To say that Christ has won is an understatement. He has literally crushed, obliterated, and stands on the head of every adversary we may face today. The world may think they have won but Jesus will flip the script on them every time and show who He really is. He has “disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross,” (Col. 2:15; NIV). His enemies are being made a footstool at His feet (Hebrews 10:13; NIV). He is the King of all kings and Lord of all lords and will conquer everything and everybody that tries to war against Him (Revelation 17:14).In case you haven’t figured it out yet, WE ARE ON THE WINNING SIDE! Be of good cheer!
After an extremely busy day yesterday, this morning during my devotion time, I was blessed with the most beautiful of songs.
I sat in my time of quietness and I listened as the birds of the morning sang their song. Although Spring is not fully upon us (it’s 32° here right now), this prelude of its coming, the songs of those beautiful birds refreshed me, inspired me, and lifted me for the day ahead.
And that is how our Heavenly Father works. He really does know what you need. He knows how to fill the gaps where you may feel depleted. He knows how to refresh you to tackle new days, new moments, and new challenges.
Sometimes, these times of refreshing won’t be found in big events that scream, “Look at me!” Sometimes it is found in something as simple as a bird’s song.
“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” Jeremiah 31:25
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Jesus didn’t go to the cross for you to enter this day with anything less than the confidence of life He secured for you. He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
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Father God, I thank You for the beauty of life. Everywhere we look around us in our world we see evidence of the goodness You planned for us from the beginning.
As the winds blow and the trees sway in their breeze, we see the natural changes of weather You put on display.
When the birds chirp and cover their babies in the nest, we see the natural order of caring to provide for the life of the young ones.
The squirrels gather to sustain them through winter and their antics put a smile on our faces.
The rain pours to water the greatest cities and the most hidden gardens, gracing us from on high.
The mountains stand at attention showing the extraordinary work of the Almighty. And the valley below invites us to meander in its meadows and enjoy the life God has blessed us with.
The heavenly lights glisten in the sky, reminding us of the grandeur of this marvelous design.
In this life, You have given us so many wonders to behold. In this life, Your Spirit is loving on us from above.
While evil and confusion may try to paint an ugly picture, the beauty of this life cannot be marred because its beauty comes from You, and there is no blemish in Your great goodness, in the original creation You meant for all this to be.
Today, we look past the wrong and see everything God designed to be right. If you look, you will see the beauty. You will feel the beautiful life God wanted you to have from the beginning.
Every breath that we breathe is a joy, and it speaks with His love that life is here, and today, I declare, it is beautiful!
Come closer. Enjoy the experience, and “taste and see that the LORD is good . . .” (Psalm 34:8).
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” Psalm 23:6
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It’s too late. The time for a turnaround has passed. The episode of this life is gone and there’s nothing we can do about it.
“There is nothing we can do about it.” Sound familiar? How many times in our lives have these words been spoken by others, or even by us? These words surface when we are at a loss for how to handle what’s before us. It could be that we have tried, perhaps multiple times, to work on a solution in the midst of a mess, but our trying has fallen flat, and it just didn’t come together as we had hoped.
At this point, the white flag of surrender is raised, and we give up. Looking at what seems to be irreversible and impossible, a solution unrecognizable to us, it is easy to believe that the time of hope is no more. “Why troublest thou the Master any further?” (v. 35). For them, they knew what death looked like and the time for help has gone by according to what they believed to be true, so they spoke, “Thy daughter is dead.”
But when you invite Jesus to your house. When you ask for Him to get involved with the problem, there is nothing too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:17, 27).
“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe” (v. 36). Jesus stepped in and took immediate action against anyone who would try to stand in the way of this miracle from going forth. As soon as He heard the negative report, He countered it with His own promise: “Be not afraid, only believe.” Their news was dismal, and they were ready to close the case on the possibility of something good coming from this hurt, but Jesus had better in mind.
There is no situation that is beyond His power to help when it is relinquished into the hands of our God. Instead of holding on to what you see and feel, hold on to your faith. During these crucial moments, give Jesus space to work a miracle. Others may not understand, and the full revelation may escape you, nevertheless, “let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6) and believe.
