Hope in God - Part 1

​

During trials and setbacks, Satan discourages us and makes us doubt God's love. We lose our hope, until we totally surrender our human confidence, dreams and goals to God (Proverbs 3:5-6).

No matter how long or dreadful we suffer in this world, we never lose our hope in God (Psalm 39:7). His Saints love Him, because the Lord faithfully preserves those who are faithful to Him.

We can strengthen our heart and have strong courage, because our hope is in God, not in our self or what we want out of life (Psalm 31:23-24). God never abandons our soul or brings us to ruin.

He leads us in His path of life. We find fullness of joy in His presence; and as we serve Him, we are delighted all the days of our life (Psalm 16:10-11).

Even when we suffer with negative emotions like discouragement and stress, we can still hope in God. As we praise Him, He puts a smile on our lips, a twinkle in our eyes and a jaunt in our steps (Psalm 42:5-6).

He encourages us and our soul rejoices as we remember His goodness and provision (Psalm 42:11). As we hope in God we hear His voice and recognize Him as our Lord and Savior (Psalm 38:15).

As we remember all that God does for us and the words He speaks to us, we set our hope in Him. He comforts us in our trials and His Son and His Word give us life (Psalm 78:7, 119:49-50).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our hiding place in times of insecurity and our shield when life frightens us (Psalm 119:114). Our soul waits for You, more than the night watchmen eagerly wait for the morning, and we put all of our hope in Your Word (Psalm 130:5-6).

Those who do not have a personal relationship with You are sick at heart, but our desire is for You. You bless us with Your life within us (Proverbs 13:12; John 14:6). As we walk in Your righteous ways, we have peace and joy (Proverbs 10:28).

Thought for the Day:

We continually hope in God and praise Him more and more every day. - Psalm 71:14

Joy Comes in the Morning

At any given moment of the day, when we least expect it, circumstances arise that cause fear and despair to darken our attitude. Heaviness shrouds our spirit and joy flees in retreat. Other people are making decisions, which adversely affect our life.

They ignore our wishes and do not consult our opinion first. They drag us through the negative consequences of their decisions. Eventually anger may arise to shield us from imminent suffering, and we explode and strike out at those causing the issues.

It seems to them that we are reacting with severe sharpness at some small offense, and this leaves them wounded and resentful.

We are only attempting to restore order to our life; but our soul pours forth a storm of accusations, which drench the recipient to the point of drowning. Then we feel guilty for over-reacting.

Our anxiety and depression deepen and we withdraw into a stoic abyss, shutting our self off from life. Our heart is full of anguish and fear, and we feel horrible and overwhelmed.

We wish we could fly away with the wings of a dove and be at rest. We would gladly stay in a desert, if it was far enough away from the torment we currently feel. We cry out for shelter from the tempest of disappointments (Psalm 55:4-6).

The good news is that our Lord is our Shepherd. He provides all of our needs and shelters us from every storm. He walks with us, even through the valleys of the shadow of death.

We can trust God to restore our soul and help us to bring order back to our life. He will heal our wounded soul with His love, joy and peace (Psalm 23, 30:5).

Prayer:
Father God, You lead us to fountains of living water and You dry all of our tears (Revelation 7:17). Now, teach us to get along with difficult people who make a mess of our life, and then condemn us, because we get upset with them.

They act like we are the ones at fault, and they blame us for all of their problems. We cannot dwell in unity with this type of person, unless You come to our rescue. We ardently trust You to work out even these alarming situations for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:
As we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, He will lead us, guide us and make all things work out for our good. - Psalm 91

Each New Day

 

We all pay a litany of consequences for our choices. Even Saints who are forgiven may still suffer the consequences of our behavior, just as the thief who had to die on the cross. However, for those who surrender to God, we are forgiven from the penalty of our sins. Jesus paid the debt for us and takes us with Him to heaven for eternity. This gives us a reason to rejoice as we read His Word, as well as to stay far away from everything, which tarnishes or stands against His name.

Those who trust in God can rejoice with each new day and gladly face the hardships that come (Psalm 118:14,24). When we hide in the refuge of our Savior, no one can do anything to us that is outside of His will. There is no reason for us to fear the trials in this world or for us to rely on anyone other than our Father God (Psalm 118:6, 8-9). God is our strength and shield. He puts His song in our heart at the moment of our salvation. God’s continual loving kindness and truth endures forever (Psalm 117:2).

Our help comes directly from the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He will not allow us to stumble or to be cast down. He even watches over us in our sleep. He is our protector and provider. He gives us shade in the intense heat of daily life and safety from the terrors of the night (Psalm 91; 121:1-6). When we find our rest in Him, we quiet our soul and do not worry. We are as safe as a child in its mother’s loving arms (Psalm 131:1-2).

As we seek Him with our whole heart, walk blamelessly before him, and keep His precepts, He blesses us in every area of our life. He provides us with His light in our darkest experiences. He keeps us from evil and preserves our soul for eternity. He watches over us each moment of the day both now and forevermore (Psalm 121: 7-8). This is why we love Him with all of our heart, and live in faithful obedience to Him to the end of our days (Psalm 119: 1-2,105,112).

