There are two things I’ve been telling myself a lot lately…

* You’re stronger than you feel.
* You don’t have to have everything figured out right now.

I’ve never really had a mantra, but maybe now I do because I can tell you these two sentences have helped me breathe a little easier.

Not because of anything I’ve tried to do, but because of what I know God can do.

On those really rough days when I feel like everything might cave in on me, I remind myself that how I feel can’t always be trusted.

How I feel and what I know to be true don’t always line up.

I might feel weak, but I know God is strong.

When I feel defeated, I know God is never defeated.

“He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” Isaiah 40:28b-29 NLT

I’m stronger than I feel because God’s strength never runs out.

How I feel depends on what I can see and what I know, but God knows what I don’t. He’s not surprised by events or taken off guard. He knows what’s coming next. He sees it all.

I’m stronger than I feel because God is in control. Every day. All the time. Which means I don’t have to have it all figured out. And what a relief that is because no matter how hard I try, I just can’t.

But God can. He is in the details. No matter how big or small, God knows every bit of His plans.

When I don’t see any possible way, God knows the way.

What looks impossible to me is never impossible for God.

He weaves all the details of life together in ways we can’t imagine or understand. But in ways that astound us and leave us in awe.

I don’t have to have everything figured out before I take the next step because God does have it figured out. He knows where He’s leading me. I just have to follow.

I’m stronger than I feel because God is stronger than I could ever be. And I don’t have to figure it all out because He already has it figured out. Down to the very last detail.

His plan. His way. And His peace that passes all understanding.

“The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.”
Psalms 29:11 NLT

By Laura Rath
used by Permission

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“This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘The owner of this belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Acts 21:11 (TEV)

Have you ever done the very thing God told you to do and then ended up in what seemed like a worse situation?

The Apostle Paul experienced this on several occasions, but what kept him going was his trust in God’s character. Paul trusted that God was in control and knew what he was doing no matter how things appeared.

And that means Paul took steps of faith based on his belief in God and not according to the circumstances he was in or would end up in. (As Pastor Pete Wilson might say, Paul placed his faith in God’s identity, not in his ability to see God’s activity.)

For instance, when Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, a prophet named Agabus came to see him. He took Paul’s belt and he tied it around his own hands and feet, telling the apostle, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘The owner of this belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 21:11 TEV)

Hearing this, Paul’s friends immediately tried to talk him out of going to Jerusalem, but he went anyway, saying,

“I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13 TEV)

What the Holy Spirit told Agabus was fact: Paul was bound and handed over to the Gentiles in Jerusalem. Yet, the facts, by themselves, do not reveal the whole truth.

God used Paul’s arrest as the means for getting him to Rome, which is where Paul wanted to go all along. Once in Rome, Paul was placed under house arrest, forcing him to stay in one place after so many years on the road as a missionary.

Bound in chains, Paul began to write letters to the congregations he’d helped plant, and some of those letters are part of the New Testament we read today.

God is in the best position to interpret the facts of your life. Place your faith in him and not your circumstances.

By Jon Walker
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Strong Faith/Small Faith

He Orders Your Steps

Our Steps

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I read in a Men’s Devotional as to how we might react if our bank credits $86,400 to our account every day; the catch being that the money has to be used up the same day. If not, it’s taken away. The process is then renewed the next day and every other day with $86,400 being credited to our account daily. I’m sure most people would have no hesitation in using the money every day! Similarly, God blesses us with 86,400 seconds credited every day! Let us therefore use that time wisely and place each day in His hands.

The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:34

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.

Yes, each day has troubles of its own, but in Psalm 68:19,

God is revealed as the Lord “Who daily bears our burdens” and Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, taught us to pray “Give us TODAY our DAILY bread” (Matthew 6:11).

What troubles are you facing today? What are you worrying about? A quick read through of Matthew 6:25-34, where Jesus speaks against worry, will act as a powerful faith booster and a stress-buster! A quote I read says, “Do not let the worries of tomorrow, affect your relationship with God today”.

