Having to Wait?

Let us not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we do not give up or quit. Galatians 6:9

If God has promised you something, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED if you are having to wait ... He shows up at JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

Do not go by what you see - go by what you know - that God IS faithful. You do not have to see in the natural yet what God has promised, waiting for it does not negate the fact that it WILL happen.

All history testifies to the fact that God always keeps His Word. You are wise if you trust Him.

Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45.

You have come TOO FAR to give up now, so DON'T.

I pray that God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace. In Jesus' name, amen.


see also: While I'm Waiting
              How's that Waiting Thing Working out for You?

Don't You Dare Give Up, Honey

 

Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

My best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of weeks ago, and the following week she had surgery to remove the tumor. The diagnosis came out of nowhere. We were both in shock. Now we are awaiting results of the biopsy they took of some of her lymph nodes they removed and doctors say they want her to begin radiation treatments next month.

When the bottom falls out, when it looks like you have hit an all-time low, hold on to hope. You don't know what God has around the corner.

You may be tired, things may seem dark, but remember it’s always darkest just before the dawn appears. When you are weak, that is when God’s strength will rise up in you.

What does not kill you, makes you stronger. NEVER give up ... no matter what the amount of 'wait time' is.

When you seek Him, you WILL find Him.

This is what the Lord says: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile. Jeremiah 29:10-14

There is no pit so deep that God cannot reach down and lift you out. You DO NOT have a problem that God cannot solve.

If you are believing to see the promises of God come to fruition in your life – DO NOT give up. You ARE NOT alone. You ARE NOT being ignored. God IS listening and God IS a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Father, our hope in You grows thin at times. We grow weary. Life is SO HARD sometimes. Help us to seek You and PLEASE don't hide from us. Help us to have strength. Refresh us. Renew our hope in You. Encourage us to continue on. Help us to make it, to endure to the end. We can't wait for all this pain to be over and to see You face to face. In Jesus' name, amen.



Related AFTA blog: Keep Going
                                   Call it Like You See It

Be Hopeful

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. Psalm 27: 14

Don't ever think that you or your circumstances won't change. You ARE growing and evolving every day you just don't see it yet.

Let none who trust and wait hopefully and look for You be put to shame, disappointed or let down. Psalm 25:3

The enemy wants us feeling like nobody cares and that we don't have purpose so we'll get depressed, because it's hard to bless others when we're depressed.

Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, who is the help of my sad countenance, and my God. Psalm 43:5

So as a reminder ...

- you ARE loveable
- God DOES care about you
- you DO make a difference
- you DO have lots to offer

... so hold your head high and BE HOPEFUL.

Father, thank You that those whose hope is in You won’t be disappointed. May You, the God of our hope, so fill us with all joy and peace in believing (through the experience of our faith) that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound and be overflowing and bubbling over with hope. In Jesus’ name, amen.



see also related AFTA blog: The Man with the Plan

Feeling Down and Out?

Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Don't be afraid of them ... today I have made you strong ... I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken. Jeremiah 1:17-19

So, in July of this year I got a real bad sunburn on both my legs from floating in the Frio River with sunscreen everywhere on me but my legs (duh). My legs blistered and my feet stayed incredibly swollen for 2 weeks. Then, I got a bad infection on both my legs (from knees to feet), probably from open skin from the sunburn. Those things started to heal and I realized I still could barely walk and was told by the doctor I had vein issues from inadequate blood flow ‘cause my feet were swollen for so long. With compression hose my circulation got better. But almost 2 months later, I’m still struggling to walk. Still severe, gut wrenching pain. Then comes the news from my doctor (all this has caused 9 doctor visits now and 1 emergency room trip) that I have torn ligaments in my ankles and that I need to wear splints on my legs/ankles to let my ligaments heal and give my ankles support. Great. Just what I needed.

You know how it is. I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point in our life. The times that you really have to struggle to find your hope and get out of bed and continue to live your life despite setbacks. I have to keep reminding myself that others have it so much worse than I and God’s been good to me through it all.

The Lord gave me the above verses this morning to help me to motivate to get up today. He wants me to GET UP, GET DRESSED, and GET GOING despite what’s coming against me and to trust Him, knowing He has me and my situation under control.

