Tag: encouragement for the day

The Redeemer Shall Come!

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“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion…”
Isaiah 59:20

Ready or not, was what we shouted when we were ready to open our eyes to find those who hid from us in the game of Hide-and-Seek. But today, we are past the times of games. There is no more time for playing.

The Redeemer shall come and those who are repentant, who turn from their transgressions and sins will meet Jesus face to face!

Oh, what a day that will be! The chains and the shackles of this world will be permanently loosed and true freedom will come once and for all. God’s people will rise to reign in victory because the Redeemer has come!

At Jesus’ first coming He was a babe in a manger who grew to become our Savior; our sacrifice on the cross. At His second coming, He’s coming with all the power of heaven to judge: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works,” (Matthew 16:27).

For those who remain unrepentant, it will be a fearful time: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” (Matthew 24:30, emphasis added).

Luke 21:25-28 explains further that it is going to be a time for the “distress of nations, with perplexity” and also of “men’s hearts failing them for fear.” That the “powers of heaven shall be shaken,” then, they will see the “Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (v.27).

The end of verse 28 encourages us to, “Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh!” The Redeemer is coming, ready or not!

The Redeemer is coming for His people. God had long ago established a direct covenant with His people from the time of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15; 17:1-7).

But Jeremiah 31:31-33 foresees a new covenant that God will write on the hearts of mankind. The “new” that God was doing would not resemble the same as He established with their forefathers. “New” did not mean recycled or upcycled to God. New meant new. A new way of doing things. A new story to tell. A new deliverance to grant to a lost and dying world. New!

The idea behind the new covenant is for restored lives, regardless of ethnicity or background. This restoration will take place when people are made new spiritually. People are made new when they enter into a new relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus. When they do, God forgives their sins. It’s the message behind the Bible, it’s the message centered in the Gospels, and it is the message carried through to Jesus Christ on the cross, the testator of the New Testament, the new covenant (see Hebrews 9:14-22).

At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus declares, “For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins,” (Matthew 26:28). Jesus was and is the Source of the new covenant, the Redeemer that would take away the sins of the world to those who accept Him:

  • “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name,” (John 1:12, emphasis added).
  • “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:26, emphasis added).
  • “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God, (Ephesians 2:19, emphasis added).
  • “Ye are Christ’s!” He has secured membership for you and me. He has redeemed us and set us in place to be called His own. We are now “joint-heirs” with Him, we are connected with Him, (Romans 8:17, emphasis added).

The Bible tells us, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19, NKJV, emphasis added). God promised a Redeemer and our Redeemer is coming back! We who belong to Him have something to get excited about!

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,” Job 19:25

Job knew where his trust lies, and we know today, that in Christ is our redemption: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,” (Colossians 1:14).

Victory is ours. New life is ours. Our Redeemer is real and He saves, and He is coming back again! Get ready!

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The Power of Acting

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How any dreams have been put off, never to be revisited again? Today, we ACT against that.

Procrastination and complacency are a deadly plague in our society. Theirs are the ruin of many dreams. The dasher of many hopes. But what a feeling to step forward and act! Putting steps behind ones thoughts and movement behind ones ideas is a beautiful process filled with power because those steps and movements, in even the tiniest form, will help you to arrive at a place you may never have dreamed of before.

The Bible encourages our actions by telling us, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute” (Proverbs 12:24). When one is diligent, they are going toward something. Yes, it may exert more energy then you are used to. And yes, all the answers may not be before you, but forward you must go. The dream inside demands nothing less. The hope that burns within says regardless of what you currently see, this is possible.

But, my friend, diligence is the key word. With the absensce of it, nothing will ever happen. Proper actions in wisdom will lie dormant, and dreams and purposes will remain unfulfilled.

More lies in your future, but fear, uncertainty, and inaction can stand as a wall before you. But diligence and action will look at that wall and know there is more on the other side. Persistent effort says I am not afraid of the hard work it may take to get there. 

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Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.

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Take Comfort, O Soul

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This is a comfort to the soul who cannot find comfort anywhere else. Is this not a blessed place to be? For if one found comfort among the false and depraved, would they not also think as other men? Take comfort, O soul, in your God who is always present. The head of all principality and power still bears the crown obtained for the salvation and deliverance of mankind. He that holds that holy scepter and Himself is the Scepter that rises out of Israel (Num. 24:17), remains in control and is worthy of your trust and honor.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

Make God’s Word Louder!

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With arms loaded with bags, I walk toward my car in the grocery store parking lot.  I have been jumping about from store to store all day and the exhaustion is wearing on me.  Daily tasks, daily chores, and daily work – we all have them.  Life does not allow us to be sedentary.  So, off we go on the adventure and calling of the day’s demands.

