For good

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When things go wrong we ask, “what did I do to cause this?” Sometimes it is the result of bad behaviour, other times not.

We want things to go well, we like comfort. However, we do not mature spiritually in comfort as much as we do in handling pain well.

I follow Jodi Erikson Tada on Facebook. She speaks often of pain and hardships. However, she ministers to millions. She was crippled from the neck down after diving into shallow water. She has to depend on others. She paints beautiful pictures with a brush held by her teeth. She preaches regularly on dependence in God alone.

We cannot dictate our circumstances, but we can determine our behaviour, and as a result the effect we have on other.

Today choose wisely how you will live. Amen!

Fearing people?

“Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.”Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I was thinking about this yesterday. I have a desire to reach members of my family who do not know Jesus personally, and I find myself silent when I wish to be vocal. Am I walking in fear?

I find it easy to love them and go out of my way for them, yet we do not discuss the hard things. Why? I cannot explain. I am seeking wisdom and insight.

I have a strategy for one but not for others. Lord show me your way! Amen!

Rescued

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

During any flooding disaster the news will report that many were rescued from on top of their houses, whilst raging waters surged around them; foolish people were caught in cars driving into flooded roadways and needing rescue. 

We are all grateful for those who rescue us. Much ado is given to rescue organisations and even the army who have been engaged in the effort.

We seldom realise that eternity is fast approaching. There are two roads: the wide road leads to eternal destruction and the narrow road to eternal life.

I know God rescued me from eternal destruction. I am grateful for His hand on my life. He made Himself know to me when I was a small child and I looked for Him continually until I was 19. There He found me and opened my eyes to Him fully. I repented of my sins and asked Him to come into my life. He has been with me ever since and I am so grateful.

Forgiveness is beautiful! His presence is overpoweringly wonderful! Nothing can compare to Him!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4zBC3SKOP_o&si=RDinKXkvbo2AsKmf

Joy comes

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse barely represents this beautiful psalm, the whole psalm is worthy of reading and meditating upon.

“I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.”Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are you in trouble? Do you have enemies? Are you sick? Ponder these verses!

Always, a dark period is followed by a morning! Trust the Lord, speak His promises over your life! Amen!

Break every chain

“We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The verses before this is applicable: “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.”2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How does this apply to our relationships? We need to recognise the spirit that controls them and bind it. Then we can minister to them. 

Ministering to people can be tricky. They can be so self-absorbed that it offends our sensibilities. They can be so hard that they cannot hear. Not being offended personally is a challenge. We must recognise their need for Christ and find the chains that bind them, then break them.

Praying for people is more powerful than speaking at times. There are times to confront but times to be quiet and listen. Being prayed up is important. Seeking God’s solution for the problem is a must.

May His kingdom come, His will be done! Amen!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0dm3n1M039M&si=fOsw9c7RQ-vIFZa_

The end times

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Trh book of revelation is a book of judgement. It tells about the unfolding of events in the end times. The Christian church looks forward to being raptured from the earth before the judgement begins, however there will be many come to Christ in these end times, there will be many who were lukewarm, or toying with the truth about Jesus but not having made a decision to make him their Lord. Unfortunately they will suffer the judgement of the world.

The suffering of this last period will be tremendous, especially for those who continue to blaspheme Christ. The faithful saints will face death at the hands of the antichrist. 144,000 Jews will come to Christ in this period.

This verse comes from Chapter 21, near the end of the book. It tells us what heaven is like. No more suffering, no more persecution, no more pain. It will be the best place to be for all eternity.

Jesus is returning soon. Make Him your Lord! Do not be left behind.

I recommend the series Left Behind for those interested in a possible scenario of what the end times looks like. They are novels built on scripture.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=IBmZFgGT8rE&si=2mfGqYnDpDwUHv2D

The door

“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus told a story bout two men: one a Pharisee and one a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed. Self-righteous prayer to God, telling Gim how good he had been and that he was greater than the tax collector he saw nearby. The tax collector prayed a humble prayer. He begged forgiveness for he knew he was a sinner.

Jesus said, “the tax collector went away forgiven, by the Pharisee was not”. The reason He gave was that the Pharisee exalted himself whereas the tax collector humbled himself.

I had. A conversation with a friend who has frosted coming to Jesus. I told her that being good enough was not going to get her into heaven. She could not understand that her version of goodnes was not good enough for God. In fact she judged Him as unfair.

What right have we to dictate to God what His standards should be in regard to entrance into heaven? He is God, we are not!

Paul tells us, “As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is one saviour, Jesus Christ! He said “I am the door”, He also said “no one comes to the Father but through Me!”(John 10:1:9,14:6)

We cannot tell Him the rules, He made them!