Each day passes one into the next and I find myself engulfed in the struggles that each one brings my way. The weariness settles in and zaps the joy of my soul. I lose the ability to see God even though all around me his presence is evident in even the smallest of moments; the radiant colors of the falling leaves, the bluest sky against the purest white clouds, the laughter of a child or the smile of a stranger. All of these and so much more He offers me as He reaches out to me “that I might know Him”. That I might come to realize him for who he is, that I might see the magnitude of his power, that I might remember just how mighty he is and that he can take each struggle and turn it into a victory . . . “That I May Know Him”!!

“Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him”. Deuteronomy 4:35

Oh that I might know him and remember him for who he is, the Creator of all life, the Master of the Universe. How is it that I so soon forget and lose sight of all the wonders he has brought to pass in my life.

“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” Galatians 4:9

How soon I forget, how soon I return to that from which he brought me. Oh that I might truly know him !!!

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” Philippians 3:9-10

Sometimes there are moments when there are no words that can be said to make things feel better. Moments when nothing makes sense and our whole world comes to a complete stop as the rest of the world continues to race around us. These are the moments when we feel very small and insecure, these are the moments during which we find ourselves lifting our hearts heavenward seeking the comfort and strength that can only be found in our Heavenly Father.

“When I would comfort myself against sorrow my heart is faint in me.” Jeremiah 8:18

” Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Isaiah 40:28-29

” In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” Psalm 18:6

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” II Corinthians 1:4

He is our strength, He is our comforter, when we do not have the words to utter . . . He hears our heart’s cry . . . He has promised to comfort us through all of our hurt and all of our uncertainties. When words aren’t enough our Heavenly Father is there!!!!

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 1:4 

Having the opportunity to see my son in his service to God through leading songs of worship and praise and listening to him as he taught from the Word of God in Sunday School this weekend will always be among my greatest treasured memories 🙂 I miss him daily, but seeing him fulfill the purpose for which God created him in His service enables my heart to return to Virginia with an even greater sense of peace and joy 🙂 I am truly BLESSED for God has heard my prayer and has raised within Elliott the heart of a man of God !!!! 

“For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:” I Samuel 1:27

 “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:8

We have a Father that hears us when we cry out into him. When we come to Him in prayer, pouring out our heart before him, He sees our distress and answers when we call out unto him.

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” Psalm 18:6

The God of the universe, the master of all creation hears us when we pray. His arm is always ready to reach out to us when we come before him with a burdened heart. He sees our tears and hears our hearts cry, he is the rock to which we can always turn for refuge and shelter in the midst of a storm.

” Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah” Psalm 61: 1-4

“For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”Psalm 92:4

We all have those moments when things feel disjointed, so many things going on around us in so many directions. In those moments we need to seek God asking him to fill us with his peace and to bring a sense of calmness to all of the chaos around us. Seeking his guidance one step at a time toward that which will bring glory to him; and in that we can find “triumph in the works of his hands” !!!

“For thou,Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”Psalm 92:4

How often do we stop to ponder what we truly possess as a result of our salvation? If we could for just one moment stand in the complete fullness of what it really means, our lives would be so much more than they are at this moment.

Looking at Galatians 2:20, we can see a clear picture of who we are in Christ. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

It states that “I am crucified with Christ” . . . the “I” that once was is no more !! 

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:6

“Nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me” . . . we no longer live in who “we” are but in the person of Christ through us. We have become a new creature in Him.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” I I Corinthians 5:17

“And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God” . . . Now . . . Today . . . Not in Eternity . . . Now . . .  I live in the faith of the Son of God !!!!!!

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:7

Do we understand the true magnitude of the life that we possess, the power that lies within us through Christ ? 

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20

If only we lived in the true essence of the faith of the Son of God we are promised that nothing would be impossible. Living by faith means exactly that . . . Now . . . Every moment of every day, possessing the power of God through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ through whom nothing is impossible. That is the life that we now live, the life that has been given to us by a Savior . . . “Who loved me, and gave himself for me”. 

When the storms of life come, and they will . . . Hold on to the faith you possess through Jesus . . . The one who can calm the sea !!!

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39

While traveling recently I was listening to my GPS as I was attempting to make my way to my destination, unclear of where it was taking me but trusting that it would help me find my way. It came to me that if I were to really trust God, “GPS Style“. . . listening to His voice and direction at every turn along the way, I would reach the destinations He planned for me with far fewer detours. Often I find myself in struggles that occurred simply because I failed to hear His voice speaking to me above the noise of the world. In those moments I find myself facing u-turns that I could have avoided had I paused long enough to hear His still small voice speaking to me. 

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” I Kings 19:12

So often I get caught up in the big things expecting to hear God speak but it’s in the quiet that I am able to hear God’s voice. In those times when I take time to get away from the things of this world and recognize Him in the quiet stillness of His word that’s when I find Him. 

“But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

When I set my eyes upon Him, seeking His face among the tumult and chaos of this world I will find Him the rock of my existence.

“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” Psalms 31:3

When I seek Him looking for direction of my life He will guide me. When I turn over the wheel and allow Him to direct me, I always end up exactly where I was meant to go. When I truly trust Him “GPS Style, One Turn at a Time” I always reach my destination. 

“In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6

As I contemplate what today represents for our country, I’m also reminded of the original promise upon which America was established. “In God We Trust” . . . because of this trust in God we have the opportunity of true Freedom. Through the work of Christ upon the cross I have been set free !!!

And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make ye free. John 8:32

Our founding fathers knew this truth and fought to establish a country where we could be free to hear these truths taught. Christ laid the foundation upon which these truths became a reality, He became the sin sacrifice through which true freedom became possible for all mankind. 

