What's Your Struggle? 3

God's ways are truly not our ways and I bless His name for one more reason impressed upon my understanding to trust in Him always. Still on the issue of struggles, challenges or little sins (if I may address it as such,) it was pressed upon my heart through my daily study of the Word, that the challenges we face in every phase of our lives are most times on purpose as God intends to use these situations for a couple of reasons; some of which I now know and the rest I am yet to discover.

1. He uses these struggles to Test our love and commitment to Him. It is very possible for God to totally rid our lives of struggles and trials after all, all powers belong to Him; but every trial He allows us go through is for a purpose and we can either trust Him and pull through or trust our own feelings and strengths which will fail most times. Judges 2v3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a  snare unto you. God clearly could have driven these nations out but they were left on purpose to test the israelites and their faithfulness and love for Him. Judges 2v20-23 further confirms this. v21. I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died. That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein as their fathers did keep it or not. Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.  
2. To teach us warfare. Most of the children of the Israel that made it to the promise land never really experienced the Lord and how He fought for them through out their surgeon from Egypt through the wilderness and to the promise land. And as time passed by, the battles Joshua fought would have been mere tales. In Judges 3v1&2 this reason is clearly stated. Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel had not known all the wars of Canaan; v2. only that the generations of the children of Israel might know to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; 
3. To teach us to call to Him! This lesson to me is the most important because this part permits God almighty to show up and take over the situation. His power covers us, envelopes us, and bears us up. He empowers us when we call to Him and what seems like a struggle or a challenge just melts before Him (and us too as a result of His awesome presence.) and we no longer have to rely on ourselves or our strengths. In Judges 3v8, the children of Israel do this and God was quick to answer them. As I read on, I discovered that on several occasions each time they fell out with God (as is typical of our lives), and ran into trouble they called to Him, He was always faithful to answer. He always made a way and always came to their rescue. Through out the entire Bible I have discovered His desire to always be a part of our lives, a strong desire to commune with us. To have a relationship, to help, to take part and be involved with us to engage us and be one with us. Isn't He wonderful, and just so good. These scriptures Jeremiah 33v3, Psalm 91v14-16 confirms this to mention a few.

Prayer, diligent communication and a solid relationship with God are very important to a believer and follower of Christ as air and life is to the living. These lessons I have learnt really got me thinking. I no longer have to engage or feel guilty or bad with my struggles. I can always hide in the covering of His mighty hand. Oh that I will find rest and dwell in His presence trusting in Him ALWAYS.

PRAYER

Dear Lord you don't make mistakes that's how I know that you didn't just bring these lessons to my understanding for nothing. You intended for them, Dear Lord, to comfort my troubled heart, to reassure me of Your love for me and of Your strength. To re-open the lines of communication between You and myself, re-affirming and to further strengthen our relationship. Thank You dear Lord that I can always trust in you. Now Lord being sure of all these, I seize the opportunity of this moment to let you know, please Dear Lord, I'm worried that like the children of Israel, I will keep on going back to my evil ways and may fall short of your presence; so I ask dear Father, strengthen and keep me firmly rooted in You Dear Father that I may be obedient to your will, desire and purpose for me. Grant unto me the grace that makes prayer a delightful habit and keep me in you Lord with the strength that makes You God for I don't want to be anyplace else. Thank you Dear Lord because you understand and you hear me each time I call. For this I remain grateful even as I pray in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

What's Your Struggle? 2

Torn between my personal desires and God's plan and desires for me, I found myself seeking answers. Deep down in my heart I have faith that I will get answers because I have asked; knowing  He is true to His word when He said "call on me and I will answer, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33v3. KJV.

It simply can't be mere coincidence that my daily Bible study happens to be at this very point in time be on Joshua. This book talks about the children of Israel being led by Joshua after the death of Moses, into the promise land. He leads them through various battles in order to claim what had been promised them by God. (I couldn't help but notice that even though God had promised the children of Israel the promise land, they still had a part to play... they still had to fight their way through.)

Well, relating the WORD with my personal struggle (as is my guide and as I always try to do,) I pondered as I continue to search for answers in His word. Before they (the children of Israel) went to possess their land, Moses said in Deuteronomy 7v22, "The Lord will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end to them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. This got me thinking...