Let’s place each day in God’s hands!

A highly successful country songwriter by the name of Marijohn Wilkin drifted away from her faith after finding success. At a time of crisis and personal desperation, as the story goes, she stopped at a church for some counseling and prayer. The young Minister who was on duty had apparently asked her during the conversation, whether she had ever considered being thankful to God for her problems. As she went home and pondered over that statement, she began to play her piano and the words of a song came to her. Needing some help to complete the lyrics that she had written down, she approached Kris Kristofferson (of Why Me Lord fame) who helped her with some of the remaining words. The completed song goes like this.

I’m only human, I’m just a woman
Help me believe in what I could be, and all that I am
Show me the stairway, I have to climb
Lord for my sake, teach me to take, one day at a time.
One day at a time sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking from you
(Stories Behind 50 Southern Gospel Favorites)

Let’s learn to live “one day at a time”, completely trusting our Lord Jesus Christ!

Prayer – Lord, help me to spend quality time in Your presence today and to trust you in every challenge.  Help me also to spend quality time with my spouse and children. May I make at least one person happy today and not put off giving a compliment or a helping hand to someone. Help me also to pray for lost souls daily. Thank you, Jesus. Amen!

By Palitha Jayasooriya
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Living Beyond the Darkness

Don’t Get Lost in Your Troubles

Troubles

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“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”  Proverbs 27:1

Thought

Humility about the future! We don’t control tomorrow. At other times in our lives we may have taken tomorrow for granted; not so anymore. Tomorrow may not come. Tomorrow something horrible could happen. Tomorrow everything we possess could be gone. In the face of these discouraging possibilities, is there anything positive we can hold onto? Absolutely! We know that God holds tomorrow in his hands. We know that because our life is hidden with Christ in God (cf. Colossians 3:1-4) our tomorrow is secure. It might not be what we expect. It might not go as we planned. But, it will go as God determines and it will end up with us sharing in his comfort, victory, and glory.

Prayer

Father, my tomorrows all rest in your hands. I ask that I can be useful to you today; courageous enough not to worry about tomorrow, and loyal enough to not waver in my love for you and my commitment to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Phil Ware
Used by Permission

From: Phil’s daily devotionals on https://www.verseoftheday.com

FURTHER READING

• Living One Day at a Time – by Palitha Jayasooriya
• Focus on Today – by John Grant
• God’s Plan or My Plan? – BY Don Myers

Homepage for  Devotionals

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“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.‘”  Luke 9:23

Contemplating my relationship with God, I envision myself standing on an endless ocean shore. The ocean represents my Christian life; the horizon represents eternity. The cool, exhilarating surf consoles my feet — retreating momentarily only to reveal my temporary impression in the shifting sand. The receding tide’s unrelenting whisper beckons me to step into the deep and discover Jesus below the surface. Regrettably, I am content with the shoreline’s safety. I fear the deep may cost me my life.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus unapologetically defines the criteria for being His disciple. His non-negotiable counter cultural declaration transcends stagnant belief. Jesus invites us to deny and die to self.

In today’s narcissistic culture, Jesus’ statement sounds unreasonable and unachievable, but He reiterates with emphasis that if we lose our life for Him, we shall surely save it. Is this a confusing contradiction? No, Jesus’ unpopular, intimidating assertion is possible, especially for believers yearning to grow through deepening their knowledge and intimacy with God.

Theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, reiterates, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” So how do we realistically die to self?

Self-preservation paralyzes our resolve to step into the deep and mature in our faith. Stepping into the deep involves obedience and risk; however, Jesus reassures us “whoever loses their life for me will save it” so we shouldn’t be content to live life on the safe shore of stagnant belief. Let’s live life embracing Jesus’ daily invitation to step into the deep — dying to self — thriving in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being in relationship with You. Reveal to me the aspects of self that hinder my life in you. Empower me to step off the shore of comfort and stagnant belief and to daily step into the deep so I can get to know you under the surface. Enable me to experience intimacy and life in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Allan Mitchell
Used by Permission

www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

FURTHER READING

• God Isn’t a Consolation Prize
• Up From Depression 
• Where Your Choices Can Lead You

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“He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.” Ezekiel 47:5

Trying something we have never done before can terrify us,

whether it is our first bike ride without training wheels, our first drive on the highway with Mom, or our first speech in front of a room of strangers.