If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Today I’ve been set free because I have placed my faith and trust in the finished work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. It’s because of my faith in Him that I am able to experience complete freedom of heart and soul. Regardless of what might be going on around me, regardless of how crazy this world may be, I have complete freedom and inner peace because of my savior. 

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Romans 6:18

With freedom comes responsibility, we are to serve not only our country but our Lord and Savior as well. Not to be free but so others might experience the freedom that we have been given.  

Our freedom came with a price for those who fought to establish America as a free land. My freedom from sin came with a cost that was paid by Christ, because He paid my sin debt I can experience complete liberty in Him. To remain constant in that Liberty I have to focus on Christ and what He has done for me so that I do not become entangled with the sin of this world.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hast made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

Today as I contemplate my freedom as an American, I will reflect upon my freedom of soul as well knowing that I have the promise of eternal freedom because I have been set free. 

I recently spoke at a ladies conference at a church in Tennessee. It was an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to share my testimony through scripture. The theme for their conference focused on Psalm 56:8 ” Though tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”

As I prepared for my talk I was reminded of so many things, so many times when God made it clear to me that He saw my tears and He heard my prayer.

“I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings, and He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God, many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3

No matter where I went in life, or what was happening God was always there to see me through. He knew my hearts cry even before I uttered it; because tears are the expression of our heart to the heart of God. He understands our tears even when we do not have the words to express what we are feeling. Just as the song says, “Tears are a Language that God understands”.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry: hold not thy peace at my tears for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence and be no more.” Psalm 39: 12-13

There are moments when all of our strength is gone, all that we have is God to hold on to. In those moments we find that His strength is revealed through our weakness. I was saved at the age of 6, lived in a Christian home surrounded by family that lived a strong life of faith before me, but it wasn’t until my faith was something that I had to fight to hold on to that I actually took ownership of my own personal faith in God.

“I am wear with my groaning all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief: it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart form me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.” Psalm 6:6-9

It is through the hard times that we learn the most about God and His faithfulness. It is through these times that we see just how real He can become in our lives, as we experience His presence and feel the power of His strength.

“My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” Psalm 42:3-5a

There were times when I questioned God’s presence, times that I asked Him if He was really there, times when I asked Him if He was listening and if He heard my heart crying out to Him in prayer. He was always there, He never left me, He heard every cry and He caught every tear.

“I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice and He gave ear unto me.” Psalm 77:1

Even when I wondered if God heard me, His ears were always open to my hearts cry.

“For His anger endureth but a moment: in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountatin to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled. I cried unto thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me, Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” Psalm 30: 5,7-8, 10-12

No matter what we face, God can turn our sorrow into joy. Even when I did not understand God’s plan in my life, I continued to trust Him because I knew that He was making all things new in His time according to His plan. My faith wasn’t in man, it was in God and in Him I put my trust.

“In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.” Psalm 56:11, 13

No matter what man may do to us, we can simply trust in God and He will deliver us. When we find ourselves at our lowest point God is there to lift us up and deliver us. He will keep us from falling and hold us steady when the world around us is falling apart. God can use the struggles of our lives to speak to others as a testimony of His amazing power.

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126: 5-6

Tears of sorrow often turn into tears of joy. God promises to reward our tears. Sometimes God allows pain to enter our lives so that His greater purpose can be revealed, so that we might be a comfort to someone else.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” II Corinthians 1: 3-4

After a storm the sun’s light is reflected from the puddles that are left behind. If we allow Him to, God can reflect the light of His Son from the remnants of puddles left behind by the storms of life. We all face storms, its how we respond to those storms that makes the difference. Often that which hurts us the most becomes the ministry through which we can reach out to others who are hurting.

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are thy not in they books? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” Psalm 56: 3, 8, 9

Things that we put in a bottle are important to us, they are often things that we treasure, all of our tears are important to God. He treasures every one and each one of them fulfills a purpose. “Tears are a Language that God Understands” 

 

 

 

When life hits you with complications, when the struggles pile up high; remember that “the devil fights the hardest” just before the new day’s dawn.

“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” Matthew 28: 1-3

During the days leading up to the crucifixion, “the devil fought his hardest” to destroy Jesus. He saw the difference that Jesus was making in the lives of those he came into contact with and the devil did everything in his power to stop Jesus. The devil knew that Jesus was God’s answer for a sin cursed world.  Little did the devil realize that each act of vengeance he set into motion was actually assisting in the fulfillment of a plan that had been set in motion even before the creation of man, a plan of sacrifice that would provide a way of salvation. Every evil act that the devil deployed against Jesus actually  became a stepping stone toward the realization of the ultimate plan of redemption.  As Jesus died upon the cross, when it seemed that the devil had the victory; Jesus arose with the dawning of the new day.

Today as we face life’s struggles that the devil uses to discourage us, we need to focus on the one who gives the victory. Sometimes it seems that the more we try to do for God the harder life becomes, it is in those moments that we need to be reminded that “the devil fights the hardest” just before the new day’s dawn.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” 2 Peter 1:19

Each conflict that the devil brings our way actually works in us to perfect us. It develops within us the faith, the courage and the strength to make a difference in the world around us. When others see the struggles we face in contrast to the joy that God places in our hearts, they are able to see Jesus shining through our lives. We don’t need to allow the devil to use the attitudes or actions of others to take from us the joy that the Lord has placed within us.  When we are faced with difficulty we need to remember that “the devil fights the hardest” just before the dawn, and through tribulation God can continue His work in and through our lives.

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1: 3-4