Day 2: I’m going to be ok! If you find yourself panicking and asking, “Am I going to be okay?” you should know that it all comes down to your attitude. You have two options at how you can look at the world: optimistic or pessimistic. Both have their purposes in different scenarios. An optimistic person’s attitude typically makes them lean more on the Problem Solver. Whereas a pessimistic person’s attitude typically makes them focus more on the problem. If you’ve got a long battle ahead of you, you need to switch to an optimistic attitude to help ensure that you handle your situation well – to make sure you’re going to be okay. But sometimes, pessimism is a good thing– like when we need to be realistic. So, sometimes, it’s important to know that you’re going to be okay, but maybe not tomorrow. It might not be until six months from now. You’ll need to be patient with yourself as you heal and recover but still hold out for hope of a better day and never forget that God causes all things to work together for your good and His glory!
Day 1: Don’t allow your flesh, the world, or the enemy of this world tear you down…God predestined you for greatness and you are enough! #BeStrong #TGBTG #NAP #IAmEnough
Prayer is one thing we don’t need Wi-Fi connection, cellular service, or a mail courier to send. We have an uninterrupted direct line to the Father and He is open 24/7!
My brothers and sisters, I encourage you in good and bad times, talk to God. Approach Him as you would a family member or friend and begin to tell him your situation. God already knows your circumstances and all He wants is to hear from you!
If the pain is too painful and you can’t find the words to speak, the Holy Spirit within you will intercede for you. Roman’s 8:26 says, “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”
Trust me there is nothing too hard for God to do. He will come through even if it’s not how you wanted Him to. Humbly open your heart, talk to Him, and remember you are never alone in the battle!
David said in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Much like anything decision we make in life, praising God is always a choice. Even during difficult seasons, we can choose to praise God or we can choose to allow fear and worry to control our hearts and minds, or we can choose to praise the Lord and confess that He is in control.
One of the first biblical scripture my beloved twin brother broke down and helped me commit to memory was Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 and it reads, “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after Him.”
Solomon had his share of challenges but much like his daddy David, he too found that lifting his voice of praise to God amid difficult times was not always easy, but it was the only viable choice to make (Psalm 138:1).
My brothers and sisters, when we choose to praise the Lord even in hard times, at least three things happen: praise will shift our focus from ourselves to God (Psalm 42:21), praise will remind us that God is in control (Isaiah 41:10), and praise will become confession (release) of our dependence on God (Pslam 56:3-4).
I get it, praising God in the heat of the battle may not seem natural, and you may feel uncomfortable, but go ahead and praise God. Don’t fake it, be honest. God already knows your heart, so if you don’t feel like praising Him, tell Him, but praise Him anyway.
After you made the decision to praise Him anyway, verbalize your praise. Praise is meant to be heard. HALLELUJAH!! Don’t praise Him silently, praise Him openly and verbally. There is something powerful about hearing your own voice praise and worship the Lord.
Still not there yet? Well, I invite you to think back at God’s work in your life in the past and if nothing else praise Him for always coming through in the nick of time! You see, part of praise is reviewing or like Solomon stated, ‘consider’ God’s faithfulness in the past. As you review His goodness and provision in the past, you will find new strength to face the problems of today.
Again, I beseech (encourage) you to fill your life with praise to the Lord and I pray that in the difficult times of life that you will choose to lift your voice in praise because God doesn’t deserve anything less!
God is the true source for clarity, wisdom, truth, and understanding! I wholeheartedly believe there is only one source of truth and Jesus confirms this belief in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the Father accept by Me.”
Now, in John 8:32 Jesus said, “We will know the truth and the trust will set us free.” I don’t know what your interpretation and/or take is on this particular passage of text, but many Christians take this verse to mean the truth will set us free from the trials, tribulations, and anti-Christian bias of the world. At the same time, a lot of unbelievers take this verse to mean the truth—as they see it—will set them free from the restrictive rules of Christianity. But, both perspectives are incorrect. When Jesus said the truth will set us free, He meant God’s Word will set us free from the destructive clutches of sin. He meant the truth as explained in His Word would free us from the web or snare of temptation spun by Satan.
At the end of the day, God’s Word (The Holy Bible) is the truth in all situations and on all occasions. Undoubtedly, to walk in truth is to walk in accordance with God’s Word. It does not matter if the Word of God advances our personal agenda, accords with our desires, or supports our point of view. God’s word (John 1:1) is the truth and anything that runs counter to its teaching and/or principles is fake news!
