Tag: trials

Choosing a Supernatural Path When Troubles Arise

2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Whenever the trials arise in our lives, the natural response is for us to focus on the problems or the pain they cause. In doing so, we are taken down a path of looking to our own capabilities to resolve the difficulties of our circumstances. In many cases, we are woefully incapable of handling or resolving our issues alone. Often times our efforts even make matters worse.

As children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ, we have an alternative available to us which is completely different and produces dramatically different results. When we choose to respond in our spirit instead of in our flesh, we focus on the solution, Jesus Christ, instead of our problems. We avail ourselves to a supernatural solution. We avail ourselves to the power and grace of the One who sees the beginning and the end as we surrender ourselves to His will and plan for our lives.

When we recognize that the success that we have is due to the excellency and power of Almighty God, we bring honor and praise to His throne. When others see us testify that our success is not due to our natural abilities, our diligence or the aid that we receive from others, but from the hand of the One who created us, they are drawn to the treasure that we hold within us. And ultimately, we not only bring honor and glory to Almighty God but we also become vessels of His treasures.

Let us seek the supernatural power of Jesus Christ when our troubles arise. Let us turn away from our tendency to solve our troubles through our own capabilities and the capabilities of others around us. Let us honor the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit by the choosing the supernatural path versus the natural path.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the will and plan that You have for our lives. We rejoice in knowing that You delight in using Your power to work out all of the things in our lives that trouble us. We praise You for using each of our trials to shape us into the unique individuals that You created each of us to be. May all the honor and glory be Yours, Father, as we turn to Your Son for all of our needs. We pray that the world around us will be drawn to Your Son, Jesus, as we testify to the power and excellency of His presence in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of Our Strength and Our Power, Jesus Christ.

Our Faith is Built Through the Storms of Life

Revelation 1:7
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

This passage calls attention to that great day when all will see the wisdom and happiness of the friends of Christ and the madness and misery of His enemies. Great sorrow and suffering will be ahead for those who wound and crucify Him by their non-belief. Those who have not accepted Jesus as the way, the truth and the life will find out that He is the only way to eternity with the Father in heaven.

Isn’t it ironic that Jesus will arrive in the clouds? It is quite natural to associate the idea of clouds with storm clouds. When storm clouds are building we are likely to think that defeat is near. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we come to realize that when storm clouds begin to build in our lives that our victory is near.

Just as God used the clouds to guide the Israelites to the promised land, He can use the storm clouds in our lives to turn our focus to Him for guidance. Through this process, He teaches us dependence on Him for providing the pathway through the storms of our lives. Paradoxically, without the storm clouds, we would never develop the faith that we need to completely surrender to Our Savior. The perfect pathway through the storms of life lies in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The only pathway from this life into eternal life is through Jesus Christ.

Let us look to heaven and not to earth for our support when we find storm clouds building in our lives. Let us turn to the Light of the World for our victory when the clouds become the darkest. Let us share each victory with those still in the darkness.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the Light of the World, Your Son Jesus, to save us from the darkness that comes to devour us. We praise You for the faith that You build in us as Jesus carries us and comforts us through our trials. We pray that we may learn from the trials that we pass through so that we may comfort others who pass the same way. Through the light of our living testimony, may we draw others through the darkness to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. We ask all these things in the name of the Judge of the Living and the Dead, Jesus Christ.

Every Moment in Life is an Opportunity to Surrender to God’s Plan for Our Lives

Mark 6:45
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

The directive was clear to the disciples. “Get in the boat. Go to the other side of the lake. Wait on Me.” So off they went, obedient to the directive given them. They probably assumed this would be a relatively easy trip. Little did they know that their journey would be difficult. In fact, their journey was described as painful for the wind was strongly against them. But in the midst of their struggles, Jesus showed up and the winds ceased. Once again they were reminded of the power and ever presence of the Lord in their lives. Once again God received the glory.

This passage reminds us that life is not about achievements, not even achievements in the areas that God is leading us. We may have the feeling that God is leading us to a particular end. He is, but not how we are thinking about it. The goal of getting to a particular end is simply a by product of the process that God is taking us through. With God, the process is the end.

All the trials that we encounter in life become part of the process of preparing us for our eternal place with the Father. The process is complete when we seek the will of the Father in every circumstance in our lives. His purpose is that we call on Him and His power in each moment that we live, regardless of the end that we may be working toward.

Let us be alert to each precious moment in our lives. Let us recognize that each moment is an opportunity to surrender to Our Savior and to obey the calling of Almighty God. Let us understand that it is our growth that is important to God, not the end result.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for being ever present with us during the chaos of our lives. We thank You that we can call on You every single moment of our lives to be our strength when the trials of life come against us. We pray that You teach us how to live every moment of our lives aware of the sanctifying process that You are taking us through. May our relationships with You mature beyond our expectations as we experience the fullness of Jesus Christ in our lives. May we savor each moment, knowing that it brings glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord over all, Jesus Christ.

