Wonderful Jesus!

Category: trust in God

• God Our Strength!

  Posted at 5:01 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 21, 2020

  Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” KJV

  

  god-our-strength_.mp3

  In my previous post, I wrote about God as our refuge. In this blog, I want to talk about God, our strength!

  The stories I can tell about God being my strength! I have discovered that not only does God provide us with His strength, but He is our strength. In the book of 1 Samuel, He is called the Strength of Israel. When the nations around Israel looked at the Israelites and saw strength, it was God’s strength that they really saw. When people see us, the children of God, during these difficult days, they should see God’s strength radiating through us, because He is our strength!

  David knew his strength was God, not just in God, but God. God delivered David from the hand of Saul and his enemies, causing David to say, “God is my strength and power: and He makes my way perfect.” We all know that David didn’t have a perfect life, nor did he have an easy life, but he knew that God had been his strength during his life, enabling him to rise above incredible obstacles.

  David was ignored by his family and given the job of shepherding the family’s sheep, but God was His strength during that time. David killed the lion and the bear, and was confident enough to take out Goliath, because God was his strength. David’s men wanted to stone him after their families were taken at Ziklag, but David went off by himself and communed with God, his strength! The Bible tells us that he encouraged himself in the Lord! There he got the answers and the strength he needed, to go and recover all!

  David was hunted by Saul, simply because of Saul’s jealousy towards him; but when given the opportunity to hurt Saul, his Strength would not allow him to do it. David’s mighty men didn’t go to him as warriors, but as men in distress, with debt and discontent as their description, and because God was David’s strength, he helped them to embrace God as their strength.

  As I was meditating on the truth that God is our strength, God brought the church to my mind. I thought about the pastors who are preaching to empty chairs in an empty sanctuary. It was hard at the beginning of the virus, but it’s even harder now. One well known pastor struggled so in the beginning, that his thoughts were jumbled and his movements were disjointed. What started out as a possible few weeks of interruption has become months of uncertainties. Not only is the church faced with empty sanctuaries, but they also have to deal with loss of income that support the ministry and pay the bills.

  While it is understandable that there is a great concern about the finances, pastors also have a great concern about the people God has given them to watch over. One woman in ministry was sharing with me her concerns for the flock. She said she couldn’t understand how you can have a membership of 100 people and only 12 of them join you online for services. Her concern was real, as she wanted to know if the people really had a relationship with God, where were they at?

  I like the words that Isaiah wrote:

  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2

  Isaiah found God to be his strength, just as David had; but, it came out of a deep, abiding trust in God. Isaiah said, “I will trust, and I will not be afraid!” That’s the answer to every hurting pastor and leader in the Body of Christ. As ministers, the worldwide, have encouraged their people to trust in God in the darkest hour, God is saying to them, “I am your strength, trust Me!”

  Habakkuk also wrote about God as his strength:

  The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:19

  Habakkuk let it be known that God was his strength and his feet were sure, as he walked before God and stood on His promises! Pastors and ministers are quitting because things have gotten tough. Maybe this was their testing ground to see if they were sent or if they just went! Jesus said the shepherd doesn’t run from the trouble, but he runs to the trouble, as David did. David’s confidence when he faced the lion, the bear, Goliath, and the Philistines wasn’t in him; but in the God who had become his strength and his song!

  I’ve been blogging since February of 2018. God told me to blog. In this first year I had 457 views. I thought I was doing something, impacting people around the world with my blog. Today my numbers are much greater, but my attitude is the same. I am doing something, and I am impacting people around the world through this blog, with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Some days my stats show that I have had 2 views, and other days it might show more than 75. I know that if my focus is on the stats, I will not be able to do the assignment that God gave me. Three days a week, I sit and write my blog. Most times I can do it in a couple hours, but sometimes it takes days. Whether one person view a blog, or 500, I have to stay the course!

  However, God has placed a different ministry in my heart and soul. He called me to preach and to teach the gospel. I have seen myself, in dreams, preaching to crowds of people, laying hands on the sick and seeing creative miracles, impacting lives for the glory of God. I have seen visions of the power of God flowing from heaven into my earthly body, and flowing out of my body into His people with miracles following. I never saw me blogging! And if the truth be told, I am further away from my dream today than I have ever been. But I am strong in the Lord, for He is my strength. I can’t see anything happening to bring me to my dream when churches are so empty and the future of how we do church is weighing in the balance, but I will trust God my strength with it all!