Carrying my bags, I approached the car when a gentle reminder of God’s presence appeared to me.  There, bouncing about underneath, a little sparrow getting on with his day reminds me of the sovereign and omniscient hand of the Lord in my life.  The thought of Him that knows the life of that little sparrow knows me also, even to the point that all the hairs on my head are numbered, fills me with encouragement.

Jesus, Himself, tells us, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31). 

Yet, many awake to experience news that shatters and devastates their day.  And in the middle of it all, fear tries to have a voice.  Through uncertain and unsettling times, fear tries to magnify itself. 

But I want to encourage you today, no matter how many bags of stuff you are carrying and no matter how hard the work of life before you may be, make God’s Word louder!  If there was ever a time when we needed to drown out the world’s noise and build ourselves even more in the Word of God, that time is now!

God’s Word contains the perfect recipe for a well-ordered life, with its challenges and successes.  Our response and reaction to the times we live in are found in the perfect truth written in those pages.  It is always right and always true, not only for the days in which it was physically written but for today as well.  God’s Word never goes out of style.  The psalmist said, “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160). 

What that means for us is it is never faulty (Psalm 33:4) and it will never fail (Joshua 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56). 

So, Jesus speaks comfort in the Word against the chaos around, and He speaks faith and strength against fear.  His word can build you up (Acts 20:32), encourage you, and save you if you let it (James 1:21).  Paul taught, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Colossians 3:16).  Fill yourself with more of Him.  The more we are filled with the Word, the less room we have in our being for junk.  A healthy Christian fills his/her appetite with the good, nourishing power of the Word of God: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). 

Friend, make God’s Word louder in your life.  One surefire way to do that is to get it into your heart richly, overflowing His joy, truth, peace, and comfort in your life. 

Here are some promises of assurance to store in your heart and turn up the volume of your faith today to make God’s Word louder against all the other noise you hear:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” – Isaiah 41:10

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:” – Isaiah 26:3, 4

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” – Proverbs 3:5-8

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

Who indeed?  Friend, there are so many written promises God has deposited and inspired in His Word that I cannot possibly write them all here.  But if you desire more, and I hope that you do, just read the Word, for the whole of His Holy Book speaks of Him and His promises both now and forever.

His Word is speaking louder against the troubles we see.  It is saying, that He is with us and that we don’t have to be afraid: “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” (Psalm 23:4). Believe it.

No More…

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When brokenness is healed, the recovery of wholeness is known.

When wrongs are made right, sorrow and tears are no more.

How often do we look for days like that during our living?  Alas, we are not promised the absence of these worldly foes.  The promise we do have and hold so dear is that one day their grip on us will be no more.

The thought of “no more” is a beautiful thought.  It’s not the joys of life we want to erase.  Nor the happy moments we seek an exit from.  Rather, it’s the things that squeeze our hearts with pain and despair.  The things that press upon us like a heavy weight that we can’t seem to get relief from, searing us with sadness and dread, and so we seek to get away from it as fast as we can. 

But despite it all, we have an assurance that we won’t face these days forever.  There will come a time when their mark will be but a distant memory. 

With faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His shed blood giving us access to heaven, those within the walls of that beautifully eternal city will no longer be associated with the disturbances of living that being in this flesh brings. 

There, there will be peace unimaginable and joy inexpressible.  Because there, the things we warred against and worried over in this flesh will be no more.  Instead, there the hand of our loving heavenly Father reaches out and gently and tenderly wipes the tears of what we experienced fighting through this life on earth, away. 

I try to imagine the absolute freedom that will bring.  I try to think of the final release of letting everything go from here that we dealt with, what will it be like?

It may be hard to imagine what that time of no more will look like while we are still in this flesh. So, we hold on to His promises for dear life that strengthen our daily hope for that day.  Because we know when the Bible says, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17), that promise is our very real reality when all this will pass away.

No more.  What could you do if you didn’t have to deal with _______________ no more? 

Although we are not there yet, we can foster an environment that will shore up our faith for the wonderful future that awaits us.

Some principles we can incorporate are:

  • Watch and pray.  “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  Remain vigilant and be on guard against any detractors in contradiction of your holy destiny.
  • Feed your faith.  “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” (Jude 1:20).  The authority of what you have coming as a holy inheritance is based on what Christ has already done, and what the Word promises is yours.  Continue to feed on that Word like a starved man seeking to be truly filled. 
  • Live honorably for that day.  “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).  Continue to live what you believe to be true and right.  Your daily steps will speak more about who you really are than a million well-to-do messages ever will.
  • And produce the Fruit of the Spirit.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).  Your living is not just for your own inheritance, but to help others see the light (Matthew 5:16) so they will be drawn to experience Him who can give them the gift of “no more,” too. 

These principles will help to keep your heart, mind, and faith concentrated on the reward ahead and not the messes of today. 

The idea of no more may seem hard to comprehend, but the realness of it is as sure as God Himself wiping every tear from your eyes.  It will come to pass.

