Secured

Great is The Lord God Almighty!

His mercy and grace are unending and His love endures forever!

He is the strength of our heart and sustenance of our soul...our faithfully promised portion and hope.

He redeems, renews, regenerates and restores...plucks us from the valley of distress and blesses us with incomprehensible joy in the morning!

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Isaiah 33:2
LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

Psalm 103:10
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 16:5
LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.

Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Patience and Perseverance

Perseverance and patience are virtues that we may not willingly welcome into our spiritual transformation. In order for our character to be honed with these, it means we must face difficulties and hardships. These often occur in clusters, sometimes resulting in whole seasons of despair.

We grow weary and worn from the battle, and sometimes feel as though we cannot possibly proceed another day in this way. We feel frustrated, even angry, and may begin to believe that God is far away and doesn't hear our pleas for mercy.

While these seasons can be tremendously difficult to endure, we must not lose hope. Perhaps the outcome is irrelevant, because the lesson lies in the process of moving through the mountain. Thus, we can pray for God to remove our obsession with the problem and expel our own expectations of acceptable solutions; acknowledge that He alone is on The Throne, has the absolute answers and is equipped for the battle. We can ask the Teacher to reveal what He would have us learn in these trials; pray for Him to strengthen our resolve while we wait upon Him. We can carelessly continue to claw forward, or we can allow Him to carry us; pray for His comfort, rest in His embrace and ask that He pour His refreshment into us. We should reconcile the situation in ourselves; accept His portion, provision, help and healing. We must pray persistently for the fulfillment of His promises over our lives; claim victory with confidence and in Christ's Name.

But most of all, we must persist in our hope and trust in The Lord. We must pray for patience and perseverance, regardless of how we "feel" and get real with ourselves and God in our prayers. He already knows about yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is intimately acquainted with our weaknesses and the struggles we face. He knows the best possible outcome for every problem. He has already designed all the ways He intends to shape us. Regardless of the cause of the issue, He can tailor it to a useful and beautiful benefit for His purpose.

And when He deems it time to prevail and we have our blessed breakthrough, we can reflect on all of the marvelous miracles we are able to see in our hindsight. We must praise Him for sustaining us with His righteous hand...for increasing our faith...for fulfilling His promises...and for maturating our character with spiritual patience and perseverance.

Hebrews 10:36
You need to persevere, so that after you have done God's will, you will receive what He has promised.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

Luke 21:19
By your patient endurance, you will gain your souls.

Romans 2:7
To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.

Romans 5:3-4
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Freedom

Praise His Holy Name, in all circumstances, and acknowledge His sovereign power....for, God is present in the praises of His people.

Yield your trials to God and He will use them as a witness for the good of many, all for His glory.

Open your heart in prayer to The Lord of Hosts; acknowledge that you need and trust Him every minute of every day, regardless of the circumstances...and He will set you free.

Psalm 22:3
Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Psalm 107:14
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

Acts 16:25-26
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Gathering Strength From Grace

When we are faced with calamity and chose to walk in The Spirit, God's magnificent grace becomes the source of our strength.

By receiving His grace and believing the beloved blood of The Lamb preserves us, we are able to maintain perfect peace while The Lord acts on our behalf.

And if our supremely great, almighty, all-powerful and all-omniscient God is with us, what can possibly prevail against us?

2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 46:10
"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 118:6
The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

Isaiah 26:3
The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.

Intercession

Intercessory prayers reflect the very essence of God's own character...rich in unconditional love, grace and mercy.

Praying for others enables us to look beyond ourselves and increases our empathy, concern and compassion for others.

Think about this...who do you want to spend eternity with? Are there people you care about who do not know Jesus? Are you praying for them...interceding without ceasing?

Then, consider this...love and pray for your enemies. This is truly putting on the compassion of Christ and going beyond yourself in interceding for them.

Remember, prayer is sweet smelling aroma that pleases Him (Revelation 5:8). The Father desires our prayers! Prayer strengthens our faith and increases our intimacy with Him! In it, we are reflecting and glorifying Jesus!

Let us pray with sincere hearts and without ceasing on behalf of God's hurting children...that they will have a heart change and receive Jesus...that they will share in our eternal inheritance...and experience the riches, hope, glory and everlasting grace freely given by our Abba Father!

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Jesus Christ Is The Balm Of Gilead

A balm is a fragrant ointment or preparation used to heal or soothe the skin. In biblical times, there was an area east of the Jordan River called Gilead known for its spices and ointments with soothing and healing properties. People traveled there from all over the region to soothe many ailments and wounds.  Therefore, the “Balm of Gilead” was known for its high-quality ointment with healing properties and the Bible uses the term metaphorically as an example of healing and soothing powers.

The prophet Jeremiah was anguished to the depth of his heart over the rebellion of God’s people who refused to turn from their wicked ways and be healed by the mighty hand of their God causing him to cry out

 “Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? When then is there no recovery for the daughter of my people?” (Jeremiah 8:22)

Sadly, there is no healing or recovery for those intent on rebelling against God.

How about you? Are you done rebelling against God?  Do you want to be healed?  Is your heart so hardened and broken over what you have done or what has been done to you that you just know there is no hope for you and you’ll never be the same?

The one who created your heart has the power to mend it and make you new. He can give you the oil of joy for mourning.  He is the lover of your soul and the great physician. Jesus Christ is the Balm of Gilead. 

by Cecilia Trent