Tag: trust

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When Life is Not a Christmas Card

people celebrating christmas online

In homes around the world at this time of the year, we see lights aglow, stockings hung with care and turkey baking in the oven – our lives can look like a Christmas card. But sometimes it looks like something else. It can look harsher, colder, and even very lonely. Sometimes, Christmas can be hard. It doesn’t look like a well-designed Christmas card or a happy ending Christmas movie.

 

What do we do when life is hard, and we don’t know what to do? We must hold tight to our faith and keep our trust in God. Sometimes, there are those things we can never fix and things that we can never change. Sometimes, there are circumstances and trials we’ll never understand, those things we’ll never know the reason why. Sometimes, we face situations that will test our faith and test our trust in God.

 

Today I want to remind you that, faith is trusting that God is there and knowing He is always in control. Faith is staying close to Him no matter what comes your way and believing He will meet your every need. Faith is knowing that He loves you and will never leave you or forsake you. Faith is believing that in all things He has a purpose and a plan. Faith is knowing… You don’t have to understand it all just keep trusting Him.

 

“So do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.“ Isaiah 41:10

 

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, thank You, that You are my refuge and my strength in hard times and an ever-present helper in times of trouble. Father, help me to cling to You and this truth. God, I know that You are the only all-powerful God and that there is nothing that is too difficult in my life for You to deal with, nor is there any obstacle in my path that is so insurmountable that I cannot cross, knowing that You are by my side. Please give me Your strength through this season so I can face life, with confidence knowing that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. In Christ’s name, Amen.

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Struggling Through The Holidays 

Ujima / Collective Work and Responsibility: Team Work

While the rest of the world around us becomes excited and enamoured with our culture’s celebration of the Christmas holidays, some of us struggle through the holiday season – overcome with clouds of depression, and battles with fear and dread. Fractured relationships, divorce, dysfunction, compromised finances, loss of loved ones, isolation, loneliness, and any number of other circumstances become even harder to navigate, due to the often unrealistic expectations of the holiday. For many years in my life, loneliness magnifies, stress accelerates, busyness intensifies, and sadness overwhelms. 

There is something about this holiday that intensifies all emotions. The hype begins in October and builds up in the weeks before Christmas and new year, often making it a very difficult time for those of us who have experience loss of any kind. If, like me, you find Christmas is a difficult time, then let’s see if we can figure out a better way of coping together. 

Today, I write this word from the depths of my own experience in hopes of helping those who struggle with this season for various reasons. God’s Word and His principles of love, power, and truth are woven into every element of encouragement. Practical suggestions and challenges are presented to help navigate this and every stressful and difficult season. My passion is to bring hope and healing to hearts that are hurting, helping them break free from the burdens of stress, depression and dread, and find a new way of joy and simplicity. 

 “The Lord is near the broken-hearted; He is the Saviour of those whose spirits are crushed down.” (Psalm 34:18 BBE) 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, I know only You can help this pain vanish away. Father, I plead for peace and serenity as I fight the pain I am feeling during this season. Send Your hand down to me, and fill me with Your strength. God, I cannot take this pain any longer without Your help! Release me from this hold and restore me. I trust in You to give me the strength to get through this time of the year. I pray that the pain will be gone! It will not hold me down, because I have the Lord on my side, in Jesus’ name! Amen. 

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Love and trust God no matter what

woman wearing brown shirt carrying black leather bag on front of library books

Recently I’ve been reflecting on the different experiences that have occurred in my life. Some have been joyful, memorable, and pleasant experiences that have caused me to smile and brought my joy to my heart as I remember. While others have been difficult, dark, and painful to recall.

These have brought tears to my eyes as the ugly realities of the events flash through my mind. Yet these events the good, bad, and ugly all combined form the woman I am today. A woman who has learned to love and trust God no matter what life throws at her. A woman who has found her purpose in Christ Jesus.

This morning I’m grateful that God wastes nothing of the experiences we go through in life. The good, the bad and the ugly. He has the ability to cause all of it to work for our good. So no matter what you are going through today allow these experiences to build your trust, grow your love and find your purpose in all in Jesus Christ. As you do you’ll discover how He causes everything to work for your good!

– Pastor Sophia Peart

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Are You Hurting?

Sad face sign

If you are hurting this holiday season, remember: 

Christ is the hope for the broken-hearted. Pain is real. He felt it. Heartbreak is inevitable. He experienced it. Tears come. His did. Betrayal happens. He was betrayed. 

He knows. He sees. He understands. He loves deeply, in ways we can’t even fathom. When your heart breaks at Christmas, when the pain comes, when the whole thing seems like more than you can bear, you can look to the manger. You can look to the cross. You can remember the hope that comes with His birth. 

The pain won’t leave. But His hope will swaddle you tight. His gentle mercy will hold you until you can breathe again. What you long for this holiday may never be, but He is and is to come. You can trust that, even in your holiday hurts. 

Be patient and kind to yourself. Give yourself extra time and space to process your hurt and reach out to others around you if you need extra support. 

Find a cause to invest in. There is a saying, “grief is just love with no place to go.” Find a cause that honours the memory of a loved one. Giving time or money to a suitable charity can be helpful, as it gives expression to the love in your heart. 

Create new traditions. Hurt changes us. Sometimes it is helpful for us to change our traditions to create a new normal. If you have a holiday tradition that feels unbearable, don’t do it. Instead, consider doing something new… Creating new traditions can help alleviate some of the added sadness old traditions often bring. 

Today, you may be overwhelmed, bruised, and broken, but there is still goodness to be welcomed and blessings to be claimed this season, even in pain. There will be holidays in the future when you will feel stronger and lighter, and these very difficult days are part of the road to them, so accept whatever gifts God has for you. You may not fully open them for years, but unwrap them as the Spirit gives you strength, and watch the heaviness and hurt disappear. 

“And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say.” (Rom 8:26) 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, thank You for Your greatness. Thank You that when I am weak, You are strong. Father, the devil is scheming, and I know he desires to keep me from spending time with You and loved ones this holiday. Don’t let him win! Give me a measure of Your strength so that I might not give into discouragement, deception, and doubt! Help me honour You in all my ways, in Jesus’ Name! Amen. 

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Overcome Life’s Problems With Godly Strength And Wisdom

man reading a book

It was Norman Vincent Peale who once said, “One of the great truths in life is that you are bigger than anything that can happen to you—as long as you know it and act accordingly.” Every challenge and crisis that comes your way provides the opportunity for you to ask God to release the creative ingenuity, wisdom and strength that lie within you.  

You may ask how you tap into your inner strength: 

  1. Pray to God and place your entire situation in his hands. Say, “God, I commit my challenges to you. Show me the way through them. Give me eyes to see your solutions and strength to act on them.” God wants to help you solve your problems—and who could be a better counsellor? “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). 
  2. Sit down and lay out your entire problem, perhaps on a piece of paper. Sketch out possible solutions and pray over them, asking God to show you which one is right. When you feel you have an idea of how to proceed, move forward resolutely, praying all the time for the power to succeed. Affirm that you can do anything through the strength that Christ gives you (Philippians 4:13). 
  3. When doubt creeps in, set your plans firmly aside with a quick prayer: “God, rid me of these fears and give me your strength.” God will answer that prayer, and, step by step, you will find yourself drawing upon an inner power you perhaps never knew you had. In Jeremiah 33:3, God promises, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” 

Today remember you can face your difficulties in the presence of Christ so stay close to Him through His Word and prayer. For He is stronger than all your problems. He is the antidote to discouragement and fear. Draw upon His power. Walk tall and stand up to your situation! 

“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure” (Psalm 18:32). 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, I need to know that you care and that you love me. Father, be my refuge from pain, replace my distress with peace, and be my strength when I feel weak and find it hard to carry on. God, help me not to fear the future but to boldly trust that you are in control when my emotions plunge me down, and when I am in despair. In Jesus’s name, Amen. 