After I learned how to swim, it took me a while before I gathered up the courage to take my first plunge into the deep end of the pool. I was sure I would flail around and then sink like a rock.

God’s purpose often puts us into deep waters.

He calls us to move from the safety of the kiddie end of the pool and head toward the deep end. If we choose to paddle only in waist-deep water, we miss the chance to witness his grace and power at work.

His best work is revealed in the deep recesses of life.

It is God’s way to get us ready for the next chapter in our walk with his Son, Jesus Christ. God does not put us in deep waters simply to see us go down but to deepen our faith and grow our trust.

Do we trust that God will not let us drown?

Believing in his protection and care for each and every one of us, we can have the power to swim through the choppy waters of life. When we do, we’ll emerge on the other side with a new-found strength — a new perspective and a new spiritual lesson on how to stay afloat when we find ourselves in the depths of life’s struggles.

Father, I often ignore your nudges to try something new and unexpected. Please give me the courage to embrace the circumstances you place me in. Do not let fear prevent me from taking a step forward. Amen.

By Doug Lim
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• How to Pray Articles
• Bible Studies and more
• Going Deeper with God

Devotionals Homepage

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“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” Jeremiah 17.7-8

I’m right smack dab in the middle of fundraising so I can travel the world and share the love of Jesus with women from all different walks of life and empower them with the gospel.

It has been one of the hardest and most rewarding seasons of my life!

I have never felt more like I’m on a roller coaster ride than now (and that’s saying something since we had four teenagers!). One day I’m UP because I have had a friend I haven’t seen in a long time commit to partnering with me and the next I’m DOWN in the dumps because another friend who I’ve poured my life into has opted out. One minute, I’ve experienced God throwing open wide the doors and the next minute it seems like they’re all closed.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m just going AROUND and AROUND– trying to set up appointments and rescheduling cancellations.

UP and DOWN, AROUND and AROUND, never knowing what might happen next. I’ve seen huge answers to prayer and then experienced the silence of God. I have wrestled with disappointment and been amazed by His works! It’s exciting and yet completely terrifying!

But in the middle of it all, I can feel God deepening my faith like never before. I can feel my roots growing deep into the water, finding life and love and joy! I’m discovering He is ALL I need. I find my heart rejoicing in the middle of my struggle. Words like fortitude, tenaciousness and strength have become my prayer as I ask God to do His work in me. I feel Him preparing me for what is to come. Chiseling me into His masterpiece. I’m realizing I need Him like I need air to breathe. I’m learning what it means to place my complete trust in God and I want Him to be my hope and confidence! He is who I look to, He is who I depend on and He is where I put my hope – a hope that, Paul says in Romans, DOESN’T DISAPPOINT! (Romans 5.5 NLT)

I want to be this tree, Jeremiah speaks of . . . to be planted by the river of LIFE, so my roots will grow down deep into the water. I long to be healthy and fruit producing regardless of my roller coaster journey.

This is what I want!

So when someone sees my life, they don’t say, “Wow, look at Kristi.” They say, “Wow, look at her God and what He can do with a life!”

By Kristi Huseby
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• When Life is a Perplexing Journey – by Kathy Cheek

• Journey into Wholeness – by Idelette McVicker

• Journey of Choice –  by Lynn Mosher

The post Roller Coaster Journey appeared first on Thoughts About God.

God’s strong hands will hold you on the ride of your life!

The picture is worth a thousand words! The tiny boy sits on the quad. Grandpa knows the thrill of the ride and is eager for the Little One to experience it. Yet the Little One is frightened.  Oblivious to Grandpa’s strong hands holding him, covering him; he doesn’t see the loving face turned down to sooth him. He doesn’t know he is completely safe, completely held securely by his delighted Grandpa.

