May 3, 2026

Where is God in the Storms?

May 2, 2014 by

holdontohopeencouragement

This past week I have seen so much devastation and loss.  It has happened to good people, in fact, our worship pastor lost his home and all his furniture and memories as his home flooded in a matter of thirty minutes. It was scary, yet there was peace because we know Who is in control. Still, people are hurting as memories and keepsakes are now in ruins. God is still good and His heart breaks for His children. As He watched the floods and storms  that affected so many, “His heart was filled with pain” (Genesis 6:6).

So what do we hold on to in the midst of all the chaos? It is this: that God is good, all the time and that “He works all things to the good for those who love the Lord” (Romans 8:28) All things, my friend. This verse doesn’t say that God makes bad things good or that bad things are good. It says that God can take the bad and use them to bring about good in His children’s lives.  God is a loving God. He is not a punishing God that is constantly looking at ways to reprimand us.  When things happen in our lives that are not what we want, or what we think we need, please know that God is still loving you and He may be allowing this for a purpose.  If we could see the big picture, I am sure we would not write our story any differently. He loves you and He walks with you and He promises to never leave you or forsake you.

For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
Psalm 31:3

What do you picture when you read that verse? He is a Rock, always strong, always firm and He is a Fortress, a place to dwell in hard times.  One thing we know about life is that it is hard; another is that God is our Strength and our protection. He goes before us and walks with us. He carries us when we can’t put one foot in front of the other.

So if today finds you in a hard place, hide in Him. If life is too much today, trust His heart and His promises. And if you don’t know Him, I invite you to accept Him today. This could be the first day of living free! He loved you enough to die for you so that you could live forever with Him! Jesus took your place and He took all your sins and mistakes and nailed them to the Cross.  Are you ready?  I invite you to pray this prayer with me:

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Dear Lord Jesus,

I know I am a sinner and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I want You as my Lord and Savior and I trust and follow You today. Guide my life and help me to do Your will and to come to know You more. In Your name I pray, amen.

If you took this step today, we are celebrating with you!

Holy Spirit give them courage!

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Persecution For Our Lord

May 2, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Here, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is reminding those listening about the prophets who suffered in the Old Testament. We should be glad when we  are persecuted for our belief in Jesus Christ. When persecuted, we are associated with His meekness, with how He mourns over us when we willfully sin and how He shows mercy.  Jesus wants us to walk by faith, not by sight.

Jeremiah is one of these Old Testament prophets.  He was selected by God to call His people back to Him.  The leaders kept ignoring Jeremiah.  They felt all he had to say were negative things about them and about what was going to happen to them if they did not repent and turn back to God.  Jeremiah even cried out to God, asking why he was supposed to tell the people about the devastation awaiting them if they did not change their ways.

They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law
by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets.
So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”
Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers are saying!
Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember that I stood before You
and spoke in their behalf
to turn Your wrath away from them.
So give their children over to famine;
hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives be made childless and widows;
let their men be put to death,
their young men slain by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses
when You suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.
But You, Lord, know
all their plots to kill me.
Do not forgive their crimes
or blot out their sins from Your sight.
Let them be overthrown before You;
deal with them in the time of Your anger.

Jeremiah 18:18 – 23

While Jeremiah complains, he still completes the task God has laid before him. Jeremiah felt such an urgency to share God’s words, that he could not contain them.  In the New Testament, Paul of Tarsus would be an example of what it means to serve God and be persecuted.  Paul endured beatings, imprisonment, hunger, sickness, and lonliness for Jesus.  He was always willing to share the Gospel with those who wanted to hear and just as willing when the ears of unbelievers didn’t want to hear.  We are to plant the seeds of faith, the seeds of wonder, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

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Father, thank You for those that have followed the examples of Your prophets. Thank You for the missionaries of today, who are persecuted for sharing Your love, grace, and mercy with those who do not know You.  Surround them, Father, with Your protection as they persevere through their hardships and let the Holy Spirit bring peace in their distress, comfort when there are tears, and bring words of inspiration when they feel loss.  Let us learn more about these individuals so we may lift them up to You every day. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Everything

May 2, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Find me here
And speak to me
I want to feel You
I need to hear You
You are the Light
That’s leading me
To the place
Where I find peace again

You are the Strength
That keeps me walking
You are the Hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the Light
To my soul
You are my Purpose
You’re everything

And how can I stand here with You,
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me
How could it be
Any better than this