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Faith In The Faithful 

a close up shot of a woman holding a rosary while praying

Our God is a promise-keeping God. Does this matter? Does God’s integrity make a difference? Does his faithfulness come into play? 

Others may make a promise and forget it. But if God makes a promise, He never forgets it. 

The Book of Hebrews says, “God has given both his promise and his oath” (6:18). The scripture goes on to say, “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Hallelujah! 

Today, we may ask the question ‘does it matter that God is a God of integrity? Does he keep his promises?’ – when your child is on life support, it does. When you are pacing the ER floor, it does. When you are wondering what to do with your worst trial, you must choose faith or fear. You must choose between God’s purpose, random history, a human opinion, or a God who knows and cares, a God who isn’t there in the flesh but loves you.  

Today, we all have a choice. Choose to trust God’s promises. Choose to believe that God is up to something good, even though all you see looks bad. Choose to believe, because God is faithful! 

He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). 

Let’s pray 

Yahweh, as waves of fear come right now, i pray no harm would overtake me, that no disaster would come near me. Father, I pray that your angels would guard me in all my ways and you would stir up in me a heart that desires to trust your promises and run to you. God, I pray for unwavering trust in all your promises to be a refuge. Thank you for your unfailing love, grace, and mercy over my life. Calm my fears and bring your peace to my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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Fighting Faith 

Faith-based Methods For Overcoming Stress

Several years ago, my family and I went through a difficult season. I lost my job; it was an unforeseen and challenging time in our family and in our relationship with God. Although we put our trust in Him, we definitely lived moments where our hope seemed weak and our faith, small. 

The scripture shares a unique story of faith. Large numbers of people were gathered after hearing that Jesus had come home. There were so many people crowded around Jesus that there was no room left in the house, including outside the door of the place! But that didn’t stop four friends of a paralyzed man from having their friend see Jesus. Since they couldn’t get to Jesus through the front door, they made a hole in the roof and lowered the man into the house so he could be healed. 

Faith is radical. 

Mark 2:5 says the paralyzed man had four friends full of faith, willing to risk looking like fools. Yet, “when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

We don’t know how long this man had been paralyzed. We know nothing about his own personal struggle for faith in God’s goodness and healing for himself. But what we do know is that he had people who loved him and came alongside him who were full of assurance in who God is and what God intended. 

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) 

Today, we may need others to stand strong in faith with us. When I lost my job, others came alongside me in faith, full of hope in an awesome God, and trusted that He would end up making something beautiful out of a difficult situation. And praise God He did! God provided me with a better job than I could have ever asked for! 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, I thank You so much that I can trust You and put my hope in You. Father, You are a good God, always compassionate and loving to Your people. God help me grow in my faith in You. Mould me and make me into the person You want me to be. In Jesus name Amen. 

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Compromise Does Not Pay ?

young annoyed female freelancer using laptop at home

Abraham became a father, as God promised, but the pause between God’s promise and its fulfilment, spanned decades, causing Abraham to question the accuracy of God’s prediction. Like us, Abraham sought to reshape God’s promise into an idol he could touch, see, and understand. “Compromise was his answer,” he said. “I will sleep with the maidservant for this is what God meant no matter what His word says.” 

Abraham forgot this simple formula, God’s plan + God’s timing + Godly trust = Godly fruit. When this equation is broken, that’s when we stumble and fall.  If we do stumble, fall or fail like Abraham, it doesn’t mean it’s all over. Get up and get back to the formula, remembering always that God keeps His promises. The question that must be answered is: “Can I trust God enough to see me through to the other side even when I can’t see the edge or the end?”, and that is the question that haunts us even today as we face life’s challenges.