Each day God invites you to embark on an adventure with Him; to trust Him when you are fearful; to feel the wind of His Spirit in your hair as you go. It may only be a ride around the block to bring loving care; it may be an off-road ride where you trust His loving hands to hold you over the wild hurtles of life.

God’s delight in you is more than sentimental softness. It is God with you! He is so much bigger than you! So stay for the ride; give your fears to the Mighty One and enjoy the adventure. You are safe in God’s hands!

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Father God, So often I feel like the Little One, afraid of new ventures, loud noises, and unfamiliar places. It is easy to let fear push me back to what is comfortable. Please give me faith today to trust You with my fears; to know You hold me securely and lovingly and that You delight in sharing the adventure with me. Thank you that You are right with me, so mighty and yet so tenderly loving. Give me joy in the journey as I rest in Your hands. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Challenge: Look for some way today to step out in your faith adventure and trust God as you carry His love to someone in your circle of influence.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

•  The Path of Most Resistance – by Daniel Forster

•  God is My Delight – by Katherine Kehler

•  The Thrill of Obedience –  by Charles Stanley

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Have you ever been disappointed with God? You trusted him to bless you with a job or to answer a fervent prayer for a loved one and nothing happened. It’s as though God doesn’t care.

I think we all have. Let me tell you about one of my experiences. We prayed much for my husband’s healing and claimed scripture that he would be healed. But despite our earnest prayers, fasting, and spiritual warfare, he did not get better. He got worse. Today he’s in a Care Home. This was a severe test of my faith. I had a choice to make: would I give up on God and prayer or would I go deeper? If I let go of God I’d lose all hope. I would sink into despair. I’d become a bitter old woman. I didn’t want that. So I decided to keep trusting God even though I didn’t understand.

I parceled up all my expectations, my disappointments, and my failures and handed them to God. Here, Lord, I give this burden to You now. I don’t understand what is happening. I don’t like what is happening, but I want to trust You with it. I want to trust  that You are in this and somehow You will bring something good out of it.

I prayed this prayer again and again and God did meet my need for courage and hope from day to day. Now looking back I can see much good has come out of this experience. We have grown in our knowledge of God’s faithfulness and love and we’ve discovered that God is enough even when life doesn’t make sense.

Father, I thank you that you’re always acting in love towards us even when we don’t understand what you are doing.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

• Breaking the Power of Disappointment – by Francis Frangipane

• Rejoice in Hope – by Roy Lessin

• The Promise of Hope – by Sylvia Gunter

The post Disappointed With God appeared first on Thoughts About God.

When we envision the idea of seeking God with our face down, the picture that comes to mind is one of bowing low before our heavenly Father, and thus it should be. We are approaching Him with abject humility. As representatives of the nations, we are confessing our sins and the sins of our cultures to God, beseeching Him to extend mercy and forgiveness, asking Him to move in His compassion and heal our land.

Yet in the humbling of our souls, let us not discard the reality and power of faith. For without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews. 11:1-6). Yes, let us bow low, yet let us also stand in faith, for the mixture of humility and faith is a potent fragrance.

According to examples in Scripture, this humble yet audacious faith truly moves the heart of God. Consider the Canaanite woman who answered what appeared to be an insult from Jesus: “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs” (Matthew 15:27). Hers wasn’t an arrogant reply, but the voice of a desperate woman for her daughter. Jesus’ answer tells me she had the perfect attitude of heart: “O woman, your faith is great” (v.28).

Or recall Elijah as he climbed Mt Carmel and, with his “face between his knees,” prayed seven times that an extended drought in Israel might end. The cloudless sky presented the illusion that the Almighty was unmoved by Elijah’s intercession. Yet when Elijah’s servant reported that there was, in fact, one cloud, a tiny wisp of a cloud the size of a man’s hand, Elijah’s faith recognized God’s answer to prayer. Within a few minutes, this tiny cloud, activated by Elijah’s faith in God, was transformed into a massive downpour that ended three-and-a-half years of national drought.
(See 1 Kings 18:42-45.)