You calm the storms
And You give me rest
You hold me in Your hands
You won’t lemme fold

You steal my heart
And You take my breath away
Would You take me in
Take me deeper now

You’re all I want,
You’re all I need,
You’re everything, everything

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Singer/Songwriter: Jason Wade / Performed by Lifehouse

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This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need
but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue
but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18

Jesus is everything to those who believe in Him.  When we are lost, we are wanting to feel something.  We are wanting to see and hear something that makes us feel whole.  We need to see the light.  We need purpose, and Jesus brings that to us when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

When we accept Jesus, we find peace and love.  We find Someone that will listen to us and love us when we hit rock bottom.  Jesus leads us from the dark to the light.  We can speak to Him about any thing and every thing.  He brings us the strength that we need to get through everyday life and gives us the joy of knowing that we will one day be in eternity with Him.

As you watch this video, you can see that some of the most troublesome pressures about life can be dealt with by just letting Jesus be your everything. Drugs, depression, peer pressure, etc. can be handled by God if we just let Him have everything that is on our plate and allow Him to guide all of our life.

Jesus is all that Christians should want.  We should not want to be part of this world but part of the world that Jesus and God are building for us in Heaven. They are everything that we need because they provide us with what we need on a daily basis.  They do not forsake us. The miracle of Jesus moves those who believe to enter into a relationship with Him.  Believers give up their worldly lives and material possessions to worship Jesus.  We as believers should remember the acronym from a while ago (for some reason, you hardly see it anymore) — “WWJD” standing for “What Would Jesus Do”?  If Jesus is our everything, we should live our lives like Jesus would want us to on a daily basis.  We should always ask ourselves, “WWJD?”

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Dear Heavenly Father, You are our everything!  You provide for us and take care of us even when we think that we don’t need it.  You bring us peace, light, love, and purpose.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Blessed Are the Followers

May 1, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Our world is in chaos. Our world is slowly self-destructing. This has all been predicted by God. We have a Shoulder to lie our heads on when the world pulls on us to the point where we ourselves are about to self-destruct. We already know Who wins. That is glorious news to come!

However, until that day comes, we must wait here on earth for Jesus to return for us. Until then, we are supposed to spread the good news of His birth, life, death, and resurrection. However, as we proceed to do this, we will always meet those who scoff at the story of Jesus and do not believe in the miracle that He performed on the Cross.

  • Prayer is no longer in our schools.
  • Students and teachers must be careful of what they say and do in school.
  • The National Day of Prayer is under attack.
  • Our missionaries are being imprisoned in foreign countries where Christ is not welcome.
  • The freedom of worship is being attacked and prohibited in our military.

BUT

  • God is with those who are with Him.
  • He leaves those who forsake Him and do not follow His laws.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1 John 3:13

We should not be amazed that the world hates Christians nor should we dwell on this fact either. As Christians, we should forge ahead carrying our shields of faith into battle. The world does not like what it does not understand. For those who have no real exposure to Christ, they do not understand who He is or what He has done. Therefore, they choose to hate instead of getting to know the Truth. It is our mission as Christians to live as Christ did and show those who do not understand the truth behind God’s love.

The world will try everything it can do to bring us down. It will hurl insults and injure those who do not conform to its will. Yet, the ones who live by God’s grace and follow His will live a blessed and eternal life with God when time ends. They will also inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and receive their reward for enduring the wrath of the world. They will worship God throughout eternity in the heavenly place that is being prepared for them.

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Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that You will stand with us as we walk through this life and spread Your wonderful message. We know that there are those out there who do not understand the story, and they are the ones who try to bring us down. We pray that You show them the Truth and help them to understand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lose My Soul

May 1, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Father God, I am clay in Your hands
Help me to stay that way through all life’s demands
‘Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me
And every little thing I make up my mind to be
Like I’m gonna be a daddy whose in the mix
And I’m gonna be a husband who stays legit
And I pray that I’m an artist who rises above
The road that is wide and filled with self-love
Everything that I see draws me
Though it’s only in You that I can truly see
That it’s a feast for the eyes—a low blow to purpose
And I’m a little kid at a three-ring-circus

I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say

The paparazzi flashes, and that they think that it’s you
But they don’t know that who you are is not what you do
True, we get it twisted when we peak at the charts
Yo before we part from the start
Where’s your heart
Tell me what’s your title
America has no more stars, now we call them idols
You sit idle, while we teach prosperity
The first thing to prosper should be inside of me
We’re free…
Not because of 22’s on the range
But Christ came in range, we said yes now we changed
Not the same, even though I made a fall
Since I got that call, no more Saul, now I’m Paul
(YEP!)

I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say
Don’t wanna walk away
Don’t wanna walk away

How do I sense the tide that’s rising
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity
How do I sense the tide that’s rising
It’s hypnotizing me from living in light of eternity
How do I sense the tide that’s rising
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity

(Lord, what we gonna do, we’re relying on You
All eyes are on You, Lord; all eyes are on You
All eyes are on You, Jesus)

I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away, let me hear the people say
(Don’t let me lose my soul, my soul)
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
(This is my honesty, Father, won’t You cover me)
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
(Don’t wanna walk away, and all those people say)
I don’t want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul
(Don’t wanna lose, I don’t wanna lose my soul)

Lord forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world
That fight for our love, and our passion
As our eyes are open wide and on You
Grant us the privilege of Your worldview
And may Your kingdom be, what wakes us up, and lays us down

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

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In today’s world it is so easy to feel the pull from the world…. Where is your heart? Do you have one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the world? Or are you ALL IN no matter what the cost? Serving God and His ways in today’s world is by no means an easy task. However I believe God asks to do the tough things because He knows that apart from Him we can do nothing.

I am the Vine; you are the branches.
Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit.
However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
John 15:5

To serve Him we must cling to the Vine at all times to bear good fruit. When we choose to be obedient there is so much blessing and You get to see Him working in powerful ways in Your life. I say the word “choose” because obedience to God is not about a feeling it’s about a choice.  When I was saved 20 years I chose God and drew the line in the sand to serve Him no matter what.  Not obeying is NOT an option for me.

Where do You need to draw your line today??

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Father God, I thank You that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us and that apart from You we can do nothing. I want to be, and for my sisters to be, completely sold out and dependant on you! Thank You for the blessings that come from obedience. In Jesus’ name !! AMEN!!!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Never Give Up!

April 30, 2014 by

never Give Up

I blew it…again.  I am a failure.  Why should I even bother?  I will never get it.

Any of these sound familiar? I’ve been there, experienced and felt it. What I am learning and continue to learn is that “blowing it” gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate how to do it next time.

For example: It’s Saturday night, a group of friends call to go out for Mexican food. Dinner is great, but the next morning you wake up feeling bloated. Not only that, but you feel guilty and like you are the world’s biggest failure (which is a common feeling for many women).

You have two choices:

1.  Continue in the same pattern because you feel like there is no use in even trying

OR

2.  Evaluate how you could have done it differently and have a plan for the next time you go out for Mexican food

My advice to get over the feelings of guilt, is option number 2. You have never messed up so bad that you can’t get back up and try again. Need some more words for encouragement?  Listen here to one of my favorite songs by TobyMac, Never Give Up.   Read these words.

 “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”  Thomas Edison

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kingdom of God

April 30, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

This simple petition carries a lot of meaning.  We have already seen in our meditations on the Beatitudes that Jesus often spoke of “the Kingdom of Heaven,” or “the Kingdom of God.”  For him, as for many Jews at that time, it was a future expectation, something to look forward to, a day when the reign of God would be complete, absolute, and apparent to every sentient creature on Earth.  It was a time when oppressed Jews would no longer be downtrodden, but be free to worship God whenever and wherever they pleased.  Their oppressors would be vanquished, and there would be a restoration of some form of theocratic government.  From this perspective, it makes sense that this petition would be coupled with the previous, “May [or “let”] Your name be held sacred.”

However, on the lips of Jesus, this petition means a lot more than just a change of governments. When Jesus teaches us to eagerly anticipate the coming of God’s Kingdom, He appears to mean this on varying levels which we deduce from His teaching elsewhere.

For Jesus, the Kingdom was something that will come at a future time (e.g., Matthew 5:19-20; Luke 21:31; 22:16) but also something that was a present reality.  He proclaimed that the Kingdom has “come near” (e.g., Matthew 3:2 and 4:17) and indeed was the present possession of some (e.g., Matthew 5:3 and 10).  Jesus taught what the Kingdom of Heaven is like—present tense (e.g., Matthew 13:24-53), and who may or may not enter it—again, present tense (e.g., Matthew 19:14, 23; 23:13).

