True Hope

Many people do not understand why their hope fails, yet in reality, their concept of hope is wrong. That’s why it is of utmost importance to know what true hope is. Christian hope is not dependent on another person, place or thing, but rather dependent on the Lord alone.

It’s not wishful thinking, vague longing, or trying to fulfill a dream, but rather is assured, unchangeable, and absolute.

It’s not determined by circumstances, surroundings, events, or abilities, but rather by what is already secure and promised. And it is not dependent on the stars, luck, or chance but has already been determined and settled in the heart and mind of God for our good and because of His unfailing love for us.

No human being or situation can fulfill all your deepest needs. Both people and situations change throughout our lives.

You may have days of feeling satisfied, but the satisfaction is temporary, the glimmer of hope fleeting. Only God can provide you with the love, acceptance, and security that at the end of the day is at the root of what our hearts are longing for.  God stands ready to meet your deepest inner needs. This is where our true source of hope is. This is His promise to us – Jesus the Anchor of our soul firm and steadfast. He will meet our deepest needs.

Forgive

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Forgiveness is a priority...it is a true expression of agape love and it honors God. Understanding forgiveness is key and leads us to experience the fearless freedom it offers.

Forgiveness is not minimizing, excusing, or agreeing with the offense. We must see sin for what it is and recognize who the true offender is. Remember, our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places...against the author of anger, fear, frustration, hurt, pain, sin and confusion.

Separating the sin from the sinner opens up our heart to forgiveness of our fellow human beings...it allows God to shed His Healing Light and Truth on the stronghold of the offense...and the darkness loses its power.

Forgiveness does not always lead to reconciliation. Jehovah is Holy and He calls us to holiness. He also calls us to guard our hearts. There are certain relationships and circumstances that we should not expose ourselves to because they are not born of The Holy Spirit. We can forgive the offense...love and pray for the sinner...but must diligently separate ourselves from sin. .

If we seek God and His truth...listen to the whisper of The Holy Spirit...He will enable us to forgive others and ourselves...lead us to the people, places and situations that He ordains, according to His purpose.

We have certainly all sinned and fall short of God's glory. But, as believers, we are to be imitators of Christ. And if we make forgiveness a priority, we will indeed experience peace, healing, wholeness and freedom...and honor Him with a clean heart.

Proverbs 19:11

A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

Matthew 6:14

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Romans 15:7

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.

Luke 6:37

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Hope Never Fails

Many people do not understand why their hope fails, yet in reality, their concept of hope is wrong. That’s why it is of utmost importance to know what true hope is. Christian hope is not dependent on another person, place or thing, but rather dependent on the Lord alone.

It’s not wishful thinking, vague longing, or trying to fulfill a dream, but rather is assured, unchangeable, and absolute.

It’s not determined by circumstances, surroundings, events, or abilities, but rather by what is already secure and promised. And it is not dependent on the stars, luck, or chance but has already been determined and settled in the heart and mind of God for our good and because of His unfailing love for us.

No human being or situation can fulfill all your deepest needs. Both people and situations change throughout our lives.

You may have days of feeling satisfied, but the satisfaction is temporary, the glimmer of hope fleeting. Only God can provide you with the love, acceptance, and security that at the end of the day is at the root of what our hearts are longing for.  God stands ready to meet your deepest inner needs. This is where our true source of hope is. This is His promise to us – Jesus the Anchor of our soul firm and steadfast. He will meet our deepest needs.

Lessons In Hard Times

In hard times we’ve learned three things…

We’re stronger than we’ve ever imagined.

Jesus is closer than we’ve ever realized.

And we’re loved more than we ever knew.

Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 9:10

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Psalm 22:8

"Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him."

Exodus 14:13-14

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’”

Psalm 91:7

“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.”

Nahum 1:7

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Renewed Strength

 May we be unmovable in truth and hold tight to the righteousness of The Lord.

May we sow from The Spirit...drawing our strength from Jesus and never growing weary in our service to The King.

