* He Never Said Life Would Be Easy

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:10-12 KJV

Jesus never said Life would be easy. He said His YOKE would be easy. Yokes are for pairing up animals to do hard work. And Jesus is in the yoke with us. 

God never led us to believe that following Him would be a piece of cake. And anyone who has told you that has lied to you. However, He made you an overcomer - He provided the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). You know it's been said before, you cannot be an overcomer unless you're overcoming something!

We're encouraged to fight the good fight of faith (1st Timothy 6:12). Jesus said in this world we SHALL have tribulations (John 16:33). However, He also said He would never leave us nor forsake us. He DID say we shall wear the victor's crown. Joshua said it well, “Don’t hold back. Don’t be timid. Be strong! Be confident! This is what God will do to all your enemies when you fight them.”

David tells us power and might are in His hand, and at His discretion, people are made great and given strength. He never said that it would get easier as we go along, either, but we WILL become stronger! Every battle sharpens our strength and our skills to fight - when we fight in HIS strength. 

Prayer:

Father, 

          We pray as David prayed: Blessed are You, God of Israel, our father from of old and forever. To You, O God, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all Yours! You’ve raised Yourself high over all. Riches and glory come from You, You’re ruler over all; You hold strength and power in the palm of Your hand to build up and strengthen all. And here we are, O God, our God, giving thanks to You, praising Your splendid Name. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen

* Places, Please

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 NKJV

It's human nature - we want to be first. Be the first to own this or that, first across the finish line, first to solve the puzzle. First in line to eat. I'm almost convinced that we don't care what, as long as we're in First Place. And yet, that's totally opposite of how we are instructed to live our lives. 

We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness... We are to prefer others before ourselves (Romans 12:10).  We are to follow. To follow, by definition, is to NOT be first.

In John 12:26 (NKJV), [Jesus speaking] If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. 

Let's take our places, please. Who, me first? No, thank You... I'll follow You.

Prayer:

Father, 

          We want to follow You and serve You. We like the place You have carved out for us. Help us to see Your footsteps in front of us so that we don't miss a step and wind up in the wrong place. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

All Heard +

[Jesus speaking] 
Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.

Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine."
John 12:27-30 NLT

Jesus knew He was going to be crucified. He had time to think about it. He knew what was coming. How? Because He knew the voice of God. He was "deeply troubled" and yet He prayed for God to be glorified by His willing obedience. Why? Again, because He knew the voice of God! He wasn't wondering IF it was God or God's will, He KNEW. 

The thing about this particular passage is they ALL heard the voice of God, but how many recognized it? Not all of them. Do we spend enough time with Him to know His voice?

The question on my mind is 'How often do we pray to be delivered from the very thing that serves God's purpose?' What if - in the midst of the trial - our path crosses with someone who never met Christ? Someone we would never have met otherwise. Would they want to know our Lord and Savior because of how we respond to Him in the middle of our affliction or would they give us a 'No, thanks'?

The writer of Proverbs tells us, Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord (Proverbs 20:12 NLT).

Prayer:

Father,
           Of all Your many blessings that You bestow on us, please, God, give us ears to hear and eyes to see. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Free-falling

Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.

Isaiah 50:10

You may have heard the story of the mountain climber who was so good at climbing, that he would often climb alone. He trusted his own ability and was confident that his competency would see him through any tests or challenges that might arise while climbing.

One late afternoon, while climbing down a mountain, a freakish winter storm blew in and caught him unaware. Temperatures dropped below freezing so quickly that the climber initiated emergency measures to save himself - turning on the automatic tracking beacon, and then free-falling at break-neck speed to try to get to the bottom of the mountain. In the speeding spiral downward, he lost the backpack that had his flashlight and extra rope in it. And when he jerked to a stop at the end of his rope, there was no daylight left, no ground beneath his feet, no flashlight, and no more rope. He dangled for a while, feeling his body go numb in the extreme temperature that resulted from the freak storm.

Finally, he cried out to God, "God, if You're out there, I need Your help."

God's response was immediate. "I'm here. Will you trust Me above all else?"

"Yeah, sure...anything just get me down."

"Okay," God replied. "Cut the rope."

"I can't cut the rope," the man bellowed. "I have no idea how far up I am, at the very least, I could break my ankles or my legs, then where would I be?!?"

