He Spoke, I Listened

 

He who sent me is with me, He HAS NOT deserted me ... John 8:29

My prayer - I need You, Lord. Now. Be not far from me.

The Lord’s response – I’m here. To help. Let My unforced rhythms of grace guide you through the trials and hard times. All that life has to offer is yours for the taking, if you’ll just trust Me. It’s not too late. To do or be anything you want to be. You’re My child, and I want the best and what’s best for you. I will channel/guide toward you the things and people I want in your life.

Don’t be scared or fearful for the future, I’m already there. Though I’m also with you every step of the way. Take My hand, and we’ll walk the pathways of life … together.

I love you and appreciate you. Forgive and forgive often. Don’t let bitterness and resentment build a stronghold. Thank you for being willing to do My will. For being a willing vessel. You won’t understand everything I do and allow. That’s ok. I see the big picture, you don’t. That’s where trust comes from.

My prayer - Dear God in Heaven, please don’t give up on me. I need you so much and I want to please you so much. Help me Lord, to be able to. To obey You. To please You. To do right in Your eyes. But thank You Lord, that even when I fail, You still approve of me. Maybe not my actions. But You do me.

Jesus said to the people, ‘I am the light of the world. So if you follow Me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path. John 8:12
 
 
 
 
 

Dare to Do It

NOTHING'S finished ...


That dream of yours may be dormant right now, but if it's God-breathed then He's keeping it alive and it will be birthed IN DUE SEASON. Don't grow weary. God can resurrect ANYTHING. Activate your faith today. Speak and believe that ALL things are possible with God.

We have to let go of things like our plan, our timing, our way, our reputation, getting credit for what we do, the need to be in control and the need to be right. We need to be focused on God and be determined to expect from Him, seeking His face and putting our trust in Him.

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you. Psalm 37:4,5

Facing challenging, discouraging times? The Holy Spirit whispers gently and lovingly, GOD IS WITH YOU. Experiencing disappointments and hardships? DON'T give up on your dreams.

There are rough times that are gonna come, but they have not come to stay, they have come to pass!


... until GOD says it's finished.



 

Worried?

Sometimes my blogs can be quiet lengthy. Not today. I'm simply sharing one scripture, from the Message Bible. It is worthy of a few 'selah' moments.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,

and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34

 

God bless you and may the Lord grant you PEACE, KNOWING that God is STILL in control and that He is taking care of EVERYTHING.





AFTA related blogs:

Under a Lot of Stress?
No Worries
God Promises Peace
Hindrance to Your Destiny?

Under a Lot of Stress?

God led His people out like sheep, He took His flock SAFELY through the wilderness. God took GOOD CARE of them; they had NOTHING to fear. Psalm 78:52,53

I know ... you’re under a LOT of stress, you’re frustrated, worried, afraid and confused … but FEAR NOT and HOLD ON.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 -30, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.’

Stress tends to visit us when we're tired, when we're sick, when we're driving through a crowded metropolis, when we're late for an important meeting, or if we've taken on too many responsibilities. When circumstances are out of our control, we feel stress. When our basic needs are not being met and our safety is threatened, we tend to get anxious. God promises in His Word that He will care for us. When we come to Him for help, He helps. Sometimes it’s a process that takes place for Him to align us and our schedule with His will. Other times, He seems to swoop in … suddenly.

I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Isaiah 48:3

Don't you worry about a thing. God IS gonna appear on the scene SUDDENLY on your behalf, for HELP IS ON THE WAY.

Have the cares and problems of life burdened you with stress and anxiety, robbing you of peace? Pray the prayer below in faith, believing.

Father, I need You now because I am full of stress and anxiety. Thank You that the promises in Your Word bring comfort. I ask You to come and take My heavy burdens. I take each burden, one by one, and lay them at Your feet. Please carry them for me so that I don't have to. Replace them with Your humble and gentle yoke so that I will find rest for my soul. I receive Your gift of peace of mind and heart. Thank You that I can lie down tonight in peace and sleep. I know that you, Lord, will keep me safe. I am not afraid because You are always with me. Please keep me daily, Lord, in Your perfect peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 




 

Pain is Part of Growing

 

No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear/beyond your strength, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

No matter how hard life gets, there is STILL always something to be thankful for ... thank God, for He is worthy. Wake up each day thankful for your life, because someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.

Sometimes doors close because it is time to move forward. And that's a good thing because we often will not move unless circumstances force us to. Sometimes, life hits us over the head with situations that we never saw coming. Ouch. What in the world are we gonna do? Life just seems to spin so out of control at times, us helpless as to the way things will be when the dust settles.

