Finding Peace and Deliverance in the Midst of Tribulations
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Come out and get anointed and refreshed with the blood of Jesus. In a world full of trouble, it’s times like these that we need that special touch from the Lord.
If you have been trying so hard to fight your own battles, but kept losing in the process, then you need to rethink your strategies. I am not telling you to sit back, and have others walk all over you. However, you have to get to a point in your life where you allow God to fight your battles for you. He will not put you in the front line. Instead, He will take all the darts, while shielding you. He is capable of facing your battles better than you do. Accordingly, the fight is not against your neighbors, co-workers, spouses, friends, children, families, or others you may meet along the way. The fight is against the ruler of darkness.
As the scripture highlights, “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 6:12). Therefore, your real enemy is not those around you, but satan himself. He is a spirit, and the ruler of darkness. He sets out to use anyone he can recruit against you, in order to have you defeated, depressed and discouraged.
Considering this, you are up against a spirit of darkness. Therefore, when satan knocks at your door, just say, “Jesus, can you get that for me?” Leave your battles up to the Lord. He will fight for you (Exodus 14:14). I used to try to fight my battles for myself; however, I have come to a point in my life where I have Jesus fighting for me. Consequently, I have been gaining a lot of victories.
When satan realizes that you are not taking matters into your own hands anymore, he will feel like you have given up. Notwithstanding, you have not given up, but have secretly given your battles to the Lord.
When you have done what you can, God will do what you can’t.
Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is celebrated today as Palm Sunday. As He made His entry into Jerusalem, the people were very excited. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King” (John 12:13). The word “Hosanna” means “save us, we pray.”
Many times you may be going through several different obstacles in your life, which leave you to wonder if God is with you. Or better yet, if He is even near you. In any event, God is always with you. It doesn’t matter your circumstances, or how bad you may feel. He is with you. He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
So today is a day to acknowledge that you are never alone. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was the beginning of your salvation.
So if you are in a bind today, and need Jesus’ grace, just cry out, “Hosanna!” God will hear and save you. He will guide you through any situation that seems hopeless, because He brought hope, peace and joy into this world. Not only so, but He loves and cares for you with an everlasting love. No greater love is there than His, that He laid down His precious life for you (John 15:13).
Do you think you are alone? “I’m with you; says the Lord.”
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!
We wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas!
It’s a season to be joyful. Therefore, give thanks for what you still have, and is able to do. Do not worry about what’s already gone, and you’re not able to do anymore.
Remember the reason for the season, and that Jesus brought peace, joy and hope to this world.
Whether you’re staying home for the holidays or you’re traveling, please be safe.
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.
In this world, there is always some storm going on. Some people may have just passed through a storm, while others may be going through a storm, or preparing to face a storm. I know that every one of us, including myself, would like to avoid any storm whatsoever. Regardless of this, in this life, you cannot see a rainbow without rain. Granted, whatever your storm status is, you have to remember that you can ride out your storm.
Last night I had a vivid dream regarding a very severe storm. In this dream, I saw a group of people who appeared to be involved in a political movement. As they marched down the street, they invited me to join them, but I declined. Immediately following this encounter, there was a storm approaching. After turning down their offer, I found myself caught up in this approaching storm. Alternatively, this storm appeared to be very severe and threatening. I could hear the violent sounds of thunder and lightning. Concerned for my safety, I was looking for somewhere to hunker down; however, I found myself in the opening, exposed to the elements of the storm.
Consequently, I noticed a few people gathered around me. These people were trying to cover me from the elements of the storm. However, as the storm got more severe, some of them ran away and left me. Instantly, I knew that they had removed their coverings, because I could feel the heavy rain pouring down on my bare head. Seeing that, I decided that I had to find shelter. As I prepared to move to a place of safety, I found out that there was only one man who had stayed with me during the storm. He then followed me through the storm to a shelter nearby. At this time, it appeared as if I were in another country. When I arrived at this shelter, I saw a woman who had been covering me during the storm at this place. Apparently, she ran away left me in the storm and sought shelter there. The man who was always with me, brought me to some people who gave me food and clean clothes to send me on my journey. As the storm subsided, I started out on my journey. Following this episode, I awoke from this dream.
This dream represents the typical events of our lives in reality. If you are not going with the politically correct crowd, because of your Christian beliefs and way of life, you can be forced to weather the elements of the storm in isolation. Believers are faced with various obstacles from time to time, as they trod on their Christian journey. This politically correctness can come from any people with whom you are associated with. These people could be your own church brethren, families, co-workers, business associates, friends, or people you meet along the way. This isolation can force you into the path of a storm. Conversely, some of the people who you thought will cover you throughout your storm, or have your back, so to speak, will likely run away while you are going through your storm.
Nonetheless, there will be one man standing, who will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). He will hunker down with you, cover you, and take you to a place of safety. At this place, He will provide you with all the necessities that you have been deprived of during the storm. He will restore you, bless you, and give you peace and deliverance. In any event, you will have to ride out your storm with Him. Do not follow the ones who run away from the storm, hoping that they will still be rewarded, if they did not endure the test of time. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to those who will endure to the end (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Just hold on to Jesus, and you can ride out your storm.