"Trust Me. Cut the rope."

The man argued, "The first rule of mountain-climbing is to trust the rope. Never let go." 

God countered with, "Without faith, it is impossible to please Me. Cut the rope."

"I can't." the mountain climber replied, tightening his grip on the rope. "It goes against everything I know. If I can hang on, they'll track me." And he did not cut the rope.

Thanks to the automatic tracking beacon, the search party did find him the next morning... Frozen to death, clinging to the rope...six inches above where his backpack lay on the ground, ten yards from his SUV.

Are you free-falling in a speeding spiral because of something that occurred unexpectedly in your life? Will you trust God no matter how overwhelming the odds appear to be?

Prayer:

Father,

         We commit our hearts and our heads to trust You over everything and anything else we see hear or know. You alone are God and we worship You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Jesus Prayed for You

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.
John 17:20 NLT

This chapter is quite incredible! The entire chapter is Jesus praying for His followers - those God had given Him for that time and in verse 20, for all those who would EVER believe in Christ. That, in and of itself, is overwhelming when we try to comprehend it with our finite mind!

Read it and read it again! Let's build up our most holy faith and confidence KNOWING Jesus prayed that God would keep us safe from satan's power, so we would not wind up under the enemy's authority. Remember, Jesus never said we wouldn't have problems - trials and tribulations - in fact, in John 16:33, He said we WOULD have them! However, He also said don't worry about it, because He had already conquered the world! 

THAT's the Jesus who prayed for you! Feel better?

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for loving us overwhelmingly and sending Your Son to be our Savior! Thank You that in Him we are overcomers. And thank You more than we can express for having John to record Christ's prayer for us. You are unfailing! Help us to fully comprehend this glorious event! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* What Are You Thinking?

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8 KJV

Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. Proverbs 4:23 ERV

Have you ever noticed (on whatever media you utilize) how certain things affect you? For instance, what happens when you watch a video of yet another surprise homecoming of a soldier? Do you get teary-eyed? What about injustices or controversial news coverage or senseless rioting and destruction - do those things incite you to anger? My mother used to say it would make her "mad enough to chew nails and spit spikes!"

It's not only the life dramas or videos, sometimes it's just music. Have you ever noticed that certain music is disturbing? The lyrics or the volume or perhaps just the sound effects of it? And what about so-called reality TV? Who determined they were allowed to define our reality? It's not too surprising that they use vile language on some of those shows! If you watch them, they could make you mad enough to swear!

Keeping company with certain people may be mood-altering. There are some who are so delightful you can hardly wait to see them. And there are those... you know the ones. You feel exhausted just thinking of them because it feels as if they suck the life out of you.

God warns us to guard our hearts and minds. We have to be careful what we feed into ourselves! The Message Bible reads this way in Proverbs 4:23-25, Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.

Ephesians 5:15-17 - again The Message reads, So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

Again, our Promise for Today - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Is your life not going the way you want it to go? Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. What are you thinking?

Prayer:

Father,
          According to Psalm 119 The Message, You made me; You created me. Now give me the sense to follow Your commands. Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through Your Word. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

* Not to God

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

1st Corinthians 13:12 NLT

It doesn't take any faith to believe for something you know you can afford. It doesn't require a concerted effort of faith to remove a splinter. However, if you lose your job or get a bad report from the doctor, it's a different story, right?

Not to God...

This is a great Truth that we must come to understand. Our faith - or lack thereof - does not make God greater nor diminish Him in any way. Everything WE know now as partial and incomplete is NOT partial and incomplete to God. 

In Hebrews, the Word tells us He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We look back on the events in the Bible - think about parting the sea and crossing on dry land or Peter walking on the water - and we find it almost unbelievable! 

Not to God... 

Jesus said in John 14:12 (NLT),  I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  Greater works than Jesus did?!? Or even doing the same works?!? Like raising people from the dead?!? Authority over evil spirits and casting them out?!? Doesn't that seem impossible??

Not to God...

Prayer:

Father,

         You have given each of us the measure of faith and we are so grateful. Thank You for the tests and trials that provide the opportunity to exercise and to grow our faith. Forgive us for those times when we haven't walked in faith. We want to please You, Father. Help us to keep Your commandments and to love one another so that we may be pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen