Who Can I Trust?

When we trust other people with our happiness, we end up disappointed, rejected, betrayed, and even traumatized. People are human. At our best, we are all flawed.

However, if we trust in God alone, and focus on His mercy and grace, we can easily forgive others for their slights and free our self from the negative effects of unforgiveness (Matthew 6:14).

When we feel negative emotions, we can realize that they are simply red flags to inform us that our soul is in stress. There are issues in our life that are not pleasing to God or to our self.

Even the best of intentions can keep us from walking in God's will. We are motivated by needs around us or by the desire to support our loved ones, and we step right out of God's will for us.

As we fill our mind with wholesome, fruitful, trustworthy thoughts rather than hanging on to grudges, God's Spirit sets us free in body, soul and spirit (Philippians 4:8).

He renews our mind with the mind of Christ and we no longer view life from a carnal, human perspective. With the mind of Christ replacing our myopic viewpoint, we realize that we are simply sojourners and foreigners in this world.

Our true home is in Heaven and our only purpose on this earth is to fulfill the ministry that God gave us before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10). Walking in the center of God's will brings us fulfillment like no human endeavor ever could.

Focusing our faith on God's faithfulness lifts us above a carnal existence on this sin-cursed earth and transports us into the Spirit in the heavenly realm (Revelation 1:10).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to realize that, although we live on this earth, we are not part of this world. We are pilgrims, foreigners and sojourners that You are using to further Your Kingdom on this planet (1 Peter 2:11-12). We place our trust solely in You, because only You are trustworthy.  

As Your Saints, we are going to Heaven, and we will pass from this life on the day that You have already chose for us (Job 14:5; Psalm 139:16; Ecclesiastes 3:2). Help us to untie our commitments to this world that hold us in bondage and cause us stress. Enable us to change our priorities to focus on You alone and on Your will for us.

Thought for the Day:

God's calling on our life is not to amass worldly goods, but to fulfill His destiny for each one of us as members of Christ's Body; in this place of rest, we can trust God to meet all of our needs with His glorious riches.

Truth and Encouragement in God's Word

Reading and knowing the Word of God helps us to traverse the path of life with peace, joy and security. It teaches us who God is, and who we are in Him.

Jesus is not only in us by His Spirit, but He is also with us. He also works in us and through us to reach the lost and dying world around us.

God's Word enables us to discern the difference between God's Truth and false prophets. It also teaches about the Feast Days of the Israeli nation, which symbolize the life of Christ in our life.

For instance, the Spring Feast Days are the Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost. Fall Feast Days are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, The Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles

Each Feast is a celebration of a momentous time in Israel's relationship with the God of their Fathers; and they also epitomize an important time in the life of every Born Again Believer.

The Spring Feasts are related to the First Coming of Jesus Christ. The Fall Feasts alert us to the Second Coming of Jesus along with the last days and millennium, as well as the resurrection life available to us now and for eternity.

God's Word also teaches us how to trust in God and to establish an intimate relationship with the entire Trinity of God. It gives us tips on how to avoid the degradation of sin and to trade the lies of Satan with the Truth in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for not leaving us alone on this earth without a guidebook to direct each step that we take. As we live in the moment, according to the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, we find fulfillment and success in this sin-cursed world (Galatians 5:15-25). All it takes to share our testimony with others is a short three-minute synopsis of what You personally have done in our life.

Help us to further Your Kingdom on the earth during our lifetime as we follow Your directives and the wisdom in Your Word. Enable us to share Your Word with interested people in our life, so that we can fulfill Your mandate to preach the Gospel in season and out of season, when it is popular and when it is not, when we are nervous or if we are confident by the direction of Your Holy Spirit.

Thought for the Day:

As we abide in God's Word, we will know the truth, which will truly set us free from the bondage of Satan and the degradation of sin. 

- John 8:31-32

Setting the Stage for the End Times

In these later days of God's dispensation of time, many Biblical prophecies are falling into place at the same time. Israel became a nation in 1948 (Jeremiah 30:1-31:40; Isaiah 11:12). The revised Roman Empire, which scholars believe is the European Union, started that same year (Daniel 2: 41:42).

Religious leaders also launched The World Council of Churches around this same year. Natural disasters increase every year (Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:25). Russia made a pact with the Middle East and will eventually come against Israel (Ezekiel 38-39).

Technology can broadcast around the world and everyone can see events simultaneously, no matter where they live (Revelation 11:9). A one world government and currency is talked about in order to unite the world (Revelation 13:2-7).

God is lining up everything to set the stage for His end time events. His prophetic Words are fulfilled more and more rapidly in these last days, and our newspapers chronicle these events as they happen.