Listen to this inspirational song: “Ride Out Your Storm” in the video below.
I once heard a story of a man who was desperately down to his wit end of troubles. In his desperation, he went into his room and loaded a gun. He was about to kill himself!
As he sat there with the loaded gun, he decided that he had to pray before committing this suicide. He prayed and asked God to intervene to show He’s really there, and if He does, then he would not kill himself.
After praying, the man waited to see what would happen. Lost in his suicidal thoughts, he was startled by the ringing of the telephone. He jumped and quickly looked to see who was disturbing his intended mission. To his surprise, he saw the name “Almighty God” on his caller ID!
Seeing this, he sat there scared and shaking. In a state of shock, he couldn’t even answer the caller on the other end of the line. After a few minutes had elapsed, he finally got the courage to investigate. As he pressed redial on the telephone, he waited nervously to see who would pick up. The phone rang for a while, and just as he was about to hang up, he heard the husky voice of a male on the other end of the line. “How may I help you?” he asked the caller. The caller replied and asked, “Where is this?” The other male replied, “Almighty God Tabernacle.”
The husky voice turned out to be that of a pastor, who was at his church that evening preparing his sermon for the next day. He had dialed his wife’s number to tell her that he was wrapping up for the evening, and would soon be home. Fortunately, he mistakenly dialed one of the digits, which happened to be the telephone number of the man about to commit suicide. The reason “Almighty God” came up on the suicidal man’s caller ID was because “Tabernacle” was too long to fit on the caller ID.
Well, to end this story, the man explained to the pastor what happened, and the pastor prayed and ministered to him. He was overcome with emotions, by seeing how God had intervened in his life when he was at his lowest point. Right there, the man accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. From that day on, his life has never been the same again. This man was telling his story from the pulpit while preaching a sermon one day. That’s how I came to know this story.
You see, when you are in your darkest moment, God is there with you. Jesus is the light that will guide you through the roughest time in your life (Psalms 119:105). It doesn’t matter how bad the situation appears, God is still in control. While there is life; there are hopes. Suicide is not an option, if you allow God to guide you. He can take whatever the situation is and turn it around for your good (Romans 8:28).
I have heard so many stories of people who were about to kill themselves for whatever reasons, but were prevented, and their lives have changed for the better.
I have a song that I love so much, and I sing this song when I am at my lowest. It might not be the song that you sing, but I will share the first few lines, along with the video with you:
Like a ship sailing out on a trip so rough and long
So far from shore, so far from home.
I SET OUT IN SEARCH OF A REASON TO GO ON
And I found it in the eye of the storm
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.
Whatever you are going through today, it’s not time to roll over and play dead. It’s not over until God says it’s over. When your tribulations begin to get more and more extreme, that is when you know that you should keep running the race. The breakthrough that will follow your time of testing will be well worth the effort necessary to overcome. With this in mind, you should exert every last ounce of strength that you have left to make it to your last lap of the race.
Many times you wait for the Lord to respond in the midst of a terrible tribulation, and wonder why He doesn’t respond more quickly. This can be seen in the Biblical story in John 11, where Lazarus, one of Jesus’ friends, whom He loved dearly got sick. Mary and Martha who were also friends of Jesus, sent a message to Him to inform Him of Lazarus’ sickness. But when Jesus heard the news, He waited two more days before going to Lazarus’ hometown of Bethany.
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead in the tomb for four days. When Martha discovered that Jesus was on His way, she went out to meet Him, and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus told Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” However, Martha thought He was talking about the final resurrection of the dead. Jesus then went to Lazarus’ grave with Mary, Martha, and the rest of mourners. There He instructed them to remove the stone that had covered the entrance to the tomb. Jesus looked up to Heaven and prayed to His father. He then cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus come forth!” When Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus instructed the people to remove his grave clothes.
In this amazing miracle, Many people put their faith in Jesus. Sometimes through the darkest moment of your trials and tribulations, you think that you can’t make it through to your last lap of the race. You then begin to think that God is not on time; however, you have to remember that even though He’s two days late, He’s still on time. Jesus deliberately waited two more days to go to Bethany, because He knew that He would do a great miracle for God’s glory. Therefore, He was in no hurry to get there.
Often times, God allows your tribulations to get from bad to worst, because He’s planning to do something great and victorious in your life. This is so, because He has a wonderful purpose for you that will bring even greater glory to God. Therefore, it’s time to be resurrected. Don’t roll over and play dead!
Excerpt: Enough Tribulations “Finding Peace in the Midst of Tribulations.”
Trust me, I've been there, I've looked, I've searched and I know now, that there are no answers to be found in the bottom of a bottle or on the edge of a blade! Fighting Hard, Recovering, Rebuilding, REBORN. Moving on from addiction to a new life.
Executive Chef Robbie Joseph brings more than 35 years of culinary experience to his Montego Bay, Jamaica based restaurants and bars: THE SEAHORSE GRILL and ROBBIES KITCHEN. Specializing in fresh seafood, steaks, pastas, local Jamaican favourites and world class, gobal cuisine with a twist of west indian flare. Combine this simply great food with the casual elegant ambiance of both restaurants and you have an experience you won't soon forget!!!
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