God of Comfort

God is our comfort no matter what we are experiencing in life. When we persevere through a trial, we conquer the test and receive the crown of life promised by God to those who love Him (James 1:12).

I am not really motivated by rewards, but I am motivated by the thought of casting our crowns, which God gives us, at the feet of Jesus, our King and Lord (Revelation 4:10-11). After all, He deserves them.

When we lay our life down for the cause of Christ, working tirelessly in the service which He calls us to do, we receive His eternal crown of life - the carnal traded for the eternal (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 9:25).

When we go through trials, we change our focus from the suffering in this present world, knowing that our tested faith provides us with patience; and patience makes us perfect and complete, lacking in no good thing (James 1:2-4).

Through each test, God comforts us. We are faint, our bones are in agony, our soul is in anguish, we are worn out from groaning, we toss and turn and cry into our pillow all night long, our eyes grow weak with sorrow.

Yet, God hears our cries and accepts our prayers. He gives us mercy, delivers us and showers us with His unfailing love (Psalms 6:2-10). He keeps all of our tears in His bottle and will avenge every one of them (Psalm 56:8).

We simply admit our helplessness to our Helper (Psalm 10:12, 40:17). He guards our life, as we devote it to Him, call on Him and trust Him all day long (Psalm 86:1-4). We lift up our soul to Him and He comforts us.

Prayer:

Father God, You are our refuge and strength. You provide us with an ever-present help in times in life when trials seem to pursue us. They come in waves, one right after the other (Psalm 46:1). We take refuge in the shadow of Your wings and You save us and deliver us (Psalm 7:1, 57:1-3).

You are gracious to us in our loneliness and affliction, even when our troubles, infirmities and distress multiply one upon the other (Psalm 25:16-18). As our soul grows faint, we call on You and You lead us to the Rock of Christ, our firm foundation on which we can stand; our strong tower against any enemy (Psalm 61:1-4; Matthew 7:24-27).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us relief from our misery and shows us mercy as He listens to our prayers. - Psalm 4:1

Strengthened by God's Might

One benefit of an eternal relationship with Christ is that we have the fortitude to face the issues of life here on earth. He strengthens us to accomplish everything He calls us to do (Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 2:10). When we are weary and weak from prolonged trials, God fills us with His the power of His might (Isaiah 40:29).

In times of sorrow, God's Word gives us hope (Psalm 119:28). His mighty power within us makes us strong (Ephesians 6:10), because His power is perfected in our weakness. His grace is sufficient to see us through every test (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Our heart trusts in His power and protections, because He always helps us.

We jump for joy and sing God's praises, because He works on our behalf (Psalm 28:7-8). Even young people find life daunting at times and they stumble and fall; yet, if they trust in the Lord, they will soar on wings like eagles and not grow weary or faint (Isaiah 40:29-31). God is not only our strength, but also our salvation both through trials and for eternity (Psalm 118:14).

God is gracious to us, and He renews our strength every morning (Isaiah 33:2). He gives us the ability to traverse the mountain of issues we face each day as easily as a deer frolicking on a mountain slope (Habakkuk 3:19). He is our shield, our helper and our glorious sword (Deuteronomy 33:29). His arms strengthen us and keep us secure at all times (Psalm 18:32; Ephesians 3:16).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our light and our deliverance; therefore, we have no need to dread anyone or any circumstance, which life brings our way. You are our strong tower, so we do not have to be afraid (Psalm 27:1). We find our joy in You, because You help us to ride triumphantly through life and to feast on Your glorious provision (Isaiah 58:14). We thank You for calling us into Your family and for putting Your desires into our heart (Psalm 37:4).

Thought for the Day:

Only the Lord provides us with salvation in hard times and the power to live through them; so those who turn their back on God or rail against him will not receive His help and will live in utter shame. - Isaiah 45:24

Hopelessness

There is a common malady in today’s society, which leads many into addictions and crime. It is called hopelessness. They have tried to make something of their life and they failed at every turn; so, they turn to chemicals and theft to relieve their symptoms. Some have never heard of the hope, which Jesus Christ provides. Others have heard that Jesus makes a difference, but they do not believe it.