From all that Jesus tells us, I think it’s fair to say that God’s Kingdom is not some kind of hoped for military take-over, as with previous revolts and theocratic kingdoms. Rather, God’s Kingdom arrived with the coming of the Messiah, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Those who are Christians—for whom Christ is Lord and Savior—are citizens in the Kingdom of God, while being residents in this world (1 Peter 1:1 describes us as “resident aliens”–a perfect description of Christians at present). But this is just a deposit—a promissory note anticipating the full payment of the Kingdom in the end times.

At some time in the future, God will call all men to final judgment and the events predicted in the Book of Revelation will come to pass, with Satan and his minions, along with hell, being cast into the lake of fire.  Then God’s dominion will be established totally, with all people under His loving and gracious authority.

You might ask: if God is sovereign, doesn’t He already have absolute power and authority…so what are we asking for here?  I would respond by saying, yes, God is sovereign, and He has absolute power and authority.  He can do as He pleases whenever it pleases Him.  Which means that the state of affairs as they are right now, with the name of God slandered throughout society, and Christians being demeaned and, to varying degrees, persecuted, is part of His plan and is in accord with His timing.  When we pray this prayer, we are not asking for God to establish something that is not currently His, or to gain authority by conquest.  Rather, we are asking the Lord to hasten the day when He executes the final stage of His plan of redemption, when all His elect are called to Him, the present godless age is brought to an end, and He establishes His rule throughout the universe, with Satan, sin, and all that oppose Him set aside permanently.

This means that when we pray for the salvation of our non-Christian friends and family members, we are asking God to extend His kingdom on Earth in this present age.  But we also pray that God will, indeed, shorten the time we have to endure this godless age, and bring about what we so long and hope for.

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Father, we thank You for who You are in us and us in You!  And for Your unconditional love for us in Jesus’ name, we say ‘thank You!’ Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Never Once

April 30, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Standing on this mountain top
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us
Kneeling on this battleground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Standing on this mountain top
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
It’s true, You are faithful, God You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

We know, You are faithful, God, You are faithful

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Songwriters: Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram, Matt Redman
Performed by Matt Redman

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Do you realize that you have never been alone? Yes, that is right. Oh, I know that you may feel that way sometimes, or maybe a lot. But how awesome is it that your God has never left you! We may feel so far away, and it is usually because we have moved away in some way or another. Maybe there is a sin in your life that has become so big that it is controlling you. It started out fun but now it has turned on you. Sin is only fun  for a short period of time. The awesome thing is—all you have to do is repent. Tell God what you have done and ask His forgiveness. He already knows, He just wants to hear you are sorry. You can start over!

Maybe you are on the other side of a huge struggle, maybe you are dealing with financial issues, job loss, economy issues. Maybe it hasn’t been a pretty journey and yes there are “scars and struggles” along the way, but you can look back now and see where God’s hand has been—maybe the miracles He has performed, or just the peace He gave you while you were in the valley. Never once did you ever walk alone, never once did He leave you on your own. He is and always will be faithful to you and I. What joy does that bring to you today?

Maybe you are in the middle of a storm and you are wondering where God is at the moment. Walls are crumbling around you and you feel you just can’t do this anymore. There is hope! He is right there with you and He is strongest in our weakness. Just cry out His name, tell Him what you need.  Yes, He already knows but He wants to know that you know what you need and want, and He will carry you through this. When I hear these words, I think back to a time not too long ago when we had pennies to our name and no job offer in sight, and butter and crackers were a meal. I didn’t think I could do it one more day…But God! He was my Strength and my Comfort, He was my Rock and my only Hope. I prayed and thanked Him for what He would do for us—that job I knew He had picked out but we had not gotten yet. I thanked Him for His timing and how perfect it was. And then, one day, we were walking uphill and we saw the light at the end of the tunnel! He made good on His promise that He would never leave us in one place too long and He would never leave us or forsake us.

This past Sunday, my precious 21 year old daughter sang this song. I stood there in complete awe of my God. Now that we are on the mountaintop, I can see that every victory was Him, every answer was Him, and looking back on how far we have come, I can honestly say,”Never once did we ever walk alone” and watching my sweet husband with hands up in worship was my miracle that I prayed for so earnestly. He still performs miracles!