When times are tough, remind yourself that no pain comes without a purpose. Move on from what/who hurt you, but never forget what it taught you. Just because you are struggling does not mean you are failing. Every great success requires some type of struggle to get there. Some problems and circumstances will never make sense to us, or why God allows them and doesn't stop the suffering and pain.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

There are two kinds of pain: pain that hurts and pain that changes you. When you roll with life, instead of resisting it, both kinds help you grow. There's an awakening and release in your spirit when the light comes on that IT'S NOT ALL YOUR FAULT and NOTHING you could have done would have changed your circumstances or what you or loved ones are going through. Thank God that Jesus is on the right hand of the Father, continually interceding on our behalf. He prays for us just like He did for Peter in the book of Luke:

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:31,32

We must come to the Lord during those times when we need Him and let Him pour in us His grace, love and peace. Cast your burdens upon the Lord (roll and repose each care) and He WILL sustain you (Psalm 55:22), for His shoulders can carry the weight that tries to pull us down and drain us of all that we have. That's the secret to the trials ... that even though we CAN'T handle all that He allows to be put on us, we CAN bear it and make it through when we give all the troubles and pains and sorrows to Him, for HIM to carry instead of US. When we allow the Lord to minister to us, His touch is so soothing. We can feel Him helping us to feel better. These strokes of love are causing us to be healed and to grow to be more like Him.

Father, the journey sometimes seems too hard to handle. Life just flat hurts and seems so unfair. Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to deal with us so that the process will be easier. In spite of all the trials/growing pains, thank You God that there is a way out. You are the Way out, Jesus and You promised that You would make a way of escape through every trial. We don't want to be like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, going around the same mountain over and over again. Help us to learn and move on. Lead us, Lord. Teach us Holy Spirit. Help us to be obedient to Your voice and Your leading. We have problems that need solving. We have family that needs healing. We have bills that need paying. God, just fix it all and help us to remain faithful and believe. Help us to put feet to our faith and walk in love. Give us grace and peace through it all. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Just Say 'No' to Reasoning

With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment or understanding. Always let Him lead you and He will clear the road for you to follow. Proverbs 3:5,6

The Word doesn't say you have to have everything figured out down to the last little minute detail. You struggling via self-effort and reasoning trying to figure out when God is going to do it, how He is going to do it, which way and why He is going to be leading you a certain way or if He is going to do it is not going to get you anywhere.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8

You are not supposed to know everything. That is one of the reasons why you need God. If you stop trying to figure everything out, you will not be confused. It is okay to think about something to try to determine what to do, but if you start feeling confused, you have gone too far.

You are to trust and have faith that God's ways are better and that He knows what He is doing - He DOES NOT need your help. Pray and ask Him for wisdom and that He help you make right, godly, decisions. Choose to trust the Lord and line up your will with His. Take the steps that He gives you and trust Him to give you the answers that you need for the steps that you have to take.

Father, help us to trust You, with child-like faith ... faith that hasn't been watered down by the disappointments of life. Help us to believe in You and all You do, regardless of what's happened in the past and whether we understand it all or not. Give us peace in our minds. Help us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and not just do whatever we want to. In Jesus' name, amen.

God's Rest ... Got It?

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Matthew 11:28

God is already working IN You, THROUGH You, and FOR You, to bring you to a place where everything is provided for. You responsibility is to rest and receive it. God’s rest isn’t sitting in a chair or lying down on your couch - it’s a matter of the heart and a way of life, given to us because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

TRUE REST is believing that God is always working on your behalf. TRUE REST is believing that God will never leave, forsake or fail you. TRUE REST is believing that God delights in promoting, blessing and favoring you.

When you believe that God is doing all these things for you and so much more, then you can stop ‘doing’ things in your own strength and you can live with ongoing peace, knowing He will freely give you all things.

That doesn’t mean you need to stop going to work or stop taking care of your family (though yes, we ALL need breaks and time away). What it means is there can be rest IN work, not necessarily rest FROM work. When we walk in the rest of God, it means that we are continually committing our burdens, responsibilities, workflows, schedules, relationships, family needs, problems … everything in our lives to the Lord.

When you do this, it allows you to experience genuine peace in whatever you are involved in. You are continually trusting and believing that God will always give you a better outcome in your circumstances than you can do on your own.

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11

Those who rest … are trusting and believing.

Father, I pray that you help us to walk in Your rest and to continually commit our burdens, responsibilities, schedules, relationships, problems, family needs … everything in our lives to You. Thank You that we will find peace and rest in doing so. In Jesus’ name, amen.




Related AFTA Blogs:

Got Rest? 
The Enemy of Busyness
You Deserve a Break Today