In 2 Corinthians 12:8 Paul said, “God’s grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in weakness.” What a comforting reminder for all of us. You see, the Bible is filled with examples of God’s strength manifesting when His people are weak. Moses, the great leader of Israel, was deeply aware of his human shortcomings (Exodus 4:10). When the Lord called him to go to Pharaoh, Moses cried, “I’m not adequate. Please send someone else!” But God replied, “Go anyway, Moses, because I will be with you” (see Exodus 4:12–15).

Gideon’s story proves that God can accomplish great things through people who forget about their human weaknesses, trust in God’s strength, and obey His guidance (Judges 6:14–16). And, of course, our most notable biblical example, Jesus Christ, was “crucified in weakness” but “now lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4, NLT).

Furthermore, in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 Paul stopped protesting his ‘thorny’ situation and began to boast and even take pleasure in his weakness so that the power of Christ could work through him. He said, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul expressed the paradox of his condition—that in his frailty, he was strong because his strength came from Christ.

Lastly, God’s strength is made perfect in weakness when we put our faith and trust in Him. The Lord’s presence is all we need in times of weakness. His great power and sufficiency rest on us as we find our strength in Him, and He is glorified. We can say with the psalmist, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

If you believe God’s strength is perfected in your weakness stop what you are doing right now and give God some praise! Amen and Hallelujah!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#GodIsMyStrength

I believe there are some people out there looking for God to do the impossible in their lives and/or in the lives of someone they know!

Well, I stopped by to let you you know I am a living testimony and I would like to encourage you that God is able to make all things are possible! Jesus said this in Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God is simply waiting for us to show Him that our faith is crazy enough to sees the invisible and believes the unbelievable so that we can receive the incredible!

Case and point, placing our crazy faith in an all knowing, present, and powerful God has the power to turn the impossible into possible and mountains into mole hills because what we cannot do, God can do!!

Pray with me:
Lord, it may look impossible to me, but I know that with You all things are possible. Thank You for what You are doing in my life today! In JESUS name, amen!!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#ImpossibleIsNothingToGod

#itsonlycrazyuntilithappens

I’ve heard it said, “Over time the adrenalin released by stress hormones creates a continued state of vigilance with damaging physiological consequences. Stress can kill you as it is known to lead to increased heart rate, cardiovascular problems, breathing difficulties and high blood pressure.”

The dictionary defines stress as “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.” Some stress is necessary and even good—such as the physical strain we put on our muscles in order to make them stronger. But when we talk about “stress,” we are usually referring to excessive or negative mental or emotional strain or tension. While “stress” is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, Scripture does speak to things such as anxiety, worry, and trouble—things we often associate with stress—and gives us clear answers on how we should deal with them.

Philippians 4:6-7 acutely reminds us not to be anxious [stressed] about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus also said in Matthew 6:34, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

My brothers and sisters, believing leads to trusting. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “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 straight your paths.” Leaning on “our own understanding” often means adopting the world’s ways of relieving stress—things like alcohol or drugs or mindless entertainment. Instead, we are to trust His Word as our ultimate guide to a stress-reduced life. Notice, I didn’t say stress-free life! David says, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). David knew that by seeking the Lord and sharing his troubles with Him that perhaps He would find favor with Him. The Lord in turn answered him and calmed him down.

As it was for David, so shall it also be for us! Gods is impartial and what He does for one; He will do for all!

Furthermore, stress of all kinds is a natural part of life (Job 5:7, 14:1; 1 Peter 4:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13). But how we deal with it is up to us. If we choose to try to do it on our own, we will not find lasting relief. The only way we can consistently and successfully deal with stress is with Jesus Christ. First, we must believe in Him. Second, we need to trust Him and obey Him.

At the end of the day, we need to daily seek God’s peace by filling our minds with His Word, lifting all things to Him in prayer, and sitting at His feet in awe and reverence. It is only by His grace, mercy, and love that the stress in our lives can be properly managed.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#SeekGodInAllThings

Simply put, having gratitude means being thankful and while there are hundreds of different Bible verses about being thankful, I believe I Thessalonians 5:18 nails it perfectly: Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I get it, in the times we’re living in it’s hard to consistently show gratitude with you much evil taking place in our world. However, the benefits for showing gratitude is not a only good spirit, it’s also physically beneficial.

It’s no secret and I’ll be the first to admit that grateful people sleep better, exercise more, have increased immunity against disease, live longer and enjoy greater self-respect and better relationships. Another huge benefit for grateful minded people is that operating in the spirit of gratitude lowers frustrations, regret, and resentment.

