GOD Will make a WAY. . . . . . . .

God is good! Finally I got to hear the choir lead with the hymn sung at the 6.00p.m mass yesterday the 28th October and boy was I glad. The choir sang it to perfection with a zest that I have quiet honestly not heard for quiet some time now. I think that is how we must sing to God, with a life-force in us, knowing that God is a wonderful God.

Fear can grip the heart of any man. In our day to day living we will face circumstances which will in a sort of way make us want to bend our rules. And so it is with fear, you bend once and then you fall prey to doing it over and over. The devil is devious-he wont stop at nothing. It is impossible to withstand the devil on your own. The more you believe in Christ, the more powerful is the attack. He does not attack you because you have nothing. He attacks because you have more than you know.

‘Attack is the best form of defence’. As humans we attack what we fear. Revenge is never a good thing. It destroys the person with the vengeful thought.

The devil attacks not because he is powerful-he attacks because he wants to hold you in his grip.

Jesus is the ‘Son of God’-He did not go attacking people. HE did not make people fear him. It’s different that they feared HIM anyways. He is love. He is the truth. And He is the WAY.

John 8:32 states-‘And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’

Our biggest hurdle is overcome by Christ. We are freed from the eternal bondage of slavery. We are no more slaves to sin. We have been freed by LOVE-The love of CHRIST.

What is the truth? It is this that JESUS is the Son of God. JESUS was crucified and on the third day, HE rose from the dead. This is the love of CHRIST.  

He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come to judge the living and the dead.

When you know this ultimate truth-when you realize and feel the complete Love of God and trust in Him at all times. Then and only then will you understand what John states in John 8:32

The TRUTH is JESUS-and Jesus sets you and me free. Go into the world for Jesus has set you free.

Of GOD I am afraid. It’s not what you think-of as fear that I am writing about. What I am speaking of, is the Holy Fear-It is out of reverence to the Almighty God. I go down on my knees out of reverence to Him.

Psalm 27, the Psalmist writes: “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?

In the truest sense-tell me who shall I be afraid off? What is mortal man? We are all but dust and to dust we shall return. If you remember this you will be no more afraid?

I always have people come and advice me not to take a stand for the truth. They come and remind me of the penalties, I will go through. And they are right. Each one wishes for someone else to do the right thing. We all look forward to someone-someone who will liberate us from our trials. 

I do suffer consequences. But no coward soul is mine.

Always accept-that someone-if that be your opponent-accept that whatever they throw at you to punish you-don’t look at it as a punishment or an attack-just look at it-as a chance to improve yourself. Honestly anything that brings about an opportunity for self improvement-will only take you to perfection. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48-But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect..

Revenge is a bad thought. Never think of justifying yourself in the eyes of man. Trust in God-and Let God fight for you.

I do understand what it is to be wronged. I know what injustice feels like. I know sometimes waiting for God to take action feels like a very long time-it feels like an eternity of trials. But believe me, when I say, God will not stop moving mountains to get to you. GOD WILL VINDICATE YOU-God will vindicate His people. Trust in Him always.

Romans 12:19 states: Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

When you know God the way I do-When you feel the Holy Spirit nudge you-When you feel Him move your soul-When you feel that complete utter feeling of …. Its indescribable-When you feel like that you can’t just sit hand on hand and do nothing.

Then you wear your whole armour of God and you confront the devil….and you win….. You win not on your own strength. You win in the Holy mighty name of ‘Jesus'.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a banquet before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.          (runneth-overflows)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  Psalm 23:5-10

Praying According to God's Will

Prayer is asking. God wants to answer our prayers, but we need to ask according to HIS WILL... "And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" 1st John 5:14.

Pray without Ceasing. All our reason, speech and action—must be moulded by the activity of prayer. Moreover, as prayer becomes central in our lives, all that we do becomes part of prayer.

Developing a habit of unceasing (unstoppable) prayer would change how we perceive (look), and act in the world.

