God is our very present help!

Dear Friends, are you in a present time crisis?  Has trouble found you when you least expected it and at the very wrong time possible?  The wonderful thing about being connected to the wonderful, heavenly Father is that no time is an inconvenient time for Him to come and help – even right now, presently.

God is never bound by the limits we experience or others we may run to for a source of hope and strength.  God is also the only One who not only knows us completely through and through, but He knows more about the details of our struggles, hurts, and pains than any other.  In His omniscience, there is no part of us – no part of anything we endure or go through that He is not aware of.  As such, there is no other place, person, or thing where we can truly find the satisfaction of help where we need it the most.

Please, do not misunderstand me.  God is not to be beckoned and treated as if He is an imaginary genie to grant our every wish on a whim.  No, but He is a promise keeper and so much more, who invites us to come to Him and seek His face – seek what He has to offer and trust His will and His timing – trust Him alone and above all during the times of conflict and uncertainty.

He, in His perfect love, is concerned about you and the things that are presently before you.  And, He knows that you are concerned about them too, and thus, He has allowed these assurances of His love and willingness to be available for help to be declared over and over in His holy Word, such as what the psalmist wrote when he said, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” (Psalm 46:1).

There are times when I need Him in all those areas.  I need to find that in my weakest moments, in Him I can obtain strength.  When the storms are angry and blowing tempestuously in my life, He is my refuge and safety.  And yes, when troubles in any shape and form rear its ugly head, that God is our very present help – our right now source through it all.

Oh, if only every day were sunshine and rainbows, but alas, we know that there will be times when things and situations stir that makes us uncomfortable, shake us a bit, or cause some unsure feelings to arise.  But, the truth of what the psalmist wrote still stands just as sure today as it did when it was originally written, and the summation of that verse states that God cares deeply and lovingly for you.  Why else would He concern Himself with your present circumstances?  It is His love for you that compels Him.  It is His concern for you that causes His eye and heart to see what you are dealing with and moves Him to come to your aid.

Come, and take comfort in these blessed words that speak of His help and care for His people, and for you:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (Psalm 46:1-7)

Reposted from September 23, 2020

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. 

“Before there was Egypt, there was a promise!”

Many times when we discuss the land of Egypt within the confines of the Bible, our minds automatically track back to the time when the children of Israel were in bondage there.  We see them under the weight of the taskmasters, dealing with oppressive circumstances that are beyond their control.  They stand by and watch as some are beaten, others are killed; lack and degrading situations run rampant throughout their time there.  Fear, hatred, and jealousy by others drove them to the place where they are residing; a place where tough days seem like they will never come to an end.

Oftentimes, when people find themselves in a hard spot of life, or when they find themselves coming up short and just not happy with the way things are turning out at this particular time, they refer to that circumstance as their place of “Egypt.”  This is where heartbreak and troubling times lie.  This is the place where it seems everything is fighting against them, and no matter what one does, it just doesn’t appear that they will ever come out on top.  People may not have taskmasters’ whips to deal with, but other things just lash and lash out at them, making it hard to get back up again.

As hard as this may be to believe, I assure you your Egypt will not last forever.  I’m sure the children of Israel had doubts about this.  After all, their time there lasted about four hundred years.  Yet, even before this family of seventy ventured into the land and grew to the astronomical numbers we see in Exodus, God knew all about their time there before they were even there.

In Genesis 15:13 God told Abram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.”  Outside of that prophecy God also said, “And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance,” (Genesis 15:14).  In this we see, there was a promise before they even set one foot in Egypt; before they even encountered a problem, God already had a blessing lined up for when they came out.

Today, we fight against so many unknowns.  We deal with all the this’s and that’s of life that simply weigh one down.  One might not find themselves in a literal state of captivity, but something just sits on them heavy, becoming an almost unbearable burden, and they just don’t know what to do.  With a feeling of exasperation, some just give up, content to go through the motions of life, without grabbing hold of the feeling of hope because of the fear of being let down again, just to drift back into that state of uncertainty once more.

But, I am here to tell you today, continue hoping and never give up.  Your “Egypt” is not lost on God.  God knows what you are facing.  He knows every disappointment you are dealing with.  He knows every struggle you are battling.  He knows everything that you are fighting through, and that’s fighting against you.

It may be hard to see the proverbial silver lining in a dark cloud at times or the light at the end of the tunnel, but we have something better.  We have a promise!  God told Abram that when his people came out, they would be coming out better than when they went in.  God was going to judge those who did them wrong, and God was going to bless them greatly.

Another promise Abram received was in a few verses before those noted above.  God told him, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be,” (Genesis 15:5).  Not only were they going to be blessed, but they were going to come out increased in the people they were.  To go from one individual to the millions they would come out to be, they were going to grow not only in number but in experience through their troubling times.  They would have to learn to endure some stuff to be the people who would eventually be fit to take on the Promised Land.