Today, we fear falling, failure and defeat in all their finality. We reach for the dream and recoil when our fingers find nothing but emptiness. We wonder if there is hope for us, covered in a desert mess. The problem with Christians is, too many of us are afraid of failure. God rarely makes our fear disappear – instead, He asks us to be strong and take courage. Claim the plans God has planted in your heart. Hold God’s hand and give birth to your dream. You won’t find the edge if you don’t lean and reach for it. So lean on Him and look across the wasteland, your promise is still there. 

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” – Matthew 14:27 (NLT) 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, have mercy on me. Many times, I have stumbled and fallen. From time to time, I am stuck in life’s wilderness, afraid and discouraged and ready to compromise.  Today I ask You to help me not make my fear despair. God, I thank You for not making my failure the final act in my life. Father, I embrace Your abundant life and I answer the hard question, “can I trust you when things get tuff ?” and I will answer “yes I can and I will” in Jesus’s name. Amen.

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Your Abba Father

man carrying baby drawing their foreheads

God rejoices as your Abba Father. You are His child on the authority of His Word. He ordained you and brought you forth. “You brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.” And “From birth I have relied on you…I will ever praise you.” 

The Father wants to cleanse your deep wounds that you received from words and actions in your family. Receive the ministry of Jehovah-Rapha, the healing covenant name of your eternal God, as He works in the core of your being. Receive His healing, blessing, and deep release. The Spirit of your Father lives in you to heal and make you whole. 

The Father of all mercy is ready to bring new life. Receive His cleansing from all hurtful memories, feelings, and emotions. Jesus died to set you free. Release all pain to Him. God promised in His word that He would wash you and make you whiter than snow. 

Today, be blessed as God fills the hole in your heart, those empty spaces, that bottomless pit that craves nearness, affirmation, connection, and significance – and yet fears it is unable to receive it, and runs away from it. Be at peace and receive healing from wounds caused by lack. Receive cleansing from attachment wounds, as Father-God binds you to Himself with cords that cannot be broken. God fed His Son with His words of approval that nourished Him emotionally. Be blessed to rest secure and safe in His love. 

“A voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased‘” (Mark 1:11). 

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, thank you for my life, please heal my heart and fill me with joy. You know I lost my joy because of the things that happened, but I have forgiven those that hurt me. Now, Father, I need You to restore my heart. God, restore unto me the joy of my salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit. Please put the bounce back in my step, and the smile back on my face. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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Discipleship Today

woman in collared shirt

The book of Hebrews reminds readers how their ancestors rebelled against God in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. The people of Israel didn’t trust in God’s power to provide. They didn’t believe he cared about their need for water. 

The writer urges the believers and us not to fall into the same trap. It’s tough to follow God’s commands and live as disciples of Jesus. The daily struggle with sin can harden our hearts. We can begin to doubt God’s goodness. Sin tempts us with promises that it can’t deliver. Even so, we sometimes think we can give in to temptation a little bit. We whisper to our conscience, “Tomorrow I’ll repent and follow God.” 

Remember there is no such thing as past-tense or future-tense discipleship. Hebrews repeatedly uses the keyword “today.” “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7). Not tomorrow. Not yesterday. Today. If we harden our hearts against God’s voice today, what makes us think we will listen tomorrow? 

Today, we can choose to listen to God’s voice or to harden our hearts against him. And every day, we have an opportunity to encourage one another to keep following Jesus, even when the road is difficult. 

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:12-13 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, I choose to follow you today. Father, please keep my heart soft and sensitive to your voice. God, bring other believers into my life to encourage me and may I encourage those around me to keep seeking you. In Christ’s name, Amen. 

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You Can Be Pure Again?

close up of drop splashing in water

A few months ago I spoke for a programme on Sexuality at Chiswick Church. One of the questions posed was, “can someone who has lost their virginity be pure again?”. I reminded them as a believer in Jesus, you’re not only getting something new, you become someone new. You are a brand-new creation! You are a pure – re-created in Christ. The old is gone, the new has come. 

