Tag: hope

Renewed Strength Through Jesus Christ

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

As we wait on the Lord, by placing our hope and trust in Him, and expecting Him to do what is best in our hearts, our lives, and the world around us, our strength is renewed. Living our lives in faithfulness to the Lord, especially during times of crisis can be hard. Trusting Him when things don’t make sense can be even harder. However, it’s fascinating to know that when we decide to choose hope in Him, even when things seem hopeless, or faith in Him, even when fear knocks at the door of our hearts, He has promised to renew our strength so that we do not become weary or faint.

Photo by: Tim Mossholder of the USA 🇺🇸

God’s Holy Spirit will empower us with the supernatural ability to soar, while everything else around us is falling down. Knowing that God is in control is really all we need to know to walk in peace. He is a good God who will never fail us. He has promised to never forsake His faithful ones, and supply all that we need. Keep waiting, hoping, and trusting in the Lord.

Rest in the Shadow of the Almighty

May those who dwell in the shelter of the most High meditate on these words in Psalm 91, and find peace in God’s love and faithfulness. I am so thankful the Lord is faithful to watch over us and protect us during these perilous times. Have a blessed day.

Psalm 91 NIV

1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Photo by: Engin Akyurt

If I Perish, I Perish

Esther 4:15-16 NIV, “15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

For the last five weeks, I’ve been attending a Wednesday night Bible study on the book of Esther. These words spoken by Esther, “If I perish, I perish” are very well known. We’re about half way through the study, but as we have been going through this book of the Bible, it never ceases to amaze me how the struggles that people had with sin, even in ancient Bible times, are so similar to many of the struggles we have today as people.

Esther was just an ordinary person, yet God used her to do something extraordinary. She had a choice, and she chose to be courageous and allow herself to be used by God. After becoming Queen, she was willing to give up her crown, and her life, to follow God’s will.

Photo by: Markus Spiske of Germany 🇩🇪

We may not be tasked with saving a whole group of people like Esther, but we are called to choose Jesus every day by living a life that proclaims His great Name to the world. We are called to die to ourselves daily, so that Christ will live through us. The same fervor that Esther had, is the same fervor that we should have. God has chosen us to help deliver His gift of salvation to the lost through our words and our actions. Esther was willing to perish for the sake of saving her people. God’s Son Jesus did perish on Calvary so that we may live eternally, and thank God He didn’t just die, but He also rose again!

Esther’s words have been resonating with me this week, “If I perish, I perish.” Her words remind me to submit myself to Jesus in all I do. There is so much joy in knowing that no matter what we must endure, when we take our final breath here on Earth, we will live eternally with Jesus in heaven.

This week I came across a post by Hattush at Daughter of the Light. Her and her family recently celebrated Purim, a Jewish holiday that celebrates how God used Esther and Mordecai to stop Haman’s plot to kill the Jewish people. I really enjoyed reading her post. Check it out here: 2020 – Happy Purim

Remember Esther’s words, “ If I Perish, I perish”, as you die to yourself daily and continue to live for the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

Love Does Not Give Up

1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

In order to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things, we need the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us daily. Godly love in action is able to impact lives in ways that we have yet to even imagine. When we allow ourselves to be vessels that God can use to share His love with others, it not only blesses the other person, but it also blesses us. We are able to sense God’s presence in a special way, when we humble ourselves and show love.

Photo by: Helena Lopes of Brazil 🇧🇷

The enemy presents so many opportunities for us to become offended by the actions and words of others. But we must not forget that rather knowingly or unknowingly, we as Christians are sometimes the ones to do the offending. Therefore in order to effectively represent Jesus Christ, we must be quick to repent when we do offend people, and quick to forgive when people offend us. One way God has taught me to show love, is by remembering how much He has forgiven me of. I have sinned and fallen short just like everyone else. Yet in His mercy, He has forgiven me, so I must do the same towards others.

God will never give up on us, so we can find the strength through Him, not to give up on loving other people. When we submit ourselves to Him, His love and compassion will rule and reign in our hearts. He will transform us more and more into His likeness so that we will be people who will bear, believe, hope, and endure all things for His glory. Through our words and actions we have the privilege to show others True Love.

Father,

Please teach us to love others by bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring all things, that You will be glorified through our lives.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Seek God First

Matthew 6:33 NLT, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

When we seek God above all else, He will supply us with what we need. Our main goal should be to know Him more, and serve Him by living out the purpose He has for our lives. As we follow God’s plans, He will use us to share His love with those around us and help draw them to Christ.

God knows what we need, even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), and He desires for us to experience His goodness here in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). However, we should never allow our desire for things to control us. We must be careful not to lose site of what matters most, which is seeking the Lord.

Photo by: Pixabay

The more we come to know who He is, the more we will be a reflection of who He is to the world. The God we serve is all powerful, and far above anything we could imagine. It’s amazing that He is willing to reveal Himself to us. And even more amazing that He calls us by name and desires a personal relationship with us (Isaiah 43:1). To seek Him, is to know Him, and what an awesome privilege it is to get to know Him intimately.

The Lord Is God

Psalm 100:3 NIV, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Know that the Lord is God. What a powerful statement! He is God regardless of what may come our way. He knows all and sees all. He is the Good Shepherd who is faithfully watching over us, His precious sheep, at all times. It’s a comfort to know that God cares about us so much. He’s involved in even the simple details of our everyday lives.

Photo by: Kailash Kumar of India 🇮🇳

We belong to the Lord and He knows the plans He has for us. Knowing that He knows, is the reason we don’t have to worry. Instead we can choose to trust Him. Don’t let worry creep in and try to destroy the peace He has so freely given to you. I encourage you to, “Know that the Lord is God”, and receive His peace today.

Forgetting The Past

Philippians 3:13 NIV, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,”

There are some things about the past that are beneficial to us, such as remembering how far God has brought us from, remembering the times He has delivered us, or remembering the lessons we have learned as we’ve grown in Christ. However we’re told in this verse, we shouldn’t let anything about our past hold us back from moving forward in our relationship with the Lord.

We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be saddled with guilt and shame from our past sins. Once we’ve repented of our sins, we are to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness and walk in freedom. Of course the enemy doesn’t want us to walk in that freedom, so he will constantly try and remind us of our sins and failures. We must meditate on God’s Word, so that we won’t forget what God says about our past sins….

Psalm 103:12 NLT, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Photo by: Sagui Andrea of Italy 🇮🇹

Sometimes forgetting the past can be tough, especially in situations where we are still dealing with the consequences of our sins. But just remember that God’s grace is sufficient. He will provide for you. He will give you strength, hope or whatever it is you need each day. He will never abandon you, so therefore, “keep straining toward what is ahead”, and never forget that God loves you.