Moving forward to Judges 1 after the death of Joshua, some tribes failed to drive out the natives from their midst and in Judges 2v1-3 The angel of The Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokin and said to the Israelites, 'I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and said I  would never break my covenant with you. For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their alters. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare, that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.'

These passages come to me each time I find myself struggling with old habits, throwing me into a cascade of thoughts... as try to align my desires with His desires for me.
I concluded this way... I am still on a journey and whilst on it, I discover some places are familiar, and in some places, I have no clue of where I am. The journey could sometimes be smooth, interesting and fascinating and other times it could be dark, scary and bumpy. In all these I seek, I find comfort in the truth that as long as I'm not the one driving and God is, I can rest assured that I will get to my destination because, He knows the way because He is the way. He is the author and finisher of my faith, He (Christ) in me, is my hope of glory and He that started the good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of JESUS CHRIST.

PRAYER
Father Lord, I surrender all my struggles to you trusting in your love for me. Please Father help me find my way and help me to please you in all my desires and in everything I do. I hope and trust in you and only you for I pray in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

What's Your Struggle? 1

I made up my mind never to exclude God from anything I go through no matter the situation. I took this decision, having learnt my lesson to call on The Lord no matter what. Previously, I would run and hide away; ostracising and punishing myself unnecessarily with so much guilt and self loathing such as would offer me no redemption. Now, I am now fully aware that he came for someone just like me! I don't have to be strong all my myself. He came to help me. Luke 19v10. NLT.

For a few days now, I have been struggling with a couple of things... well, my favorite way to pass time, relax or just to have some fun is to dance, listen to all kinds music (some of which may not be entirely Christian base), watch movies, amongst many other things. These things seem trivial but it has taken a few days from me, pondering and wondering if these things which I honestly love doing is actually against the will of God or doesn't bring Him glory.

I find my self in a constant argument with myself and would constantly say this "...but, all I wanna do is dance..." It is really hard giving up something one particularly likes.
I sometimes successfully stay away from listening to circular music but the moment I happen to listen to a few tunes I like, I literarily just get sucked in. What does one do when something you like doing could be "bad." ...Well, I said this prayer, holding on to His word when He said "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but The Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34v19.


PRAYER
Dear Lord, thank you for your loving invitation to approach your throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4v16. Lord please help me in every area of struggle, bring clarity for every confusion, answers for every question and direction in every way I seem to be lost. I ask for strength in every area of my weakness even as I look to you the author and the finisher of my faith.
Thank you dear Father for I am confident in the truth that all things are working together for my good for this I praise Your name even as I pray, in Jesus mighty name Amen.


 

Confidant & Friend

Everyone has that one person we go to for advice, tell our secrets to, or just simply share our deepest thoughts with.  Someone we are true to and completely honest with! ...I know I do. And even if we don't have such people in our lives, deep down, we all desire to have someone to whom we can just be open with! 

I discovered that it is a lot easier for me to be open arround sincere and genuinely loving people. Conversations are longer and I always look forward to having their company! The underlining factor is usually LOVE! The more I'm loved the more I want to love back. The more I am loved the easier it is to share! 

John 3v16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleiveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The love God had for us made it easy for Him to share/give us his one and only Son. 

The more I realize  and truly believe That God loves me, the freer I am to not only love back but be open to him and actually do what he commanded us to do when he said come to me... Mathew 11v28. 

The Devil truly tries to convince us that God is angry with us, He is disgusted by our filth or we are simply not good enough for Him. For years I believed him. He daily bombards us with these lies till we start believing it and this creates a barrier between us and our loving Father!!

Daily, I am convinced of His love for me and with this realization comes the need to open up and tell God everything whitout holding back. 

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank you for the love you have for me. Please increase me daily in wisdom and understanding in the reality of this truth. Fill me with love for You and help me to make You my first confidant in all that I do. 

Help me to walk with You more closely, follow You more nearly and love You more dearly each and everyday of my life for I pray in Jesus mighty name. Amen!

