Tag: God’s faithfulness

Dissensions caused by Boasting, Try Boasting in God!

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There are people that love to argue. They will take the opposing view to stimulate discussion, rile up their opponents, stir up descent, cause a ruckus or feed their own egos. There is certainly a time and place for healthy debate and exchange of thoughts, but that is not what Paul is speaking of in our Stream of Water passage this week. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 relates to people stirring up trouble in the church through arguments about who is following whom? They were wrongfully trying to take pride in who they were following, claiming one was better than another. Paul rejects this and pleads for unity. He is telling them they have lost the right focus- which is following Christ, their savior.

Do where do you see this in the church today? Are people prone to boasting about their pastor and extoling his virtues? It is one thing to tell others of your godly Pastor and encourage them to listen to his teaching from the Word and another to brag that your Pastor is better than others and has a monopoly on the truth. Paul is saying that all this does is create disunity and division among believers.

A better way? Yes, Paul pleads for unity. Later in 1 Corinthians 1:31 “so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” and 2 Corinthians 10:17 he tells them, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Let us follow that advise and take up the practice of boasting in the Lord. Can you praise Him today for: provision He has provided, protection in a dangerous or precarious situation, hope you received from another brother or sister in Christ or His Word, love you experienced, help you received by His grace and mercy, guidance about a problem or direction or knowledge of Him you received through prayer or study? Let us boast to one another about the Lord and be encouraged in our faith!

Here is my boasting for this week. Last week when our ladies met for bible study, we were sharing prayer requests. One gal asked for prayer for her daughter as she was refinancing her home asked that all go smoothly. I did not realize that interest rates had fallen that much. So that evening after group, I began pursuing this. I learned that mobile homes, which are limited in financing, usually did not quality. God led me to call the man who arranged my loan a year ago when I purchased my home. He said that loans were available if all criteria were met to refinance my home at 1% lower. This week I was approved and am now gathering my papers. Praise God for His provision and intervention in my finances. Thank you Jesus!

Let us share our boasting about God to uplift and encourage one another creating unity for all believers.

Linda

Full text for this week: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Friendly Influences pointing to Jesus

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Paul begins his letter to the Corinthian believers with a word of thanks. What are your first words when someone asks you about a friend? Are they words of praise and thanksgiving for that person’s friendship or quality of character? Here are Paul’s words of praise for his friends in the Corinthian church: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 ” I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

What stood out to me in this passage is Paul’s thankfulness to Jesus for giving these people to him as believing friends who emulated Jesus in speech and wisdom. They had spiritual gifts and used them to build up the body of believers. They lived with anticipation for the return of Christ and were sustained by their faith. Think about a friend you have in Christ. What qualities would you lift up to Jesus in praise about their faith, love and actions towards others? As you think about them, pray that God will use them to influence others as they have influenced you. Pray that they would continue to stand firm in faith and be the Light of Jesus to those around them. Pray for yourself too, that you too will be a friend that shows a zeal and passion for Christ that is evident to all those around you. Think about Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:15-16 “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

May our lives reflect Jesus and shine for all to see.

Linda

Are you Carefully Obeying God?

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The stream of water we had for this week was Deuteronomy 31:39-32:47. This is a long song that God had Moses compose to remind the people of who He is, what He has done, what He has promised to do if they are obedient. Meditate on the words as you read. I have added a question or comment along to way to stimulate your thinking on how this song can apply to us today.

30 So Moses recited this entire song publicly to the assembly of Israel:

32 “Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
    Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
2 Let my teaching fall on you like rain; How does God’s Word
    let my speech settle like dew. affect you?
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
    like gentle showers on young plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
    how glorious is our God!
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Do you know who God is?
    Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
    how just and upright he is!

5 “But they have acted corruptly toward him;
    when they act so perversely,
are they really his children? Do your actions each day
    They are a deceitful and twisted generation. bring Him glory?
6 Is this the way you repay the Lord,
    you foolish and senseless people?
Isn’t he your Father who created you?
    Has he not made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of long ago;
    think about the generations past. Are you passing on your
Ask your father, and he will inform you. knowledge of God?
    Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,
    when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples
    according to the number in his heavenly court.

9 “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord;
    Jacob is his special possession.
10 He found them in a desert land, Remember how God
    in an empty, howling wasteland. has provided and protected.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
    he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.
11 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
    and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
    and carried them safely on his pinions.
12 The Lord alone guided them;
    they followed no foreign gods.
13 He let them ride over the highlands
    and feast on the crops of the fields.
He nourished them with honey from the rock
    and olive oil from the stony ground.
14 He fed them yogurt from the herd
    and milk from the flock,
    together with the fat of lambs.
He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats,
    together with the choicest wheat.
You drank the finest wine,
    made from the juice of grapes.

15 “But Israel soon became fat and unruly;
    the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed!
Then they abandoned the God who had made them;
    they made light of the Rock of their salvation.
16 They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods;
    they provoked his fury with detestable deeds.
17 They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God,
    to gods they had not known before, Remember how you have
to new gods only recently arrived, failed to follow Him.
    to gods their ancestors had never feared.
18 You neglected the Rock who had fathered you;
    you forgot the God who had given you birth.

19 “The Lord saw this and drew back,
    provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters.
20 He said, ‘I will abandon them; Has God left you to pursue
    then see what becomes of them. your own idols? Money,
For they are a twisted generation, success, greed, knowledge.
    children without integrity.
21 They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;
    they have provoked my anger with their useless idols.
Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people;
    I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.
22 For my anger blazes forth like fire
    and burns to the depths of the grave.
It devours the earth and all its crops
    and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will heap disasters upon them
    and shoot them down with my arrows.
24 I will weaken them with famine, Has God allowed calamity
    burning fever, and deadly disease. to come into your life to
I will send the fangs of wild beasts cause you to turn back to
    and poisonous snakes that glide in the dust. Him?
25 Outside, the sword will bring death,
    and inside, terror will strike
both young men and young women,
    both infants and the aged.
26 I would have annihilated them,
    wiping out even the memory of them.
27 But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy,
    who might misunderstand and say,
“Our own power has triumphed!
    The Lord had nothing to do with this!”’

28 “But Israel is a senseless nation;
    the people are foolish, without understanding.
29 Oh, that they were wise and could understand this!
    Oh, that they might know their fate!
30 How could one person chase a thousand of them,
    and two people put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them, Do not be lured away
    unless the Lord had given them up? by false worthless gods.
31 But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock,
    as even they recognize.
32 Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom,
    from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison,
    and their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
    the deadly poison of cobras.

34 “The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
    sealing them away in my treasury? God knows those who oppose
35 I will take revenge; I will pay them back. us and will take care
    In due time their feet will slip. of them in due time.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
    and their destiny will overtake them.’

36 “Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
    and he will change his mind about his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone God is just.
    and no one is left, slave or free.
37 Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
    the rocks they fled to for refuge?
38 Where now are those gods,
    who ate the fat of their sacrifices
    and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
    Let them provide you with shelter!
39 Look now; I myself am he! Do you know and
    There is no other god but me! believe this truth?
I am the one who kills and gives life;
    I am the one who wounds and heals;
    no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
40 Now I raise my hand to heaven
    and declare, “As surely as I live,
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
    and begin to carry out justice,
I will take revenge on my enemies
    and repay those who reject me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
    and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and the captives,
    and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’

43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens,
    and let all of God’s angels worship him.
Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles,
    and let all the angels be strengthened in him.
For he will avenge the blood of his children;
    he will take revenge against his enemies.
He will repay those who hate him Rejoice in Him and
    and cleanse his people’s land.” trust Him.

44 So Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people. 45 When Moses had finished reciting all these words to the people of Israel, 46 he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. 47 These instructions are not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.”

I pray that you and I will heed words of Moses’ song as they are words of life and prosperity, hope and regeneration and because they are centered on God’s promises to us as believers. God is a promise keeper and we can trust Him.

Blessings,

Linda

God’s Word is Worthy of Reading!

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Each week we, the believers who attend Crossroads Church in Concord, CA, have a selection from God’s Word to meditate upon. We have been going through the book of Deuteronomy for quite some time now as it is a long book, and we only take a few verses at at time. I was thunderstruck by the passage this week.

Deuteronomy 31:9-13 “9 So Moses wrote this entire body of instruction in a book and gave it to the priests, who carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses gave them this command: “At the end of every seventh year, the Year of Release, during the Festival of Shelters, 11 you must read this Book of Instruction to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses. 12 Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions. 13 Do this so that your children who have not known these instructions will hear them and will learn to fear the Lord your God. Do this as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.”

How many of us read God’s Word, all of it at least every 7 years? Do we share it with our families? God has a specific purpose for us reading His Word faithfully- to teach us about Himself and to pass on our love for God to the next generation. In my opinion, that is something we, all believers, have not done faithfully and now our world is lacking in the knowledge of who God is and why we should trust in Him alone.

Let us pray for our nation and ourselves that we will be found faithful in reading and studying His Word and telling those around us about the truths contained therein. To thrive in this sin-filled world, we must look to Jesus and His Word to walk in victory and light.

Linda

P.S. Need a Bible Study? send me a note and I’ll tell you of opportunities to study with many online groups. We no longer need to live in the same city or country!

What byproduct of Joy are you experiencing?

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Journey towards joy!  Today’s passage is from Philippians 1:1-6.  Paul and Timothy are greeting the Philippians and thanking them for their love ministry there in Phillipi.  They were thankful for all the good memories they had about them, their service, their love towards each other and for faithfully giving out the gospel message.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

philippians 1 4This passage reminds me to pray for my fellow believers as they serve in the cause of Christ.  They are a blessing to me and those around them.  Paul is thankful for these friends and fellow coworkers in Philippi.  He gives thanks for their love for Jesus and diligence in spreading the good news of Christ.   He is prompted to pray a prayer of thanksgiving for them,  and it fills him with joy whenever he does.  Paul states emphatically that he knows God will continue this good work in them, using them, keeping them and moving them forward because it is God’s work in them.  God is doing the work!  All God’s work is good and God will see all things to completion.  God does not give up, change His mind or let us down in any way.  James 1:17 promises, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”.  

Who do you need to pray for today?  Tap into the joy of thankfulness as you pray.

Then mediate on verse 6 and consider God’s promise a source of joy:

  • joy in your salvation– God loves you and has provided a secure future for you.
  • joy in God’s work within you through the power of the Holy Spirit.  He is leading you to be more and more like Jesus.
  • joy in His ability to finish what He has started in you by faith.  God is sovereign and He will not fail.  His victory = joy and hope within us, no matter what the circumstance look like.

philippians 1 6JOY is a byproduct of thankfulness, prayer, salvation and God working within us.  Thank you Lord that I can experience these even in the midst of a pandemic.   God you are good.  Here is a favorite verse of mine- Nahum 1:7 ‘The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,”   Walk with Jesus and He will restore your joy because He is in control and He cares for you in His goodness!

Linda

Is your Shield of Faith flame proof?

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epheisan 6 16 shieldEphesians 6:16  describes the Shield of Faith that we must possess as believers so that we may combat the enemy,  “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”    Paul in these passages is comparing our Christian walk and witness to going into or being in battle each day.  In verse 12 he had reminded us that the forces of evil in this world can be both physical and spiritual so we must always be ready.  Satan cannot take our salvation away but he can destroy our witness and effectiveness for God.   As Paul said here, we must be ready in all circumstances.

