Month: May 2017

“Be Hopeful!”

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“For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.  By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.” Psalm 71:5-6

Dr.  Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all.  And so today I still have a dream.”   Life goes on and dreams fade.  Aspirations and ideas that were once prevalent, now sit in a dusty corner of our sub-conscience only to be peeked at from time to time.  But, what we are learning is today, that does not have to happen.  Today we can remain hopeful.  That it’s not too late!

Hopelessness kills this world.  It’s like a ravenous disease spreading from individual to individual, house to house, community to community, city to city until everywhere we look all that is seen is what looks like people drowning in the distresses of this life.  Barely holding onto a fading thread of what could be in order to make it through another day.  There is no vigor for or in life.  It’s just a daily trudging through, each step getting harder and harder.

No wonder so many give up and are found sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else go by.  An individual can attend a thousand motivational seminars but if he walks away without true hope then nothing was accomplished.  No real help can come of it because without real hope, as Dr. King stated, “you lose the vitality that keeps life moving.”  But, when one can begin to get a glimpse of what could be, through faith, through the eyes of God, they can begin to see that there can be a greater tomorrow, or better yet, a greater day today for them.

I believe this psalmist knew the secret.  As dismal as life can be sometimes he knew that there was a reason to believe that this all will get better.  All he had to do was view the evidence of the working hand of God that was already performed in his life.  He said, “You are my hope. .  . my trust from my youth.”  The fact that we have made it this far from way back then is proof of His sovereignty over our lives.  By His strength, we have been blessed to be here today to tell of His goodness; to say, “I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.”  So, “my praise shall be continually of thee.“

You have a reason to remain hopeful.  This is not the final chapter.  There is more to your story than this.  I don’t believe God brought you through this far to not complete what He has in store for you.  “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).  It is not over yet.  We still have hope!

You can declare, “Today will be different.  Today I make the choice to ignore all the negative stuff that’s trying to override the promises of God.  Today, I turn my back on my problems and turn my eyes to Jesus, ‘the author and finisher of our faith,’ (Heb. 12:2).  I have more important things to occupy my mind with rather than all of these trials and tribulations.  All I have to do is remember how He has kept me thus far.  Remember, how He has brought me through to see this day.  Then, I can have hope that what He did once before, He’ll do it again.”

Hope!  Stay anchored in Him, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,” (Heb. 6:19).  He shall not be moved.  Therefore, since He is not moved and I am in Him – I shall not be moved.  Hope!

Never stop being hopeful for with it comes possibilities.  Believe what you can’t see.  Grab hold of what you can’t touch, and hope!  If you still have a dream then there must be hope to feed it.  Who knows what you will be capable of doing unless you give yourself a chance and remain hopeful.

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Believe in Me | Devotional

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Support.  The look in another’s eye that says they see the potential in your dreams.  The interest there in seeing you excel greater than where you are; the prompting that pushes you into your destiny further than you ever believed you could possibly be.

To have one backing you in such a way means the world.  An earthly companion who hooks themselves to the future they see in you – marvelous!  But, what if it’s not there?  What if there is none who holds your hand and speaks words of encouragement to strengthen you to power through the fight, and press on?

As much as those pats on the back mean, they pale in comparison to the God who gave you the vision in the first place.  Often raising above the norm to see higher heights becomes a lonesome climb.  Despite the difficulties one faces in the process, God has never given up on you.  He believes in you.  He believes in the gifts and the potential He instilled in you.  That’s worth more than a million high fives.

And, as the seed of that potential grows, blossoms, and flourishes, He stands smiling, watching you step into the preordained path of excellence He had already purposed in your life.  He knows you can do it.  He has already seen the beginning from the end and the view is phenomenally pleasant when His children walk in their divine purpose.

God gave you that gift, skill, or talent because He DOES believe in you.  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Be Happy!”

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“Rejoice evermore,” 1 Thessalonians 5:16

“. . . Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15

 

Happiness.  Some say it’s overrated.  I tend to disagree.  The Bible speaks over and over again about being blessed, happy, joyful, glad and rejoicing.  With so many different ways of saying it, I believe the Lord has made His point.  He wants His people to be absolutely elated in who they are –  His child!

Too often, we as Christians are waiting for conditions to be right before we choose to be happy about it.  That’s contrary to the Word of God.  Many times when we see words synonymous with being happy in the Bible, there is usually a counterweight of circumstances which doesn’t seem favorable or applicable to happiness.  Take the Beatitudes for instance:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad for great is reward in heaven . . .”

                                                                        (Matthew 5:3-12).

What the Lord Jesus Christ did was point out numerous circumstances of life that would normally account for not being happy.  But, by putting a statement of happiness in the front of it, He was relating that one doesn’t have to wait for the tides to turn in your favor to declare that blessedness.  The Beatitudes are about going through the storms of life even when the waves seem adverse and still seeing the promise of heaven at work.  Even when it feels overwhelming, to the point of feeling totally surrounded by trouble.  Jesus said happiness can still be found during those times.

How?  “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven.”  I WILL NOT trivialize anyone’s hardships in life.  There are some unimaginable things that people have to face every day that hurt; that disappoints.  Situations that seem to do all they can to strip away one’s faith.  Our Lord is not denying the hurt, but what He is saying is there is still a reason to be joyful.

It would be totally unrealistic for one to tell another not to be upset over a wrong committed.  Yet, we have a deeper revelation that beyond this mess there is a reward.  Oh yeah, this stuff here stinks.  But, over there – AWESOME!

We may go through trials and tribulations like anybody else, but one thing we have as opposed to them is the comforting presence of our Heavenly Father.  “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” (Ps. 23:4).  How can one not feel a measure of joy and comfort at words spoken such as these?

It just makes me feel that no matter what I am going through, I can “Rejoice evermore,” because, He is there.  He knows.  He comforts me.   He’s thinking about me.  He hears my prayers.  He sees the tears I shed.  I can feel His presence bottling every one of those tears up, working to wipe them away.  I may cry, but I can also rejoice because I have a true, living God who loves me and cares for me.

Not just words of rhetoric but words of substance.  Words that make me happy in spite of it all!  Today, I choose to be happy because I am in Him, and He is in me.  “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,” (Ps. 30:5).  The tears may cloud over my eyes and fall down my cheeks, but eventually, it has to move and make room for the happiness I have in Him.  I am blessed.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic).  See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.