Making Jesus the Supreme Authority Over Our Hearts

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Have you ever stubbed your toe on a piece of furniture or perhaps leaned up quickly and hit your head on something? I am sure you have. We all have. Did the unexpected jolt of pain result in words of love and praise flowing from your mouth? For most of us, the answer would most certainly be no. More likely, we may have let out a few words that we were not too proud of.

Found in the core structure of the flesh is sin. Thus our response to trials can often be categorized as something less than holy. To think that we are capable of avoiding the trappings of our flesh on our own would be spiritually naive. In fact, we would be thinking contrary to the Word of God if we thought we had such control over ourselves. We are firmly bound to sin without the indwelling of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We can lead good lives by worldly standards, but we cannot lead Godly lives without the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Purity is too deep down for man to get to naturally. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us in surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ so that we may live in accordance with His unsullied purity.

Let us surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to make our lives completely pleasing to Our Lord. Let us rejoice in knowing that His grace is sufficient.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your Son, Jesus, to be the supreme authority over our hearts. We pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us in our battle to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to You. By Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace, may we repent of everything in our lives that displeases You. We pray that we may surrender all that we have and all that we are to You. We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You in purity and perfection for all eternity. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is Perfect and Holy, Jesus Christ.

Releasing the Full Power of Who We Are in Christ

Matthew 13:32
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.

The mustard seed germinates from the tiniest of beginnings. Yet it blossoms into one of the largest plants in any garden. It’s utility is quite impressive. As a tree, it provides food and shelter for the birds that it attracts. As an herb it provides its greater value as a savory delight for man. It is noteworthy that the true and highest value of the mustard seed is seen only after it has been crushed by the master of the garden.

The mustard seed parable was taught by Jesus in order to illustrate the growth, development and power of our faith. Our faith starts out as a seed planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It starts out small at first, but when properly nourished grows into something so large that it changes how we live and how we serve God. In the early stages of our development as disciples of Jesus Christ, it is likely that we will draw others to us for peace and comfort. But our greater value to them will come later as we mature in Christ. When we have been pressed by our trials, perhaps even crushed by them, the best that we have to offer to anyone will be released. It will be then that those who have been drawn to us will receive the full power of who we are in Christ.

Let us turn to the nurturing care of the Holy Spirit as we are crushed by the trials of life. Let us surrender to the process of having the old man pressed out of our lives and having the new man in Christ released to the world around us. Let us strive to reach our highest value in the kingdom by our submission to the hand of the Master.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for planting the seed of faith within our hearts. We pray that the Holy Spirit will aid us the continuous growth of our faith. We humbly ask for the grace and the strength that we need to endure the trials in our lives which will press the best from us as we mature in our relationship with Our Savior. May the world be drawn to us to savor the fullness of Christ within us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb Slain, Jesus Christ.

Our Omnipresent Lord Sculpts Us During Our Times of Trial

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It is very easy to become frustrated, concerned, depressed, or even angry, when things seem to be piling up against us. We must recognize and celebrate that God works in all things. He is not absent during the bad times. He is taking every element of our circumstances and using them to sculpt who we are. As we mature in our relationship with God, we learn to understand that the work that He does in us during the times of trial defines who we are in Jesus Christ. Even more so as we grow in Christ, we learn to find comfort, even joy, in every step that we take under the divine care of Almighty God.

This supernatural joyful comfort that we come to experience in the face of the pressures of the world defies the emotion that our flesh demands. Through our trials, our faith carries us and builds us up where carnal men lose hope and are broken down. We come to learn that God has allowed us to be where we are and even though we cannot see it at times, He is controlling all things in our lives. Ultimately, regardless of what external ministry to which He may call any of us, He calls each of us by His special grace from darkness to light and from bondage to liberty according to the eternal purpose that He has set aside for us.

Let us find peace in the Lord when the world offers none. Let us rejoice in the victory that is ours even though we don’t see it yet. Let us hold firm to our faith which carries us through all trials and ultimately builds us up.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your sovereign rule over our lives. We rejoice in knowing that we can find peace in You no matter what is going on around us. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will will strengthen us when the world tries to weaken us. We pray that the Holy Spirit will turn us back to the light of victory when the world is trying to turn us to the darkness of defeat. We pray that through it all our trust in You will be complete as we are delivered into Your will and plan for our lives. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

God is Never in a Rush to Complete His Work – Only to Perfect It

Isaiah 35:7
The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.

The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of what Israel was to become. It was his job to try to inspire the people to attain the vision that God had given Him.

Visionaries are able to see the completed work and to devise a plan to reach the desired end before the work even begins. Almighty God is the essence of what any visionary would hope to be. He knows the beginning and the end of all things on this earth. He has every single element of the time line of earth and the people on it planned out to the smallest degree – in far greater detail than we could ever even imagine.

Our Heavenly Father has a vision for each of our lives. He sets His vision for our lives into place before we were even born. Being the perfect visionary that He is, He insures that each of us is prepared for our part in His vision. He is never in a rush to complete His work – only to perfect His work. We are His work. We are His vision. Our Heavenly Father refuses to see us in any other light except in the image of His Son. There is no other outcome that He would allow other than the perfect outcome that He has planned for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Let us consider the trials that we face as preparation points. Even though they may be nearly unbearable at times, God sees the end and provides all that we need to get through our challenges. Let us praise Him for what He has allowed. Let us rejoice in knowing that He will use everything we endure to shape us for His kingdom.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating us with perfect plans for our lives. We thank You for Your patience as You take us through life’s struggles in order to shape us according to Your perfect plans. We thank You that Your hand never leaves us as we stray away from Your plans for our lives. We pray, Father, that You will teach us to humbly accept the trials of our lives which are shaping us for our roles in Your kingdom. We beseech You for the grace that we will need to have the patience and persistence required to allow us to be molded by your plans. May we bring honor and glory to You, Father, by abandoning the folly of our own plans and choosing Your ways instead of our own. We ask all these things in the name of the Refiner and Purifier, Jesus Christ.

To Be Known as Men and Women After God’s Heart

Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Most people who study the Bible find David to be one of the most intriguing characters in all of the Old Testament. It is likely that he is so interesting to most of us because he is a character of such contrast. We learn that He was passionately devoted to God as evidenced by today’s passage. But on the other hand, we find that he was guilty of some of the most grievous sins written of in the entire Bible. We learn that David was a mighty and courageous warrior that won many battles because of His favor with the Lord. But conversely, we find that he was at his weakest when he was fighting his own personal battles in the flesh. David’s emotional highs and lows are well chronicled by David himself in the Book of Psalms. His writings provide us with some of the most heart-warming and inspiring poetry written anywhere in the Bible.

As we struggle through the challenges of daily life, the way God views David offers hope for all of us. Of David, the Lord said, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” We can be comforted in knowing that there is nothing that we can do to cause Our Heavenly Father to love us less. His love and forgiveness are perfectly paired and extended to us without end. Our Lord is particularly pleased when, like David, we come to Him with praise even in our darkest hours.

Let us go boldly to the Throne of God, particularly when we find ourselves in a dry or weary place. Let us sing our praises to our precious Lord. Let us be strengthened by knowing that Almighty God delights in seeing us come through our trials in loving obedience to His calling on our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness. We sing Your praises knowing that even when we have fallen that Your love for us never fails. We bless the name of Jesus through Whom we are separated from our sin. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to thirst for You in the passionate, intimate way that David did. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will strengthen us to walk in obedience to all that You ask us to do. We long to be called men and women after Your own heart. We ask all these things in the name of the living testimony of the love of God, Jesus Christ.

The Comfort and Peace of Being Gripped by the Hand of God

Matthew 6:34
So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God has a perfect plan and purpose for our lives. He commands us not to fret or worry about our circumstances. He promises that He will work out all things for our eternal good if we seek first His kingdom. It is His plan that we come to Him daily with our prayers so that He may give us the strength we need to overcome our trials and so that He may set a hedge for us against the temptations that will be flung our way.

We must seek to find hope and joy in our circumstances as we learn to trust in God to fulfill His promises in our lives. We should avoid seeing ourselves trapped by our worldly trials. Instead, we should seek the comfort and peace of seeing ourselves gripped firmly in the hand of God – the only secure place in the universe.

Let us rejoice in the Lord Our God. Let us trust in His promises. Let us seek all that He makes available to us through His Son, Jesus. Let rest in the joy that is provided for those that trust in the Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the author and finisher of our lives. We rejoice in knowing that Your hand is always upon us as long as we abide in You. Teach us, Father, how to look past our troubles in this world and look to the source of our solutions, Jesus Christ. We pray that our focus will always be on Our Savior and not on our problems. We ask all these things in the name of Our All Sufficient Lord, Jesus Christ.

Sanctification is a Process that Requires Patience

James 1:4
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

We have all, whether a parent or not, probably had the opportunity to instruct young children. We likely recognized the need to stay right near them as they learned the new teaching. It was also likely that we had to encourage them and console them each time they fell short of completely grasping the instruction. We may have needed to bring to their attention the errors of their ways and remind them of the proper process. We persevered with them time and again, rejoicing in each moment of progress, until they had mastered the new instruction. The process required our patience and the patience of the child. We never considered ultimate failure. We always had faith that in the end the numerous trials would be worth the effort.

Thank the Lord for His salvation promise to complete every good work that He starts in us. He will let nothing in our lives escape His attention. He will steadfastly stand by us even as we stumble over and over. He will pick us up as many times as we fall, even though He knows that we will never get it completely right on this earth. He will continue to show us the error in our ways and point out the path that He has set aside for us. He will continue to pick us up until that glorious day when we stand before Him in the image of His Son and He welcomes us into heaven as good and faithful servants.

Let us learn to be patient with the process of sanctification. Let us find joy in the constant grace that Our Father extends to us during each of our trials. Let us prepare ourselves for the perfection in glory that is coming.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Thank You for His steadfast work in our lives. We pray that we will be quick to see the error in our ways and be even quicker to respond to Your correction. May we completely surrender our lives to the perfect ways of Your Son. As we rise and fall in our frailty, may we rejoice in knowing that Your presence is always with us and You will not leave us before Your perfecting work is done. We ask all these things in the name of our Sure Foundation, Jesus