Prayer:

Father God, You know everything we think, say and do. There is no place for us to hide from Your care and concern over our life (Psalm 139:8). You give great peace to everyone who loves Your ways. As we keep our focus on You, nothing will cause us to falter from our life in You (Isaiah 26:3). We love You with our whole heart and we rejoice in Your ways (Psalm 119:162-168). In the quiet hours of the night, we join the trees clapping their hands in praise to You, as they perform in perfect harmony with the wind. We give our life and love to you (Isaiah 55:12), and we live each day for the glory of Your name.

Thought for the Day:

If we look at all the worries in our life, we get overwhelmed with stress. If we walk in the Spirit each moment of the day and leave the rest to God, we will live victoriously.

 

Standing on My Rock

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Rock. His work is beyond perfect. He is completely fair and just in all of His ways. There is no prejudice in Him and we have faith in His faithfulness. He is upright and totally impartial (Deuteronomy 32:4). There is nothing and no one, in which we can trust, that is as solid as God Almighty. He embodies all that is holy (1 Samuel 2:2). We find glorious refuge in the house of our salvation, in Christ, the Lord of hosts (Psalm 18:2). His actions and precepts are perfect.

When we run to the Lord in our distress, He shields us. He is the true and only perfect Lord and God in our world (2 Samuel 22:31-32). We take refuge in Him as our strong fortress and perfect deliverer. He is our stronghold and He saves us from the long-term effects of violence. He came to earth to lift us up. He works everything out for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). We can call on the Lord at anytime (Hebrews 4:16), because He is totally worthy of all of our praise (2 Samuel 22:2-4).

If we do not build our life on the Rock of Christ, the tempests of life will destroy us (Matthew 7:27). He gives us the shield of salvation and trains us to battle the devil. Sanctification gives us supernatural ability to withstand the arrows from people in life who attempt to harm and belittle us. He forgives all of our sins and sets us free from bondage to the law of sin and death by His law of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2).

Our Lord lives and we bless Him as our Rock. We exalt Him as the God of our salvation (2 Samuel 22:47; Psalm 18:46). There is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12). His joy fills our heart and we prance like steady deer on the high places of life. He broadens our path beneath us, so that our feet do not slip from His straight and narrow path (2 Samuels 22:33-37; Psalm 18:33-36). Those who refuse to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation will reap destruction for themselves and fall under the wrathful judgment of the Living God (John 3:18; Hebrews 10:31).

Prayer:

Father God, we are Your sheep and You know us and we hear Your voice. Help us to follow You in all of Your ways and to listen to Your Spirit’s promptings each moment of our day (John 10:27-28). Thank You for eternal life, and for preventing Your Saints from the second death (Revelation 21:8). You put us in Jesus’ hand, and no one can take us from Him (John 10:29). We praise Your name and give You all the glory for our life.

Thought for the Day:

The wise will build their life on the Rock of Christ. - Matthew 7:25-26

Our Help in Time of Need

Read: Psalm 119: 114-115

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

This life is full of trouble and trials. We just come out of one trial and another one starts right up. Negative emotions such as depression, stress and anger grow out of the soil of constant hardships, unless we keep our focus on Christ. We learn God’s ways through our afflictions (Psalm 119:71). In this world, we are guaranteed to have tribulation. We can be encouraged, however, because Jesus already overcame them for us and gives us His peace, as we keep our focus on Him (John 16:33; Isaiah 26:3).

There is no need for us to have fear or to panic when something goes wrong. It is simply a new adventure, a new opportunity for God to be strong in our behalf. He is our God and He strengthens us, helps us and lifts us up in His hand (Isaiah 41:10). He has not given us a spirit of fear, but with the tribulation we find His power, love and clarity of thought (2 Timothy 1:7). We can run to Him and find safety no matter what we are experiencing. Even repeating the name of Jesus provides us with a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). He is always with us and we shall not be overcome by our trials (Psalm 16:8).

There is no reason for us to be afraid, even in the face of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunamis. He is our refuge, our strength and is always near to provide help in our times of trouble (Psalm 46:1-3). He puts a new song in our hearts, because He is our salvation. He causes us to rejoice because we see His hand in our lives (Psalm 40:3; Psalm 118:14-16). He is a shield. We can run to Him and be protected in our trials. We hope in His Word and He protects us from evildoers as we walk in His ways (Psalm 119:114-115).

No matter what assails us in life, we can cast our cares and burdens on the Lord. He promises to sustain us and not to ever allow the righteous to be overcome as we cry out to Him in prayer during our distress. He will always hear us (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 120:1). He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We can run to Him and be safe (Psalm 133:2).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You give your peace to us in every situation. It is not the temporary peace that the world offers to us, but continual peace that rides us safely through every storm of life (John 14:27). You shared so many truths with us during Your lifetime on earth that teach us to find Your joy as our strength through all of our tribulation (John 16:33). Keep us in perfect peace as we focus our thoughts on You. We trust in You (Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

The Word of God gives us life and comfort in our affliction. – Psalm 119: 50