Friends, almost from the time I opened my eyes this morning, grace has been on my mind. As soon as I started my day, I really felt God telling me that today is a new day of GRACE. While we hear it often, I think we take it for granted what that really means. God has chosen to favor us with this fantastic gift. No matter what yesterday looked like, it could have been the best day ever or the worst day, but it isn’t today. Today, when we woke up, we woke up to something new, and wonderful, and fresh, and gifted to us directly from God. We woke up with grace. Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t He lovely for smiling on us in such a way? Good and bad days will come and go, but it is God’s grace that will keep us through it all. May you all have a wonderfully, blessed Saturday filled with the grace of God.
“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” (Psalms 90:17).
It all happens through the beauty of His grace and favor at work in our lives.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1
Lay those burdens down! Give yourself permission to release it, and let it all go. Grab hold of the confidence of His Word, and cling to it for dear life.
This world is raging. Things we’ve never seen before are unfolding at a frightening rate. Hurts are dissimulating families. Distresses are speaking despair into lives. Lay it all down!
Refuse to pick it up today! That fear; that feeling – refuse it space in your world today.
Who does God say I am? What does His Word speak over my life? That’s what I choose to pick up today. That’s what I am choosing to carry with me. Not these burdens. Not these worries. They are hindrances to my progress. They’re deflating my steps.
I want to run! I want to run for You, Jesus! I want to run my race well and effectively. But, in order to run, I have to release some things that’s been holding me down. I must cast disappointment aside. I have to get rid of any sin that’s stopping me from running full speed ahead for the Lord. I have to throw away everything that’s not working for my heavenly good and trust in God the Father who is.
Lay it all down, dear friend, lay it down. The heaviness it holds it’s not worth it. Don’t coddle it. Don’t get comfortable with it. Don’t declare this is how it is now.
No, get rid of it. By faith, be determined. By faith, walk in the confidence of the God who has spoken beautiful things over your life. By faith, don’t just claim His peace – live it, because it’s already yours!
The weight is not yours to carry, but His peace is. Run your race with Him and be blessed.
God knows what we really stand in need of; He knows the good that will help us the most. Seek Him first, with a heart of faith, and let Him work out the blessings that come to us. Even the strongest of the strong will eventually know lack but they that trust in God, shall not want any good thing! “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” Psalm 34:10
PRAYER: DEAR LORD, Today I need You. I have no strength of my own; I have no power of my own. I need Your help even in the most mundane of tasks that may come my way. I need Your wisdom in the largest challenges I face in my life. I need Your anointing and Your Holy Ghost power to energize me in You; in the Spirit. I humbly depend on You to supply everything I need to make it through this day. My hope and My peace rest on You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
HARD TIMES DO NOT HAVE THE FINAL SAY! Hard times may leave one feeling helpless, with the wondering thought of how long? How long is this going to go on? How long do we have to endure this mess? How long will this struggle last? Rest assured, dear friends, you are not forgotten in the midst of the struggle. God knows when His people are facing difficult days and hard nights. But even in those dark hours, His people can be reassured there is a reason to rejoice. It might not always be clear at that moment, but we are promised that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,” (Ps. 30:5). God is the one that can work a new work that will blow people’s minds away. Keep your hope steadfastly planted in Him. He is our deliverer! He is our miracle worker yesterday, today, and forevermore!
Lead me to the cross where
I can lay my burden down.
Lead me to Him who will
never let me drown.
Lead me to the Rock
that is higher than I.
Lead me to the One who
bottles the tears I cry.
Lead me to Him who knows
all my cares and sorrow.
Who holds my future and
all of my tomorrows.
There, I find solace in
the grip of His embrace.
So, lead me where I can rest
from this exhausting race.
He’s my source and my shield;
my covenant and mercy.
Lead me to God, whom I love
to the bursting.
When life is overwhelming and
I don’t know what to do,
Lead me to Your arms, O Lord.
Lead me to You.
“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2
Father God, we need You. We cannot find the strength or wisdom on our own to properly care for the things and adversities we face. But this we do know, You are our Rock. You are the peace we find in the midst of all that overwhelms us. Take us by the hand and lead us to You – our safe sanctuary, our hiding place, from all these storms that blow our way. In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Do you ever feel opened and exposed during the trials of life? Do you ever feel that the enemy has free pickings when it comes to your heartache? Well, he doesn’t! The enemies of this life may chase you, hunt you down, and all together seek to make your life miserable, but the enemies do not have the last say over anything. God, in His complete sovereignty, has you covered!
If anybody knew about being constantly chased by enemies seeking to take their life it was David. Saul, in jealous pursuit, saw something special in David, the favor of God, and wanted to destroy David. There were days when David may have felt like giving up. There were days of hiding in caves and pretending to be a madman to seek solitude in other countries. But, through it all David dealt best with his enemies through prayer. He declared who his God was and committed his trust to Him. In Psalm 140:7, “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.”
To be covered means to be concealed and to be protected. The battles of this life may at times make us feel that we are an open target to everyone who can’t stand the favor of God on us, but be of good cheer, God’s got us covered! “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever,” (Psalm 125:2). And, if God is like a mountain surrounding us then there is no adversary that can break through the covering He has over us. It may feel like we are on the run sometimes but God is still that protecting force that “covered my head in the day of battle.” Commit your heartaches, your battle, and your enemies to God, and let Him be your covering today.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
Do me a favor. Right where you are, close your eyes and think of something you are dealing with, going through, or praying for. Utter these words before God in prayer” “God, I need help.” And then, proceed to tell Him what you need help with.
Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. So it is true when it comes to our prayer life. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have times when I spend a great deal of time before the Lord in prayer. But I have also learned that sometimes I need to stop over-spiritualizing my prayer, and simply ask God for help in doing or going through what I am involved in at that particular moment.
Those four words, prayed with a sincere heart before the Lord, can change the scope of everything. Whatever is before you, don’t be afraid or hesitant to pray, “God, I need help.” God is there as your “very present help in trouble.” He’s there for you. All you need to do is ask for help.
Love Christ? Love Others! “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me,” (Matthew 25:35-36). A little love goes a long way!
Word For Life Says... 