Come At The Lords Invitation

Come to the table of mercy

Receive from His nail-scared hand

Come eat the bread of salvation

Drink of the blood of the Lamb

These where the lyrics to the song that was sang today at church for the Communion Service. I was so blessed. It's a good reminder not only of who we are in Christ Jesus but also of the ultimate price of His shed blood. Healing in the body and forgiveness in His blood. 

Luke 22v19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." NAS. 

Because He gave His body mine is saved   Because He broke His, mine will never be broken. 

Luke 22v20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." NAS.

No sin too filthy, no shame, no guilt -that this shed blood cannot wash away! I'll never know how much it cost for it was done freely for me. 

Thank you my Father thank you Lord Jesus!!!

Three Little Words

I woke up this morning with a deep sense of gratitude and looking around me it was so easy to see what God has done for me, what He has done in me and what He continues to do for me.

All I truly desire, I have; all I truly need, He has provided... Life, health, children, peace, love, safety, friends, the things I asked for and He provides, the things I never really knew I needed and He gives freely and abundantly. For all these I am truly grateful. Even to the tiniest detail my heart is truly grateful. 

Dear Father,

I am grateful for every every prayer you said YES to and for the ones you said NO to. Thank you Dear Lord for fulfilling your word in my life when your said in Romans 8v28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. KJV.

Thank you Dear Lord for fulfilling your promises to me especially when you promised never to leave me or forsake me. Deuteronomy 31v6. Be strong and courageous; nor be afraid of them. For it is The LORD who goes before you; He will not leave you or forsake you. KJV.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the depth of Your love for me. It saves me, it keeps me, it rescues me, it sets my feet on the right path. And this depth of which not only is it inexhaustible, I may never know how deep it runs Romans 8v 38-39 For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. v39. No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of  God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN. NLT.

Thank you Lord for you are committed to my success in Christ Jesus that even when I am lost, you always help me find my way back to you. --I am an expression of your love, your grace and forgiveness. Thank you Lord for each time I call you hear me and even when I cant speak, you still listen - to my heart.

Thank you for this morning, the new love you promised each day, and for this opportunity to write these things about the one that gives me so much joy, You my Lord my God my Father and King. 

And so Dear Lord here it is - these three little words which is all I have to show how grateful I am for all these things you have done and more these three little words-- THANK YOU LORD!!!

JUST TALK TO HIM

For most people, prayer time seems like punishment, or some grueling task. Well, for me it was quite a struggle especially because I always felt I had to pray according to some standard, like someone or for a certain amount of time. Often times I found myself repeating certain phrases over and over again. I often prayed in frustration, "God, please teach me to pray." I was always saddled with the guilt of not being able to just simply pray when deep down it had always been a strong desire.
I never stopped admiring my younger sister who could not just pray for hours but would pray about anything and at any time and would see result to her prayers.

I have this friend that would ask me each time I was going through any difficulty no matter how little or insignificant the issue was, he would ask, "Have you prayed about it?" and my answer would be "No." but when the conversation was over, I would ask myself but why? (knowing all I know) Why wasn't prayer my first call and I'll feel so bad. This was very frustrating to say the least.

Luke 18v1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Philippians 4v6 Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer, supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. 

After much, I sincerely thank God because He grants us the desires of our heart and He sure listens. These days, after much study and pondering on the matter I realize that I can not impress God with eloquence or knowledge of the Bible or my ability to spend a lengthy period of time repeating my self over and over again to impress people or to even feel justified.
Matthew 6v7 And when you pray, do not keep on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. NLT

Now, when I do pray, I open up my heart and JUST TALK TO HIM and the more time I spend in His presence the more I have faith that He hears me and not only does He have the capacity of take in all I have to say no matter how insignificant, but He also has the power to change any circumstance. All He wants is the sincerity of my heart and that's all He needs to be able to build me up in every area which includes a solid prayer life and most importantly, He cares for me.

1 Samuel 16v7 But the LORD said to Samuel,  "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance but the LORD looks at the heart."

PRAYER
Dear LORD I receive the grace that makes prayer a delight even as you grant it unto me freely in Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen.