You are my Rear Guard

…. for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard
Isaiah 52:12

You are my STRONG TOWER

…For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. Psalm 61:3

You are my Shelter

…For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5

You are my Strength

…The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Psalm 28:8

You are my Peace

…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

You are my Healer

…for I am the LORD, your healer Exodus 15:26

You are my Portion

LORD, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future Psalm 16:5

You are my Shield, my Refuge, and my Savior

…my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3

Lord, may we never forget who you are to us. May we always be reminded of your loving kindness, compassion, and grace in our lives in Jesus’ name, Amen.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission
From: https://findingtruthwithin.com/

FURTHER READING

Place of Shelter

Shelter of the Most High

Shelter Living

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,” Ephesians 3:16-17

We often give up on ourselves when we are faced with insurmountable odds. We lose the fight it takes to keep ourselves in the race to our destination. Yet, God has given us the grace and the strength we need to persevere even in hard times.

If you find yourself at the point of giving up today, encourage yourself to get back up again. You are worth the effort it takes to get to your expected end. You are worth the fight that it takes to move from a place of mediocrity and begin living the life you were destined to live. There is hope for you.

Father, I thank you for encouraging the hearts of your people today. Many find themselves at a place of giving up on life. They see no hope for them. They struggle with loneliness, heartache, and pain. I pray that you will begin to heal their wounded hearts. Speak peace to the turmoil they feel at this moment. Help them to see the good things you are doing in their lives. I pray that their eyes will be open to the truth of who they are. I pray that they will begin to see the endless possibilities you have placed around them. Thank you for binding up their broken hearts and leading them to a place of peace and hope as only you can. In Jesus name Amen.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

Do you know Jesus in a personal way?  Do you desire that intimate relationship that this author has?  Knowing Him starts with a simple prayer of surrender and it grows from there.  Here is a sample prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and ask You to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

It starts now!

FURTHER READING

Begin a journey with God

Prayer of Forgiveness

When You Don’t Know What to Pray

The post Getting Back Up Again appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.” Romans 4:21 NLT

Pray and Go. Sometimes in life we have to move forward knowing that all things will work out the way it is supposed to. We don’t always know the beginning, the end, and the middle. No, God only gives us a glimpse of what is to come and beckons us to move out and take the next step. This was the case with Abraham. When God spoke to him to leave his country and go to a place that he would show him, Abraham did not know where he was going but he trusted that God would do what He promised.

Many of us would have prayed and begged for God to show us the place then we will go; not Abraham. He believed and it was counted unto Him as righteousness. What about you? Can you lay aside your fears and doubts and trust a God that you don’t see, don’t always understand? Can you lay aside your anxious thoughts and move forward in faith that God will indeed come through for you? Let the faith and the courage that Abraham exhibited encourage your heart today to follow hard after God even when you don’t know what to expect.

In this walk of faith, we don’t always have concrete evidence of what is next but what we can take comfort in is that we serve a God that is a man of His Word. He never changes. He never lies. He never reneges on His promises. He is faithful to deliver on His end. Faith is not always being able to see the road ahead but trusting in the God that does.

Father, we want so much to know that You have our best interest at hearts but sometimes it is scary to trust You. We are a people that live by what we see and not what we believe. Help us to trust that You will not let us fall. Remind us of your faithfulness in our lives. Teach us to take one moment at a time trusting and believing in Your promises. In Jesus name, Amen

Dig Deeper: Has God ever failed you in the past? Make a list of His track record in your life.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• God is Faithful
• Risk Believing in God
• Grounded in Truth

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“When my heart is overwhelmed.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. “  Psalm 61:2 NKJV

It gets so hard at times balancing every aspect of life; marriage, family, ministry, and career. Where do I find the time for me? Where do I find the time to commune with my Heavenly Daddy? So much comes into play on any given day. Sometimes I feel as though I am sinking, I am drowning in it all. Then I hear Your still small voice saying, “rest in me.”

I hear you calling me back to a place of stillness, a place of much needed peace. I hear you calling me to breathe and allow You to replenish me. I long for that time in Your presence, Lord. I long to be near You. You calm the raging emotions inside of me. Just as Jesus spoke peace to the wind and the waves in the Gospels, You still my overwhelmed heart. It is in Your presence I find fullness of joy and at Your right hand, pleasures forever more.

It is in the stillness that I find peace; I find continual hope. It is in the stillness that I find rest for my weary soul. Take delight oh my weary soul. Take delight in the presence of Abba Father. Take delight in His loving arms. If you find yourself in a similar place today, I challenge you to find rest in the Presence of Almighty God. It is in His Presence that we find renewed strength, peace, and hope.

Father, we long for Your unfailing love in our everyday lives. When we are running on empty, emotions are high, and life is overwhelming, lead us to the Rock that is higher than us. Lead us to that place of refuge and peace that we so long for. It is in You that we find rest. It is in You that we find hope. It is in You that we find peace.

When life seems to overwhelm you, take out a pen and pad and journal your thoughts.

Write a love letter to God telling Him how much you need His presence in Your life.

Grace and peace,

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   How to have a “Quiet Time.”

•   Praying the 23rd Psalm for Yourself and Others

•   Salvation Explained

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“…and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” Exodus 33:19 (NASB)

In the movie, “The Shack”, there is a judgment scene. The angel and the young father discuss how God could forgive people that commit horrible acts. The father was placed in a position to judge what would happen to these people and then given the opportunity to judge one of his children to be condemned to hell because of their own wrongdoing. At that moment, it became clear to him that God shows grace to each of his children because of his love for us. God’s grace transcends understanding.

The issue of judgment is never an easy one. When the decision is left up to us, we might choose condemnation over grace. If we choose to step into God’s position as judge and condemn the actions of others, we’ll often forget about the grace moments we have received.

God doesn’t weigh sin the way we have a tendency to do. In his eyes, missing the mark is all the same. When we choose to step into the shoes of the one that violated us instead, witnessing where they stand and why they chose the path they did, we begin to see the need to extend compassion. It is then we recognize why God is the ultimate judge.

His choice of who receives his grace is based upon the heart of the individual and never solely on their actions. We may look at the outward appearance and actions, but God bases his decision of grace on so much more.

Father, teach me to see people through your gracious eyes and not through my own narrow view. I realize that I, too, have sinned and fallen short when it comes to living by your standards. Help me I pray to never take your grace moments for granted in my own life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Go Deeper — Take a moment to journal about the times that God has extended grace to you throughout your life. It often helps in the moments we need to extend grace to others to recall what he has done for you.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

The post Grace Moments appeared first on Thoughts About God.

You are my Rear Guard

…. for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12

You are my STRONG TOWER

…For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. Psalm 61:3

You are my Shelter

…For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5

You are my Strength

…The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Psalm 28:8

You are my Peace

…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

You are my Healer

…for I am the LORD, your healer Exodus 15:26

You are my Portion

LORD, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future Psalm 16:5

You are my Shield, my Refuge, and my Savior

…my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3

Lord, may we never forget who you are to us. May we always be reminded of your loving kindness, compassion, and grace in our lives in Jesus’ name, Amen.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission
From: https://findingtruthwithin.com/

The post Remind Me Who You Are to Me Lord… appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)

God is not slack concerning His promises to you. He has not forgotten about you. The very same words I have used to encourage myself time and time again, I use today to encourage you. It is not easy trusting a God that you don’t see. It is not always easy trusting that He is concerned about what concerns you. But the truth of the matter is we serve a God that will never renege on His promises.

Paul tells us in our scripture reference not to throw away our confident trust in the Lord. Confident trust is the belief that something will happen based on God’s character. Again, He does not falter on His promises. Our reliance then should be on His ability to bring what He promises to pass.

So right now, in this very moment, as hard as it seems to keep believing, I urge you not to throw away your fearless confidence. For, you have need of patient endurance. It is this endurance that helps us to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising. It is this endurance that prompts us not to give up when we are weary. We will reap the harvest that has been promised to us if we just hang on in there. I challenge you today to stick it out, stick with God’s plan. Stay consistent, keep trusting, keep believing, keep fighting, until you see the promised completion.

Lord, I have failed you time and time again in this area. Help me today to continue along the path that You have laid out for me. Help me to stay true to my assignment even when my feelings get the best of me. Help me to keep the right heart attitude as I wait on You to bring me to my expected end. Most of all, help me to continue trusting Your heart towards me. In Jesus name Amen.

Thought: When you find yourself struggling in your faith, make it a daily habit to find a brother or sister that needs to be strengthen and begin to pray with and for them. As you encourage them, watch God begin to pour back into your life.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Out of the Pit

Press On

Failing Strength

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“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” Matthew 5:13 (MSG)

Can you face a situation that is out of your control without acting out of control? This is a tough question for many to answer. We are so prone to acting out when we are faced with difficult situations much less difficult people.

When we are faced with the choice of reacting or responding to the situation at hand, as a believer, we have a greater responsibility. We must remember that we are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. Our job is to maintain the character of God. When we act out of control rather than responding in wisdom we give others the wrong perspective of what a Christian looks like. No, that does not mean we have to be perfect, but it does mean when we miss it, we should be quick to make amends and get it right.

Emotions are not bad but they must be managed properly. If your buttons are always being pushed then you have handed over your power to other people, it’s time to take your control back. We must actively set boundaries for ourselves to ensure that we are not taken advantage of but we must remember that it is not our place to retaliate or put people in their place. It is God’s job to help change people. It is our place to love and respect others while leading them to Christ. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:14 if at all possible, we should live at peace with all men. This can be a challenge because we are faced with so many different personalities. If we stay in tuned with God He can help teach us how to handle each one.