Active faith functions a shield because it shows you truly believe in God.  It is actively putting your trust in God’s truths and desiring to please Him with your actions. We won’t see our shield in action until we step out boldly using our faith.  A believer’s faith is less about the believer and more about God and what we believe and are absolutely convinced that He is capable of doing in our lives.  It involves trust and hope at the highest levels.  Jeremiah 29:11 has helped to activate my faith and move it from head knowledge to heart trust,  as I absorb the truth of God’s Words.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   God is good and intends good for me.  I can trust Him in all I do, wherever I go He is there with me.

Satan wants to lessen, destroy, or render ineffective any and all faith that we possess.  He cannot take our salvation away as it is sealed and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.  2 Corinthians 1:21-22 is a promise “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  Using your faith in a way  that will thwart or repel Satan’s attacks, requires trust in God’s faithfulness and wisdom on our part so we are aware and ready.

Consider this today– sometimes you might not need more faith or a bigger shield,  but you just need a better understanding of the comprehensive nature of God’s faithfulness. Think about His faithfulness in these verses:

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”     God is always faithful and does not change.

Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”  Our shield of faith is backed by His faithfulness to us.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”   God’s faithfulness gives us strength and protection.

Hebrews 10:23 “ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”   God’s faithfulness gives us hope as we actively use it- holding on tightly!

faith tells meBecause Christ died on the cross and rose for the dead, I have a faith that is supported and connected to the faithfulness of Almighty God.   His faithfulness is eternal, unending, complete and 100% sure!

Take up your shield today!  Step out with an active faith unafraid and backed by God’s faithfulness.

Linda

Holy Week- Tuesday.  Jesus’ authority was questioned at the temple by the Pharisees and He continued to teach with parables.  Later in the day, He was anointed with oil which, unknowingly to the disciples,  was in preparation for His burial.  See Matthew  21:23-27, 21:28-23:39 and Matthew 26:6-13.  These are also recorded in Mark and Luke and the anointing in John.

4th Sunday of Lent, 2020 Facing the world through Christ not the virus

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We had some amazing truths this week in Ephesians 3 and 4 that affirmed who we are in Christ and the purpose God has for believers’ lives.

  • we have the privilege and obligation to intercede on behalf of other believers.  Ephesians 3:14-19   PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for one another!
  • we have His indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us with His love for His glory and our good. Ephesians 3:20-21   Empowered to give and show LOVE!
  • we are indwelt, empowered and enabled to act and be more and more like Jesus as we grow in Him.  Ephesians 4:1-3    Sanctification-growing more like Jesus!
  • we are one in Christ, specially gifted through His grace.   Ephesians 4:7  Show His grace to the world around us.
  • we can trust God’s Word to grow and mature us so we can be fully and completely equipped to live for Him. Ephesians 4:11-13   God will bring growth in our lives so we can serve those around us in Him.
  • so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.   Ephesians 4:14-16   We can be contributors to the body of Christ as we work together in unity of love and Spirit.

God teaches us we need to pray for others, be indwelt and empowered by His Holy Spirit, are gifted by His grace, can be fully equipped through His Word to serve others, and grow ourselves more and more like Christ.  What powerful messages for our times!   Our togetherworld is in need of Christ and His redeeming love, our love as believers and the Truth of His Word.   Endeavor to reach out to others this week in love, pray for those hurting around you, look for His truth in the Word of God as you open it this coming week. Read the Book (the Bible) to grow in wisdom, truth, love and knowledge of God.

Linda

Promised Growth- are you seeing it? If not why not?

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When Jesus came to earth, He fulfilled the plan of salvation and provided a way for us to be reconciled to the Father.  After His return to heaven, He promised a helper would come to empower us to take His message of salvation, forgiveness and love to all the ephesians 4 11world.  In Ephesians 4:11-13 Paul explains some of the resources the Holy Spirit gives to believers (His church) so that we might live fully equipped lives for Christ.  “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”   Not all believers are called to be pastors or teachers but all of us are called to be recipients of good godly teaching so that we may be equipped to do God’s work.   Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can trust God’s Word to grow and mature us so we can be fully and completely equipped to live for Him.