As Christians, we inherently believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ, as it is prophesied in the Bible. The book of Revelation describes Jesus’ return as a glorious event, where He comes with power and great glory to establish His eternal Kingdom on earth.
Though we sometimes fail, as faithful believers, we are encouraged to live in anticipation of Jesus’ return. In Matthew 24:42-44, Jesus Himself says, “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Living in anticipation of Jesus’ return means living a life that honors God, obeying His commandments, and sharing the good news of the Gospel with a many people as you can. It also means being vigilant and prepared, always watching for signs of Christ’s return and being ready to meet Him when He comes.
To my fellow brothers and sisters, the second coming of Jesus is the central tenet of our beloved faith, and as believers we are encouraged to live in anticipation of this glorioys event. That being said, let us never forget that Jesus was born a baby, He preached as a child, was killed as a man, He arose as a Victor, and He is coming back as King!
I pray that (though at times we fail) we all consistently and faithfully strive to live a life that honors God, obeys His commandments, and share the good news of the Gospel with others, as we wait for the glorious return of our King, Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father” John 15:1-8
There is no love greater than divine love from the Creator of the Universe (John 15:13). There is nothing like Divine Therapy to heal your heart, mind, spirit, and soul. Nobody can love us like God loves us and I think that’s why at times we feel so unloved and unwanted. We yearn for God’s love but we don’t recognize Him. We try to experience His love from people, possessions, and pleasures but nothing measures up…nothing truly satisfies. So we’re left constantly battling feelings of loneliness, unworthiness, and unlovability.
If that’s you today, I want to remind you that God’s love for you is boundless and nothing could ever separate you from His love(Romans 8:38). People may fail to love us the way we want them to love us, but God gives us more than what we could ever ask or imagine according to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:20).
The reality is no one will ever care and love us like Jesus. It was Jesus that died and rose from the grave for our sins and on yesterday nearly 2 billion people celebrated the mere fact that we serve a Risen Savior.
In Christ, we will always be qualified to receive that agape love despite our imperfections and failures. Therefore, I encourage you (if you hadn’t already) to truly open our heart and receive His love today and I guarantee you that your life will never be the same.
Truly, Truly I say to you that Jesus is the Bread of life, the Light of the world, the Gate, the good Shepherd, the true Vine, the Truth, the Resurrection and the Life.
Salvation was the mission and love was the fuel that kept Jesus supernaturally focused, courageous, disciplined, and strong. Nothing was more important to Jesus than doing God’s will. Though He was tired, thirsty and hungry, God’s will was more important to Him than His own rest and personal comfort. He allowed nothing to stop Him from doing God’s business. John 4:34 confirms, “Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent Me, and from finishing His work.”
Because of His great love for God and all of humanity, Jesus was able to go to Gethsemane and pray, “Abba Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will,” (Mark 14:36).
Undoubtedly, God gave Jesus the supernatural strength to accomplish the great work of salvation on Calvary and by doing so Jesus left us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). Therefore, we are to do His will the same way that He did the work God wanted Him to do.
I humbly encourage you on this Resurrection SONday to know God’s will, surrender your will to His, seek then to do His will and do it all by God’s grace and God’s strength!
We are literally standing on edge of the precipice of the end times, but one thing I refuse to do is not acknowledge how good God is! Since the passing and spiritual commencement of my beloved embryo twin brother, the road I’ve traveled hasn’t been easy, but I am still here, I am still praying, and I am still praising God! The only reason I’m here today is because God is near to my broken heart and He is walking with me everyday!
That being said, if you have experienced any amount of brokenness please remember God’s word and His love can help you get through them. It may not feel as if spending time reading specific Bible verses for a broken heart or becoming intimate with Him through prayer and petition can solve the issues in your life, but doing so can help you through some of your toughest times and darkest nights. And although some may think that you have to have been settled in your faith for many years in order for God to heal your heart, all He really needs is for you to bring your cares to Him.
I Peter 5:7 of the Amplified Bible says, “casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”
Beloved of God, if there’s no one who understands what you’re going through, the Bible reminds you that no matter how broken you feel, God is always there to see you through. So, if you need a bit of motivation or inspiration to get through your current heartache remember these words written by David in Psalm 34:17-22, “The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. For the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. But the LORD will redeem those who serve Him. No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.”