So … the point is to make sure you put suntan lotion on, everywhere. Ok, that’s not the real point I’m trying to make, but it’s a good one. The real point here is … despite your trials and how down and out you may feel - REJOICE, for He is worthy of your praise. Regardless of what happened yesterday it's going to be a great day today, because you have another day to glorify God. This is the day that the Lord's made ... REJOICE and be glad in it.

Father, I pray that you give us the strength to get up, get dressed, and get going. Above all else today, may Your name be glorified. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Oh YES You Can

God is our refuge and strength, a very-present (right now when we need it) help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

 

Everyone has troubles. We all face problems, afflictions, heartaches, suffering and hardships. We all get weary at one point or another in the journey.

 

You need to know something. You CAN make it. You CAN do it. Keep going forward ... one step at a time. You've survived and made it this far, YOU WILL make it further, HOLD ON.

 

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  The Lord will rescue His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned. Psalm 34:17-19,22

 

God may not remove all of our problems and afflictions immediately, but He WILL make sure we are able to endure them faithfully. He WILL provide the strength we need to be faithful despite the problems we are going through.

 

Just ask.

 

Father, please strengthen those who are tired of holding on. Send them a sign that You are there and renew their hope. Help us to wait on You, Lord and renew our strength in the waiting. Give grace, grace and more grace. In Jesus' name, amen.


 

see also: So, Are You Still Standing?

              

Don't You Dare

 

 

 

Surely God is my salvation (He’s come to save me); I will trust (in Him) and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:2,3

 

 

 

 

We don't have to understand .... we trust.

Why when something doesn't work out do we always blame ourselves ... maybe, just maybe ... it was them. Maybe, just maybe the Lord didn't allow it to work because it wasn't His will and He wanted you to be free to move into what HE wants. Instead of blaming and punishing yourself, lay down the old and make way for the new. Behold, God does a NEW thing.

Just because things didn't work out the way you thought they should is NO REASON to throw your hands up and give up on life. There are new doors of opportunity everywhere if you're asking, looking, waiting and believing.

Allow the Lord to touch those areas of pain and disappointments to bring healing and renew your hope for a better tomorrow.

You CAN and you WILL make it another day, if you have to hour by hour or moment by moment.

DON'T YOU DARE give up honey ... ever.

Father, I know You know what’s best for us and I thank You that You’re turning things around in our favor. Help us to let go of the old and believe for better. As we let go of pain and disappointments, I pray that you bring healing and renew our hope for a better tomorrow. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

see also: Faith Walk

 

Don't Self-Harm

I waited and waited and waited for God. At last He looked; finally He listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud.  He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. Psalm 40:1-3
 

DON'T hurt yourself in any way ... for any reason ... that's NOT the answer.

Being a Christian or committing yourself to someone doesn't give a person the right to treat you like a doormat. You don't owe that person anything. Commitment and relationships take TWO people working together.

You're a person with feelings. You count. And you are somebody. You're just as important as the person you're with. You deserve to have a good life and be happy.

STOP searching for ways to die, and START searching for ways to fight to live. Ending your life WOULD NOT be a good witness to those around you, DON'T do it. LIVE I say, LIVE in the name of Jesus.

No matter what problems you are struggling with, hurting yourself isn't the answer - JESUS CARES - call on Him.

God's NOT going to give up on us and there ISN’T so much bad that we've done in our past that He can’t forgive us, He CAN and He WILL. He cares for you and loves you, whether you are a Christian or not, whether you're male or female, whether you're gay or straight, whether you're black or white ... He simply LOVES YOU.

People can't always give us what we need, they can't always be who we need them to be ... BUT GOD. People aren't always equipped with love and care to give out, 'cause they never had it themselves.

Don’t you give up, honey. It may not always feel like it, but YOUR life matters. Don’t become a statistic … stats show that 3,000 people A DAY commit suicide and approximately 20% of young adults self-injure/self-mutilation or starve themselves to the point of anorexia :-( 

It's all about what YOU think about YOURSELF ... you ARE loved and you ARE special, regardless of what people say or how you're treated and those voices in your head that say no one cares and no one would miss you are LIES, stop listening to 'em. 

You matter to God. Take time out for yourself if you need to. Maybe let some things go. Things can wait. You MUST survive.

