Tag Archives: worry

Hope Will Arise in You

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Some of you may be experiencing pain, suffering and even hopelessness, perhaps for a long time. You may feel that you are at your breaking point or far beyond it. Hold on to Jesus. The Lord will come through for you, though it seems He has delayed.

“…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.“
Romans 5:3-5 (NKJV)

This seems backwards for what we might think. Don’t we need hope in order to persevere? But true hope is refined in the fires of trial, where it is harder to believe than in times of ease.

God’s hope never disappoints. Through the suffering you are experiencing, God is bringing forth the good of perseverance in your life. And through your perseverance, His heart and His character are being formed in you.

As you begin to see how He is working in you, the hope you so desperately need will begin to come forth. Hope arises within you because God’s love and tender care for you is being revealed as He gives His help, wisdom and understanding in your heart and life. You begin to experience what the Scriptures say: that the Holy Spirit has poured forth the Father’s love into your heart and it will never be taken away.

I know it isn’t at all easy as I share this, having gone through hopelessness, trials and pain as well, even at times to the point of wanting to simply be done with the earthly life and escape to be in Heaven with the Lord. It can be most difficult because in the midst hopelessness, it may seem that change will never come.  Continue reading →

God in the Little Things

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Many wrongly believe that the Lord will only speak to us about big things, forgetting that He cares for us even in the little things. He loves us so much that He knows the full number of hairs on our heads. God’s Word says also that His thoughts toward us even outnumber the grains of sand on a seashore (see Psalm 139).

The other night I was singing from the Psalms while worshiping. My hand was bothering me from a long day of work, and my wedding band felt tight, so I took it off and placed it on the pages of my open Bible, to rest and massage my hand.

I heard within me a warning not to put it there, as I’d fall asleep as I was lounging on the couch and it would possibly fall to who-knows-where.

Oops! I ignored the wise warning, dismissing it as a random thought.

I did eventually fall asleep for while on the couch before going to bed. I honestly knew it was the Holy Spirit who had warned me, but for whatever reason I missed it completely. The next morning I woke up and realized I didn’t have my ring on. I searched and searched places it could most likely be, but failed to find it. It was not even in the pages of my Bible.

As I typed this then, my hubby was gently shaking out my Bible, and my ring fell out from the pages, though I definitely remember not seeing even evidence of my ring among its pages. That is something to be grateful for! Thank You for mercy in my failure to listen to Your wisdom, Lord!

Pay attention more to God’s Spirit within you. Listen often for His still small voice. He cares so much for us that He gives us even seemingly minuscule tidbits of wisdom about things we sometimes think do not matter to Him.

There have been many times in my life where God has orchestrated things I never thought He would even care about. Over the years, Jesus has shown me that He truly cares for us in even the little things.

How has the Lord shown you His love in the things of daily life?
Have you experienced His presence even in the mundane
or the places where you’d least expect it?
Share how God has made Himself more personal to you in the little things.

God’s Fortress of Strength

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Do you need freedom from the worries and stresses of this life? Do you need strength? It is in God alone that we find true strength and freedom from the burdens we needlessly carry. Through God we have strength, protection and freedom.

…the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.
(Nehemiah 8:10)

  • “Strength” in this verse means “a fortified place, fortress, stronghold”
  • The dictionary definition of “fortress” reveals more deeply what it means to have God as our strength and fortress:
    • “a heavily protected and impenetrable building”
    • “a person or thing not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance”

Wow! With God as our strength, we can truly embrace living as one who is “heavily protected” and “impenetrable” — “a person…not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance” and instead be a person living by the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and guides us as followers of Christ.

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation–whom shall I fear or dread?
The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?
(Psalm 27:1)

In Christ alone we are strong. During these end times, let us trust in our mighty God who will guard and protect us even when we experience fear or are burdened by life’s trials and challenges.

God’s Rest in the Here and Now

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The other day I asked God for an acronym for “rest” (that is, trust and rest in Him), and this is what I felt He spoke to me:

REST = Reserve Established by the Spirit of Truth

I shared this with a friend, and he shared with me an acronym using the word “busy” – which actually describes the counterfeit of true rest in God:

BUSY = Being Under Satan’s Yoke

If we are resting in God, we’ll have a reserve of energy in every way at all times! His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will do just as Jesus said – Guide us into all truth and reveals to us the things and words of God (John 16:13), comfort us, counsel us, help us. He will point our eyes to Christ in all things (John 15:26).

God fills every part of us with His Spirit: “they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4)– our “souls” mean “our minds, will and emotions,” every part of us as well as the Spirit of God living inside of us! He will remind us of who we are as believers–children of the Living God saved by grace. He will teach us continually about who God is and who we are in Christ!

We’ve no reason to worry, fret, doubt or have any concern! God carries all our burdens if we let Him and renew our minds with His truth. He–the Uncreated One who created all things–holds everything together, and takes care of it all! Let us have holy UNconcern! (I heard this at a conference this weekend.)

Some other “R-words” come to mind as well:

  • Righteousness
  • Rest/Restoration
  • Reliance (dependence on God)
  • Rooted (in Christ)
  • Right Response (because rest and trust in God are just that!)
  • Reality (of living in complete trust with God)
  • Renewal/Renewed, Refreshing/Refreshed, Revival/Revived
  • Relaxed (we can be because God has everything under control!)
  • Redemption/Redeemed
  • River (as in “Rivers of Living Water”) – John 7:38

“He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.”
(John 7:38 Amplified)

“[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints…”
(Ephesians 1:17-18 Amplified)

Can you think of any more “R-words” or related things to add to what has already been shared? Feel free to respond!

Reflecting After Emmaus

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I wrote the following a while ago, but haven’t been able to share it yet. God used my Walk to Emmaus to teach me & remind me of things already taught, things I struggle with living the relationship with Him moment-to-moment. Just a few days after the retreat, I read Jan’s blog post here which brought even more to my mind. I hope that if others out there have struggled similarly, or are struggling, that they will feel free to comment as well!

I found out over the Emmaus weekend that I anticipate God & life too often, instead of living in the moment, trusting God with everything & just relaxing in Him. As Psalm 46:10 commands, Cease striving & know that I am God or in another translation, Be still, & know that I am God.

I strive far too much, & it’s something I am still struggling with. I worry, I doubt, I anticipate. Some of it is mixed with good things — hope, desire to know & experience God more, & to improve as a Christian — but I need to trust God more, & that these will come with that trust & faith in Him, not in over-thinking & over-wanting to grow or experience things that He may not have planned for me or not right now.

In that, I need to focus on GOD ALONE, not the extras that come along with that relationship. This is something I discovered before going to Emmaus, seemingly by accident, though I know it was God rescuing me & teaching me not to trust just any teaching, person or ministry.

Now my desire is to make it about Him & His Word, growing in Him & in discernment & trusting Him with the rest. And that it is about agape love, the unconditional love He has for me, & that I am learning to have for Him.

My relationship with God is such a roller coaster, but that roller coaster is because of my fears, my worries, my condemnation of myself – not something He’s doing! (This realization actually came two weeks after Emmaus.) All in all, I’m tired of the jagged ride of not trusting & resting in God. I need just trust in Him, even when I fear I’m not doing my best in spending time with Him or in His Word. If I keep letting my fears & condemnation get in the way, I’ll never get through the motion sickness of this Christian ride!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
– Proverbs 3:5-6