My challenge to you today is to practice allowing God to fight your battles. How do you put that in action you may ask? Walk away when you are in a situation that you feel you have to yell to get your point across. Take some deep breaths and pray before responding to that irate individual. The point here is to maintain your control.

Father, it is my prayer that You will infuse those that are struggling in this area with inner strength. Your Word declares that You are a perfect help in the time of trouble. May they find the grace needed to keep it together when they want to lash out or act unseemly. May they find the grace needed to maintain their peace in the midst of turmoil. Heal the root issues that keep bringing them back to this response. Open the eyes of their understanding today, In Jesus name Amen.

Thought: What are you afraid of? When did you begin reacting the way you do?
What happened to get you to this place? Take a moment and journal your answers to the questions above.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

Learn more about how you can know Jesus in a personal way at:
https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws

FURTHER READING

Respond or React

Change Me

When Panic Attacks

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The post It’s All about Control appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

Whatever it is you have been attempting to conquer, take it step by step, moment by moment. We only live one day at a time. Right now, your greatest accomplishment will be getting through what today holds.  Make it a point to always be prepared. Rise to the challenges. Give it your all! You have what it takes to get it done; trust your ability.

Lord thank you for the grace to live in the here and now. Too often we approach life trying to get to the next big thing rather than enjoying each day you have given. Thank you for teaching us to make every moment count. Thank you for the courage to face and arise above every obstacle that may come our way today. We trust in your unfailing love today. In Jesus name Amen.

Grace and Peace,

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

FURTHER READING

Living One Day at a Time

Alignment of Your Times

Focus on Today

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The post Only Today Matters appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

For far too long, we have allowed feelings of inadequacy to stop us in our tracks. Today, I challenge you to shatter the lies that have held you captive. Shatter, destroy, smash into pieces every negative belief that you have held about yourself over the years. It is now time to believe what God has said about you. It is now time to believe the best.

You are good enough.

You are worthy enough.

You are smart enough.

You do deserve the best out of your life and your relationships.

You do have what it takes to succeed in life, business, ministry etc.

You were uniquely designed to give life to those that God has called you to reach.

You are an asset to those around you. You are a gift to this world.

Whatever God has assigned your hands to do, go forth with all your might knowing that God has given you everything that pertains to life and godliness.

Lord, open our eyes to what you see. Help us to see the truth about ourselves. Help us to see not through the eyes of our failures or even our feelings but take confidence in the gifts, talents, abilities and the strength You have given us.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

God Sees You

God Sees, He Knows

All About Me

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“And the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.” Exodus 4:2 (AMP)

A ball in Michael Jordan’s hands produced 6 championship rings. A paint brush in Michelangelo’s hands produced famous paintings. A rod in Moses’ hands parted the Red Sea. A sling shot and one stone in David’s hands killed a giant. Nails in Jesus hands produced salvation for the world. All of these men impacted the history of the world. What is in your hands? What can you use today to impact the world around you?

It is time to stop sitting on our hands and waiting for time and chance to happen unto us. We already possess everything that we need to reach our destiny. The Lord has already empowered us to prosper. We often miss what the Lord wants to do, because we don’t have everything right before us. Do not despise the little you have right now; what we see as just ordinary, the Lord can make it extraordinary. He will give you the grace and the resources needed to make it work on your behalf. He has already placed on our path, the right people and resources to get the job done. Move out on what you have in your hands now.

It is time to recognize that the Lord will never give you a dream without the proper resources to bring that dream to pass. Step out in faith and begin to maximize what has been placed in your hands and watch that dream turn into reality.

Father, thank you that you have equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness. Thank you for the seeds that you have placed within us to bring forth prosperity in our lives. May we not sit on those gifts and talents, but allow them to come to full maturity and bring glory to your name. In Jesus’ name, amen

By Mary Pinckney
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Purposeful Living – Lessons From the Fig Tree

Don’t Hide

Called

The post What is in Your Hands appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”  Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

It is a well-known fact that whoever speaks into your life determines how you will move forward. Everyone connected to you is not called to travel with you on your road to destiny.

Have you placed people around you that will strengthen you, challenge you, and motivate you? Or have you only “yes-men” in your corner? Make it a point to surround yourself with others that will help keep you moving. Take inventory today of those in your circle; is it time to make  changes?

Lord, teach us how to choose wisely the people we allow close to us. Help us not to judge by sight of our eyes, by hearing of our ears, but with Godly wisdom as we connect with others. You have a set place for us and along that path You have predestined the relationships that are valuable in every area of our lives. Thank you for being concerned about each detail that concerns us in Jesus’ name, Amen.

By Mary Pinckney
used by permission

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