  That’s not all I can do! That’s not all any of us can do! That’s what we should be doing at this time, placing our unwavering trust in God as our strength! He will get you up out of the bed when you don’t feel like you have anymore reasons left to get up! He will give you the greatest message to preach when you have no more inspiration left on the inside of you! He will be your strength as you raise your children, work at that job you don’t like, or sit at home when you would rather be outside! He will be your strength and give you strength, when your trust is in Him!

  Being a child of God isn’t for the faint of heart! There are not a lot of tulips to tip toe through! But trusting God as your refuge and strength during times of trouble, will bring you out on the other side with great victory and strength! The devil hasn’t forged a weapon, greater than our God! Decide today, that as He is referred to as the Strength of Israel, He can also be referred to as the Strength of… (whatever your name is)! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, hard times, Strength, trust in God | 2 Comments | Tagged God, hard times, leaders, our strength, pastors, struggling, trusting in God

• God Our Refuge!

  Posted at 4:28 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 20, 2020

  Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” KJV

  

  god-our-refuge_.mp3

  The image you are looking at is the Castillo de San Marcos, in St. Augustine, Florida. It is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Spain built it in the late 1600s, to protect and defend the possessions, people, and city of St. Augustine. This fort was impenetrable because of the materials used to build the walls and it’s architectural layout. The soft limestone, called coquina, was composed of broken shells. It is said that this material absorbed or deflected the enemy attacks every time. The United States eventually purchased the fort from Spain, using it until the 1900s. If you visit St. Augustine, Florida, you can take some time to tour it and learn more of its history.

  The Bible tells us that God is our refuge! He is the protection of our lives, our possessions, our health, and everything that concerns us. His protection is impenetrable by the enemy when we understand that truth and allow it to give us peace in the midst of a storm. The Hebrew word for refuge is, “machăçeh”, and it means a shelter (literally or figuratively), a place of refuge, a place of hope. Throughout my life I have experienced this truth on many occasions. He is truly my refuge! Today, we the people of God, need to understand, like never before, that God is our refuge.

  The coronavirus hasn’t diminished it’s attacks on the world. The effects of the virus are worldwide and has left many grieving over the loss of loved ones, jobs, shelter, peace, and hope. Not only that, we have to still be concerned about tornadoes, earthquakes, violence, and a host of other things thrown at us in the course of living. If we are not careful, we, the Body of Christ, will find ourselves disillusioned, disappointed, and fainting, as if we don’t truly believe that God is our refuge.

  What the psalmist is really saying about God is that He is our only real security in this life, not our job, not our bank account, not our family tree, not our connections! Only God!

  I’m an educator. I haven’t been thrilled in my position for a lot of reasons, but one of the things that colored my view of education was the lack of job security. Every single year for the first four or five years, I had to find another job because my position was cut. This was very frustrating. Then I begin teaching at a school where I was able to put down some roots and feel a part of the school community. After six years, I lost my position again. This could have been another time of frustration for me had not God forewarned me of the fact, and then reassured me that He had me. He was my refuge at that time, as He has been at so many other times in my life!

  The psalmist went on to say that because God is our refuge, we will not fear! The psalm continues in this light:

  • Though the world is falling apart all around us, we will not be afraid!
  • Though the mountains crumble and fall into the sea, we will not be afraid!
  • Though the waters roar and rage and tsunamis are coming at us, we will not be afraid!
  • Though the mountains shake, and there are earthquakes all over, we will not be afraid!

  It’s an attitude of trust that knows the God, who is a refuge, is there for us and is with us, no matter what comes our way!

  There are many places in the Bible where God, as our refuge, is mentioned:

  • Psalm 9:9- God will be a refuge for the oppressed. Is there any amongst us who are oppressed today? God is our refuge!
  • Psalm 14:6-God is a refuge for the poor! Is there any amongst us who are poor? God is our refuge!
  • Psalm 59:16-God is a refuge in the day of trouble! Is there any amongst us who are having trouble? God is our refuge!
  • Isaiah 25:4-God is a refuge from the storm! Again, I say, is there any amongst us who are in the midst of a storm? God is our refuge!
  • Jeremiah 16:19-God is a refuge in the day of affliction? Is there any amongst us who are afflicted? God is our refuge!