The Bible has many examples of the power of faith when coupled to humility. If we will see a spiritual outpouring in our land, we will need to stay low in the act of intercession. Yet we will also need faith in the goodness of God. Humility empowered by visionary faith equals breakthrough.

Lord, like Elijah, I too bow low before You. I humble myself before You. Forgive our sins, Lord God, for they are many. Show Yourself mighty against our enemies. Master, even as we bow low before you, we refuse to give up on our nation. Lord, forgive, heal and then empower us to bring the lost to You. Let Your name be exalted throughout the land and Your mercy lifted to the heavens. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

By Francis Frangipane
Used by Permission

Francis Frangipane
info@frangipane.org
www.frangipane.org
www.icitc.org
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It was our yearly retreat and I had paid for an apartment where my family would lodge.

I felt very disappointed when the lady in charge allocated a poor apartment to me, plus she was rude and reluctant to change it. In front of a few persons seated, I had made a big deal out of the entire issue, maybe because I had expected fairer treatment. We settled it eventually. However, there were checks here and there in my spirit.

After unpacking and settling in, we decided to take a quick nap before going for the evening session of the program. While my husband and children slept, my eyes were wide open. In the cool warmth of the afternoon breeze, a gentle voice spoke out within me.

“What happened earlier today wasn’t entirely your fault but, you should have let it go. Not because you do not have the right to demand for a change but because, you are a light. Many times, you can be very right but because of me, allow things to flow. Just a little action taken on impulse, can disorientate souls (who you may not know) from being saved.” He said. The voice was tender, corrective and not condemning. That was the voice of the Holy Spirit. He knows how to practically uproot weeds that stole their ways into the vineyard. I immediately asked for forgiveness, we settled it amicably, like a Beloved Father and her loving daughter. Then, I had an assuring peace.

You see, People can get on our nerves a lot of times. They tend to take us for granted over the limit but the Lord is saying “you might be right, but because of me, allow things to flow” Yes, ignoring a rude behaviour overtly is a tough thing to do, especially when, in a snap, you can hurl down the world on the offender. Here, let us learn together. Even when it hurts, let us trust God to plead our cause.

This reminds me of our Lord Jesus Christ in 1 Peter 2:23. “Who when He was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”. In order to fully pattern our lives like Jesus, I have learned that, we should endeavour to live as He lived. We are the light that brightens the dark areas of this world. Therefore, in every facet of it, let our light so shine, that others may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. (Mathew 5:16)

It is still the wee days of the New Year, what are those attitudes that God through this message, is impressing in your heart to drop off, in order to enjoy His fullness?

Let nothing stand as a barrier to Gods blessings for you this year.

By Deborah Oladayo
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Understanding theHoly Spirit

•   Bible Studies

•  Spiritual Oxygen: Are You Getting Enough?

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Do you still really trust God?

“What should I do, do I make the change,” I asked?
as to and fro I paced.

“Do you still trust Me?” the Lord asked, in response
to a quandary I faced.

Oh my light, my strength, my helper! “Oh Yes,”
I responded without haste.

No words were spoken yet at that moment of ‘yes,’
all my doubts erased.

I trusted… I wasn’t afraid… in His comforting presence
I was embraced.

Go to His loving arms in times of need. Do it now.
There’s no time to waste.

Got a dilemma, struggling with a quandary,
trust God and be graced.

My prayer for us

Creator God, it is with anticipation and joy that we come to you with praise, thanking you for our strength and salvation. Do we still trust you? Unequivocally yes! We bless your holy name. Amen.

By Alec Niemi
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  A Passion for Helping Others – Business leader, Ken Kolek, talks about putting others first and how this affects his business dealings.
•  How to be sure God Listens to your Prayers
•  Salvation Explained

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