Lonely

Loneliness is real and many people face it every day.  Sometimes, you can be surrounded by a large crowd of people but be extremely lonely.  You can have a schedule packed full to the brim with kids to feed and shuffle to numerous school activities, talking with neighbors and teachers and friends, stay on your cell phone with a line of people everywhere you go, chattering, but deep inside be incredibly lonely.

Psalm 25:16-18 declares,
"Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.  Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins."

We all face times of distress and deep loneliness.  Surrounded by a crowd of people, we must look to the Lord to conquer loneliness and bring us out of our distress.  Our enemy works against our mind.  The adversary desires that we walk in oppression and dwell on our failures.  But God is our answer to every dilemma.  He is our Rock of Defense in every situation of life.  Cry out to Him and He will "turn to you." 

Get out of your comfort zone and busy yourself doing a good work. Volunteer at your church or local library, school or hospital.  There is always a place to find fulfillment in putting your time to good use in helping others.  And God will take that loneliness and fill your life with wonderful people.

Eagles Soar

Balloon satellites are known to fly high, up to 70,000 feet in the stratosphere.  Birdwatchers are aware that eagles are great birds who know how to soar in altitudes of over 10,000 feet. Commercial jet aircraft also fly up to 38,000 feet high in the altitude daily from coast to coast.

God desires that you accelerate to new heights in the power of God’s spirit but many are weary.  The struggles of the past year may have knocked the wind out of you, but God’s plan for you is to fly high. Stop the fear, remove yourself from the chaos, and place your trust in God. Get back into the Word and ponder its pages. Let God speak to you deep in your Spirit and ask God for His guidance.

Whatever you are praying about, wait on the Lord. Whatever struggle you face, give it to God. He will guide you in this year ahead and give you new strength when you learn to completely trust Him.

The prophet Isaiah declared, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Disappointment

The next time you are disappointed about something, do not panic or act rashly to remedy your situation. And be mindful to not give up or become discouraged by your happenings. Simply, be patient and let God remind you that He is God and He is still in control of your situation. Often, disappointment is caused by unmet expectations. And God desires that we totally trust Him.  He will work all things together for our good and He knows our future.

Remember Scripture spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts; your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. So you will go out in joy and be led with peace."

Most of the time, we truly do not understand or see the big picture of what God is doing in our lives. You must trust God that your steps are ordered by Him and He has your life in His control. Let God and let God do a mighty work in your life.

Heaven

Did you realize that you can change your life one day at a time?  This is true. If you do not like your attitude or your habits - work to change them. If you do not like your neighbors and your family - pray for them.  And if you  are tired of your present situation, surrender it totally unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ in sincere prayer and repentance.

One day we will either face heaven or hell. We must make every effort to walk in our faith in Christ.  It is a decision; A choice to follow.  Christ has already paid the price for our sins.

When we think of heaven, I do not believe we can truly fathom the wonder of what God has in store. Scripture even confirms this thought in 2 Corinthians 2:9,  "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”

First of all, the City of Heaven will be full of grand splendor; more than we could ever imagine - with streets made of purest gold and a crystal clear river.  A city surrounded by extreme gates of pearl with walls of gorgeous jasper stone. It will be unlike anything we have ever seen in this life before.  It will be a place of worship where the Glory of the Lord radiates and Jesus is the Light of the City.  We will be surrounded by innumerable angels singing and honoring God with resounding voices.

Heaven keeps record of our smallest acts of kindness and love toward others while we are here on earth. "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42

Eternal rewards await us for showing compassion on the needy (Luke 14:13-14) treating our enemies with kindness (Luke 6:35) and giving of our monetary resources to the Lord in tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:10).  Heaven will be a rich reward for the righteous.

Blameless

I am so thankful for justification by faith. "We are not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 2:16) To be justified means to be declared blameless. It is for God to say your sins have been wiped clean, just as if you had never sinned. Christ is the One who places our inquities and sins in the sea of forgetfulness and no longer remembers them. It does not matter where we have been or what we have done, when we come to Christ with a repentive heart and ask forgiveness....He forgives and declares us blameless.

We are not declared blameless simply by doing good works, the works of the law. But we are justified by faith in Christ, in so much that we know that He honored our prayers of repentence and has totally wiped our slate clean of the junk from the past.

If God forgets our past, then we should too. We should live above our past, walk above our past, and live according to the law realizing that it is by our faith in Jesus Christ that we now walk in freedom.