That now means, you have to trust God to retrain your body and mind to act, think, speak and live according to the new spirit within you (instead of the old habits you used to have). Don’t ever get stuck in a rut thinking, “I’ll never change, I will always be like this, that’s just the way I am.” No, the Bible says that the Spirit of God aids us in our weakness. He gives us strength to overcome. He empowers us to live as more than conquerors. 

Today, do you want to change your life and become new? Remember, you must be willing to sacrifice to be a new creation in Christ. Through sacrifice you will be empowered to overcome, equipped to walk in the new, and have the abundant life that God has in store for you! 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (II Corinthians 5:17) 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, thank You for making me a new creation. Removing my past and making me pure in You. Father, thank You for empowering me to live as an overcomer in Christ. God, I give this day to You, and ask You to help me fully understand the plan You have for me. Please change me God, change my body, mind, and actions as I yearn to be more like Christ, in His name I pray! Amen. 

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“Patience” The Hardest Prayer

woman in white sweater and blue denim jeans sitting on bed

The prayer I struggle most to pray, is the one for more patience. This is because, developing patience comes through trials and the learned skill of seeing other people the way God sees them. Practising patience teaches us to keep looking toward things above, where we witness God working in the most difficult of circumstances or within the most difficult of people. 

The Bible says, welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their history to deal with. Treat them gently (Romans 14:1 MSG). 

Today consider these three things in developing Patience: 

Patience comes with a cost. Patience requires that you trust God’s timetable, setting aside your quick-fix agenda, your rights and demands, not in a sense of co-dependent weakness, but with the sacrificial strength of the Jesus-life within you, where you sync with the deep, mysterious, ancient love of the Creator. 

Patience comes with practice. Most people can muster patience when it’s convenient; the real test comes with the stress of time slipping away, or when someone keeps making the same mistakes repeatedly. 

Patience comes through God’s love. Patience may cost you all the love you have, but that’s okay! God has more love in his love bank than our minds could ever conceive. So, give all the love you have, and God will give you more and more and more as you keep giving every ounce of love away. Can’t do it? Of course, you can’t but God can. Hallelujah! 

Allow God’s love and his patience to flow through you. 

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2 (NIV) 

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, teach me to be patient – with life, with people, and with myself. I sometimes try to hurry things along too much and push for answers before the time is right. Father, touch me and fill me with your light and your hope. God, give me strength when I am weak, love when I feel forsaken, courage when I am afraid, wisdom when I feel foolish, comfort when I am alone, hope when I feel rejected, and peace when I am in turmoil. In Christ’s name, Amen. 

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Joyful Swagger?

woman in collared shirt

This morning on the breakfast show we had a joyous time. Did you know that it is God’s will for you to be joyful always? He wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your situation looks like. When you have joy amid difficult circumstances, it is evidence that you have faith and trust that God will bring you through.
 
I submit to you today, joy is strength. When you have God’s supernatural joy, you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You may say, “I’m not a real jovial person. I’m mostly serious. I never laugh much.” And of course, God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh and smile more. One article said that the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What’s happened? We’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and more responsibilities, little by little, to steal our joy.
 
Today, make your mind up to get your joy back, get your smile back and get your Holy Swagger back. Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems and look at what God will do on your behalf. Ask Him every day to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy so that you can live in His strength, victory and abundance all the days of your life! 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, NIV)

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, I humbly receive Your Word, today. Lord, give me Jesus’ joy in this very moment. I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your Spirit, joy and strength. I rebuke the spirit of sadness and misery, in Jesus’ name. Thank You for showing me Your goodness and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always, in Christ’s name. Amen.

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Look Again

As we come to the final days of 2022 let's read Psalm 23.

I prayed for a visitor at a revival. She felt that there was a drought in her life. Yesterday she sent me a message to say “God answered our prayers I received my immigration… The Bible says that after the prophet Elijah prayed and asked God to end the drought, he said to the people, “I can hear the sound of an abundance of rain.” He was saying in effect, “There is a yes from God in our future!”

Elijah told his assistant to go look on the other side of the mountain to see if there was any sign of rain. When the assistant came back, he said, “No, Elijah. There’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s clear.” Elijah didn’t get discouraged and think, “What are we going to do now? I might as well quit this prophet business.” No, he simply said, “Go back and look again.”

 
This happened six different times, but Elijah kept saying, “Go look again.” On the seventh time, the servant came back and said, “Elijah, I saw a small cloud in the sky. It isn’t much, just the size of a man’s hand.” Elijah’s answer was basically, “You’d better get your umbrella. Rain is coming!”
 

Today, my friend, like Elijah, maybe you are believing for something and aren’t seeing anything happen. Don’t give up, go look again! If God has promised it, He will do it. It won’t be long until you see His showers of blessing pouring down on every area of your life! Oh Yes! I receive it!

 
“ ‘Go and look toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea…” (1 Kings 18:43–44, NIV)
 

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, thank You for Your faithfulness. Father, I will trust you no matter how long it takes for my prayers to be answered. I believe that You are working behind the scenes even when I can’t see it. Father, I choose to keep believing, I choose to keep looking again, and I choose to trust you when I can’t trace you until I see every promise fulfilled in my life in Christ’s name. Amen.

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God is About to Burst In? ?

london-street-phone-cabin-163037.jpeg

In the UK things are hard economically, but we all go through seasons of difficulty or times when things just seem dark. During these challenging times, know that you are not alone. God has a plan to drive out the darkness — He will flood you with His light! You will notice that in today’s verse it doesn’t say, “The light will come trickling in.” No, it says that the light will come bursting in! That means suddenly, you will see God’s goodness. Suddenly, your depression will be gone. Suddenly, your addiction will be broken. Suddenly, you’ll be promoted. Suddenly, the answer will come! 

If you’ve been going through difficult times because of the cost of living crisis, get ready for the goodness of God to show up. His light is about to come bursting in! Get ready for breakthroughs. Get ready for miracles. Get ready for restoration. You may have had an issue for a long, long time, but today could be the day that it turns around. 

Today, suddenly things will change! God wants His glory to be seen in you and through you. He wants you to stand out in the crowd. He wants you to be so blessed that everyone around you can see His goodness in you! Today I declare, keep standing, keep believing, keep hoping and keep speaking His Word because His light is about to come bursting in! 

“When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in” (Psalm 112:4, NLT) 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, thank You for Your light that drives out every trace of darkness! I give you permission today to burst through my darkness with your divine light of hope, goodness, and faithfulness. Father, like light burst through the darkness suddenly, please change my depression suddenly, my addictions suddenly, my job status suddenly and my relationship situation suddenly. I trust that You are working behind the scenes, and I expect that You will turn things around for my good. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Hardship 

alone man person sadness

Experiencing hardship is never easy. It can be agonizing, exhausting, and depressing. There have been times in my life when I have instantly sensed God’s awesome presence with me during difficult circumstances. But there have been even more instances when it seemed as though God was nowhere to be found. 

While Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane awaiting His fate, His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground as He prayed. He knew that what He was about to endure was going to be excruciatingly difficult. He didn’t even hesitate to ask God if He could be spared from the suffering. Jesus felt utterly alone. Even His friends had fallen asleep during the most crucial moment in his life. 

Not only did Jesus ask if His cup of suffering could pass, but He prayed for strength and embraced the will of His heavenly Father who gave Him the power to endure.  

Today, no one enjoys going through trials, especially feeling alone. But in these moments, God asks us to trust Him. hard times will pass. But with patience, prayer, and a heart full of hope and trust, we can live through them, knowing God can give us lasting peace and deep joy that will outlast any pain and sorrow. 

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, thank You, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit which comforts me during the difficult times in my life. Father, I ask for Your strength to empower me, and for hope to fill my heart. God, I walk through this current situation trusting You and believing that You have something good in store for me and those around me. Lord, I open my heart to Your will and Your way. In Christ’s name Amen. 

 

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