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Let us pray: Oh God, how thankful we are that You have never once left us. From the day we are born and all throughout our lives, You desire a relationship with us. And though trials and struggles come and this world is getting harder, You remain the same. Yesterday, today, and forever, You are God, and You are on the throne! Thank You for the scars for they are reminders of when we fell and You picked us up. Some of us are still waiting on that miracle, or some are in the valley today…may this be hope to them that never once did You leave us on our own and You never will. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rejection and Persecution

April 29, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
Matthew 5:10

  • Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60)
  • The Apostles were put in jail for teaching in Jesus’ name (Acts 5:17-33)
  • John the Baptist was beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12)
  • Jesus was crucified

As Americans we are blessed and privileged to have the luxury of not being likely to suffer extreme persecution.  Our modern-day persecution largely consists of Christians being labeled as intolerant.

Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12

Christian’s are destined for persecution.  Our Lord’s teachings go against everything the systems of this world idolizes.  God’s children were not made to be accepted by the world.  No!  We were called to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16).  Different.  Godly.

I think one of the toughest tests of faith is persecution, right alongside hardship and loss.  Even Peter failed to stand for Jesus and he walked to Him on water! Standing up and openly claiming Jesus as your Lord can be scary.  Nowadays, the worst that we face is denial from people (people we were never suppose to be accepted by), thank God for America.

Rejection isn’t an easy thing to face.  Jesus himself was rejected, though, but of course that doesn’t make it any easier.  Here’s how I’ve decided to look at rejection.  When faced with the choice to stand for Christ or not—to face possible rejection or not—if we choose to deny Christ to be accepted by people, we are rejecting Christ.  Is rejecting Christ worth not being rejected ourselves?

I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth,
the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels.
But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.
Luke 12:8-9

Will you stand for Christ in front of man?

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Lord, I’m thankful that I don’t have to worry about being beheaded!  Give me the strength to stand for You, regardless of whether it’s easy or not.  Right is right and Your truth is truth.  One easy, but wrong, choice can set us on a road we never intended to take.  Help us to make the right tough choices now so we won’t have to pay the consequences later.  I pray that I do not shy away from proclaiming Your name to the world!  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hurricane

April 29, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

You’re spinning out of control again
Your life feels like a sinking ship
You’re wondering how it came to this

Is it too late?
Is it too far?
For Him to reach you
And come to where you are
Step out on the edge
Don’t be afraid of it
And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

You’re in the wreckage underneath
Your hope is buried somewhere deep
You’re wondering how long it will keep

It’s never too late
Never too far
For you to reach out
And take a hold of love
Step out on the edge
Don’t be afraid of it
And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

Don’t back down from the fight
He’ll shelter you tonight
Just hold on for the change
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

There’s a place, there’s a place you can run
When you fall, and it’s all come undone
You’ll be safe in the raging storm
So just let go
‘Cause you are held in His arms
Step out on the edge
Don’t be afraid of it
And when you feel the rain
Call His name
He’ll find you in the hurricane

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Songwriters: Cindy Morgan, Matt Bronleewe, Natalie Grant
Performed by Natalie Grant

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Have you ever felt as though you had so much going on that things were literally swirling around you and you weren’t sure where to begin?  I know I have…it reminds me of the eye of a storm.  It is a calm place while things are swirling around you.  Do you have Hope in the eye of your storm??  Jesus is the calm in the midst of our storm.

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14

So we should be in active pursuit of peace.  Not that we attain it once…and then we can rest; but this is a continuous process.

Why must we pursue something that is already given to us (John 14:27)?  We already have peace available to us. Jesus IS our Peace; it is found in Him.  We just have to utilize it by keeping our eyes focused on Him instead of the storm swirling around us. I love this excerpt from the book In the Eye of the Storm :

“What internal code kept His calm from erupting into chaos ? He knew the value of people… Interestingly the stress seen that day is not on Jesus’s face, but on the faces of the disciples… ‘Send the crowds away,’  they demand.  Fair request.  ‘After all,’ they are saying.  ‘You’ve taught them.  You’ve healed them.  You’ve accommodated them. And now they’re getting h ungry. If we don’t send them away.  They’ll want you to feed them, too.’  I wish I could have seen the expression on the disciples’ faces when they heard the Master’s response: ‘They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat…’

When we get outside of ourselves and the storms of our life, and begin to focus on Jesus, then peace will come.  Our storms will be used to minister to others and He will show us what to do in the midst of them.

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Heavenly Father, I thank You for the peace that has already been given to us when we choose to put our eyes and our focus on You.  Thank You that You are our peace in the eye of the storm and that You will never leave us or forsake us.  Thank You for showing us what to do in the midst of them.  In Jesus’ name. Amen!!!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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