Tag: Child of God

Posted on

Don’t Worry About It!

Do you worry? Some of us worry about paying the monthly rent or mortgage. Some of us worry about the choices our children are making. Others are anxious about the big decisions we must make about our future. With all the concerns in life, can Jesus be serious when he tells us not to worry?

While we will never know a life without concern, Jesus assures us we can know without worry. He points out that worry—any manner of ‘pace-the-floor’, ‘can’t-sleep-at-night’ fretting—is not helpful, because it changes nothing. Worry doesn’t add a single hour to life; it doesn’t solve a single problem. Worry isn’t helpful because life is more than our worries make it out to be! Followers of Jesus are called to live for so much more than the fleeting things we worry about.

Jesus reminds us that worry isn’t necessary for a child of God. Your heavenly Father knows precisely what you need and when you need it. Your heavenly Father is good. The same God who paints the flowers of the field and tends the birds of the air, holds every part of your life in his nail-pierced hands. The same God who loved you so much that he went through the hell of Calvary for you, loves you too much to leave your life to chance. Don’t worry! God is in control!

“Do not worry about your life …” (Matthew 6:25).

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, you hold the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of the smallest molecules in your hands. Please help me to trust in your perfect care for me, so that I may be free to build my life in you. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Posted on

Lessons From The Nativity 4 An Invitation To The Shepherds

For the shepherds watching over their sheep, it started as a quiet night. Then suddenly an angel was standing in front of them! Of course, they were terrified, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid”. The angel announced that he was bringing good news that would give all the people great joy. 

This was not just good news; it was life-changing good news. The Saviour had been born, and he was going to deliver us out of all the trouble we were in. And how could the shepherds know who he was? The angel said, “You will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger”. Without any notice, an entire army of angels appeared, not coming to terrify the world but to surround them with praise about God’s plan for a peace-filled world. 

As You enter the New Year remember the promise of Christmas: God’s peace, God’s invitation to the world to start over again. The invitation still stands… Come to Bethlehem. Come and be a part of something new: a new King, a new Kingdom, a new way of life. 

How do you respond to this invitation and become part of this new Kingdom? By faith- believing in Jesus. When we believe, we will want to start over. Then Jesus says, you must be born again. Jesus says, today come and have a new life and become a child of God. 

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10).

Let’s Pray 

Yahshua, show me the way to the manger, so that in seeing you, I may believe and in believing, have eternal life. In Christ’s name, Amen. 

Posted on

Don’t Engage with the Enemy’s Lies

Wrestling with Doubt and Disbelief

When that guy cat-calls you just to get a reaction, what do you do? You ignore him and keep walking.

When that bully pushes all of your buttons just to make you mad, what do you do? you tune them out and move on.

When somebody tries to convince you of something you know 100% isn’t true, you don’t even give it a second thought before you dismiss the argument.

So why don’t we use this tactic against the father of all lies, a.k.a the enemy that is out to destroy your life? Just don’t engage. As soon as you do, he wins. He is cunning, crafty, and manipulative, and he’s only after your heart. He wants to crush it and mutate it and trample it underfoot until there’s nothing left for God to use.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” John 10:10a

I know this isn’t easy. Trust me, I’m a thinker. Overthinking is my second nature, if not my first nature. I have to think through everything, especially when faced with a conflict. If somebody challenges my opinion, my first reaction is to analyze the entire argument…

What are they saying?
Do I agree or disagree? Why?
What do I think?
How does that compare to what they think?
What is true?
What evidence affirms/denies my argument?
Is there any way there is truth in both arguments?
Why do they think what they think?
Why do I think what I think?

And it goes on …

and on …

and on.

I think you get the idea. By the way, all of that overthinking happens in about 2 seconds. It’s an intense self-interrogation until I think my way into a solution that makes sense to me, so I can feel at peace with what I believe and move on.

Sometimes this is a really useful skill, but the enemy knows exactly how to use it for my deepest undoing. The problem with using the “overthinking tactic” against Satan is that he doesn’t care about logic. His goal is not to convince me that his argument makes more sense. In fact, he doesn’t even care about what he says. He doesn’t even believe the lies himself.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.”