Christ is Our Life

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“ When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4

Presence is powerful and so is present. He whose presence is presently with you is our powerful force to lean upon through life’s challenges and adversities.

When I hear the word “is,” I see it as a fact, and I see it as present, whatever is being referred to.  Reading in the first part of Colossians 3:4, the words, “Christ, who is our life…” stuck out to me, begging me to do a further investigation because “Christ is our life”, is #1, a fact, and #2, the reality of it is very true right now.

Often, the threatening tides that arise from storms in this life have a way of overwhelming people.  But when people are secure in truth, how much better they will be when riding through the uncertainties of life?

Because situations and circumstances may entertain thoughts of uncertainty, there is one thing we can be rock solid sure of, and that is if you are a believer in Christ, and your life is hidden with Him (Colossians 3:3), then He is fact and presently your life today.  There is no variance in this truth.  There are no ifs and buts.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6).  He is our life!

This is so important for us to get into our hearts.  We will not escape this life without being challenged by hurts, pain, disappointments, and trials.  Jesus assured us they will come (John 16:33; see also 1 Peter 4:12).  It is what we decide to do with them that matters.  It is the filter we use to process them that will make all the difference.

I must confess, I am an avid coffee drinker.  Through my years of enjoying this simple pleasure, I have had incidents with certain filters that tried to ruin the experience of my morning cup.  These filters didn’t strain the coffee in the way I was accustomed to.  Which is but one of the reasons I normally don’t order coffee out.  I, 99% of the time (give or take), will make my own because I am very specific about how I want my cup to taste (admittedly, I do pack a coffee machine and coffee in my luggage when I travel because I want to make it myself, the way I like it).

For our lives and the challenges we face, we need to be even more specific.  Our filter of choice matters because it will help you to clear out what is not true so that you can enjoy the pureness of what is.  Knowing that Christ is our life, allowing that truth to separate fact from fiction, will help us to endure challenging times because it is not only again, fact, but it also assures us it is our present truth.

In the middle of hardships, both things are difficult to see and remember.  Troubles can be like walking through thick fog where it’s challenging to see clearly, so you become disoriented about the truth of your position.  But again, Jesus speaks, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”

He is our life.  That’s our position now that we are in Him.  Everything we hope for today and tomorrow in the believer’s life is founded and based upon the truth that Jesus Christ is our Lord.  He is the filter through which we must process every experience, every high and low.  The Apostle Paul verified this by saying, “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 the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). 

Because of what Christ has done on the cross.  Because of this life of faith that we now are secured in – everything, every challenge, every adversity, has Christ as our filter because He is our life.  Whatever speaks against that ultimate truth is a lie.

If you have had the experience of being saved and making Jesus Christ Lord of your life, then yes, you may still face difficult days, but what those days appear like will not always be how it is.  The Bible tells us, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). 

We can stand boldly today because we know upon Whom we stand: Jesus, the Savior of our life and our soul.  Let Him be the light you look to, and the hope you rest upon every day. 

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” (Acts 17:28).  “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9, 10). 

Jesus is the answer for our salvation, our help, our healing, our worries, and our woes (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 4:23-24; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 5:7; John 14:1; Matthew 11:28-30).  He is our life and the unshakable hope upon which we stand.  That is a right now fact.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” – 1 John 5:11

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:17

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” – John 1:4

“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” – John 14:19

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” – 1 John 5:12

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” – John 20:31

It’s in You!

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When God puts a gift, a seed of talent in you, whether you feel particularly inspired or not, the gift in you demands to be heard, noticed, and shared with the world.

It’s just like that.  In each of us there dwell the possibilities that He knows you can do something with it.

We are good ground and from it we want to bear much fruit. The world needs what grows from the soil of you.

“You, my friend, are the soil to His good gift and it must grow.”

Don’t Lose Heart

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DON’T LOSE HEART. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO AN ETERNAL REWARD! Daily, we may face challenges. Daily, there may be uprisings against our faith. But daily, we are renewed by His strength, power, and grace. The promise before us is greater than the trials in front of us.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” –2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.

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God, You Are the One I Seek

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“Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, and seek the LORD of hosts,” Zechariah 8:21, NKJV.

Hope can be found at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of each prayer. Never give up on seeking God. Never feel like you can’t approach Him in prayer. Take every burden, every question of life, and every situation continually to His throne.

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I am with you always . . .

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“I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” – Matthew 28:20

Father God, thank You that You have not left us alone. Thank You that you are always by our side. Thank You that Your power and anointing are persistently working on our behalf. Through the confusion and chaos of the days, it’s easy to become discouraged by what we see before us, yet Your promises are never failing. When life tries to sidetrack us, You are He that holds our hand through it all letting us know that You are in the midst of it with us. Thank You for Your abiding presence and help with this day and every day. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.

Please Note: Ads below or referenced on this site are prefabricated and mass-produced (of which I currently have no control over) and DO NOT necessarily represent the views and/or beliefs of this site and its admin.