DON'T HURT YOURSELF ... put the knife, scissors, blade, pills, gun, etc DOWN. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT driving yourself into a tree or driving straight on a curve to end it all. DON'T starve yourself, thinking you have to be skin and bones to be attractive, because you don't ... you're beautiful just the way you are. Any emotional 'high' or release from harming yourself is only TEMPORARY. If you actually ended your life it would hurt a lot of people, whether you believe that to be true or not, including jeopardizing your own soul. Ask God to help you find others ways to release the emotions, feelings, anger, etc that you may be feeling ... including talking to someone you can trust to talking to God and laying it all at His feet. Whether other people understand you or love you or not, JESUS CHRIST does. There's no pit so deep that He can't reach in and lift you out.

JESUS IS THE ANSWER, to whatever you're going through and whatever you're feeling. Ignore thoughts of shame and embarrassment. Reach out to Him. Go to church. Call a neighbor. Call a friend. Send a text, tweet, or facebook it. Call a helpline (like the number in the above picture). Just REACH OUT ... and LIVE.

Father, touch Your people. Take away the urge to self-harm. Take away any 'charge' that might be received from it. Help us to relinquish that need for controlling our self since we can't control others or our life and give complete and total control to You. Quieten the voices of the enemy that tell us to do things to ourselves that will hurt us. Give us the hope, will and determination to live. You came to give us a full life. Lift the depression. Give wisdom regarding relationships. Give peace. Lift burdens. Remove the shame and feelings of unworthiness. Lord, show Yourself strong where we are weak, mighty where we are lacking. Meet the deep needs of our hearts, our Father and enable us to get through the difficulties we're facing by Your grace. Put godly people in our lives that we can talk to. Thanks for being our Friend and we can ALWAYS trust You. In Jesus' name, amen.







see also:  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK
                Suicidal Teens: Teen Depression and Teen Suicide
                Self-Injury Hotline 1-800-DONTCUT
                Do You Know Jesus?
                AFTA Blog - Do You Hate Yourself?
                AFTA Blog - Contemplating Suicide?
                AFTA Blog - Prescription for Depression
                AFTA Blog - You're Worth So Much More Than That
                AFTA Blog - Encourage Yourself in the Lord
                AFTA Blog - God HATES Abuse
                AFTA Blog - Don't Look Back, Enough is Enough!
               

God's our Shield

Many are saying of me, 'God will not deliver him.' But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Psalm 3:2-3






We receive messages about ourselves from the important people in our lives. We internalize these messages and carry them with us, repeating them to ourselves as if they were gospel truth. When the messages are shaming messages then the internal chorus chants 'You are not lovable. You are beyond repair. Even God cannot help you.'

This chorus is a chorus of lies. The psalmist rejects these lies. And we need to begin to reject these lies as well.

The Lord is a 'shield around me', the psalmist says. A shield protects. It comes between the blows of an enemy and a person's vulnerable places. Most shields are small and can only protect a limited area from attack. But the shield which the Lord provides completely surrounds us. We can let this shield protect us from these attacking messages.

The psalmist also says that the Lord 'bestows glory on me and lifts up my head'. Heavy burdens of shame, neglect and abuse have bowed our heads. The Lord listens, pays attention and cares about us. God's love counters the voices of our internal shame-chorus so that we can lift our heads. God replaces our shame with glory. It is a picture of a ragged, neglected child whose head is bowed and shoulders are bent. A king sees the child and goes to him. The king gently lifts the child's chin until his eyes meet his own smiling eyes. He asks the child to come home and live as royalty with him. The child is loved, honored, protected. You are the child. God lifts your head and bestows glory.

Father, I pray that You help me to stop listening to lies about You. Help me to stop listening to lies about me. Be a shield around me. Bestow glory. Lift up my head. In Jesus' name, amen.

Just Praise Him - That's It

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.






I told the Lord yesterday that I was tired of begging for things that I'm believing for. He told me, 'stop begging and start praising for the answer, its on its way'.

I told the Lord I felt like a wall is put up to stop me every time I try to do something. He reminded me the 'wall of Jerico' fell with praise.

No matter how thick your 'wall of Jerico' is, it's gonna fall.

So ... I'm praising and forgetting all that other stuff.

Psalm 27:13,14 - I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Do not give up - your miracle is in the works.

Prayer: Father, give us strength to praise You, especially when we don't feel like it. You are so worthy of our praise, whether You ever do anything past salvation for us or not. Thank You for working and moving in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.