Trust and Thanks

TRUST ME IN EVERY DETAIL of your life.
Nothing is random in My kingdom.

Everything that happens fits into a pattern for good, to those who love Me.

Instead of trying to analyze the intricacies of the pattern, focus your energy on trusting Me and thanking Me at all times.

Nothing is wasted when you walk close to Me.

Even your mistakes and sins can be recycled into something good, through
My transforming grace.

While you were still living in darkness, I began to shine the Light of My Presence into your sin-stained life.

Finally, I lifted you up out of the mire into My marvelous Light.

Having sacrificed My very Life for you, I can be trusted in every facet of your life.

-"Jesus Calling"

Stay Strong!

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."
—JEREMIAH 17: 7

"We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose."
—ROMANS 8: 28 AMP

"He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings."
—PSALM 40: 2 AMP

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
—1 PETER 2: 9 NKJV

A Fork in the Road

TRUSTING ME is a moment-by-moment choice.

My people have not always understood this truth.

After I performed miracles in the wilderness, My chosen children trusted Me intensely—but only temporarily.

Soon the grumbling began again, testing My patience to the utmost.

Isn't it often the same way with you?

You trust Me when things go well, when you see Me working on your behalf.

This type of trust flows readily within you, requiring no exertion of your will.

When things go wrong, your trust-flow slows down and solidifies.

You are forced to choose between trusting Me intentionally or rebelling: resenting My ways with you.

This choice constitutes a fork in the road.

Stay on the path of Life with Me, enjoying My Presence.

Choose to trust Me in all circumstances.

- "Jesus Calling"

Stay Strong!

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.
—EXODUS 15: 22–25

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
—PSALM 31: 14

Do not Worry

THIS IS THE DAY THAT I HAVE MADE. Rejoice and be glad in it.

Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I am pouring into this brief portion of your life.

Be careful not to complain about anything, even the weather, since I am the Author of your circumstances.

The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Me for them.

This act of faith frees you from resentment and frees Me to work My ways into the situation, so that good emerges from it.

To find Joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries.

I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four-hour segments.

I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time.

Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past.

There is abundant Life in My Presence today.

"Jesus Calling"

Stay Strong!

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
—PSALM 118: 24

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
—PHILIPPIANS 3: 13–14

In times of Trouble; opportunity

The Trust Factor

But I trust in you, Lord; I say, "You are my God."   Psalm 31: 14

Sometimes the only way we can learn how to trust God is to step into trouble.

Perhaps you've noticed it too; sometimes trouble comes in like a flood.
If you've ever been shocked by a circumstance of life, perhaps you've wondered, If God loves me, why would he allow horrible things to happen in the first place?

You may not realize it, but we actually live on a battlefield.

That's why we not only trip over the wounded or dying but also at times get wounded ourselves by flying shrapnel.

When life gives us pain, we sometimes lift an eyebrow at God as if to say, If you want me to trust you, why are you making it so difficult?

But honestly, how are we ever going to learn to walk on water if an occasional flood doesn't test us?

Could it be the Lord wants us to trust in him, regardless of the storms, shrapnel, or floods surging around us?

That's how the people in the Bible learned to trust God for miracles—by looking to him in times of trouble.

Did you know trouble can be found in every book of the Bible? Even the beloved apostle Paul experienced difficulties.  

So perhaps when God allows trouble into our lives, he is simply giving us the opportunity to seek him and to invite him to draw ever near.

So if you feel the need to call on God for help, count it as a good thing.

David, in the days before he became king, often called out to God, especially when he was on the run from King Saul, a man who wanted him dead.

It was on the battlefield that David learned to trust God with his whole heart.

David wrote of his experiences in the Psalms: "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall"(18: 29).

David also said, "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me"(Ps. 54: 4).

God is waiting in your trouble so he can teach you how to walk with him through the battlefield."

Adapted from "When you need a Miracle" by Linda Evans Shepherd

You are Never Alone

YOU ARE MINE FOR ALL TIME; nothing can separate you from My Love.

Since I have invested My very Life in you, be well assured that I will also take care of you.

When your mind goes into neutral and your thoughts flow freely, you tend to feel anxious and alone.

Your focus becomes problem solving.

To get your mind back into gear, just turn toward Me, bringing yourself and your problems into My Presence.

Many problems vanish instantly in the Light of My Love, because you realize you are never alone.

Other problems may remain, but they become secondary to knowing Me and rejoicing in the relationship I so freely offer you.

Each moment you can choose to practice My Presence or to practice the presence of problems.

-"Jesus Calling"

Stay Strong!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
—ROMANS 8: 38–39

"The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
—EXODUS 33: 14

A Constant

I AM WITH YOU AND FOR YOU, your constant Companion and Provider.

The question is whether you are with Me and for Me.

Though I never leave you, you can essentially "leave"Me by ignoring Me: thinking or acting as if I am not with you.
When you feel distance in our relationship, you know where the problem lies.

My Love for you is constant; I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.

It is you who change like shifting sand, letting circumstances toss you this way and that.

When you feel far from Me, whisper My Name.

This simple act, done in childlike faith, opens your heart to My Presence.

Speak to Me in love-tones; prepare to receive My Love, which flows eternally from the cross.

I am delighted when you open yourself to My loving Presence.

"Jesus Calling"

Stay Strong!

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
—GENESIS 28: 15

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?'"
—ROMANS 8: 31

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
—HEBREWS 13: 8

Two for Tuesday!! Working behind the scenes!

It appears that this is one of those weeks where many of us need some strong reassurance, some reinforced faith, and some further guidance that we are on the right path and that we are not alone regardless of our daily storm or challenge!

This too shall pass and it will all be ok! 

You are not alone!

Stay Strong!

"God knows the secret petitions of your heart.

He knows every hidden dream He's placed within you.

He knows those things that you haven't told anybody about.

Maybe you thought they would never come to pass, or maybe you buried them because they didn't happen on your timetable.

Maybe, in the natural, you have every reason to give up on those dreams.

Be encouraged today — God is still working behind the scenes!

He still has a plan to bring those dreams to pass.

Do what the verse says and delight yourself in Him today.

That word delight actually means to make yourself soft and pliable.

It paints the picture of God as the Potter and you as the clay. Allow God to mold and shape your character today.

Allow Him to direct your plans and ideas.
Keep an attitude of faith and expectancy today, and as you submit your ways to the Lord and open your heart to His leading, He will fulfill those secret petitions of your heart!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, You said the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter. You said no good thing will You withhold because I walk uprightly before You. You said because I delight myself in You, You will give me the secret petitions of my heart.

So Father, I thank You today for being in control of my life and for the good things in store for my future in Jesus' name. Amen."

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart."
    (Psalm 37:4, AMP)