 

It is up to those of us, who have first-hand experience with the wonderful love of God, to share the hope we find in Christ in a gentle, informative fashion and to entreat others to trust their life to Christ too. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and He saves all those who are crushed in spirit, if we will simply call out to Him (Psalm 43:18; 147:3). 

Total surrender to God is the key to getting out of our misery. He holds us up when we fall and lifts up everyone who is discouraged. We surrender our family, our future, our worries and our desires to the love and care of God Almighty (Mark 9:23). Then, we leave them in His capable hands.

When our soul is disheartened, we put our hope in God alone (Psalm 43:5). Complete surrender to God’s will in negative circumstance is the only way to stay sane. Even through the loss of a job, spouse, child, pet, home or parent, God cares for us. We walk in obedience to His Spirit, and live victoriously moment by moment throughout the day.

We learn to trust in God and not in our bank account, friends, children, job, the government or our parents. When we take our eyes off our self and put them on Him instead, He keeps us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). We do not fear tomorrow, because God only leads us one step at a time. We obey His Spirit, and find rest in God alone. Our only true hope comes from Him (Psalm 62:5).

Prayer:

Father God, You are my helper, so I will not be afraid (Isaiah 41:10,13-14). What can mere mortals do to me? In my distress, I cry out to You and pray to You for help. You always hear me from Your sanctuary, because my cries always reach Your ears (Psalm 18:8). Thank You that once we put our trust totally in Your miraculous love, we always find a victorious way through every negative circumstance we face (2 Corinthians 4:8; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us grace for today and hope for tomorrow. - Ecclesiastes 9:4

Praying in the Spirit

We follow God’s directive to witness to all the world by sharing what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes and what we read in God’s Word (Mark 16:15; 1 John 1:1). The Christ that we serve was God when He came in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). We have this Good News to share with anyone willing to listen. He allows us to experience a personal relationship with Him, which is deeper than any human relationship we could ever enjoy.

When Jesus returned to His rightful place in Heaven, God did not leave us as orphans, but came to us as the Holy Spirit. He calls us to repent of our sin and surrender our life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9). Even though unsaved people cannot fathom this wondrous relationship with the Spirit of God, it is always available to everyone who believes (John 14:16-17). He is the promised helper from Christ, the Spirit of truth, and He is with us and in us forever (John 14:16-17).

The Spirit fills us each new day by energizing our spirit (Ephesians 5:18). He leads us by His peace within (Philippians 4:7). Our prayers to God by the Spirit are powerful and effective (James 5:16-18). The Spirit gives us divine authority to demolish spiritual strongholds that arise up against the knowledge of God (Matthew 17:20; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). God leads us by His Spirit. He teaches us all things and reminds us of everything Jesus said to us (John 14:26).

We always pray in the Spirit for everyone (Ephesians 6:18). We do not need eloquent words, long prayers or loud voices; we just use sincere words from our heart to God’s (Ecclesiastes 5:2; Mathew 6:7-8). We confess our sins and He faithfully and justly forgives us (1 John 1:9). We do not have to be anxious about anything, because when we petition God in prayer, giving thanks to Him for all He already did for us, He guards our soul and spirit and provides for all of our needs (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:6-7).

When we come to God, we have confidence, that if we ask anything according to His will and for the purpose of our service to Him, He always hears us (1 John 5:14-15). When we cry to the Lord, He brings us out of the storm and into His quiet place of refuge (Psalm 107:7-8). He heals the sick (John 9:30-32), heals wounded hearts (Psalm 147:3) and generously gives us wisdom as we come to Him in prayer (James 1:5). His Spirit helps us to pray even when we cannot form the words (Romans 8:26-27).

Prayer:

Father God, when we come to You in prayer, You put to flight the devil and his demons (Mark 9:29), You heal the sick (James 5:14-15) and You give us power over our enemies (Psalm 6:9-10). You have complete power over every person and every circumstance on the earth (Daniel 4:35). We have total confidence in You, because we are Your people and You are our God (Zechariah 13:9). Help us to keep our eyes on You, and You will keep us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

Be alert to the Spirit within and always pray for one another. – Ephesians 6:18