While it may at times seem like the hard times are breaking you, they may actually be making you.  So remember, before there was Egypt, there was a promise.  And, I don’t know about you, but I will take a promise of God over a so-called silver lining any day.  The promises of God are sure.  Through our relationship with Jesus Christ, we are told, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us,” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

In other words, no matter what you are facing today, Jesus has you covered.  No matter the obstacles or hard places that make you feel like you are in Egypt and you just want to give up, God has an unfailing promise of His love, grace, mercy, peace, and deliverance through even the most difficult circumstances.

Reposted from April 19, 2020

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.

 

 

The Power of One!

One is not a lonely number. Nor is it weak. One shows its beauty in its strength because it stands firm when others may be wavering. One holds on in faith to God, Who is their surety of hope. When others cannot work it in their hearts to see beyond the now into something better to come, one sees more by faith.

One makes a difference. Although God would love to use the multitudes for His glory, He only needs one who will open everything up to Him and simply believe.

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Think of Noah in the days of old. The whole world had gone mad and corrupt, but there stood this one who found “grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8). By faith, he “moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…” (Heb. 11:7).

And what of Rahab? Although she was a harlot, when she heard about God and all He had done for His people, she took steps of faith that not only saved the messengers but also her house and relatives (see James 2:25; Joshua 6:17, 25, 23).

So, if you sometimes feel like you are the only one – the only one concerned, the only one willing to take steps – then you are in great company with others whose single decision to believe led them to follow God with feet stepping out in faith.

Your impact matters. When you feel like you’re standing alone, stand even taller knowing that what you do will never be forgotten in the eyes of the Father. He sees you.

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You may be just an individual. But you are an individual meant for change. Because you refuse to give up, even when it seems you are walking alone, other lives may draw closer to the Lord. Both Noah’s and Rahab’s families experienced a tremendous deliverance because one person in that family chose to stand in faith.

There is power in one! You make a personal impact! You are an individual with influence! Stand, and be that one!

Determination and decisions not only impact this day but also become a foreteller of what all your tomorrows will be. Are you ready? Refuse the what-ifs of life and be resolved to go where God is leading.

Don’t settle or rest in the opinions of others. Trust more in how God sees you and take your stand confidently in Him.

Her name may call her a bee, but she was lionhearted, sure, confident, and decisive, and she literally rose to the occasion when her people needed her the most.  She was a spiritual champion who wielded her faith unflinchingly. Her name was Deborah.

Text Free Top Image by Roman Kogomachenko from Pixabay

“Don’t Romanticize Life!”

The Power of the Release Button

Photo by Lukas Hartmann on Pexels.com

Dear Reader:

Let this be your declaration today: “I do not have to control everything. The Author and Finisher of my faith is in perfect control. I may not know what’s ahead, but I know my God does – and He is sovereignly in control.”

We allow ourselves to be held captive by how we believe things need to be, said, or done. Yes, in our days we want and crave a certain amount of order, but we cannot order everything that is going to take place. We are not the Creator. We are not God. Nor do we have the abilities He does.

By faith, we can step out and do extraordinary things (as a matter of fact, we are expected to – Hebrews 11:6). But even in that, we must remember: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

In addition to His sovereignty, God is all-knowing (Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20; Psalm 147:5). He sees the bigger picture we may never see. He sees the behind-the-scenes. He sees the past, present, and future. And He knows how to properly orchestrate your life and mine.

So, how does all of this tie into our daily living?

Think of it this way: in our world, buttons are all around us. They meet us in many ways throughout the day: to access elevators, to punch keyboards, to start some cars, to turn on coffee machines, start the microwave, etc. The thing I find about buttons is, they are never there for show. Buttons are always present with a purpose. When buttons are pushed we are looking for some sort of action to follow – a release to function.

How many burdens do we carry because we can’t figure out the right way to do something? How many hours of rest do we sacrifice because we are worried about how all of this will work out?

Today, with God, we have a release button and we must learn to use it. The Bible tells us to, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7).

If you have been moved away from the peace and calm that is rightfully yours as a child of God (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7), may I suggest you push that release button today.

If this life has you teetering because you can’t seem to get a handle on those things that you are fighting with to line up according to the vision and purpose you is think is right – take a step back, and release it to God.

If you know you are trying to control and bring order to many, if not every area of your life and it’s just not working – my friend, release. Do not put more on yourself than you already have to, or carry a load you were never meant to carry.

There is help, and our Help is infalliable, stronger than we can imagine, and limitless in capacity: our Heavenly Father. He is concerned with all the details of your life and it is His blessed Word that carries these promises of release.

Push that button. Let go of the weight and trust God with the release.