  Here are some things that will give you confidence in God as your refuge:

  • Psalm 46:7- He is the God of the angel armies and He is with us!
  • Psalm 91:9- When we make Him our dwelling place, our shelter, He will be our refuge!
  • Psalm 14:26- As we fear Him, (reverence Him), we have a strong confidence in Him as our refuge!

  David wrote in Psalm 91,

  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” KJV

  David continues this psalm by giving us an entire list of situations he found shelter from in God. It’s a great psalm to commit to memory and to meditate on in this time of so much uncertainty. What is certain, is that God is our refuge and He is with us! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, hard times, Refuge, trust in God | 2 Comments | Tagged attacks, Attitude, Castillo de San Marcos, coquina, coronavirus, fort, God, Healing, protection, provision, Refuge, shelter, the enemy, trust in God

• Are You Offended With Jesus!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 11, 2020

  Matthew 11:2-3 -Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

  are-you-offended-with-jesus_-1.mp3

  This morning I was reminded of a passage in the Bible and I decided to blog about it. Generally speaking, I don’t blog until I feel I have something to say. And this morning I do!

  In the Scriptural text, John sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him, “Are you the One, or look we for another?” There are some interesting dynamics going on here, but the major thing is that John is offended with Jesus!

  The word offense means “to have an annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one’s standards or principles.” I believe that John was clearly offended with Jesus. The Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us the why of everything but there are some things we can infer.

  Why would John be asking Jesus is He the One? Was it not John who declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:36)?” And was it not John who declared, “ I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost?” (Mark 1:8) Yes, it is he!

  John said of himself that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord” and that Jesus came after him but was preferred before him. And the greatest statement John made about Jesus was, “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God!” (John 1:34)

  So I return to my original statement that John was offended with Jesus because he went from “Behold the Lamb of God”….to “are you the One?” Only offense will cause us to question our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

  Let’s return to Matthew 11, where Jesus responds to John’s disciples. He tells them to report back to John what they heard and saw, but then He makes this statement in verse 6, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Why would Jesus add this to what He wanted the disciples to tell John? Obviously, John was offended!

  Why was John offended? I don’t know for sure, but scripture let’s know that John is in prison and he is about to die, so offense has come in. He had a perceived notion that he would be protected from the devil because of his service to God. He has spent his entire life preparing the way for Jesus, getting people ready to hear the Messiah and the thanks he is getting is a beheading. What’s wrong with this picture?

  You see, John had the same adversary that we have. While we are living this life in Christ, things are going to happen and the adversary will forever be there to accuse God to us! After all, he is an accuser. He accuses us to God and God to us! And so I am sure that while John was in prison, the devil was in his ear: You spent all that time working for God and now you are going to die! You thought Jesus was the Lamb of God, but if He is, then why are you in prison? Why hasn’t He delivered you! Your life has been a sham, a lie, a joke! He is not the Son of God! Admit it! Your life and ministry has been in vain!

  And so John, in desperation, frustration, aggravation, and offense, sends a message to Jesus. And Jesus, in the way only He can do, sends a message back to John that will settle things for him and bring him peace… “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the gospel preached to them…and oh yes, blessed is he, who shall not be offended in me!”

  This is one of the biggest problems in the church! Offense with Jesus! Yes, we have a problem being offended with others, but the biggest problem is offense with Jesus! We get offended when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to, or in a timely manner. We get offended when our loved ones die. We get offended when we are not healed miraculously. We get offended when our spouses desert us or our children go the way of the world. We get offended when our ministries don’t take off and we get offended when we can’t find a husband. And the list goes on and on and on. And once we get offended, we have a problem with Jesus, and if He is truly who He said He is, and can we trust Him to do what He said He would do!

  Well, I am writing today to declare to you, that He is who He says He is, and He does what He said He will do!! He has given us exceeding precious promises and will fulfill all that we can believe Him for! But in the case of John, John knew that Jesus must increase and he must decrease. We use that saying to show our humbleness, but John said it because he had already been told that he and Jesus would not share the same stage. He really had to leave this earth. It was part of his assignment!

  Jesus loved John! John was his cousin by birth, but John was truly His forerunner. Jesus eulogized John by saying that he was a prophet and more than a prophet. And Jesus validates John’s mission in life to prepare the way. Jesus was not uncaring about John, but Jesus understood that something greater was in the making! There was a bigger picture!

