Tag Archive: Jesus


Why Do I Feel Discouraged?

Sometimes the storms of life are raging so rough, and the heart easily gets discouraged. However,  as the song writer sings:

“No matter what storm clouds may rock this ship of mine, the light of my Savior will lead me safely through the night. Though my ship may be rocky and my sails may be torn I shall rest in the eye of the storm.”

Sometimes the bills are mounting, and the tribulations  seem like they won’t go away, but in Matthew 6:31-34 Jesus reminded you:

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Jesus is clearly encouraging you that tomorrow has so much worries of itself, and it is already sufficient, so stop worrying about it, as you have too much on your plate. But instead leave tomorrow in His hands, and seek Him, and His Kingdom first, and everything shall be given unto you. So when the storms of life begin to rage, and you begin to feel discouraged, remember that Jesus is a provider and a deliverer!

 

Hold on to God

Seeking God’s Hidden Face

Have you ever felt like God has been hiding from you? Have you ever felt broken and alone?

I am sure many of us have felt this way at some points in our lives. You may have tried to come into God’s presence, and it seems He was nowhere to be found. You wondered when your tribulations would end.

Your feelings can be resonated with the Psalmist David when he wrote Psalms 13:1, “How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”As David pondered, he directed the question: “How long wilt thou forget me O Lord?” He went on to answer the rhetorical question himself before even waiting on God to acknowledge the question. David answered, and said, “Forever?” However, notice that David answered the question with another question to God, still waiting on God’s answer. David had somehow been through some tough and trying times in his life. At the time when he needed God the most, God seemed to be hiding. Or was God really hiding?

In Psalms 51:17, David recognized that God had not given up on him, even after he had committed the ultimate sin of adultery and murder. We know the story in 2 Samuel 11 where David committed the ultimate sin of adultery with Uriah’s wife, and to have her for himself, he sent Uriah to battle and placed him at the forefront of the war, where the enemy could overthrow him.

Uriah died as a result of this. After he was killed, David took unto himself Uriah’s wife. God had been very displeased with him for this act, and threatened to raise up evil against David. After David realized the horrible sin he had committed, and how it displeased the Lord, he penned Psalms 51 asking God to have mercy upon him.

In verse 17, he stated, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” This verse in a sense answered David’s questions to God in Psalms 13, when he asked God how long will He forget him. David realized that God does not despise a broken-hearted person who is seeking His face.

Sometimes your heart is broken and you are so depressed and devastated, that you can’t even pray. There might be something that had happened in your life, something so horrible, that you feel that God did not care enough to prevent it, and you feel angry, broken and bitter.  Nonetheless, God has a way of working out the worst of situations in your life, and that’s why no matter what you go through, you should always have the faith to know that He means you good, and that He won’t harm you, according to Jeremiah 29:11, (NIV) “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.”

If you believe in Him, and you understand His love for you, then you will know that no matter what may have happened in your life, your future will be secured. Therefore, no matter how broken and bitter you may feel, God is always there with open arms to receive you. Knowing this, you can rest assured that your broken heart have a way home, straight into the open arms of God.

When tribulations attack you, you should know that it will all turn out for the better. You might not see it now, but then, that’s where faith comes in. In Romans 8:28, (NIV) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” With this Scripture in mind, you can know that your tribulations will turn out for the better.

When you look back on Psalms 51, you can ask yourself: “What better sacrifice can God get from me than a broken spirit?” When your spirit is broken, God can reach you better. His words can connect with you on a more intimate level. When you are fine and everything is going great, you tend not to spend too much time reading the Bible, praying, fasting, and seeking God’s hidden face.

Why Worry When You Can Pray?

Jesus-Christ-Praying

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and Supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (Read all of Philippians 4:6-7)
New King James Version

In John 13:34-35, Jesus instructed us—His followers—to love others: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” As Christians, learning to walk in love should be a very high priority.

Unfortunately, we often love others only superficially—that is, we talk love, but don’t live love. James 2:15-16 addresses this problem: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”

If you say that you love someone, but don’t express it by what you do, then that “love” is worthless. Indeed, it isn’t even real love.

Likewise, 1 John 3:17-18 asks, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” Here again, we are instructed to love with actions—not just with our mouth.

Follow the instructions of Jesus: love one another. However, remember that real love must be accompanied by actions, because love unexpressed is not love at all.

Contributed – Christ Notes

It’s very tempting to think that happiness will come to me once I get something: “I would be happy if I just had a bigger house, another car, a better job, more money, a different wife, a nicer family, a new TV….” But such thoughts are very deceptive.

In truth, all those things we want actually make us miserable; we fight and quarrel about what we want, and then we’re upset when we don’t get it (see James 4:1-4). Don’t get caught up in things that you want or need. Instead, you should not worry about getting what you need; rest assured your heavenly Father will take care of what you need (see Matthew 6:30-32).

It’s foolish to make your enjoyment of life hinge upon anything. There will always be one more thing for you to acquire before you can “enjoy life.” The more you have, the more you have to worry about, which makes life that much harder to enjoy.