“I say to you, arise” (NKJV). The command for life to return to this daughter speaks hope: “It is not too late!” Where we may see the end, Jesus sees a new beginning. In what area are you hoping to see a turnaround? Believe, trust, and arise!
Father God, we are praying for Your touch in the midst of whatever we are facing. Healing, deliverance, or just circumstance – Father God, we need You. We believe that You can work the impossible. We believe that Your favor and blessings and miracles are still in effect today. And whatever it looks like, it is not too far gone for You. Father God, we believe that You can restore, you can bring it back to wholeness and healing, and cause us to arise. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1, 2) is my heart’s prayer, and it is in Your hands, O God, we place it all. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, we pray, AMEN!
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
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WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO IN YOUR LIFE IS SO MUCH MORE! “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). Resist what is contrary!
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“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15
If I were to answer that question, the one that asks, “What is the reason for the hope within me?” I would first have to begin my answer by quoting 1 John 4:19 while substituting the “we” and “us” with “I” and “me,” saying, “I love Him because He first loved me.”
Today, I recognize the extremes of His love for me. Today, with my mind’s eye, I can take a tour of my past, throughout my life, even before I was saved or born-again, and I can see the many places the hand of the Lord was working to pull me near. I can see places where I was divinely protected. I can see times when now, I can readily identify that it was nothing but the hand of God who brought me through.
My story is my story. It is the testimony of what God has uniquely done in my life. Our stories may all start out differently. Our stories will be original to us and the experiences we have lived through. Our testimonies will tell of the paths we have journeyed and the mighty works God has done for each of us.
While the avenues we have traveled with the stories they tell may have all started differently, they all have this one thing in common. At the conclusion of everything, the only answer we have is Jesus.
For me to sit down and begin to tell you of all the ways that Christ has impacted my life, let’s just say that time and pages could not tell. But what I can tell you is of the love I feel now. Never have I been so enveloped by a love story before than the one where I was rescued. As I look in Scripture and see Jesus’ continual compassion and mercies toward others, I readily see those caring aspects of our Lord’s loving character applied to my own life. I see where He unashamedly welcomed me into His family. I can see the many times I have been forgiven.
There was once a time when I wondered, looking for answers that didn’t really have questions. There were times when I looked, but now the search is over, and I have this beautiful foundation established in the Lord Jesus Christ that wholly supports my life.
Every one of us who is holding on to that blessed hope is holding on for a reason. We see Him. We believe in Him. We have witnessed Him at work in our lives. We see His story leap from the pages of the Bible into our very lives. This story is real. What He has done is real. His love is real. And there is no greater I know.
For me, to tell another of this reason, I must begin with that love. A love I couldn’t find anywhere, but at the same time, now I see it was a love that was chasing me down. Being caught in His grace, I am glad for this life that now finds me in Him.
Through the course of apologetics, I could fashion sound answers that would be true over and over again. But the testimony of my heart still tells of the reason for my hope – Jesus, and His love for me.
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In dealing with any adverse condition, circumstance, or trouble one thing’s for sure: God knows all about it and He has the final say! This was proven at the beginning of the book of Job when He limited what Satan could do (see Job 1:12 and Job 2:6) and at the end when God commanded a double blessing over Job’s life (see 42:10) and we see that “The LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning . . .” (Job 42:12a).
But what about the in-between? That’s the hard thing about trying to hold on while going through the trials of this life isn’t it? We don’t know the outcome as we are traveling through those difficult times. How awesome would it be to see the beginning from the end; yet, that would not allow our faith to be exercised and stretched, for the Bible says, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” (2 Corinthians 5:7) and “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
While we may not be able to see or even understand everything we are dealing with or going through; while we may not have an omniscient overview of our life, God does. He is omniscient meaning He is all-knowing. The Bible lets us know, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). There are no limits to what He knows, sees, or understands.
Isaiah 46:10 also reassures us that God is, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” In other words, to reiterate my previous statement: “God has the final say” and His purposes for our lives will stand because He is the only one who knows all about it!
Be encouraged today, my friend, knowing that God’s got this no matter how chaotic, difficult, hurtful, or wrong it seems right now. He, in His divine sovereignty, sees it all and has it all under control. His view of our life is so much better than our own. Hold on and trust the God who is infinitely all-knowing.
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