Where are you getting your good godly teaching? Is that teaching based on the Word of God or is it more a social, feel good type of message?  2 Timothy 3:16-17 promises 2 Timothy 3-17God’s Word is complete and sufficient for our training in right living.  “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 

Ask God to guide you to a place of worship that stands on the Word of God and gives it out regularly.  You will be blessed.  

Linda

P.S  Due to the Corona Virus, this Sunday, March 22, 2020, my place of worship will be live streaming  the service. Tune in to YouTube:   wearecrossroads  at 10:15, the service begins at 10:30 AM PST     If you miss it live, that’s okay- it is still there for your viewing or reviewing thanks to YouTube.

#2 Practicing Devotion to God-REMEMBER!

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The first way to practice devotion to God was to meditate on God’s great character. The second way is to Remember His Great Works!  If you like someone you think about the times you’ve been together and the things you’ve done.  You probably remember some of the things they have said to you and how you reacted to their love and friendship.

Moses warned the children of Israel over and over to Remember what the Lord has done.  If we do not remember, we will trivialize or marginalize the place of importance God has in our lives and what marvelous things He has done.  In Deuteronomy 7:18 Stone cairn on green blurry background, pebbles and stonesMoses is reminding the Israelites of God’s favor towards them because they would soon be going into the Promised Land and would be facing certain opposition. “ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,”   Remembering what God did to miraculously lead them out of Egypt would give them the courage they needed to face tomorrow.

David was pursued by Saul for over 10 years and fled for his life. In 2 Samuel 22:1-4 David remembers what God did for him:  “And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,

remember-what-god-has-doneblog“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3     my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
    my stronghold and my refuge,
    my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.”

Mary’s Song of praise to God for what He had done for her is recorded in Luke 1:46-55.  Here are a few of the verses: 49 “for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.”  51-54 “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel,   in remembrance of his mercy,”

Remembering what God has done helps us to praise Him for the involvement He has had in our lives, to remember that He  is always with us, to remember that He has plans for us and all things will be good for us and bring Him glory.  If you don’t take time to remember, you forget and think ‘God doesn’t care about me’, ‘God will not help me’.  These thoughts are from Satan and he desires that we do not walk with God.  Satan knows that  not remembering will lead us away from God.

Remember GodSo when you have those doubts,  Remember what God has done for you in the past and what He is doing for you, in your life right now!   Practicing the habit of remembering what God has done enriches our lives and strengthens our faith especially in hard times. Be like the children of Israel, David and Mary- Remember God’s goodness and mercy towards you with praise today!

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A practical idea is to have a praise journal that you can record amazing things God has done in your life.  Then when you have doubts or just want to remember- you can look back and see God loves you and truly cares for you.  He is faithful and will continue to do so in the future.

Faithful God inspires HOPE for Living

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A portion of scripture I always visit in the New Year is Lamentations 3:21-26 as it is filled with hope for life, living and reminds me of the importance of dependence upon God.

But this I call to mind,                          (I just need to remember to receive HOPE.)
    and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;           (God’s love and mercy are
    his mercies never come to an end;                               unending.)
23 they are new every morning;               (Each day I can begin anew with God.)
    great is your faithfulness.                      (I can depend upon His faithfulness.)
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”                     (My hope is in God alone.)

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.                          (The Lord blesses me as I seek Him.)

lamentation 3-21-22 NLTThese verses inspire, refresh, assure, and lead me to God.    He alone is the one I can depend upon because I know He is faithful, merciful, keeps His promises and delights when I seek Him.  He loves me with an eternal love that is steadfast and true and therefore I can place my hope in Him.

lamentation 3-21-NLTJoin me as we begin this New Year by placing your Hope in God and walk expecting good from God as He is good to those who wait upon Him and place their hope in Him.

Let these words of hope and encouragement guide you today. God is faithful and you can depend upon His love and mercy so you can begin each day with new hope.

Linda