Do you suffer spiritual, emotional, and/or physical ups and down? Things will be going along just fine and you are beginning to think you are out of whatever woods you have been stuck in for longer than you are willing be in the forest. You walk out into the sunshine basking in its warmth, and you enjoy the flowers and loveliness that you missed in the shade and cool of the woodlands. Now do not get me wrong; in  the heat of the day the cool shade is appreciated. So, this example could be done with the opposite scenario as well. The point is that when you cannot pick a spot and are stuck. The result is that it is painful, and that is the result of being held captive with few choices of what to do.

There are choices, and the most important one is to keep on keeping on the path as best we can. I found this graphic above and felt that there is a back side compliment in those words. In cases where the devil is after us to make our lives miserable. The good news in this for us is that we are a threat to the devil and his romp through the world to seek and devour. We, who show by our lives that who and how we are, are  a menace to his program. He knows he is defeated, and he hates those who ARE making a godly difference in the world.


Embrace the suffering he brings on us and carry on. Never loose sight of the fact that, no matter what his worst weapons that he brings against us, he is already defeated. In the end he will loose his war against God and God's children. In the meantime we need to hang on to faith and hope remembering that life has its pain and challenges. Remember the scripture by Paul that said:

 Dear friends, 

do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal 

that has come on you to test you, as though

something strange were happening to you.  

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate 

in the sufferings of Christ,

 so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 

 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, 

you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1 Peter 4:12-14

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

Nothing Too Hard...Thursday

1/7/16

Look and see, I am the Lord, the God of every living creature, is there anything too difficult for me. Do you hear what I am saying? I rule the world and I can do anything.

Pay attention to what I tell you. I am the Lord God Almighty, the God of all people. Is there anything too hard for me to achieve? I am Jehovah. I am God. There is nothing too wonderful for me to accomplish.

Jeremiah 32.27

Is anything too difficult for God? This is a question that should awaken our faith to believe for the impossible.

Think of who God is and the things He has created. Consider how great and mighty He is, holding this whole world together by the power of His word.

There are 7.5 billion people on the earth. Imagine their weight put together and what the mountains of the world would likely weigh. The oceans and all the millions of creatures it contains, the trees and all the animals combined. Count up the cars, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes and all the houses around the world.

Try to calculate all these together and imagine how heavy it would be to carry. And yet, God says He is holding all of these, collected together in His hand. Can you imagine how big this God is? Then tell me, is there anything too hard for this great God?

Let faith rise in our heart today to ask God in prayer for the impossible. Prayer knocks at the door of grace but faith opens it. Prayer makes petition, but faith gets the audience from heaven.

I pray that the heavens will release the spirit of faith in our hearts to dare to believe God for the impossible. For with God ALL THINGS are possible.

 Thomas Ukwute via Jody Ward    

"My Hope Is In You!"...Wednesday

1/6/16  

I am so thankful that I serve a Lord that I can always  put my hope in. I know that  He will never fail me, even when I fail Him. That Hope will always be there no matter what the circumstance in my life.

In fact, without hope, we become a people of despair, hopelessness and discouragement. But with Hope in Christ, life  takes on new meaning and great purpose. We are highly encouraged and embrace life with gusto!

God's Word  tells us...

"And now, Lord, what do I wait for: 
My hope is in You." 

Psalm 39:7 

Our everything lies in the hands of Christ Jesus. He holds our very future and every breath that we take. We have nothing if we do not have the Lord in our life.

We can face each new day with tremendous Hope in a God that literally gave His life for us.  His love never fails us and His Hope will always be there for His children all our days.

In His Great  Hope, 

Sandy Billingham 

                      

The Strength of Our Hope...Tuesday

1/5/16

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

to the strangers scattered throughout 
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
 through sanctification of the Spirit, 
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: 
Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which according to his abundant mercy 
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope 
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Peter:1-3

The strength of our hope rises or falls on how dependable we perceive our expectation to be. The reasons we believe our expectation to be dependable are thus decisive to whether we will be motivated.

Ours is a living hope because Jesus Christ and the Father are alive. They exert sovereign control, and They cannot lie. Because our hope is revealed, grounded, sustained, and directed by God, we can know that all things work together for good for those who are the called and love God.

And we know that all that happens to us 

is working for our good if we love God 

and are fitting into his plans. 

(Romans 8:28). 

Our hope, then, should not be ephemeral wishes or dreams based on wishy-washy sentimentality, but the solid realities of God and His Word. Our hope flows from an inexhaustible Source, and therefore no trial should ever quench our optimism for future good. Hope is our response to His work in us expressed in trust, patience, endurance, and eagerness to continue.

"For us Christians, where the Cross is,there is hope, always. If there is no hope, we are not Christian. That is why I like to say, do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope because this strength is a grace, a gift from God which carries us forward with our eyes fixed on Heaven.This is Christian hope: that the future is in God's hands."
                                                               Pope Francis

Corinne Mustafa

Faith, Constant Faith...Monday

January 4, 2016 

So I am really working on STAYING in faith mode.  As a Christian this should be a constant mind set and not a “Go To” when I am wishing for a good outcome to a situation, or I am concerned about something that is currently going on in my life.  I feel guilty….I feel like a failure when I realize that I am not flowing through life with an auto pilot of faith.  However, I know for a fact that I am doing so much better at my faith walk than I ever have been.  I know that because I am conscious of my lack of faith….which reminds me,

and then puts me back on track where

I need, want and love to be. 

God is also so instrumental in focusing my mind towards the proper faith position.  He is so incredibly incredible that way….. And OH how I love that He works that way!  In His perfect timing He places these lovely messages right in my path.  Like yesterday I read.... “Faith always shifts the battle from your hands to God’s hands.” Well, how about that?  Isn’t that exactly what I needed to read first thing this morning after having a pretty darn rotten day at work the day before?  The truth is, that the day would not have been so rotten if I had kept the faith instead of taking it all on myself.  

I also love this fabulous tidbit?  “If you have faith in the word of God, nothing can stop you.  No word of God is void of power.”  What an amazing fact for me to have and hold close in my heart as I am just beginning a new chapter of life, which includes a new job with much more responsibilities, as well as, adjustments to a completely new working style; which is exactly what I hoped for, but, has been an overwhelming change at the same time. 

Then there is this that I read this morning: 

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed.

Turning to those who were following him, he said,

"I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!"

 Matthew 8:10  (NLT)

What an honor it is to impress Jesus with your faith. But faith means believing in Jesus beyond human reason. Are you keeping your faith separate from your struggles in life? Invite Him in. Rituals and obligation do not amaze Jesus. Instead, it's trusting Jesus with your problems, asking for His help, and believing He will provide. 

When I read that this morning I was simply in awe of how He takes care of me.  He knows all my struggles, concerns and worries.  He knows that I have been having some bouts of anxiety over my new position; it has been much more of a challenge than I ever imagined!!  However, today was a breeze, as I kept my FAITH!! 

Not only do I want to be living a healthy headache free life….I more than anything want to please my Father.  One way that I will be able to do that is by showing Him how I am able to walk by faith, not by sight…and most of all walk with my heart full of anxiety- free joyous Christ felt love.  I will be a glorious representative of Jesus simply by living a faith filled life. For all of my days I choose FAITH, along with that come PEACE! 

 

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I set your rules before me.

Psalm 119:30   (ESV)

 

Happy 2016….May your days be over flowing with Faith!!

Written by
Kelly Dobyns

 

BEFORE AND AFTER... Sunday

Devotional for 1/3/16

Many people make New Year's resolutions to lose weight.  That is why lots of advertising is done this time of year for weight loss.  We've all seen those before and after pictures.  I saw one the other day on Facebook of an overweight man in both pictures, looking the same.  The caption said "In just two weeks....  he lost his glasses!"  Sure enough upon further inspection the only difference between the two pictures was the glasses were missing in the second one! Ha!  Many people make those resolutions but never attain their goals.

While losing weight may be an admirable goal for physical health, the spiritual side of the picture has more eternal consequences.  Some people at the beginning of the year have a "before" spiritual picture of no faith at all, or their "higher power" is one made up by themselves or others.  Perhaps our own spiritual resolution for the year can include being better at sharing our faith with others.  All believers in Christ have room for improvement in their spiritual life, whether it be to bolster a weak or waning faith, or to strengthen what is already solidly there.  We do that through studying God's word, both alone and in group settings or worship services.  We turn to others trained to help us in our growth such as pastors.  The whole goal of maturing our faith is not so that we can enter heaven, for that has already been won for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But rather it is so that we can go back to those without faith and be better equipped to lovingly speak the truth and share the Gospel with them so that they too may be a part of the body of Christ.

 

Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)  "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."
 

Dear God in heaven, we ask that you would help us to become more mature Christians this year.  Guide us to the people who can help us grow in our faith as we study your Word.  Help us to lovingly share the Gospel with those around us, as this will strengthen both them and us spiritually.  May our "before and after" picture at the end of the year show the progress we have made for your glory, and may more souls be added to the body of Christ because of our witness to them.  Help us to stand mature and strong on your Word, no matter what happens around us or to us. Thank you for your merciful forgiveness when we falter and for your free gift of eternal life with you in heaven for all who remain faithful.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS...Saturday

1/2/16

"When Jesus spoke again to the people,
He said, "I am the light of the world. 
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life."

John 8:12
 

      As people grow older their vision begins to dim.  This is especially true of night vision.  Most older people don't like to drive in the dark.  Cataracts begin to form which blocks out our light and make vision fuzzy.

     I find my cats fascinating because I can tell they see much more in the darkness than I do.  I have to leave night lights on all over the house so I can maneuver in the darkness.
 

     Jesus is the only one who can give light to our eternal spirits.  Other religions may say they have
words of wisdom but they all pale in the light of the Word of God.  There are so many "paths" a person can follow which in the end only lead to a dark road.
 

     Jesus is the light of life.  In Him there is no darkness at all.  Some of you will remember a stanza to the hymn "Amazing Grace" -- I was bling but now I see.  We only begin to see when we recognize Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  He is the only one who can remove our spiritual blindness and give us vision for now and all eternity.
 

     If you don't know Jesus, come out of the darkness.  Let the Holy Spirit lead you to accept Him as Savior and He will open your eyes.  Walk in the light.

Written by
Carol Steficek