  Recently a church member passed. We were believing God for her miraculous healing. But she didn’t get it on this side of heaven. Generally when people I have prayed for and with pass on, I have to fight against the lies and accusations of the devil. But I just made up my mind that I wouldn’t have to this time, because I wouldn’t participate with the lies of the devil. God is a good God! Nope, He is better than good, He is great! And when we get the right heart and mind regarding Him, the devil will not be able to lead us into offense against our Saviour!

  I hadn’t realized that I had written so much, so I will end it here. If God tugged at your heart strings while you were reading this because you have become offended with Him, fix it now! Don’t let another moment go by with you being offended at the Lord! Repent and get your peace back! John did! And he died knowing that he had fulfilled all the plans and purposes of the Lord! And you can, too! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Jesus, offense, trust in God | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, encouragement, Jesus, John the Baptist, miracles of Jesus, offense, trust in God

• A Question to Us All

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 21, 2020

  Jeremiah 12:5 – “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” NIV

  

  In my previous blog, I shared about some of the trials that people went through in the Bible and how God stepped in to deliver them. In this blog, I want to address another viewpoint on tribulations, your part to stand!

  Jeremiah was a prophet of Israel during some of their dark days. Their kings at that time were considered evil kings who did not do right in the eyes of the Lord. They worshipped the Baal and led the people to do the same. During these seasons, God sent them prophets to encourage them to do the right thing. However, they refused to do the right thing and continuously attacked Jeremiah as he tried to get them to obey God.

  One day Jeremiah was ranting to God about how the evil men were prospering and it was okay for Him to go ahead and destroy them. God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? This is an interesting analogy, for most people cannot outrun a horse. As a matter of fact, it’s impossible! Isn’t it?

  Most people know that horses are fast! But did you know that a horse at full gallop only has endurance for about 2 1/2 miles of running, and at a trot he can travel about 15 miles? When God made this analogy He knew that! And yet He told Jeremiah that if he couldn’t handle a foot race, he’d never be able to run against a horse.

  This was God’s way of saying that if Jeremiah couldn’t handle the normal trials and tribulations of life, how would he be able to handle the greater issues? There are some things that happen as a result of just living. Few us of get to pass these trials by: raising kids, being talked about, relationship issues, and disappointments to name a few. Painful, but not catastrophic. These types of challenges are what we call running in the foot race of life. But there are other events that can sweep you off your feet because they are so great, so hard to bear, to deal with, that could be considered “running with the horses”, catastrophic; and every one don’t survive them!

  God knew what Jeremiah was going through. He knew there were things that made his life uncomfortable and not much fun. But God also knew what was ahead, and what He was trying to get Jeremiah to see, that there was more to come! I feel for Jeremiah! Who wants to be called to a ministry that is filled with rejection, heartache, and threats on your life? No one! But that was what God had called Jeremiah to, and he knew it. Why else would God tell him to fix. his face like flint? Paul was another one. The call on his life was of such a nature that he had to face the reality that he would some day be martyred for the kingdom. And it didn’t seem to faze him one bit! He said for him to die was gain! But that’s not the life that we signed up for! No! We want a life of tip toeing through the tulips! But it was never promised to us!

  David said, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Adversity may be designed by the devil to cause you to fall apart, but David said if you let it, you have small strength! There’s an interesting point about racing with a horse I’d like to share. If you both start out at the same gate, at the same time, the horse will leave you in the dust! The race will look like it is over before it has begun. But if you keep running, you will find him at his 2 mile marker resting, where you can overtake him and win the race. Just like the classic, “The Tortoise and the Hare”. Paul said it like this, the race isn’t given to the swift, nor to the strong, but to the one who endures! The tragedy or trial may seem to wipe you off your feet, but after you catch your breath, and realize that God is with you, you can get back up, and turn a tragedy into a triumph!

  Children of God!!!! Stuff is going to happen! There’s no getting around it! Some will be worst than others! But everything that the devil is throwing at you, you don’t have to catch! Remember that song, “If you catch hell don’t hold it! And if you’re going through hell, don’t stop”? (Ron Kenoly) Just keep on moving in Jesus! Keep standing! Keep fighting! Keep trusting! Don’t stay there! Don’t get bogged down by it! Get up and find your strength in God! Because in the end, you win! He always causes us to triumph! Running with men ain’t easy, but if you quit now, when things get really tough, you won’t stand a chance against the horses! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in hard times, trust in God, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged adversity, encouragement, endurance, hard times, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 12:5, overcoming, Parenting, race, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

• A Place of Refuge!