To be guilty of sin and death, and then to experience forgiveness from death's penalty is to understand the love of God that surpasses all human understanding. When we repent, Christ declares us blameless of the penalty we are guilty of receiving and says, "you are justified." God places our sins behind Himself and refuses to remember our iniquities against Him.

Assurance

When we commit our lives to God, He comes to dwell and live within us.  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and He abides with us.  This means no matter what you face, it should not be overwhelming. No matter how stressful the circumstances of life becomes or what God calls upon you to do, You've Got This!

I like Philippians 4:13 from the Amplified Bible, "I can do all things which He has called me to do through Him who strengthens and empowers me to fulfill His purpose--I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace."

Because you are now God's and God is your sufficiency, anything He calls on you to do is possible simply because of the Spirit of God within you.  It's not you alone, but God in you.  So, I challenge you today to abide in God and remain steadfast and confident in Him.  He will equip you and enable you to do much more than you think because He empowers you with divine strength from heavenly places.

Called by Name

In Isaiah 43, the Lord reminds us that we belong to Him and we are called by Name. He purchased us with His own blood and He says to us, "I have called you by your name, you are mine." Your path used to be navigated by the wrong navigation system. You were driven by the voice of the enemy and pulled by peers and their opinions, but things have changed because of your new commitment to Christ and now God is in control. You are living in a new spiritual house and you've got a new owner.

New freedoms await you and you do not belong to your old owner anymore. And once God raises you up out of your past, don't go back, don't think back, and don't gaze back - don't pause for one moment thinking you've missed out on something. There's nothing back there worth looking back for.

In verse 18, God says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old." Don't wallow in the past, don't talk of it anymore. Your past is over and you have a new testimony now. So consider the fact that today - you've got a new name. So, walk in that freedom. You now have a new name.

Angels

Do you realize you have ministering angels placed in charge over you to watch over you and your family and keep you from harm?  Luke 4:10-11, "It is written: And He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep you; and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."

Angels are not dispatched by our complaining or lack of faith.  They are dispatched to all who inherit salvation and are released by the Son of God to guard and keep us in protection and safety.  They are servants of God who desire to work in our behalf - that is their assignment from God Himself.  Hebrews 1:14, "Are not the angels all ministering spirits sent out in the service of those who inherit salvation?"

So when it seems you are favored, you are.  When it feels like it should have been you in the middle of the trouble or accident on the roadway, it should have been you.  But an angel guarded you.  When you know you would have collided with the vehicle in front of you, but you were miraculously saved - you were.  God has given His angels charge over you.  

Scripture records angels are in place to keep you in all your ways.  So today, remember to give God praise for His goodness and His daily benefits.  Remember to thank Him for it is His Hand of protection that has sent angels to position themselves all around you and be your protective guard.  Express your gratitude to God daily for His Sovereign care. For He has sent angels to watch over you.

Serving the Poor

Do you realize that by serving and volunteering your time at the Church and in the community, you are packing up a bag of blessing for yourself?

The Bible teaches that the poor we will always have with us, and that whatever we do to be a blessing to the less fortunate - God will preserve us and deliver us in our time of trouble.  According to Psalm 41:1-2, every believer should be excited about serving the underprivileged. Reaching out with a heart of giving is in biblical character. 

Scripture resounds, "Blessed is he that considers the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies." 

Now, we should have compassion on the lost, the poor and the hurting. So should not simply serve others for the sake of being blessed in return. We also must learn to forgive those who have wronged us and offer them blessing. But I wanted to point out to you that the return blessings are immense to those who give freely of their time and resources to others in need.

On-Time God

Often, when trouble comes into your life it is easy to grow weary and discouraged. We need to remind ourselves daily through prayer and the Word - that God is a Sovereign God and our position in Christ is a high position of authority. With this position comes the incredible protection and provision of God. His Sovereign care and provision is like no other.

Just when we think there is no hope in sight and there seems no way out, God comes through. He has always shown Himself as an ON-TIME God. So when the enemy stirs difficulty or life places hurdles on your path, remember God's definitely Got Your Back!

His eyes move to and fro throughout the whole earth in search of a people whose heart is totally His. Once you repent and accept Christ, you become the apple of God's eye and you are placed in His Faithful care.

Keep your eyes up and remember where your help comes from....it comes from the Lord. He is your strength and refuge (Psalm 46:1) Your eyes must remain up at all times. God is always on-time. His timing is perfect.