It's alright to start again

Romans 5: 20 KJV “Moreover, the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:”

Looking back over my life I honestly must say that I am a master at making mistakes and messing things up.  I actually don’t even have to try hard at making mistakes and messing things up.  It’s easier to do something wrong before we actually do it right, is it because of our sinful nature?  Yes, I think we are programmed that way.

Here’s the thing, God gives us so many chances to make things right with Him.  I don’t believe we have a license to sin but because we are people and we don’t intentionally want to sin, we still do.  Every day is a challenge for many people, we are all working on our positive attitudes, our words of grace and loving kindness.

The fact of the matter is that we mess up, we do and then most of the time we feel terrible about it.  We just have to dust ourselves off, humble ourselves before God and asking Him for forgiveness.  Because we know that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.  We are able to start again, try and try again until we get it right.

This process is ongoing we will never be perfect but we can work at doing our best in staying humble to the Lord God.  Constantly praying for guidance and help each day.

Prayer

O Lord God, what a privilege it is to come into Your presence each day, knowing that Your grace abounds and that we are able to start over.  We fall constantly like little children and then we cry and get frustrated and angry.  We get up each day, dust ourselves off and humbly pray for YOUR abounding grace.  Lord, we love you, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen

Life is a blessing

Psalm 23: 6 TLB “Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterward I will live with you forever in your home.”

You know each and every one of us has something to be grateful for.  When you wake up in the morning and the house is warm and a nice hot cup of coffee greets you.  Isn't that something to be grateful for?

I am so very grateful for the good things that take place in my life, I am so grateful that the LORD still hears me when I cry out for help.  I confess that “Lord, Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life.” I believe that I am walking in God’s goodness and His unfailing kindness I didn’t have to buy it online or pay for it somehow.  It is a gift from God who choose me.

I am His child, I have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and that makes me so grateful for goodness in my day, every day. 

Stop for right there where you are, think about something that happened to you unexpectedly, it is God’s goodness that is over your life.

Prayer

Abba Father thank You, for being patient with us and thank You, that we are able to still come to You knowing that we are covered by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Thank You, for Your goodness and unfailing kindness in our lives.  We bless You and bring You all the praise, honor and we worship You for we are nothing without You.  In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Amen

The Accuser

Revelations 12: 10 TLB “Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has happened at last!  God’s salvation and the power and the rule, and the authority of his Christ are finally here; for the Accuser of our brothers has been thrown down from heaven onto earth – he accused them day and night before our God.”

In our minds, we have many battles and also many wars.  We battle against depression and we battle against negative thoughts.  Constantly we have something coming into our minds, and if you and I don’t place a guard at the entrance to our minds, it will be filled with all kinds of messages, and many of those messages will be negative and condemning messages.

Joyce Meyers reminds us that we are able to control our thinking, to be honest, I think that she is right.  I still struggle with many negative thoughts but I also have come to take control over my thoughts.

I find that I would be working and something would really irritate me and before I realize it I would be thinking about someone that makes me so angry.

It has been a process but I am learning to deal with these thoughts, the minute I find myself thinking about something negative I say “stop it now.”  The minute I stop that negative thought I try and think of something more positive and move on.

It still is a process and I want to encourage you today, it can be done and it does work.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me stay focused on You, when thoughts of the Accuser comes against me, help me stand firm.  I believe that we are covered by Your blood and that we can control out thought life.  Thank You for this revelations, Amen.

Redeemed or Condemned?

Psalm 34: 22 AMP “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”

Early in the morning, you lay in your bed listening to the birds chirping and singing outside your window.  It’s winter here right now and I can feel the cold sneaking in.  As a child of God, it is my heart's desire to serve God, I believe that I am redeemed and that God had chosen me.  When life feels tough and I sometimes feel I cannot cope I turn my focus on to the LORD because I believe that He is my Redeemer.  I feel that I am able to take refuge in Him and that He has freely pardoned me.

Sometimes the devil will come and stand behind you shouting in your ear, “you did this and that last night, and today you want to act all holy than thou.”  The minute you hear this little voice of condemnation shut it up with words “The LORD redeems my soul, I am His servant, you have no right to condemn me because the LORD is my refuge.”

In counteracting against this little voice in your head you are moving away from a negative thought and renewing your mind with a positive thought.  God called you and you are His.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, please will you help me focusing on my thought life, watching my thoughts and not allowing any negative thoughts to come and take residence in my mind.  I am in the process of learning to stay focused and working hard to keep my thoughts in para with Your word.  In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

Are you being tested?

1 Peter 1: 7 “These trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold –though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.  So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

When I was younger I thought that God believed that I was an “elastic” always stretching me and it never occurred to me that God was strengthening my faith.

As the years go by and every trail that comes my way I sometimes do well and sometimes I don’t.  The times I fail the trail, I believe God lets it come back again until I have learned to deal with that specific situation.

Do you feel discouraged, lonely and just not in the place where God wants you?  I think you are exactly where God wants you, the circumstances you are facing right now is what is changing your character.  It’s is building you and changing you so that you are becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes when I hear people say, it’s just a season and it too will pass, I feel like running away and hiding.  The thing is you actually cannot hide from your circumstances and you have to ride it out.

Prayer

O Lord God, sometimes we just want to hide and not be in the firing line, it isn't the nicest thing in life to go through trials and tribulations.  We do realize that You are busy working.  In all humility Thank You, for always being there for us even when we feel the need to run and hide.  In the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen

Experience the truth

John 8: 31-32 MSG “Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him.  “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure.  Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”

It is with excitement I start today, I am so grateful that I am able to sit down at my computer and write my thoughts.  Walking through God’s word each and every day is such a privilege.  It is my heart's desire that I am able to learn as much as I can and that I am able to renew my thinking.

Struggling with fear and doubt is something everybody probably experiences, for myself, I am not fearful but I do believe that doubt is constantly nagging at my heels.

The one thing I am currently doing is to read God’s word, meditate on it and stay focused on what I am reading.  When Jesus was speaking to the Jews he knew them and what they were thinking.  He also said that “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure.  Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”  What an awesome revelation. 

When you keep your focus [Scopos] on the Word of God, you are disciples for sure.  You will experience the truth which in turn will free you.  What an awesome thought and we are learning to renew the way we think.  Deciding what is important.

Prayer

Lord, please help us to focus [scopos] on Your Word.  Teach us and guide us, help us to ditch doubt and fear and to embrace believe that Your word is changing out thoughts word-for-word and thought –for-thought.  In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, we pray.  Amen

Pray for them!

Luke 22: 31-32 AMP “Simon, Simon (Peter), listen!  Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain; but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter, that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [ in the fait].”

I thank the Lord Jesus for people who intercede on my behalf because sometimes I just don’t have the strength to pick myself up and carry on.  It sounds so easy to say you will pray for someone.  The fact is we just say things like, “I will pray for you” and walk away instantly forgetting about that person.

Satan is constantly standing before God asking that the sifting will start, he believes that he is on a good foot.  Please start praying for your loved ones, praying for family and friends and the people you believe are not saved.  Time is running out, we never will know when the Lord will appear in the clouds but it's closer than you and I even know.

When you enter into your quiet place before God, remember to bring the people you deem important and place them before You.  Remember because of Noah his entire family lived.  We are also living in the same perilous times.  Keep watch and don’t stop praying, stand in the gap for the people you love.

Prayer

Abba Father, thank You that we still have the opportunity to come to You in humble prayer, that we may stand in the gap for our loved ones.  We know and realize Satan is asking for the sifting to start.  Please have mercy on us Lord God, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Amen