  Posted at 3:05 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 2, 2020

  1 Samuel 22:1-2 -David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. NKJV

  

  I’ve been reading through the Old Testament and am currently ending Chronicles. I find that I am always amazed at David and his warriors. Those of us familiar with the scriptures know all about David and Goliath! I get excited when David tells King Saul that he had already killed the lion and the bear, so facing this giant would be just like facing them. When David confronts Goliath and tells him that he’s going to cut off his head and give the bodies of the Philistines to the birds of the air, whew! He is the Alpha male type that romance novels, suspense thrillers, war movies are written about. And yet, one day David realized that King Saul was after his life and he ran to the cave of Adullam.

  David ended up in the cave of Adullam. If you look at the picture that I found on Pinterest you can see it wasn’t a comfortable place to find oneself. As people heard about his whereabouts, they went to David. His brothers who had taunted him at the battle against Goliath and ignored him when he was watching the sheep, along with all of his father’s household went to David. Men who were in distress, in debt, and discontented went to him. And he became captain over them.

  How would you like to start a team, a ministry, or anything with a group of people who are distressed, in debt, and discontented? Can you imagine all of the attitudes you would have to deal with? Can you just see that David had his own issues, and now everyone with an issue is coming to him? It’s a recipe for disaster, yet David turned it into a recipe for success!

  Hurting people don’t all look the same. Some are hurting and because they are so miserable in their lives, they want everyone else to hurt, so they hurt others. Then there are those hurting people who have been abused and when they find someone to see their value, they can forgive, release the hurt, and grow to their fullest potential. Then there are the hurting people who wallow in their hurts, lock themselves away, and they just give up on living altogether, they are in a perpetual pity party. These men who came to David distressed (worried, dealing with great sorrow or great pain); in debt (owing everyone, having nothing to call their own); and discontented (unhappy, not satisfied with life or the way things were going) all showed up in the cave of Adullam, looking for refuge. A weaker person would have rent his garments, put ashes on his forehead and fell on his face, but not David.

  I’ve been watching the documentary of the Bulls, “The Last Dance”. We all know that Jordan was a special player and at first they tried to make the Bulls a one man show with Michael. Then Phil Jackson comes along and teaches Michael and the others about being on a team. Once Michael got the concept down, got over having a need to be the “star” all the time, he began working with his teammates, along with Phil Jackson, to help them to be the best players they could be. The Chicago Bulls went on to win six NBA championships! There’s is something about leaders who know how to develop their people. (A later blog!)

  In the place of refuge people are seeking safety from being pursued, from danger, or from trouble. That certainly qualified for David! David was on the run for his life because of the anointing and call from God. He was smart enough to know his safety wasn’t in a locale, but in the Presence of the Lord. He wrote Psalm 142 in the cave and he penned that he cried out to the Lord who was his refuge. In another psalm David wrote that the Lord was his saving refuge. In yet another psalm he wrote that the Lord was his rock of refuge. David had already been anointed king, he had already killed the giant, he had already killed his “ten thousands” and now he’s in a cave running from Saul. And yet David did what he had done when he was watching those sheep, he went to God and found refuge in Him.

  Then the people began to come to David. Those who were worried about their future with a king who was more bent on killing David then killing the Philistines found a captain who was secure in what God had promised and was able to help them to trust that things were going to work out. Those who were in debt were promised lands and great fortune as they conquered their enemies and took back what the devil had stolen from them. And those who were discontented found something “big” to be a part, something that they could do to help David, their country, and themselves. They saw their king in the place of refuge and pledged their allegiance to him.