The Anti-Christ - Satan incarnate as a man - is the first to arrive on the scene as one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelations 6:2). The Anti-Christ will make peace with the Middle East, which no Politician has ever been able to do.

Also, he will give the Jews permission to build their temple, which will take 3 ½ years, even though everything is already pre-fabricated and ready to put into place. At that time, the Anti-Christ will kick the Jews out, make the temple his palace and declare himself God. He will rule with deception and cunning.

Prayer:

Father God, we all experience tribulation in our lives every day; however, Your Word declares that these are just "the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). Jesus describes Your plan for the Great Tribulation period as suffering such as has not been seen since the beginning of the world until this time, nor shall it ever be after this period (Matthew 24:21).

You did not plan the Great Tribulation Period for the purpose of torturing people, but for these three reasons: (1.) To judge the ungodly nations; (2.) To put an end to Satan and his demons; (3.) To save Israel. Thank You for not pouring out Your wrath on Your Saints (1 Thessalonians 5:9). You will remove us before the anti-Christ is ever revealed. 

Thought for the Day:

The Lord always delivers His people from His wrath and reserves the punishment of the unjust until the Day of Judgment. - 2 Peter 2:9

Not My Will, But Yours Be Done

Jesus was not caught off guard by the threat of crucifixion. He knew His destiny; yet, He hoped there was another way to pay our debt for our sins (Matthew 26:39). He implored our Father God in the Garden of Gethsemane to let this cup pass from Him.

Then, He ended His prayer with the conviction of His heart, "Not my will, but Yours be done." Jesus went to the cross to prove the full extent of His love for the world full of people who live in the past, present and future (John 13:1).

I am a planner. I do not like surprises of any kind. The turmoil that sums up my years on this earth has taught me to breathe with shallow breaths full of the subconscious anxiety of my soul, which is imaging and dreading the next trauma that will assail me.

I used to make my plans and then tell God the best way to accomplish my goals. I had it all figured out so that no trials would attack me that I was not prepared to handle.

As I matured in the faith, I stopped dictating to God; but when circumstances assailed me that I did not appreciate, I would say, "Well, God, I just want You to know that I would not have done it this way."

I am sure our Daddy God had a good laugh at my arrogance, especially since He advises us in His Word to rejoice in tribulation - to consider every trial as pure joy (Romans 5:3; James 1:2-4). This takes a switch in our paradigm and world view.

The first action I took to comply with His advice was to finally realize, like Joseph in the Bible, that He plants a seed for a miracle in every trial (Genesis 50:20). That way I could rejoice always, realizing that this was the will of God for me (1 Thessalonians 5:16-28).

Prayer:

Father God, renew our mind and give us the ability to view life from Your eternal perspective, rather than our limited finite mindset. You are working in every aspect of our life at home, family, work, church, neighborhood and community to teach us to trust only in You to supply our needs, as well as to rely on You to work out every circumstance in our life according to Your will for us.

Prod us back into Your reality when our thoughts spiral out of control with earthly concerns and fears. Teach us to view every aspect of life with gratitude, because You have blessings for us hidden in every tribulation we will ever experience. Remind us to receive Your miracles from Your hand in Your timing and way, rather than to attempt to grab what we want from Your generous supply.

Thought for the Day:

When we cannot see the immediate results of our trials, we can trust in God's wisdom and timing, rather than trying to manipulate the circumstances according to our will instead of waiting on God's plan as our benevolent Lord, Master and King. - Genesis 16

It is Impossible to Please God

Enoch walked with God, and God took him home without going through death (Genesis 5:24). Prior to this event, Enoch fathered Methuselah, the oldest man in the Bible (Genesis 5:22). Enoch and the other Saints of faith chronicled in Hebrews Chapter Eleven are examples to us.

Due to their testimony, we have faith, hope, confidence and assurance that God has His plan for our life as well (Ephesians 2:10).  All that He requires of us is for us to walk in His ways, even when we cannot see the path.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Thankfully, every trial that we experience builds our faith and proves God's faithfulness to us. He always works out everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Circumstances may not evolve as we had hoped or desired, but they end up being better for us than what we originally wanted. So many times in life we erect towers (Genesis 11:1-10) of goals that we want to attain in a certain order or by a particular age.

However, once we accomplish those goals, we realize that we no longer want them, or that they did not include the fulfillment that we envisioned them bringing into our life.

We learn obedience to God through the things that we suffer during our lifetime, just like Jesus did (Hebrews 5:8). God uses discipline to keep His children on His chosen path for us. If He does not discipline us, it is because we are not yet His child (Hebrews 12:4-11).

Life has its inherent issues that we all face with health, finances, relationships, employment, etc. However, the more we walk according to the direction of God's Holy Spirit during each moment of our day, the fewer trials we experience.

Those issues that do arise from time to time are easier to handle too, because we see God's purpose in them; or due to our experience with God's care, we know without a doubt that there is a definite seed for a miracle in every trial that we face.

Prayer:

Father God, it is not hard or impossible for us to earn Your favor and to please You. You only require one thing of us: obedience to Your will. When we do walk in Your ways, we find that we experience true fulfillment, peace and joy.

We are protected in trials by Your power. Your hope fills our hearts with joy and peace. By the power of Your Spirit in us, our hope abounds (Romans 15:13). We trust in Your complete salvation for us of body and soul. as well as spirit, which is ready to be revealed to the whole world at the end of time (1 Peter 1:3-6).

Thought for the Day:

Our living hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, who gives us an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that never fades away; the good news is that it is reserved for all Believers who please the Lord with our faith in His gift, which is free to us all.

God's Plans for our Benefit

God gives His Saints His rest and safety in this world. We can lay down without fear. We are secure in our hope in Christ (Job 11:18-19). When we hope in the Lord, He arranges even the most difficult times for our benefit (Job 13:15).

The Lord takes pleasure in those who hope in His mercy (Psalm 147:11). He is our shield in times of affliction. He lifts up our head when we are depressed. God always hears us, although He is way up in His holy hill.

We can sleep in peace, because our Father God never naps or sleeps, and He faithfully sustains us (Psalm 121:4). Even if our circumstances are overwhelming, we have no need to fear them (Psalm 3:2-6). God has a perfect plan for our life.

These plans are for our advantage and they will not harm us, because they give us a hopeful future (Jeremiah 29:11). God works out all things, even the most negative aspects of life, for our good (Romans 8:28).

We always have access to Him by faith, and we rejoice in our hope in the glory of God. We even gain His glory through our trials, because we know that they ultimately produce hope in us, which never disappoints us.

Prayers:

Father God, remind us not to depend on any goodness within our self to earn our way to Heaven or to attempt to deserve Your love. Help us to use all of the resources, which You provide for us by Your Holy Spirit, rather than trusting in our human resources.

Our relationship with You is not for the sake of our advancement in this life, but to further Your Kingdom in the earth (Luke 16:1-18). Never allow us to pass up the opportunity to sing praises to Your holy name (Psalm 30:12), because You are so worthy of all of our glory, honor and praise.

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit pours out the love of God in our hearts, because even when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

- Romans 5:2-7

A Blessed Life

The needs of each person’s soul are different, but we all love to play. Fortunately, God abundantly gives us all good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). However, there is a fine line between holiness and depravity.

God calls us to live in His freedom, and then He cautions us not to use our freedom as a pretense to sin; but to live instead as His righteous bondservants (1 Peter 2:16).  

Human beings often believe that there is no freedom in living a moral life. All they see is commandments that restrict their carnal inclinations. Their pride and rebellion prevent them from submitting totally to God.

Sin takes away our free will and keeps us under its spell. There is absolutely no freedom in slavery to sin. Fleshly indulgences are only enjoyable for a time, and we always reap destruction from them.

The dividends of living a depraved lifestyle come in the form of ill health, addictions, unmanageable circumstances, jail terms, broken relationships, poverty and eventually death without peace (Luke 21:34).

Living according to the dictates of sin, and Satan, the world, and our flesh will not bring us lasting fame, fortune, financial security or peace. It is only temporary at best. God's Word advises us to be filled with God's Spirit instead of sin (Ephesians 5:19).

I contend that true freedom only comes within the safe parameters of God's ethical boundaries. Jesus told us that Unbelievers are slaves to sin, and He reminded us that only He, the Son of God, can give us real freedom (John 8:34-37).

The Bible is our guide and authority throughout our life. Each page is full of wise counsel and promises of immediate help for us to succeed in living according to God's will for our life.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to give us abundant life, which fills us to overflowing (John 10:10, Amplified Bible). How totally pointless the pursuit of self-indulgence appears after we attain it, and what am emptiness and bitter taste of repulsion it leaves in our empty soul.

I have learned that there is no true happiness apart from You. I only experience completion in my life through my relationship with You. This is more fulfilling than any human relationship I ever enjoyed. Since You live within me, my bond with You is more intimate than any other.

Thought for the Day:

Paul gives us wise counsel on how to live, by telling us to be extremely careful in the choices that we make; he encourages us to use every opportunity, which God provides for us, to accomplish God's will for our life on this earth - an earth which is quickly deteriorating. 

- Ephesians 5:15-18