You Are Not Forgotten

So much is happening today. Corruption within the political system, terror attacks, nuclear threats, global warming, and the list goes on. Yet, in the midst of it all, God sees you and cares about your circumstance. Yes, in spite of all that you see happening around you, God sees you.

Long ago, a barren woman named Hannah felt forgotten by God, as you might be feeling right now. She went before God and poured out her heart. Eli – the priest, who was nearby, thought Hannah was drunk. Once Hannah explained, Eli agreed with Hannah’s prayer.

Hannah prayed. “Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant,  but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”” ‭‭(l Samuel‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Although Hannah felt as though she was forgotten by God, she allowed her faith to rise above her circumstance and prayed. Not only did Hannah pray, she completely trusted the Lord to answer her prayer. She left the temple relieved of her burden, no longer feeling forgotten. Later Hannah gave birth to a son, and gave this son to back to God. Eventually she had more children.

Just as God saw Hannah, He sees you. God sees your hurt, senses your despair and hears your cry. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are inscribed in the palm of Gods’s hand. God saw you and knew you before you were born. And He cares about every aspect of your life. (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8,Isaiah 49:16 Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5)

What are you trying to give birth to? Do you feel forgotten by God? Know that this is just a feeling and not a fact. God sees and knows everything. Focus on God and pray. Don’t focus on what you see or feel.

Remember Hannah. She prayed and believed that her prayers were answered even before she gave birth to her first child, and later gave him back to God. It’s your turn now. Allow your faith to rise. Pray to God. Believe that He’s working it out together for your good. Thank Him because you believe that He will answer you. Take the limits off God and allow Him to be Lord of your circumstance as Hannah did. Give the situation totally to Him.( Psalm 78:41)

God sees you, and He cares. Look to Him and trust Him now more than ever. Yes God sees you. You are not forgotten. (Hebrews 4:13, Philippians 4:6, lPeter 5:7,

It’s Your Choice

As I sat reading the word of God and praying, I heard a whisper. You know, the kind of whisper that’s so deep within you until it seems as though it’s your own thought.

The words I heard were simple, yet profound. “You don’t have to worry”. Okay, I thought to myself, The Lord has everything in control and I don’t need to be afraid.

What appeared at first to be a few words of encouragement began to mean so much more as I rehearsed the words in my head. “You don’t HAVE to worry.” If I don’t have to worry, when I do worry, Im making a choice.

When we worry, we subconsciously choose to doubt God and lean on our own understanding. We choose to focus on the situation, instead of what God has said. God loves us and has said He will never leave, nor forsake us. His word tells us that we should always pray.( Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:8, I Thessalonians 5:17).

We believe the scripture that states, “through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, we can bring our requests to the Lord”. But our hearts check out before the end of the promise which states, ” and the PEACE of GOD which passes all understanding will guard and KEEP our HEARTS and MIND THROUGH CHRIST JESUS”.
(Philippians 4:6)

Worry is definitely a natural response to the unseen answers we hope for. However as believers in Jesus, there is a better way. It’s our faith that is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” As believers, we have the right to replace our worry with faith. God even commands us to do so!
(Hebrews 11:1, Matthew 6: 31,34, Luke 12:22).

Let’s choose to rest in our faith, and resist our natural inclination to worry. It’s not necessarily an easy battle. But we have the God of all hope on our side, Jesus interceding for us, and the help of the Holy Spirit. We don’t HAVE to Worry!
(Romans 15:13, Romans 8:31, Hebrews 7:25, John 14:26)

Opposition Plus Prayer Equals Change

Few of us actually like the challenge of being opposed. 
Nevertheless, there are some benefits of dealing with 
opposition that we may tend to overlook. One of the benefits 
is that we get to know a bit more about ourselves and our
faith. Opposition also provides us with an opportunity to
know more about the Lord and how He works. Lastly, we
might be changed for the better!

Recently, I was in a situation in which I had to interact 
constantly with someone who seemed to be looking for ways
to oppose me and to find errors in what I said or did. Initially, 
I was discouraged and dreaded being in that persons 
presence.

I was prompted to pray more for myself, and I prayed for
the individual. I needed to forgive the person, and
stop focusing upon their negative behaviors towards me. 
As I prayed, the strife that had managed to settle within me 
began to dissipate and my perspective changed. My peace 
was restored. God enabled me to begin to treat the person 
as though they were kind and caring as I prayed for them 
and for myself.

Not long ago, someone else became angry with this person 
who had time and again opposed me. My first natural thought 
was not good. However, when I opened my mouth to speak, 
positive words of peace came forth. The Lord actually used 
me to help bring peace between the two individuals.

This entire scenario reminds me of the scripture that 
instructs us to “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.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. 

My anxious thoughts had led me to a place of unrest. But 
when I began to really press in through prayer, the peace 
of God was once again, mine. This peace did
surpass my own understanding as I was used to assist 
the person, who for a time, was my opponent. When 
through the power of prayer, I no longer saw this person
as an enemy, their behavior improved, and so did mine. 

Are you experiencing any strife in your life. Begin to pray 
differently. Release Your anxiety through prayer. Pray for
blessings upon the life of your opponent and see if the Lord
won't change the situation, and change you during the 
process! (Matthew 5:43-48)

Peace in the midst of War!

I recall that as a child, I hated, despised, and grossly detested movies about war. Even today, I am not enthused by the prospect of violence as a form of entertainment. Although I use the word “hate” sparingly, I simply hate violence. And I love peace!

 

Despite my disdain for violence, I am reminded of the fact that we who follow Christ are in a war every day of our lives. We may not see grenades and tankers or hear the explosions with our physical senses. Still, the battle goes on. Yet before leaving this earth, Jesus specifically told His disciples that he was leaving them with peace. This peace was not the peace that the world gives (John 14:27). The world’s peace is temporary and is based upon circumstances. The peace that Jesus left for us surpasses all understanding and it is perfect (Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 26:3). It’s the kind of peace that we can have even in the midst of war.

 

Before we go further, let’s learn more about the war that we’re in. The Bible provides vital details about this spiritual battle in Ephesians 6:12. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Sometimes we think that our enemy is the person who is trying to make life miserable for us. Since we fight against an enemy that we cannot see, we tend to forget that our real enemy even exists. Our enemy is Satan himself, who comes to steal, kill, and to destroy – yes to destroy us (John 10:10).

 

And though we are in a war, Jesus desires that we live in the peace that He purchased for us on the cross (Isaiah 53:5). How can we have peace while simultaneously fighting? We must put on the whole armor of God daily and stand (Ephesians 6: 10-18). Stand in truth, through every attack.  No matter how bad the situation looks, what does the word of God say about it? That’s our truth. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21), despite how unworthy and weak we may feel at times. The truth is, that we can do nothing without the Lord, but we can do all things through Him who gives us strength (John 15:5, Philippians 4:13). The truth is that as we trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him in all of our ways, He will direct our path (Proverbs 3:45). The truth is that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us (Romans 8:37). The truth is that God always causes us to triumph in Christ no matter what comes our way (II Corinthians 2:14). Living by these truths, produce peace in the midst of war.

 

Peace in the midst of our daily battles is not based upon our circumstances. It’s so easy for us to become wrapped up in what we see and what we feel although we really need to focus on the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14, Isaiah 9:6).  As we focus daily upon this truth and all of the truths written in the Bible, we will live in peace, even in the midst of war!