  If you are in a stay at home situation, you are in a place of refuge. It is not a comfortable place to be. I don’t know about you, but there are some things I really miss; going to church, going out to eat, spending time with my other family members, and I’ll possibly miss my scheduled vacation! I get it! Things like this may cause you to feel distressed, not working could be putting you in more debt, and all of it can cause you to feel discontented with your current situation, but it doesn’t have to get the best of you. Not only are there others just like you, as it was with David, but God is with you, with us through it all! You don’t have to stay the way that you are. NO! You have a captain! His name is Jesus! And He is your refuge, your help in the times of trouble. Don’t spend your time in the cave wallowing in self pity, wasting time, and giving up. Get with your captain and let Him bring healing to your hurts, hope for the future, prosperity for tomorrow. He is more than able. He’s a great leader and have led so many others to victory. I can tell you that I am personally embarrassed over the joy I am experiencing! My heart is so filled with peace, while at the same time it hurts for the loss of so many lives and even livelihoods. But I am dwelling in the truth of Psalm 91!

  When we leave the cave of Adullam, we will once again be that warrior, that conqueror, that more than a conqueror that we were before the cave. Some of us are still waging war, as David did from the cave, on our enemy! He hates those of us who are using this time to pray more, to spend more time in the word, to be strengthened by our pastors and others in the body! We will be even better, after this! Continue to allow Him to train you to stand, to fight, to win, to keep your enemy forever running from you while you are in the cave. No matter how long we are at home, it won’t be long. It shall pass! And when the church, the Bride of Christ comes out of the cave, we are going to be a mighty army for the Lord! If we trust Him to be our refuge!Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in hard times, protection, trust in God, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, coronavirus, David, debt, discontent, distress, encouragement, Forgiveness, God, hard times, Healing, Health, Prayer, protection, provision, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

• The Choice is Yours!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on April 30, 2020

  Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .” ESV

  

  There are some verses in the Bible that are just classic! This is such a verse. If you are looking for a plaque to put on your wall to express your Christian views, this would be an easy one to find. Some people have it “posted” on the door posts of their home. Hobby Lobby has it in many formats designed to meet every personal taste. And because of its high visibility, it can often lose the potency of its truth!

  Joshua has come to the end of his life. He has fought many natural battles for the Lord and has conquered many enemies. He’s led the children of Israel into the promised land, defeated Jericho, divided the land, and at 110 years old, it’s time to say good-bye.

  You would think that this would’ve been said at the beginning of Joshua’s life, but it’s at his end. Joshua knows the flightiness of the Israelites. He knows that they are bent towards serving other gods and he takes this time to warn them. He says that if it seems evil..How can serving God seem evil? He tells them that they need to make a choice between the false gods in the land they now live and the God who gave them the land. Seems an easy choice. But then he declares that he and his household would serve the Lord!

  During this pandemic we’ve heard and seen a lot of things. We’ve had encouraging words from pastors and leaders who remind us that in the midst of this pandemic, we can choose joy over sorrow, peace over worry, health over sickness and disease. The choice is ours. But we have also had the words that remind us constantly of sickness and death, lack of goods, lack of safety equipment, and an end that seems farther out than we can truly imagine. Did you know that the choice is yours as to whose voice you will hear and whose voice you will listen to?

  After six weeks of being in the house, under the orders of our leadership we’ve become antsy, frustrated, fearful, lonely, poorer, belligerent, and our emotions have run the gamut. But what we are still not seeing, and what we still need to see is a return to the Father.

  When 9-11 happened, we stopped as a nation and we prayed. It was almost as if prayer had been reinstated in the nation’s capital. That was a momentous time for us as we pulled together to help the people of New York, to fight the war of terrorism, to flex our military muscle before our enemies. Churches were seeing more people come and many stayed. All felt as if it must be the last of the last days! And yet, here we are with over 50,000 people who have died to the virus and there has been no climate of spiritual thirst ignited in the land. We have not felt a need to repent and even if we wanted to, we are not able to fill the churches.

  I heard a pastor say that this is not right that the people of God can’t come together to worship! And I’ve seen many break the order and many more honor it. But rather we go to church, listen or watch online, or haven’t decided that doing so makes much difference, the day of reckoning comes for us all when we must decide whom we will serve and why.

  Everyone wants a life of peace. Me included. But it’s through hard times, difficult times that we reevaluate our lives and the reasons for living. During a pandemic is a great time to decide, whom you shall serve? If it seems an evil thing for you to serve the Lord, then don’t serve Him. But truly, from all us who have decided and stand with our decision to serve the Lord, we highly recommend it!