Beloved of God, we still flow in the spirit of gratitude even in the midst of worldly turmoil, problems, circumstances, and disappointments. You see, in our daily lives we must understand see that it’s not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. Furthermore, gratitude helps us to see what is in lieu of what isn’t!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#Grattitude

Delay doesn’t necessarily mean denied! God may have just placed you on pause simply because He saw something you didn’t see and knows things you don’t know!

It has become transparently clear to me over time, that some of the delays I’ve experienced in life have been for my own protection. I have found that when something was delayed, either I was not ready, God had something different in mind, or He was protecting from things I failed to see. Often times, I thought I had a grip on a situation but did not in actuality and the delays made it possible for me to gain clarity. I’ve also experienced delays that allowed the true colors of other people to shine through. Other times, the delay was designed for my physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental protection.

I constantly have to remind myself that God knows best. In Galatians 6:9 Paul urges his readers not to become weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. We must keep the faith and continue to work towards our dreams, endeavors, and goals, and at the right time our blessings will be more than we ever thought of receiving.

Trust in God’s timing!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#GodKnowsBest

Faith is like American Express; you can’t leave home without! But unfortunately far too many of us walk out of our earthly doors into this cold and wicked spiritual world unequipped for the battles and storms forming in an attempt to take us out!

Isaiah 54:17 says; “No weapon formed against you shall prosper….” Notice, the major prophet didn’t say there wouldn’t be a weapon. However, he did say that the weapon formed or turned against you wouldn’t prosper.

When we do go through hardships (weapons), whether they be financial woes, painful relationships, damaged health or questioning our self-worth, it is hard for us to realize that God is still always working in us. This is because as humans we use our beliefs based on what we see and not by faith, which is what God tells us not to focus on. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” As we continue to read Paul’s letter and turn the pages, 2 Corinthians 5:7 also tells us it can be difficult to trust God during uncertain times, but as believers we know by faith in Him that His ways are not our ways, and He will ultimately work all things for good (Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 8:28).

Friends, as we journey through our daily lives, each one of us will experience difficult situations, unexpected storms, and unwarranted disappointment. However, it’s imperative to remember that Jesus told us that in this world we will experience pain, suffering, and hardships (John 16:33).
The good news is that each of us are given the gift (measure) of faith from God and are encouraged to use this valuable fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in our everyday lives! At the end of the day, it is not up to us how things are resolved in our lives, but it is our job to have faith in God no matter the price.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NoMatterThePrice

Whenever our circumstances become too difficult to handle Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of those ‘go to’ passages of text: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not [do not depend] on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

In verse 5 of this passage of text we are introduced to a literary device called antithetical parallelism which simply bridges together two opposing ideas in marked contrast. In short, if we trust in the Lord, we cannot also depend upon our own ability to understand everything God is doing.

1 Corinthians 13:12 offers us a valid reason why shouldn’t lean nor depend on our own understanding: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

My brothers and sisters, we are all spiritually nearsighted. In other words, we only see part of the picture God is painting and if we are to truly trust God’s direction, we have to let go of our pride, our programs, and our plans. Even the best made human plans cannot begin to approach the magnificent tapestry of God’s master plan. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

I get it, we have a lot going on in our world: an ambiguous economy, political, social, and municipal unrest. The COVID pandemic is still out there (I think), the senseless war on Ukraine, and soaring costs across the board (hyper inflation), not to mention outrageous gas prices. If you have any hair left…it’s enough to make you want pull the reamining strands out!

Fact is, when our lives starts spinning out of control all we want are answers…we want to understand. However, Jeremiah 17:9 reminds and admonitions: “The heart is deceitful above all things” and let’s face it, our emotions are not dependable and human understanding simply cannot see the overall, big (God) picture!

It’s easier said than done, but we must approve of God’s ways, even when we can’t comprehend them. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us why we often don’t understand what God is doing: “‘For His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts.'”

God sees the BIG picture, while we only see our tiny corner of it. To trust in the Lord with all our heart means we can’t place our own right to understand above His right to direct our lives the way He sees fit. When we insist on God always making sense to our finite minds, we are setting ourselves up for spiritual trouble and unrest.

At the end of the day, every person must make a cognitive decision whether to live his or her life according to personal preference or according to the unchanging Word of God. Undoubtedly, we will not understand how God is causing “all things to work together for good” (Romans 8:28), but when we trust Him with all our hearts, we know that God never lies, God never changes, God sees all, God knows all, and God never fails!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#GodSeesTheBigPicture