Instead of expecting possessions or circumstances to give you joy, seek the only source of everlasting joy—Jesus. Jesus says he came to Earth “so that [you] may have the full measure of my joy within [you]” (John 17:13). Similarly, Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

Jesus offers to make our joy complete and to give us the full measure of his joy. Since Jesus is wholly God, His joy is complete and whole joy. That Jesus offers us such joy is astonishing.

Therefore, find your joy in God for in his presence is fullness of joy (see Psalm 16:11). Don’t let your joy depend on getting all the things you want because there will always be more things that you don’t have, and therefore there will always be more things that will prevent you from enjoying life. Let Jesus be your joy, rather than waiting to enjoy life “when….”

Contributed
Christ Notes

Dark Path

I have been so busy today, after a break from the Memorial holiday yesterday, but I just stop by to tell somebody that if you are going through your darkest moment, your victory is about to be accomplished. The light is about to be risen upon you today. So arise, shine; for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you (Isaiah 60:1).

It is when you are going through your darkest hour, your victory is most powerful and successful.

In the gospel of Luke 23:44-46, It was stated that about the sixth hour there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  This was so, because Jesus had already given up the ghost – meaning, His spirit had already left His body, because He was dead. However, this moment of darkness was about to bring the biggest victory in the life of Jesus.

In Luke 24:4-6, when the women came to the sepulcher to bring spices to anoint His body, they saw two men standing there in SHINING garments. These two men were angels with bright ray of light shining from their garments. The light symbolized the victory and power that was gained through those hours of darkness. The sight of the angels and no body in the sepulcher caused the women to be afraid; But the angels said to them, “Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!”

Praise the Lord today, if you are going through your darkest moment, because your dead situation is about to be resurrected.

  • Your marriage is about to be restored
  • Your finances are about to be restored,
  • Your love life is about to be restored,
  • Your happiness and your joy is about to be restored,
  • Your peace is about to be restored,
  • Your business is about to be restored,
  • Your broken home is about to be restored,
  • Your health is about to be restored,
  • Your children will be restored,
  • Your job will be restored,
  • Your purpose is being birth and your ministry is about to be restored.

Just shout out to God, and say, “I receive these Words in Jesus’ name!” Amen!

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

Aristotle Onassis

 

 

I know almost all adults might answer ‘yes,’ to this question, especially if they have moved away from their parents’ home, and are working and taking care of themselves. However, independence appeals to all ages. It means “freedom from the control, influence, support, and aid of others.”

In reading a devotion by Bill Chowder, he too stated that, “It’s not surprising that teenagers talked about gaining their independence.”  However, as I delved deep into this devotion, he spoke of a craving for dependence, which is a spiritual recognition and acceptance of our deep spiritual dependence on the One who gives life.  Jesus stated, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

John15_5

In this dangerous and troubled world, you need the vine to sustain all your spiritual nutrients, or else you will be spiritually malnourished. If you are spiritually malnourished, you won’t be able to withstand the enemy and all the chaos and calamity that he throws at you.

By and large, when you think that you are independent, think about the one who you have to depend on – Jesus.

 

Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Matthew 27:55

motherAndChild-isabeloMquiles-1992

The New Testament records the fact that many women were among the larger body of disciples that followed and served Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, we only know the names and stories of a few. They were more loyal to Jesus at the time of his crucifixion than his male disciples.

Despite the patriarchal society of that day, four women—two of them Gentile foreigners—were named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel chapter one. It is significant that Jesus included women in his teaching putting them on equality with men. The same ethical and moral standards were demanded from both genders and the same way of salvation was offered for both.

Throughout the Bible, women filled significant roles—from leadership like Deborah to unique motherhood like Mary.

Excerpt from Standing Strong Through The Storm by Paul Estabrooks

As I reflect on these words, women have been very significant from biblical times in both ministry and the role of motherhood. Mary, the mother of Jesus had endured such horrific experience carry the Christ-child. Despite her horrendous tribulations, as well as the terrible experience she faced when her son was crucified, she displayed phenomenal strength and courage, that any caring mother would display for her child.

Today, I hail all the mothers in the world, including our ministry moms, and wish each and every one of these phenomenal woman a my-diary-mothers1

In Matthew 13:3-6, Jesus told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” One point Jesus makes in this parable is that people without deep roots in God will fall away from faith whenever persecution or trials come on account of the word (see Matthew 13:20-21).

Similarly, Jesus encourages his followers to build their house (i.e. their life) on “the rock” (see Matthew 7:24-27). Even though the wind and storms beat against that house, it did not crumble because it was founded on the rock. If you have deep roots in God, your life will be built on the Rock—Christ. As one hymn says, “On Christ alone I stand, all else is sinking sand.”

It is no surprise, then, that Paul encourages believers to be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith (Colossians 2:6-7). If you are strengthened in faith, then you won’t crack under the pressure of difficult situations because you will be able to dig deeply into the word of God on which you are firmly grounded. Unfortunately, too many Christians have a cracked foundation.

Make it a priority to have deep roots in God so that you will not wither under the heat of life. Invest time into reading and memorizing God’s word, praying, and communing with God. Be rooted in God.

Contributed Christ Notes

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