  He is the only One who can give us the peace and hope that we need to ride out the storm or to speak to the storm. He’s the only One who can give us a reason to get up in the morning, even though we can only go to another part of our home, and be thankful we are awake! He’s the only One who can bring someone to our mind to encourage, or bring us to someone’s mind that they might encourage us. He’s the Only One who can take us through this pandemic and cause it to work out for our good. It’s a good time to decide to serve the Lord.

  As a matter of fact, it’s always a good time to decide to serve Him. When my husband and I were courting, we made that decision to serve the Lord. We agreed to worship together, to model our lives after the word, to raise our family according to the word of God. We took them to church, read the Bible with them, discussed it, had them memorize the word, taught them to pray. They have now chosen to serve the Lord for themselves. It’s a beautiful thing! You and your household have the power to choose. No one can choose for you! You must make a choice! It’s one you will never regret! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Choices, hard times, Serving God, trust in God | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, coronavirus, encouragement, hard times, Joshua, Salvation, trust in God

• God is Awake!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on April 28, 2020

  Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” NKJV

  

  “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie Ten Boom

  Two very powerful quotes against worrying! We know that we shouldn’t! We know it’s not good for us, yet we often find ourselves worrying.

  Recently I had a conversation with someone who told me that she was a Christian. She expressed that she knew that she shouldn’t worry or be fearful, but she was afraid of getting the coronavirus. When you look at the growing number of people who contract the virus, and the ones who pass away, you can easily see that her “concerns” aren’t far fetched. However, worrying about whether or not something is going to happen to you or is not going to happen to you, isn’t going to stop the thing from happening. So worrying is unproductive.

  Corrie Ten Boom was a survivor of the Holocaust. I read her autobiography as a teenager. If ever there was an individual who had things to worry about, it was Corrie. She encouraged her family to “build” a refuge for hiding Jews and Dutch resistant fighters in their home, in her bedroom. She was later reported for saving the lives of 800 Jews and numerous Dutch resistants. In undertaking this task, she knew that she was putting her life and lives of her family members in danger; but she also knew that she couldn’t worry about that. One day, someone came to her for assistance, but that person really came to set her up. When her home was raided and her family was arrested, (and most of them died), she had people hidden in her room, but they were later freed by others in the network. I would say that she had much to worry over. But she understood that worrying about what could happen would only zap her strength from doing what needed to be done in that moment.

  The apostle Paul wrote that we are to be anxious for nothing, but to pray about everything. I am sure that Corrie, a Christian who apparently lived out her faith, knew this verse. Paul said prayer would bring about a peace that would guard our hearts and cause people to not understand it.

  I may have shared this in another post, I’m not sure. But when our middle daughter was born we had to live in this verse. We had prayed that she would be born naturally, she was not. We had prayed that she would be born healthy. She was not. We had prayed that the expenses would be minimal, they were off the charts. Nothing seemed to be as we asked. My husband said that he was reminding God about all of these prayers that hadn’t been answered when God spoke this verse into his heart. He shared that with me while I was still in the hospital and I was encouraged.

  I won’t go into all of those details, but I will bring up another point. The thing that was wrong was her larynx was damaged in the womb. My contractions were so severe for so long that she was injured. They said she might die. We took her home and she did have difficulty breathing, but we just continued to pray. One night, while listening to her breathe, I was on the point of tears when God spoke to me. He said, “Why are you awake?” And I responded that she could die while I was asleep. He said, “Your being awake can’t stop her from dying and neither can you being asleep cause it. I’m awake and there’s no point in the both of us being awake.” I went to sleep. And she was made whole!

  There was nothing to be done about the prayers about having a natural birth, or about her being born healthy. But God healed her and took care of all those bills! He’s just good like that! My point is this, worrying truly doesn’t change a thing, but it does rob us of our strength and joy for today. In the gospels, Jesus said that we are to let tomorrow take care of itself. It was my mother’s favorite saying! A reminder that is as needed today as it was when Jesus said it!

  This coronavirus is set up to be here for a while. We can’t afford to spend our time in worry. But we can spend our time in prayer and gain an assurance that God is awake and there’s no reason for us to be up worrying about anything. Even COVID-19! And as we pray, we are causing things to change in this natural world that they think is just a result of social distancing. I’m all into social distancing, but I’m placing my confidence in Jesus!Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Prayer, trust in God, Worry | 6 Comments | Tagged anxious, coronavirus, encouragement, hard times, Healing, Jesus, miraculous, Prayer, trust in God, victory, Worry

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