And may our Holy Heavenly Father continue to sanctify, restore, transform and sustain us as we prepare for our final destination.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Job 17:9

Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 

2 Thessalonians 3:13

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

Revelation 3:21

He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Drifting

When we drift, we most likely will experience some sort of spiritual crisis. No matter where we may find ourselves in such a painful season as this, we must always remember God’s love for us never changes. His love is perfect and completely independent of our humanity.

As we turn back to Him, we may find there are consequences for stepping out of His will. However, as believers, we can take comfort that there is never an eternal penalty for our sin. The Lord is always mighty to cover us with His comfort, grace, and mercy. And, He alone is the sustainer of our soul and spirit.

When we repent and draw near to The Father, He offers forgiveness, restoration and spiritual renewal. And regardless of the circumstances, He can repurpose our pain. He will equip us to realign our lives with His will, all for His glory. We must have faith and trust Him...as we wait for Him to generously return us to joy of our salvation.

Lamentations 3:40

Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the LORD.

Psalm 51:2

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 15:20

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Deuteronomy 4:29

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Psalm 13:5

But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

Psalm 54:4

Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Faithful to Complete

 

Father God,

I pray that today and every day we will be more fully persuaded and have a renewed confidence in this truth: You are a God who completes!

Lord, You lack nothing and we know that You do not not abandon ANY work You have ordained. For, You are The All Sufficient One and You are only capable of complete perfection!

Father, thank You for beginning the work of Grace within us and for comforting us with Your Truth. You alone will see through to completion Your work in us...according to Your Will...in order to accomplish Your Perfect Plan!

Thank You, Lord, that Your Promises include for us an everlasting life. We humbly praise and thank You for the atoning sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, so that we may dwell with You for eternity.

Father, we pray for strength of endurance as we set our eyes on Your Kingdom and we give You all the Glory!

In the name of our holy and righteous Savior, Jesus Christ,

Amen!

Draw Near To God

Let us call upon The Lord with a sincere heart and steadfast faith...seek Him earnestly and delight ourselves in Him.

Let us trust in His promises and take refuge in our Rock, Stronghold and Shield...find safety, strength and fruitful seasons in Him.

Let us draw near to our Deliverer in truth and transparency, finding that He is never far away...that our cries are readily received by His Heavenly ears.

And may we come away with a new song in our heart...rejoicing and praising Him forevermore!

Psalm 34:17

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalm 34:4

I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 18:6

In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:31

For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God,

Deuteronomy 4:7

For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him?

Jeremiah 23:23

"Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off?"

Acts 17:27

God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

Acts 14:17

Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness."

Psalm 73:28

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

Fix Your Thoughts

 It is so easy to let our thoughts run away from us. You know, the inward chatter that goes on all day. The voice when you get up in the morning, the musing on the drive to work, the stewing over events on the way home. Inner thoughts are powerful.

They create emotions which in turn cause actions. Paul is saying that we have to take ownership of our inner dialog.

It is so easy to be negative, anxious, angry, doubtful, bitter or carnal in our thinking. Instead, we need to be responsible for what we think and deliberately focus on true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praise worthy thoughts. What a difference this discipline would bring to our life.

Father, I give you my thought life. I want you to be Lord of both my conscious and unconscious part of my being. You know my thought process. You know my habitual thinking patterns. I bring them to you. I ask that you help me today, begin a habit of focusing on true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praise worthy thoughts.

In Jesus Name, Amen

God Is Always There

Heavenly Father,

We praise You for the promise of Your refuge and the covering of Your comfort...for the promise of Your balm on the broken hearted and crushed in spirit.

Lord, we praise You that You are always near, and we call upon You in truth for healing in our hearts...in our homes...in our communities...in our world.

Lead us by still waters and bless us with strength and endurance; keep us on Your ordained and anointed path of light and love...and we praise You that because of Your plan, we have purpose!

Jesus, we need You every minute of every day! We pray for Your Kingdom...for You to remove all sorrow and wipe the tears from our eyes...for the day when every knee bows to You, Almighty Father God! For You are worthy!

Thank You, Lord, for deliverance and for making Your home in our hearts. Cleanse and purify us, according to Your will.

In The Name of Jesus Christ, our precious Savior, we praise You and pray these things, Amen. 

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Psalm 145:18

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

Psalm 73:28

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.