James 2:19

Satan knows God. He knows scripture. He knows what the truth is, and his goal is to keep you as far away from it as possible. He knows the power that God’s word can have in your life and that terrifies him. He will say whatever it takes to get you to question God and doubt His goodness, and the moment you try to reason with him, you’ve fallen into his trap.

I say all of this because I fall into the trap far too often. The devil uses people near and dear to me to convince me of his lies because he knows it works with almost 100% accuracy. Because their opinion matters so much to me, I will over-analyze their every word and body language to my own demise. Something they say – or don’t say – pricks one of my insecurities (unbeknownst to that person), and the trap has been set. Suddenly, I’m hit with an avalanche of thoughts like these:

“They just don’t care enough about you to ask about your day.”

“You’re stupid for thinking ______ would happen.”

“You’re too dramatic, emotional, etc.”

“It’s your fault that you can’t handle this feeling.”

The first step is to recognize the lie. Now, to do this, you have to know the Truth. No, that’s not a typo. I meant Truth with a capital “T” because you have to know God’s Word, and His word is Truth. Once you start to bury His word in your heart, and begin to recognize his voice, you can more easily discern truth from lies.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

 Deuteronomy 6:6-7

But it doesn’t stop there! That’s where I made my mistake. I thought, “If I recognize the lie, it will become invalid and it won’t sting anymore.”

False.

Satan is more crafty than that, and he was already one step ahead of me. See, he recognized how I use my interrogation process to reconcile a contradicting thought, so he used it against me. He used it to blur the lines between lie and Truth. So he takes me down this rabbit hole to confuse me and muddle the words of God until I feel so lost, confused, and heartbroken that I can’t even remember what lie got the whole thing started to begin with. He knows how I look for the middle ground to make sense of things, but there is no middle ground between what the devil says and what God says.

So no, it CANNOT end with recognizing the lie. You have to take the next step and make the choice not to engage with the lie. Now, if you’re a thinker like me, this will be hard. Like really, really hard. But you have to choose to look the other way. Change your posture to look toward your loving, protective, jealous, Heavenly Father. Tell the enemy you don’t have time for his games. Don’t try to argue with him and tell him why his lie is a lie and why God’s Truth wins, because he already knows it, and he doesn’t care. He’ll just twist everything around until you find yourself lost in a muddy mess of nothing that makes any sense whatsoever.

“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.”

2 Corinthians 4:18

To sum it up…

  1. Study Truth, that is, the Word of God.
  2. Recognize the lie, which is not the Word of God.
  3. Don’t Engage. Choose to meditate on and dwell in the Word of God.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Joshua 1:8

This is not something that my genius, overthinking brain came up with one day. This is something that the Holy Spirit whispered to me, and by God’s grace alone, I heard it. I was on the brink of yet another panic attack and fearful of going back down that dark road. I was on the brink of forming another unsuccessful argument for why the lie was a lie and trying to figure out a way to outsmart the devil this time, and the Holy Spirit simply said, “don’t engage with the lie.” Of course I tried to overthink and analyze again, but He didn’t relent. He just kept telling me, “Don’t engage with the lie. It’s not worth it. Just keep looking at Me. Lean on the love of your Father instead of your own knowledge for once.” Hey, that sounds familiar, right?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

So go ahead. Give the enemy the cold shoulder. Hit him with the silent treatment. Then you will taste freedom. Remember the second half of John 10:10…

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10b

Go live in the abundant life Christ bought for you. The enemy’s lies are not worth your time, precious child of God.

Posted on

Biblical Principles on How To Reclaim Your Life

Are you low-spirited? Is your mind and heart bogged down by a multitude of issues? Failures, regretful words spoken, deeds you wish you could scrap from your history, wrong decisions you wish you could rethink over again? These are some of the culprits that make you lose out in life. When these take over, you lose joy and zest for facing your now and your future. The child of God shouldn’t live in such an unfortunate way. Following are some principles that will help you reclaim your life.

Learn from the past but don’t live in it.

From 1 Corinthians 10:11 we understand that past occurrences serve as examples and warnings of what we need to imitate and what we need to avoid following after. From both the good and the bad there are learnings to mark and treasure. Successes and failures should never be inflated. Let them serve their purpose to affirm or to warn, then put them to rest.

Romans 12:3 warns us saying, “Let no man think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” Over-dwelling on accomplishments tends to lead to that. It lifts the successful man to a plane he may find difficult to come down from.

Proverbs 24:16 encourages us saying, “Though the righteous man falls seven times, he WILL rise again.” There is never a pit God won’t be able to lift us from. In every downfall, there will always be a rising for the beloved one of God.

Life is filled with seasons. In every season, take courage and maintain joy and drive in all that lies before you. Ecc 6:11 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all you’ve got.” Be excited of the fact that whatever unfolds, God is ever at your side. He will never leave nor abandon you.

Stop using wrong measures.

2 Corinthians 10:12 says, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” Further, verse 17-18 say, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” Lastly, Romans 14:8 reminds us, “Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

From the passages we gather that it is wrong for man to use fellow man as a standard for performance and worth. God who is impartial, always loving, always good; His standards are just right, always within perfect reason and purpose. It is His standard and precepts we should consider. It is His approval that matters. It is His approval we should long for.

Yes, Seek God’s approval first and desire His approval most.

1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us of the proper perspective to all things. In everything we do, God’s pleasure and honor is to be our purpose and goal. It’s normal to pursue achievement and success because these make us feel good and proud of ourselves. Achievements are an affirmation and appreciation of all the hard work we put into something. But that shouldn’t be our only motivation. God’s pleasure and testimony should be the top reason why we want to do well in school, in work, in life and relationships.

We have a Father who is never unreasonable nor overly expecting. We know that anything done rightfully and sincerely will be accepted of Him and will receive praise from Him. In the Old Testament God has made clear from the beginning that if we do right we will be accepted. (Genesis 4:7) In the New, we know that God pays attention to the motives of man’s hearts and basing from that, each man will receive due praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Posted on

How to Find Strength in Tough Times: A Biblical Approach for Conquering Life’s Hardships

How to Find Strength in Tough Times: A Biblical Approach for Conquering Life's Hardships

Reading through Job 19, we get a glimpse of the hardship Job went through. The chapter details just how difficult life was for him at that time. People around him had nothing good nor helpful to say. He met no comfort. Instead, all he kept hearing were tormenting and crushing words that sank his spirits even deeper. People were condemning him; suspicious that he was in great sin because of the great trials and sufferings he was going through. People thought themselves better than him and looked on him with contempt without any effort to hide what they felt.

In prayers, Job cried for help and for justice, but God didn’t seem to answer. He felt God had closed all doors and left him in the dark. He was stripped of decency. His friends and relatives forsook him. His workers wouldn’t beckon to his call. Even his very wife was repulsed with him. To top it off, his body was wearing out because of a disease.

In all these, he decides to still set his mind on God. He says, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Now we must remember that Job was a real person. He was just like us. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t supernaturally endowed with resolve or spirituality. He was like us in every way and the book of Job shows how human Job was like we are. The account of Job is to be thanked because it shows us that the child of God can weather the storms and setbacks of life. You and I can respond right even when things are going so wrong. Through the life of Job, we can find encouragement to stay the path even when the flesh wants what Job’s wife wanted in chapter 2 verse 9, “to curse God and just die.”

When the wind is against us and when we can’t make sense of what to do, Scripture points us to how we can respond right.

1. When life is troublesome, keep trusting.

Even impending death should not be a cause for a Christian to forsake God. Job 13:15 says, “Though He slays me, yet will I trust Him”.

2. When life is bad, keep loving God.

We may not understand the situation but God has proven Himself over and again that He is good. Think of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”

3. When nights are sleepless, keep staying your mind on God.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.” Philippians 4:7 says, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” There’s one blessing the child of God can enjoy, to have peace even when everything is in chaos. This cannot be achieved by human methods, not by yoga, not by any potion. But when you’re at your wit’s end, when your back is against the wall and you have nowhere to go, the Spirit of God in you comes to calm you and bring you to stillness. In perfect release, surrender, and trust, you find God. You find peace.

Posted on

Is God There? Is He Here?

Is God There? Is He Here?

For the Child of God, sensing or perceiving God may not be instinctive nor constant. Surely, there are days (and there will be days!) when you don’t feel close to the Father. At times, it may seem that He is so far away. Where is He? Why don’t I feel Him? Is God there? Is He here?

God is Omnipresent

If it’s your first time to come across this word, it simply means that God is present everywhere and at all times. There can be no place in the whole universe right now where God is NOT. He is simply here, there, and everywhere; all at the same time. In Jeremiah 23:24, God Himself says that there can’t be a place where man can hide for: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”, declares the LORD. Job 34:21 says that “God’s eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees ALL his steps.” (NASB)

Psalm 139 is a song David composed during one of his mediations. This passage explains much about the omnipresence of God. In verses 7-10, he sings,

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.” (NIV)

To the believer who longs for intimacy with God, this passage brings great comfort and assurance. We know that God is here, with us, guiding us, sustaining us. To the wayward Christian however, that may be a different story. What might come are feelings of guilt, then resentment, then bitterness, then resistance, and then finally- denial; all these may step in.

Sin Separates

Sin will always bring separation. Isaiah 59:2 says,

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (NIV)

When man fell, sin separated him from God. Adam and Eve could no longer have free access and view of God because of the sinful nature they both possessed. Years later, by faith and acceptance in Christ’s finished work on the cross, the repentant sinner was gifted with salvation and reconciliation. Yet, as a child of God, saved by grace through faith, walking in the light and power of God’s transforming Word through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, man can still be separated from God. There can be spiritual estrangement for the man who harbors sin in his life. This is why a child of God must be careful to maintain a heart of surrender, cleansing himself of willful sins that hinder him from experiencing a vibrant relationship with the Father.

Ignorance is a Problem

The only way to feel close to someone is to know the person. You can never nourish intimacy without regularly staying in discovery of and communication with each other. The other person must be in your life and you must be in His. Acts 17:27-28 says,

“This was so that they would seek God if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him, we actually have our being]. AMP

II Peter 3: 18 shares that we grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. One great blessing we have at this time and age is that we have ready access to the Holy Bible at all times. With advancements in technology, the prospects for growth in the reading and study of God’s Word are even more promising. The Christian will mature if he wants to. He will know God and be intimate with Him and His dealings if the Christian wants to.

Trials May Breed Doubt

Job was a man who loved God. He wouldn’t have been perfect but He sought God and longed to learn of Him through life experiences. He lived righteously and was careful to surrender to God any uncleanness he may have in his life and even in the life of his children. He experienced God’s presence. He knew from experience that God was always there. However, in a great time of difficulty and tragedy, His spiritual steadiness was shaken. He no longer felt God. He doubted God’s love and presence. Job 23 shares those moments of doubt and confusion.

In this broken world, there will be hardships, pains, failures, and all sorts of struggles. Jesus Himself prepared us for this truth when He said that we would face tribulation in this world. Humans as we are with our limited minds, we may begin to doubt God’s care and even His companionship. Yet, Christ assures us that there is no need to fear those times because He has overcome the world. From Philippians chapter 4 and verse 13 we know that, in Him and in His power, we will have the strength to face all things. He is always here.

So, yes, God is there, and even better, God is here. When you reach a point in your life like Job, remember these:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28,37-39 NIV

Posted on

You’re Possessed, Now What?

You're Possessed, Now What?

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

“And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.

“Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26

Demonic spirits are constant – their existence does not change just because the times we live in have changed. While many Christians may believe that demonic possession is not possible for them and may not even be a reality for others anymore, the forces of darkness still continue with their rampage through the earth to take as many souls as they can before Jesus comes again. Instead of burying our heads in the sand, we should arm ourselves with GOD’S Word and remain vigilant because our LORD is fast approaching.

In warfare, it is advisable that each side learns as much as they can about each other. Many a time a spy will be sent to learn secrets that could have one gain advantage over their enemy. With the gleaned information, they can launch an attack that will either defeat their opponent or at least temporarily put them out of action. Based on Scripture, we know that, as Believers, we are in open warfare against “… principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). Some Christians may say that this Scripture is not as relevant today as back then, but they would be in error. In Matthew 24:3-28, Jesus speaks of the Last Days. He tells us that wickedness will increase upon the earth in various ways, whether it will be a lack of love, false prophets etc. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 also describes these Last Days, how the condition of man will be and what to watch out for. What is behind this wickedness? Do you think that it is just man taking greater liberties in deciding what is right and wrong and even blurring those lines? Perhaps this Scripture will give you an idea: “We know that we are of GOD, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Did you catch that last part of the sentence? The world is under the influence of the wicked one, the wicked one is Satan.

Seeing as how the world is being influenced by Satan, how is he doing it? Fallen angels, beloved, demon spirits. Their handiwork is open to your viewing pleasure, just check out the latest movies, the decrease in morals, the increase of hatred (especially towards Christians), popular music and their artists… they are everywhere! Still in doubt? Just go to Youtube and check out what is going on- people are constantly posting about the influence of these fallen angels. Some may not be credible, but I assure you that there are many truthful videos available. Make sure to pray about what you are watching, you wouldn’t want to be deceived into believing the wrong things now would you?

These demons are affecting the world through people. Demonic possession does not always mean that you’re going to levitate in the air, change your voice, become supernaturally strong etc. It just depends on the situation really. These demons are intelligent- they have been around far longer than you have (obviously), and they have been studying mankind all of this time. They have been essentially monitoring you-possessed or not. Being possessed is different with all people because each person is different. It still all boils down to the same thing really, but the circumstances are always individually influenced. Some people do not realize that they are possessed, they may feel something odd about themselves, but other than that they just don’t know.

There are demons for everything! Lust, hate, addiction, covetous, idolatry, adultery, murder, destruction, witchcraft, unbelief, death- you come up with the rest. Not only are there demons for everything (of an evil nature), but through these demons, you can receive counterfeit gifts. You know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, right? Prophecy, healing, wisdom… read 1 Corinthians 12 to find out what the others are (by the way, each Believer has a gift/s, it’s a matter of prayerfully finding out what they are). The dark kingdom also has their version of these gifts, thus counterfeit gifts. Remember when Paul and the other disciples had that one girl following them around and proclaiming them as servants of God (Acts 16:17)? The Scriptures tell us that she had a spirit of divination and earned her masters a living by fortune telling. This would be a counterfeit gift of prophecy. Well, Paul became quite annoyed with her and eventually commanded the spirit to come out. Boy, were her masters mad!

The counterfeit gift of tongues is often mistaken for the true one in many churches. Instead of communing with GOD, they are uttering curses down on the church. It’s sad really, this kind of atrocity can be prevented if only people adhered to John’s words in 1 John 4:1-3 and Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14:27.

Let’s tackle a more taboo subject among Christians: demon possession of a Believer. You might say: Oh come on now, Steph, that’s not possible! When we accepted Jesus, those evil spirits had to go! Okay then, perhaps they did, but did you close your doorways? Doorways are the openings that you give the demons to dwell within you in the first place. Some doorways are through your own sin, some come about through dreams, others through traumatic events (eg rape, molestation etc) and others are hereditary.

Okay, you’re born again now. You have been freed from bondage to sin and the works of the devil. Perhaps for a few weeks, everything is okay, but suddenly all hell breaks loose. What could have happened? Read Luke 11:24-26 again. That demon/ s that were cast out of you, they roamed about, looking for somewhere to dwell. Well, they couldn’t find anything and decided to come back to you, just to see if they could try their luck. It turns out that you’re available and there is ample room for them to bring in seven more demons,   more wicked than the first lot. Now your situation is worst off than when you began. They came into your house (your body), through the door (your doorway). This doesn’t mean that you’re no longer Christian- salvation doesn’t work that way. It is by grace that you have been saved, not through what is going on with you. But guess what? According to Luke 10:19, you’ve got power and authority over these spirits and you can rebuke them and cast them out of you. If you’re not certain about doing it yourself, rather find true Believers to help you. Repent of the sin, ask for forgiveness from GOD, and finally, close that doorway in Jesus’ name, praying the blood of Jesus to seal up that door.

Some Believers are probably up in arms because of this, but I’ll explain this demonic possession a bit further- with Scripture of course. Look to Ezekiel 8:1-18. There were abominations in the temple of GOD, while the glory of GOD was there! So how does this fit in with us? We are the temple of GOD (1 Cor 3:16 & 1 Cor 6:19), the Holy Spirit dwells within us. So, if the abominations could dwell in the sanctuary of GOD while He was there, why wouldn’t a demon dwell within us if we commit a sin that opens a doorway for them or, through lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), we neglect to close the doorways already present? Instead of shying away, examine yourself. Were you involved in the occult? Did you dabble in occultic games? Were you raped, whether as a child or adult (please, I am not seeking to lay blame on rape victims, but this doorway is a major one), had an abortion? There are others, but I would advise you to please pray about this and get others to be in agreement with you. You are a child of GOD, you do not have to suffer alone. You can walk around, pretending that everything is okay, or assume that whatever problems are befalling you are trials sent by GOD. Often times certain sicknesses have demonic origins, some traumatic events happening (losing a loved one) have been caused by demons- there are just so many things caused by them because of their possession of you. And they have the right to- you didn’t close the door. Throughout the Scriptures, examples of spiritual laws are given- how the spiritual world operates, etc. That is why GOD has commandments in place, they are to protect you! When He says do not do something, He is keeping you from harm.

I’m not saying that all sins lead to demonic possession, of course not! But there are sins that do and you need to be aware of them. Please, study the Scriptures- the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is mighty indeed. There is life in the Word of GOD, and you need it amidst all this evil.

Ending Thoughts: “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death, I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is a sin, and there is a sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16-17).

Posted on

Two Ways To Handle Your Worries

Worries are a normal part of life we all deal with. There are present situations or potentially brewing events that can legitimately disturb and agitate us. It is a blessing to know that as a child of God, these worries need not lead to debilitating fear or loss of joy and happiness. Following are two ways to handle worries:

1. In the matter of provisions, pray.

Phil 4:19 is a promise that God will meet our needs- the essentials of life. It can be hard for those in an  impoverished state to understand and trust this promise but God’s Word says so. It doesn’t guarantee that we won’t face hunger and a lack of necessities. The apostle Paul himself recounted instances wherein he faced hardship and loss of physical provisions but he also recounted stories of the many times God showed up to ease burdens and bring relief. He was burdened, yes; but he also found relief.

In an earlier verse (verse 6) Paul reminds us to “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” It is worth highlighting the phrase with thanksgiving. Believers must remember to maintain a heart of thankfulness at all times. Job is an inspiring testimony about thankfulness. In his book of account, he shares the following:

(a.) “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21)

(b;) “ Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?”(Job 2:10)

2. In the matter of physical wellbeing and safety, trust.

Sickness and danger are valid concerns. When something befalls us, faith may be shaken. When things don’t look good, we may doubt the God who lovingly watches over us. Remember to continue to trust. Death has always been a sure end. Physical degeneration is a natural occurrence. Our physical life on earth right now is temporary. The eternal life hereafter is what’s permanent and lasting.

David inspires us in Psalm 23 to fear no evil even in the midst of danger and death. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (v.4) God will be there at the threshold. His comfort will ease us into eternity.

Scriptures also teach us that we are here for a definite period of time, a period God in all wisdom has appointed for us. “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16). To a child yielded to God’s will and purpose, there is no dying before one’s time.   We are here while our purposes remain unfulfilled. When we’ve accomplished what God would have us do, He will welcome us into eternity.  

 

As seen on