When Augustine wondered why God, who already knows everything we need or want, tells us to petition for things in prayer, he concluded: “God wants our desire to be exercised in our prayers, so that we become able to receive what he is prepared to give.” Prayer trains our love.

On the 15^th of October, the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, I was praying, and God asked me ‘Aren’t you going to ask me anything for yourself.’ I replied, ‘I have you. Your will be done.’

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

In this passage Paul sums up how the Christian should live.

Rejoice Always

1 Peter 1 tells us to rejoice with “joy inexpressible” because we have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”.

When we go through hardships we rejoice because we’re focused on Hope. We rejoice because the source of our joy doesn’t come from our earthly circumstances, it comes from our heavenly standing. We rejoice always because we belong to Christ.

Pray Without Ceasing

To pray without ceasing means that, we should pray all the time.

In Mathew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches us how to pray. We learn that it’s through prayer we praise God, make our requests known to Him, ask forgiveness for our sins and forgive sins done against us, and ask for His protection against evil.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

If we’re rejoicing in Him, and we’re constantly in prayer, the result will be a heart that gives thanks for all things.

We praise God even though we don’t always understand the reasons for our hardships but we’re promised that even though these things aren’t good, God will bring good out of it.

In John 16:21-22 Jesus was talking to the disciples about His death and resurrection. He told them that, “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

In other words, “you won’t understand what’s happening now, and it will grieve you, but later you’ll understand and when you do you’ll have a joy no one will ever be able to take away from you.”

Paul adds, “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Here’s our answer: rejoice always or pray without ceasing and seek Gods blessings, and in everything gives thanks.

Do not quench the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 tells us the Holy Spirit teaches us the spiritual things of God and gives us discernment (the quality of being able to grasp).

So we shouldn’t suppress (put an end to-stop) the Holy Spirit as He works in our lives to make us more like Christ.

Do not despise prophecies.

In other words don’t reject the preaching and applying of Scripture. God has given the Church-Priests, to help us understand the Bible. We should never reject good bible teaching.

 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:15 to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” False teachers present themselves to the Church as good teachers.

Do not accept any teaching from anyone unless it lines up with Scripture.

Abstain from every form of evil.

1 John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

To sin is to go against God’s will and to be out of fellowship with Him. To abstain from sin is to draw closer to the Lord.

 

 

We need to be relentless. Jesus said, "And I say to you, ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you, for everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks, finds, and he who knocks, it shall be opened." Luke 11:9

God will hear, and He will answer. And He will respond to your persistence because He cares about you.

When you come before God consistently, you move the Mighty power of God. He seeks to respond to those whom He loves and to whom He has made promises.

God knows what we ask before we ever ask it. We are heard because our heart cries out to the One who is the source of all things. Your heart can cry out to the Lord, and He understands your request.

Paul says pray at all times with all prayer and petition consistent with the will of the spirit of God. Always praying, asking God's will, the will of the spirit to be fulfilled.

We need to pray for wisdom.

We need to be Intense as we pray without ceasing. It is what it means to seek God with all your heart in all the issues of life, at all times, with all prayer and supplication, not being anxious, but in everything by prayer, taking your request to God. It's that kind of prevailing prayer.  Philippians 4:6

You acknowledge then that no matter what happens, you have reason to rejoice; you have reason to be thankful because God overrules all the bad things to produce good.

I'm talking about somebody with a rock-solid confidence in the purposes of God, unfolding through all the difficulties of life and the knowledge that their well being is the first thing in God's heart and; therefore, all things are working together for the good of them who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and it's out of that deep-down confidence that you have a deep joy, and out of that joy rises thankfulness, and connected with that is this matter of dependence.

And when you do something that you know displeases God, from your heart comes the desire for forgiveness.

No matter where I turn, I am blessed, and I know that.

Psalms 66:18. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

What are some of the sins that stop our prayers? If you're holding a grudge against somebody; if you're bitter against somebody, If you want to enjoy the blessing of God's forgiveness in your life, then you must give the same forgiveness to those who offended you.

Another thing that hinders prayer is lack of faith. You have to ask in faith without doubting God's wisdom, God's power and God's will.

Where there is un-forgiveness in your heart, where there is indifference to those in needs and where there is a lack of trust and faith, your prayers are hindered. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives.

Let me put it this way. 1 John 3:22, "Whatever we ask, we receive from Him." "Because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." You're going to receive what you ask because you keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

So pray without ceasing. Simple, yet profound; it's a continual rising of the longings and desires of the heart into the presence of God.

God will hear and answer as we obey His commandments and do His will.

CONCLUSION: Just some thoughts:

• The love of Christ in forgiving us all our sins. The more we see the sinfulness of our sin, the more we should love Christ and desire fellowship with Him.
• A constant consciousness of not only our dependence on God's grace every hour of our day, but those around us too.
• A thankful heart for even the smallest of God's daily mercies.

The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, exhorts all believers to pray without ceasing. We should therefore, strive to be more constant in our prayers throughout the day. Let us ask the Lord to pour out upon us a deeper desire for and delight in such a holy communion with our great God.

REMEMBER: Luke 18:1-4 Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Make things right for me. Someone is doing me wrong.’

"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

The Lord said, “Listen to what the unfair judge says.

Now, shall not God bring about justice for his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily.

PRAYER: Abba Father, I love you so much and this is my prayer, I want everything that you want for me. And Jesus, may I be like You and say Your Holy Will be done.
Wherever you lead me, Holy Spirit I will follow. Amen. 

Abundant life. . . . .

When you love someone, love will always find a way. I believe in that. I believe that two people meant to be will always find their way into each others hearts.

No matter what the world tells you, no matter what you go through. No matter what distance separates you-love is the bridge that connects you through. You got to believe in God and know that your belief will bring you to what’s true.

I love fairy tales, always did, will always do. They inspired me a lot as a kid. I loved the way the stories had the happy ending and they lived happily forever after. I love the word forever. Don’t you? Oh come on, now, don’t just stare at the word. You know we both agree, or else you would not read this far. So you see we are getting some where.

In fairy tales, there is always a happy ending. They are motivational. Always make you believe in the goodness of the heart. And the thing you always get to learn is that no matter how wicked the Queen is or the stepmother or step sisters, or whatever spells they cast, good ultimately triumphs over bad. And the reason good wins-is solely because love over-weighs the bad. Now you would just think and say ‘ah, anybody could figure that'. Hang on buddy, but there is something about love-something that is not talked about much-something that people have more or less skipped. The word is sacrifice. Do you hear much of that? I don’t think so. It’s the-I factor, these days. You be the judge.

I love simplicity. It impresses me a lot. In this day and age to meet someone who can be simple gets a Wow from me. That’s how much I love simple people. If you ask me why-the answer is simple-their minds are not twisted. They talk as to what they see. It is the simple who can love with no deception.

I am not saying that life is easy. What I remember, is some years back, I found it very difficult to cope with most things. Change was never the easiest. The hardest thing all my life was to watch people go away. So like everybody else, I did get hurt a lot and cried a lot. But God is good.

Something I have learnt – When a needle or a pin pricks our skin-our whole attention goes to that finger. We apply a bandage or maybe wash it off or apply an ointment-for just a small cut-which may not even be a cut. For a second just imagine the pain, what does it feel like? Try to hold on to that feeling.

Now imagine someone taking an Iron spike measuring 5 to 7 inches and hammers it down-through the hand-that hammers through the bone, hammers once, hammers twice, thrice, fourth and till the spike (nail) goes through to the other-side of the hand. Do you know what it feels like? Try imagining, will you?

Try imagining both the hands and then the feet.

A simple man-the Son of God-What was his crime?-Absolutely nothing-completely innocent. He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter.

People have this misconception-of the meaning of innocent-what it means-is the One who knows everything-and chooses to do the right. That is what my sweet Jesus did. Aint nobody like Him.

To choose to come to this world-to be humiliated-to be mocked-to have felt His Father-having forsaken Him-that was His most painful cry from the cross- "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

So if ever in life you feel left out, and that no one understands you, know this, Jesus does. He is always by your side.

Remember: We all go through trials-each and every one of us. Difference is some are big trials and some small ones. Some of us fight, and some of us give up.

I want you to remember, you are never alone. Jesus went through all this for you and me. He had the hardest trial of all. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. He triumphed! Jesus won over death! Jesus rose from the dead!

On Good Friday-the day Jesus was crucified-it looked like everything was over. On a Saturday, you and I could feel like lost causes. But the good news is-we have a Easter Sunday-Halleluiah! Jesus shows us the way! From death to victory - Good-Friday to Easter-Sunday we are the Hallelujah people and our song will always be Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Halle…… lu …….jah!

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Abundant Life – Living life to the fullest. Abundantly means above and beyond.

Jesus said that He came to give us life and life abundantly!  Our life was a life of keeping our heads above water, a live of survival and a life where abundantly life was only a distant dream, a possibility and a faint hope. 

We have one of three options in living our lives:

We can give up.
We can do whatever it takes to just exist or survive.
We can choose to live life abundantly – THRIVE!

Survive: to remain alive or, to continue to function.

Thrive: to flourish.

Don't Just Survive-Thrive

In Mark 10:46-52, Jesus gave us an example of a man who was named Bartimaeus. In this passage, Jesus showed us how one man's life was miraculously changed when he encountered Jesus.

Bartimaeus was blind. We also know that Bartimaeus was poor. All Bartimaeus could do was to sit along the roadside, begging. His life seemed hopeless. Bartimaeus was a man who simply survived. That is, until the day Jesus, came along. Jesus gave Bartimaeus ...a gift that would change his life forever.

Now, what can we learn from Bartimaeus? How can we move beyond merely surviving and start thriving? Once Bartimaeus discovered that Jesus was close to him, he shouted out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." Now, what do you think triggered that request? Was he simply begging as he had always done? How did he know of Jesus' miraculous powers? How did he know that Jesus was coming? Bartimaeus sensed that he had an opportunity to get help and he acted upon the opportunity. Bartimaeus pleaded with Jesus. Little did he know that this  request would turn out to be his best request ever! Bartimaeus capitalized on the opportunity placed before him by God.

In Mark 10:17-31, A Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus with several questions about life. Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." Tragically, the young man went away sad. The answer is simple: he wanted to keep what he had, what he owned, rather than follow Jesus.

God may offer something to us; however, if we refuse to accept it, the opportunity will be missed. An opportunity must be grabbed, accepted-taken. Bartimaeus accepted the opportunity that was presented by Jesus. The Rich Young Ruler did not accept the opportunity.

If you feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit, if God is placing an opportunity before you, you have two choices. Seize the moment! Grab the opportunity! Or allow other things to stop the opportunity.
We must learn to 'Minimize the negative voices'. We judge people by what we see on the outside. To look at them, we would say that they will never amount to anything.

Bartimaeus was judged because he was blind, poor, and did not seem to fit into society. He was rejected.
However, Bartimaeus persisted. He would not give up. Mark said, "He shouted all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me." Bartimaeus was not going to let a bunch of negative, critical bystanders rob him of his dream of sight.

We must never try to please those who would criticize us. Why? Simple. We will never be able to do so. As you are criticized, as you face the negative crowd, follow the example of Bartimaeus. Move forward despite it. Don't let it hold you back. Seize the opportunities placed before you by God. Don't be limited by the negative criticism of others.

Finally, if we are to move from striving to thriving, we must learn to EXERCISE THE FAITH AVAILABLE TO US. Notice, Bartimaeus' boldness grabbed Jesus' attention. His boldness and enthusiasm were almost impossible to miss. Let me quickly add, that we should make no mistake about it, the reason that Jesus healed Bartimaeus was not because of his boldness, but because of his faith. It was Bartimaeus' faith that triggered Jesus' healing power. Jesus said to Bartimaeus, "Go, your faith has healed you."

However, Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted. For that reason, he did not hesitate to speak to Jesus about it. But listen. Through prayer, we have this same privilege. The Lord said in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." 

Paul told us in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Complete faith is obedient faith. Mark tells us that when Bartimaeus received his sight, he "followed Jesus along the road." 
Genuine faith cannot wait to tell others, to point others to God, to follow Jesus. Stop settling for less! Don't just survive, thrive! Thrive through Jesus Christ and your faith in Him.

 

 

What can help us to thrive spiritually?
Persecution-Trials: can help me to thrive? It brings maturity, blessing and joy. Persecution-trials force us to lean on the strength of God. We should pray that God would bring us persecution and trials so that in our weakness His strength may be made perfect. We don’t just endure; we grow. By striving to gain the most from our trials and hardships we are more than survivors-we are thrivers.

Prosperity: God wishes to prosper us. Proverbs 21:21, “He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” When we strive for righteousness and love, we will prosper. Our pursuit, however, shouldn’t be toward material prosperity. Life isn’t found in the abundance of our possessions, it’s found in possessing an abundant life.

Thriving: To do well; flourish. To blossom.

• If we are going to thrive then we need to keep that contact with our Heavenly Father open and active. There are spiritual blessings waiting for us through prayer.
• When we commit to study and meditate on God’s wonderful scripture, we will have God’s word to get us through a difficult situation. We will have the Word to encourage us when we’re feeling down or defeated. 

Benefits of Keeping God First

Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God. Let Him into every area of your life. 1 Thessalonians 2:4.  As we live to please God, He promises to bless our lives and make us prosper.

When you decide to serve God with your whole heart and make Him first in your life, your soul will prosper and your joy and peace will increase.

So if you mess up, don’t be discouraged and let it hold you back; confess it and keep going. God will give you grace to do what you need to do. One day at a time. Remember for this partnership to succeed, God needs your co-operation. Together you and God are a force to reckon with!

Only Love

Jesus said that loving God and other people is the most important commandment. “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

He added, “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” Matthew 22:39.

And how God wants us to express our deepest emotions and be loving to all and love everyone—more than anything else.

God loves you so much, He wants you to experience that love in the deepest part of your soul. Choose to believe the best about people rather than automatically assuming the worst.

Encourage somebody who needs someone by their side. Don’t wait until you feel like it-when someone has had a bad day-don’t go ahead and say, “I told you, so.’ What a let down that would be.

If someone does you wrong, do right with them. Give everyone an opportunity in life. Just think of it this way, wouldn’t you love if someone gave you a second chance.

Go out and love on purpose. You will be amazed at the joy it releases in your soul! Focus on learning to love as Jesus loved, and I promise, all the other fruit of the Spirit will follow.

Get a Little Closer

Have you spent time with God to tell Him how much you appreciate Him and to thank Him for all that He's done for you—not just to give Him a whole list of everything you need to be happy?

God loves you so much and He wants to have a personal, intimate relationship with you. If you want to have a closer walk with Him, you’ll need to make some changes and some of them will be challenging.

To make more time with God a priority, you may have to say "no" to some people that don't want to hear "no," and you may have to cut off some things that really aren't bearing fruit in your life anymore. But the reward of growing closer to God will always be greater than the difficulties you experience to get there.

CONCLUSION: Jesus came to give us freedom from our sins. By Christ's example, we're not only taught to love our enemies, we're taught to pray for them too.

I encourage you to trust God a little bit more. Believe that whatever you do for "the least of these"—the poor, the hungry, the sick, people in prison and those who are neglected and alone—will be done for you also.

REMEMBER: God causes things to happen at exactly the right time! Our job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that we won't give up until we cross the finish line and are living in the outrageous blessings of God! The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.

PRAYER: Abba, Father, this is what I ask for, this is what I need, the dream you have put in my heart, the one I see everyday, the one I know, the one I love. To human eyes it is truly impossible. Jesus You said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

I pray, Abba Father, I pray to You Jesus and I pray to You, Holy Spirit. Let your Holy Will be done. Jesus, please, help me I pray.  Keep me always faithful and obedient to You. Praise be God!

Promise Date: 14^th October, 2012. Mark 10:27 (2^nd)time.

              28^th May, 2012.     Mark 10:27 (1^st)time.

              5^th  October, 2012. Luke 1:37  (1^st Friday).

  

I’m a Survivor!

This is to you my Guardian Angel, and to God’s amazing grace.

Last Sunday, the 30th of September, after the mass, as I finished my conversation with God, I just got off my seat, I saw this cute little chubby baby. And oh my God, did I wish at that moment, that he would come just near me. And God, listens you know. He came right to me and I bent down, and touched his cheeks. I wished to hug and hold him in my arms. I was just happy that I could hold his tiny little hand.

Life is amazing. The most amazing aspect of life is love. Give a little love and you get a whole world of love in return. And love is the easiest of all, especially, if you look at it from God’s point of view.

Sometimes, in life we make the mistake of looking down on a person. We pass the verdict that-the person wont amount to anything. But God is all knowing, and He does not see that way. He’s given each person certain potential that will come about in God’s good time. I want you to see with the eyes of God. I wish that you could love-with the love that comes directly from the Heart of God. I wonder if you could just give it a try. 

Love hurts, but not being loved, is a far worst feeling. I pray, for you to be surrounded by love.

It hurts to hear people often criticize each other. What’s even more difficult is to not feel a pinch of what others go through. Each and every day, I see someone trying to put the other person down. Each and every day that you continue with this behaviour, you harden your heart towards God and towards your neighbour. You become loveless.

All I really wish for you is that you understand, that you are everything to God, and if you know this truth, then you have to realize that your neighbour too is as important as you are. God loves all of us. Remember, Jesus, He died on the Cross for all of us. HE did not choose you alone or me alone. He loved us all.

With time comes change of seasons. We all hurt at some time or the other. But nothing in life is constant. So if you are hurting-Its okay to hurt and its okay to cry. It's a misconception-that only the weak cry. I think it takes a strong person to show their true feeling. To cry when you hurt-it just shows your softer side, and that’s okay. Thank God you are not mechanical.

The scripture (the Bible) states: Be not afraid-26 times and if you include ‘Do not be afraid’-the count goes upto 325 times or so. 

When you are hurting, the only person who can reach to your heart and heal and bless it abundantly is God.  

REMEMBER: Every once in a while the waters of the sea come back to the shore from where they started. And God is a witness to all of His marvels. He alone knows the time, and the count and seconds, and milliseconds.

Nothing is impossible to a GOD OF IMPOSSIBLES!

William James said: The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.

Successes and defeats are, attributed to our thinking. When we fill our mind with unbelief and dwell on being a failure, our attitude will produce defeat. But a faith-filled attitude is much more likely to bring success.

Satan tries to destroy people by creating fear, pessimism, self pity, un-forgiveness, hatred, and unresolved anger. And that’s why the Bible says, “give no place to the devil.”

The reason it’s important to guard our thoughts is because our thinking determines our actions and our actions determine our character. We become what we think.

Proverbs 23:7 says: “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.”

Let me explain-Your thoughts lead to actions! It takes right thinking to produce right behavior. That’s why Proverbs 23:19 warns to “be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.”

You are what you have been thinking. And your tomorrow is dependent on your thoughts of today. And God lets people fall into traps of their own design when they won’t trust Him.

If you live with hatred and un-forgiveness, you will become what you think—embittered and hateful.

But you’ll become victorious if you’ll fill your mind with what Paul commanded us in Philippians 4:8—whatever is “true . . . noble . . . right . . . pure . . . lovely . . . admirable . . . excellent or praiseworthy.”

This type thinking takes discipline, but you can do it! And it will transform your life!

So many people complain about being victims. Wouldn't you rather be a victor?

I have learned from the Word of God that we can have victory over pain instead of being the victims of it. In Philippians 4:13-"do all things through Christ who strengthens us".

God is El Shaddai, the all-sufficient God.

God in Your Life 
God cares about the tiniest details of your life. Nothing ever escapes Him. He often uses difficult moments and human tragedies to accomplish this purpose. When you understand this you can handle anything in this life.

Romans 8:28 states- ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are so called according to His purpose.’
Realize that His purpose is that all things work together for good. No matter what you are going through God can use it.

God Gives Us a New Perspective  
We get bitter because we think someone is getting away with something and nothing is happening to them. We think God has let it go.
But if you believe God is involved and knows then we can turn things over to Him. It is knowing that God is there that will keep us going through hard times.

God Uses the Events of Our Life
The Lord uses the least capable and the most unlikely to accomplish His purpose. How tough is your faith? Will you allow God to use your life no matter what?

When something drains our strength-God has promised to enable us and be our helper.

In fact, He sent the Holy Spirit for this purpose. Jesus told His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to be their "Comforter (Counsellor, Advocate)" John 16:7.

God is "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" Psalms 46:1. We can receive His help, however, only by asking for it—by relying on and trusting in Him.

What is Victory? People have the misconception that victory is the absence of problems. But I don't believe that victory is defined as "being problem-free." True victory-comes right in the midst of the storm—when it's raging and there is yet peace, when tragedy has struck and one can nevertheless say, "It is well with my soul."

Romans 8:37 says that "we are more than conquerors." I believe this means that we can have assurance of victory even before the battle begins. We can have such confidence in God that no matter what happens or threatens to happen we can be on top rather than on the bottom. We do not have to live under some—pressure.

I see people walking with defeated look on them all the time. I have this inclination to want to go up and shake them good, and say ‘wake up, good fellow’. Sometimes if I know the person I just go and do that. And if I don’t know them, I pray.

Victim to Victor
Trials will come; John 16:33. But we don't have to let them get the best of us. We have to get off the victim mentality and start thinking like a victor.

The proper attitude: Ephesians 3:16 teaches us to be strengthened in the inner man. If we are strong inside, the things coming against us from the outside cannot defeat us.

1 John 4:4 says, "Greater is he that is in [me], than he that is in the world".

If your faith is not strong, you need to spend time in the Word and if not daily then on Sundays to participate in the ‘Holy Eucharist’(The Eucharist is the celebration which includes the Word of God, thanksgiving to God, the consecration of bread and wine and participation by the faithful in receiving the Lord’s body and blood).

I learned not to talk about problems. Even though talking about it does not solve the problem, there is a longing in us for people to know what we are going through. We long for human sympathy.

Do you know why some people remain depressed? The answer is, It feeds their negativism! It feels so good to sit, to be pitied on, to sulk over their misery. Ultimately, we must learn to go to the Comforter.

The more we talk about our problems, the bigger they become. We can blow them entirely out of proportion by giving them too much attention. Don’t focus on your problem, focus on God. God is bigger than all the problems-put together. Aint-no mountain big enough for God to move.

Trust God to change you: We must turn ourselves over to God and trust Him to do what we cannot. We can exercise a certain amount of discipline and self-control, but no matter how much we struggle, we cannot change ourselves. God has to do it.

When I detect weaknesses in myself, I remember that His strength will be made perfect in them if I trust Him. God is more than enough!

No matter how deep in the pit a person may find himself, God's arm is not too short to save him. We cannot uphold ourselves and cause ourselves to be able to stand in His presence. But Romans 14:4 says, "And he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master—the Lord—is mighty to support him and make him stand".

Submit yourself to God: To get from being the victim to being victorious, we must know the truth about resisting the devil. The Word of God states: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’-James 4:7.

As we submit to God and His instructions, we are resisting the devil.

God has a plan of deliverance and victory—a plan to prosper us and not to harm us-Jeremiah 29:11. It is His will that His children be victors, not victims. The book of James 1:5 teaches us that when we are experiencing trials we are to ask God, and He will show us what to do or what not to do in order to have victory. Then we must draw strength from Him, and do it by His grace.

Persevere-Remember: This too shall pass! What you're going through won't last forever, but God will... The Bible teaches us to endure. We might say that means "to outlast the devil."

Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised”- Hebrews 10:36. He reminded them that their hope in God was not in vain, "for He who promised is faithful," and that their confidence in Him would be richly rewarded-v.23-35. Let us declare with Paul, "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved"-v.39.

We need to learn to trust God to deliver us—in His timing—and to turn our sorrow into joy. Psalms 30:5; 126:5.

If you, are determined to be free—to be more than a conqueror—remember to keep your eyes and your conversation on Jesus and off the situation. Submit yourself to God in all things. Spend time with the Lord, drawing upon His strength. Wait in His presence, and you will find that He is more than enough to bring you through to victory, no matter what kind of pain you may be experiencing.

I believe one of the most important things is that your thoughts are powerful and they will actually determine your future. Have you heard the saying, "It's all in your mind"? Well, that's exactly where our successes and victories begin. You can think yourself into a mess or you can think yourself into a place of victory.

Positive thinking doesn't just happen. You have to believe God's Word is for you. Then you need to hear yourself say what you believe.

 

You can never get beyond what you think—especially what you think of yourself.

I believe many people think they don't have a choice about their thoughts. But you can think on purpose—positive thoughts or negative thoughts. If a negative thought comes into your head, you can cast it down and begin to renew your mind with the Word of God.

Having your mind set in advance is important so that when something doesn't go your way, you've already decided to not let it bother you.

 

God loves me unconditionally!

When you really know that God loves you, you can conquer anything. You feel valuable, you become bold, and you realize you don't have to be afraid of making mistakes or failing. You know you have a purpose in life!

Knowing that God loves you unconditionally will also remove the fear from your life.

Even when the world tries to make you feel like there's something wrong with you, remember that the first thing God gives you when you receive Christ is righteousness. You're right with Him, and it doesn't matter whom else you might be wrong with.

Forgiving those who've hurt you is a big part of trusting God.

Set your mind that you won't be bitter, angry or resentful. You may not be able to help what you feel but if you change what you think, your feelings will catch up with your thoughts.

Don't you want to have God's promises? I do. In time, our thoughts and our words will be full of God's truths, and we will experience the blessings He has for us.

CONCLUSION:  You know how love is-you fear nothing-you would walk a 1000 miles to be with the one you love. There can be no mountain-whose height makes you tremble with fear. Even if you had to go down through a valley-you know you could. You would, cross the river-heck-you would cross the oceans for the one you love. What is it about love that makes you never want to fear?

Precisely why God considers Love the most important. Even faith and hope come later. Corinthians 13:13 says-‘Of Faith, Hope and Love, Love is the greatest’. It is for love of us that Jesus-the Son of God chose to be human, it is for His love and devotion to His Father-that He chose to do His Fathers will. Love is and will always be the greatest of all.

I understand now that God wants much more for us than mere survival. It’s not His will that we just barely make the finish line. He wants us to sail past it with hope. Even more important, He wants our acknowledgement that we get nowhere on our own. It’s all Him, all the time.

And you, my dear will always be more than a survivor-in the name of 'JESUS'.

REMEMBER: Whatever the Bible says you are is what you and I must confess we are.

That means we should say, “I am spiritual, forgiving, kind, virtuous, honest, loving, holy, Spirit-filled, faith-filled, confident, and a doer of the Word.”

Confessing your identity with Christ and who the Bible says you are will affect your entire Christian character. And that’s why Revelation 12:11 says we overcome: “by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.”

PRAYER: Abba, Father, I wait on Your word. Keep me obedient and always faithful. Teach me to do Your will always.

Praise God! Praise to the Holy Trinity!

Promise date: 5^th October, 2012. Luke 1:37(First Friday).