James 4:8(a)

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

Romans 14:11

It is written: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God."

Revelations 21:4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.

Believe!

Faith in God is our means to overcoming every trial and temptation that we are faced with in our humanity.

When we turn away from temptation and turn to Him with absolute confidence, we will be victorious through Him.

He is a faithful God of unlimited power and resources. He knows all about yesterday, today and tomorrow. He knows exactly how much we can bear and He knows the course through every conceivable situation.

Believe and receive His deliverance...and witness His promises over your life fulfilled, according to His Will for you in Christ.

Matthew 6:13

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we confess, for He who promised is faithful.

Mark 9:23

"If You can?" echoed Jesus. "All things are possible to him who believes!"

John 11:40

Jesus replied, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God."

2 Peter 2:9

...if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.

Romans 8:28

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

Faithful

How merciful God is. He could look at our behavior and condemn us. He could read our mind and reject us. He could exact a thousand different punishments for all that we have done, but instead He has chosen to see us through the eyes of His unfailing love.

It is so hard to imagine what that really means. It is so foreign to the way we operate. We hold grudges, seek revenge, or at least try to get even. But not God. He does not give up on us. He sees us desperately in need of His grace.  And even when we are unlovely, thoroughly lost because of our willful disobedience, He shows us the way back.

What makes this so tragic is that we don’t really believe it. We still think we need to wear the mask of our false self. You know, the self that thinks it earns God’s approval. the self that tries to please God through vain attempts at righteousness.

Today throw the mask away. You don’t need it. God sees you through His unfailing love, and He loves what He sees.  As we go forth, commit to accepting His love and let Him direct your path.

Lamentations 3:22-24

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies, we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (NSAB)

1 Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV)

Psalm 25:7-8

“Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD. The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray.” (NLT)

Rest

Run to and rest in the open, eternal arms of our loving Father. Release all your burdens to Him and take His yoke instead.

Resign yourself to the will of God and seek His Holy counsel. He will sustain you and uphold you with His righteous hand. .

Be still in His loving care while He refreshes you with Living Waters...as you find rest and repose for your weary soul.

Psalm 55:2

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Isaiah 28:12

to whom he said, 'This is the resting place, let the weary rest,' and, 'This is the place of repose...'

Psalm 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Beauty for Ashes

Blessed are those who mourn with Godly sorrow...who have a contrite, humble heart and revere The Word of The Lord...for, to them comes repentance that leads to salvation.

The Lord looks to them...they receive forgiveness and and are promised comfort and cleansing through the indwelling of The Holy Spirit.

They know Jesus Christ as The Savior for their sin and confidently approach The Throne of Grace without shame, fear or regret. They are reconciled unto God The Father, and their heart is filled with joy and peace; they receive rest and have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Blessed are those indeed who mourn and have repented...they are forgiven and hidden in Christ...for them there is no condemnation and they will dwell in The House of The Lord forever.

2 Corinthians 7:10

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Isaiah 66:2

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made ther ighteousness of God in him.

God’s Love Completes

The greatest human need is for love. It’s a legitimate need placed in us by our creator. When this need is not met, it can create a void so deep we go through life trying to fill it. It causes us to crave the approval and acceptance of others and drives us to engage in imbalanced relationships where we attach to unhealthy, emotionally unavailable people who often abuse and mistreat us.

We will often compromise our morals, values, and beliefs for fear of losing them. This creates a vicious cycle of feeling used, devalued, unappreciated, victimized opening the door to bitterness, resentments, unforgiveness, and hopelessness.

The only way to stop the cycle is to get a healthy dose of real love – the love of Jesus. Love seeks the highest good for another. Our Savior demonstrated His perfect love for us at the cross. We will never be able to engage in healthy relationships unless we receive the fullness of God’s love. Only His love satisfies.

If you are desperately seeking the love and approval of those who continually hurt you it may be a sign that you have not encountered the Love of Jesus in your heart where you see yourself as He sees you – A precious child of the Living God. When you remove barriers that hinder the ability to live in the fullness of His love for you, it will radically change the people you attract and allow close to your heart. You will desire to engage in relationships that honor God, bless you and seek the highest good for others.