joseph didn't even want Jesus' lifeless body to be disposed of improperly and was willing to put his life on the line for Him. Are we willing to do the same with our risen, living Lord and Savior?  Will we make a stand for Him whether anyone else does or not?  (The disciples didn't go to Pilate, they were in hiding.)  Are we willing to stand for Jesus no matter the cost?  Are you?

Have a great day.  Are you willing to stand for Jesus no matter what?  

"The Lord God Is"

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

"For the Lord God is..." We find in this verse that God is all we need in every area of our lives now and in the future.

"God is a sun." He is our light. He lights up our lives. He removes the darkness so that we can see clearly as we walk through this life. He also removes the darkness of sin from our lives through faith in His Son Jesus. He takes us out of darkness and places us in light and makes us children of light.

"God is a shield." He is our protection. He keeps us in safety. He comes between us and the enemy of our soul. His very presence acts as a guard around us.

"The Lord gives grace". We need grace in order to stand when all hell is raging against us. When the trials of life seem to be more than we can bear, His grace ministers to us by giving us peace, wisdom and strength. We need His grace in order to be saved and stand before Him sinless on that day that is coming.

"The Lord gives glory". He honors us with His glorious presence. He gives us honor here on earth through favor with man. He honors us by allowing us to become His children through faith in the Lord Jesus.

"He gives us all good things". Whatever is truly good for us and for our benefit, He will give it to us. He supplies all our need- spiritually and physically. He does not withhold anything that is good for us. That also means that as a loving Father He withholds what is not.

Not only does He give us all good things, meets and supplies every need, gives light, protection and honor to those who walk uprightly before Him, but He is the One who gives us the ability to walk uprightly and become right with Him in the first place. He truly has all, gives all and is all we need.

Have a great day. The Lord God is... everything that we need or will ever need.

For further reading:
John 1:12
1 Thessalonians 5:5
Proverbs 3:4
2 Corinthians 12:9

"Faithful"

"They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23

I woke up this morning with this old hymn repeating over and over in my thoughts. I typed it below because I felt that someone needs to be reminded this morning that the Lord is faithful. He always has been and always will be.  He is faithful whether we are or not.  He is faithful even when it appears that He isn't. Be comforted and encouraged by that truth this morning. Regardless of what you may be going through, God is still faithful. Being faithful is not just something that He does, but it is who He is.

Have a great day. God is faithful!

"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee; - (James 1:17)
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not - (Malachi 3:6; Lamentations 3:22)
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. - (Hebrews 13:8)

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see; - (Lamentations 3:22,23)
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— (Philippians 4:19)
"Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me! - (2 Timothy 2:13)

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. - (Psalm 145:8)

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, - (John 14:27)
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; - (Psalm 48:14)
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, - (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! - (Psalm 68:19)

"He Is Aware"

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

In some of the other Bible versions this verse says, "I know the plans that I have for you". How wonderful it is to know that the God of the universe, the one who sees a sparrow when it falls, who calls the stars by name, who clothes the lilies of the field, who spoke a creative word into nothing and brought forth everything, who occupies the throne of the universe, who is worshipped by angels and seraphim, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and who has a name that is above every other name, thinks about me. And not only does He think about me, He has a plan for my life.

The Psalmist summed it up correctly when he said, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:3-5) Though God is an awesome God who is so far above us, whose thoughts are so much higher than ours and His ways are so much greater than ours, yet He is mindful of us.

I said all that to say that God is thinking about us, He does have plans for us and He is mindful of us though it may seem as if He isn't. You may like feel this on a personal level and you may feel this way when you look at the events that are happening in the world around us. The whole world is experiencing something- either wars, natural disasters, economic instability, and so on- but this is no indication that the Lord is not still aware of us or has left us. He has not. He is totally aware of everything that is happening in our personal lives and in planet earth as a whole. So be encouraged by allowing those thoughts to comfort your heart at all times.

Have a great day. There is never a moment when God is not aware of what is going on.

For further reading:
Hebrews 13:5; 2:6,7
Isaiah 55:8,9

"Prepared Today"

"And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord." Genesis 19:27

I have a question for you, "How do you start your day?" Do you start it by standing before the Lord and meeting with Him in prayer? Do you start it in a rush to get somewhere? Do you start it by grumbling and complaining that you have to get out of bed? Do you begin it with praise and worship to the Lord for Him keeping you safe and protected through the night and waking you up to see a new day? Do you begin it with fear and dread of what lies ahead? How you begin the day, not just physically, but spiritually is so important.

We don't have much control over what may happen to us during the day, but we do have control over how we handle it, what type of attitude we have and our reaction to whatever comes our way. And if we are prepared ahead of time spiritually (by seeking God first thing and spending time with Him in prayer, in His word and praying in the Spirit) we will have more power to withstand the temptations that may come that day. We will have a greater level of peace because we have been in the presence of the Prince of Peace. We will have a greater foundation of faith to stand upon because faith comes through hearing God's word- which we hear when we are reading His word and listening to His voice in prayer. Starting the day off with God gives you everything you need and prepares you in advance to face the day. I read something one time that said, "A day hemmed with prayer is less likely to come unraveled." Beginning your day with the Lord will help keep you together even when your day looks like it is falling apart.

Have a great day. How are you going to start your day? The way you start it will determine how prepared you are to face it.

For further reading:
Matthew 6:33
Romans 10:17
Psalm 16:11
Mark 1:35