Christ Who Strengthens Me

All Praise And Honor To Christ Who Strengthens Me

Christ who strengthens meWhen I’m feeling sad, I know I have a Savior who never leaves my side and knows what I’m going through.

I grateful for the knowledge that, when I pray to God, He’s listening. There’s no “I’ll get back to her later” from my Lord and King.

He loves me AND you THAT much.

(Hold your arms open wide. Christian, He loves you even more than that!)

How great is our God.

Light Bulb Moment, No Replacement Needed

light bulb momentGod will see you and me through every challenge that life throws at us.

That truth alone is so encouraging and I hope it is for you as well.

It took many years before I was finally able to break free from old traditions. Once I realized that I didn’t need any other intercessor but Jesus Christ, the light bulb went off and I felt so much peace.

I am eternally in His grip.

He alone holds my (and your) eternal future in His hands.

No one else.

When Life Overwhelms

life hands you a curve ballAs a loving Father, God can bring us comfort in our despair and much needed strength when we’re feeling down.

We must trust Him, no matter what.

He can give us the courage to endure when we’re handed a curve ball.

 

A Christian Perspective From Wisconsin

A good friend of ours from Wisconsin, Tom G., shared one of his favorite Bible verses. It’s Philippians 4:13 –

*I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Here’s what Tom had to say about why he chose this verse:

“We have had some family trials that have left us feeling a little discouraged as parents. We should get our eyes off of the situation before us and put them on our Lord, Savior, Counselor, and Comforter.”

It’s a powerhouse verse, alright.

We can get so overwhelmed by the circumstances of our troubles that we forget to just be still with God.

I admit it. Being still is not one of my strong points.

But, I’m working on it.

It could be a life-long process, but He knows where I’m at and His patience with all of us sinners is nothing short of Grace.

God Bless!

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*Bible reference: New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

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Trust In The Lord Even When You Hurt

Trust in the Lord Even When You Hurt

It can be hard to trust in the Lord when you feel like your life is falling apart.

trust in the Lord even when it hurtsBad things happen.

  • A car plows into your vehicle and sends you to the hospital.
  • Your spouse says he or she has had an affair.
  • A friend is given a cancer diagnosis.
  • Your teenager is addicted to drugs.

These are huge wake-up calls and this small list doesn’t even cover what some of your friends and family may be going through.

It hurts a lot sometimes.

In my own family, there’s divorce, the loss of a child, the loss of a job, health concerns, and atheism.

Difficult questions come to mind when you wake up and get some bad news.

Where are you, God?

Don’t You care about me?

What did I do to deserve this?

When Did Life Get So Out of Control?

The hard fact is, no one ever promised us an easy life without cares and concerns. In the book of James 1:2-4, Scripture tells us that we’ll experience various trials.

Notice that the word “trials” is in its plural form.

And yet, we are still told to trust Him.

There was no exception to that command.

The Bible doesn’t say, “Trust in the Lord, except when __________(fill in the blanks with your particular circumstance.)

Is unshakeable trust in God an easy thing to have?

We’d like to think so, but not always. We’re not perfect. We have the very human, knee jerk, “fix it now” mentality and can rush headlong into finding a quick solution, all the while forgetting to pray and ask God for His strength and guidance to see us through.

God Loves usAlways Remember, He Loves Us

The wonderful truth is that God loves you. Nothing or no one can take that away from you. You are His child.

He knows your past, present, and future. For His reasons alone, He allows certain things to take place in our lives.

God may appear to be silent at times, but you and me have to trust Him and that means in good times and in bad. If we pray or even talk to Him quietly in our thoughts, He will listen.

A Christian Perspective From Georgia

I asked a good friend of mine about her favorite Bible verse. Kim M. from Georgia chose Proverbs 3:5-6.

*Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make straight your paths.

missing puzzle piecesHere’s what Kim had to say about why this verse means so much to her:

“Our understanding and logic is not the same as God’s. We work hard to put things in a way that seems logical to us, only to find that there is always that piece or something that is missing. With God, He can see the whole picture so there are no missing pieces. If we place God in charge instead of us trying to be in charge, all of the pieces will fall into place, in accordance to His will and His timing. Trust God completely.”

That is so true.

Learning to Cope

How can you learn endurance to get through the hard times? There are a lot of options.

  • Pray. God is listening.
  • You can read and memorize Scripture, especially the verses that encourage you the most.
  • You can listen to some great Christian music. I have links to some great contemporary artists on this website.
  • You can attend a Men or Women’s Bible study. Once there, you can meet some of the most amazing people who have struggles of their own. The friendships often become lifelong.
  • You can help someone less fortunate than yourself. As sad as you may feel about some of your own trials, there’s always someone who is worse off than you. That will help with your perspective.
  • Lastly, you can get together with some of your Christian friends. You can lift each other up with support and love. Some day, all Christians will be in Heaven together where there is no more suffering and sadness.

That will be a very happy day.

Do you feel this article may be helpful to someone?

Please feel free to share it with them.

*Bible reference: English Standard Version. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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God’s Love Song to You

Did You Know That God’s Love Song Was Written For Us?

God's love song to youAre you listening?

It’s an incredible truth that humbles me every time I think about it. The lyrics of a beautiful love song are right there in the pages of your Bible.

When I open Scripture, I find words of historical significance – not just about the events that happened way in the distant past, but prophetic words defining what will happen in our future. That’s His redemptive love for us. He loves us enough to tell us how we can know and spend our eternity with Him.

There are also words about wisdom, having a servant’s heart, forgiveness, and grace – virtues that are often forgotten in this world of distractions we’re living in.

The Bible rightly reminds us of His judgment. Although we don’t always understand His timing and we may not witness His justice personally, God promises to punish unrepentant sinners.

Why would anyone turn away or deny His gift of grace?

You May Think It’s Too Late to Turn Your Life Towards Him

It’s not too late. No, not ever, for as long as you have a breath in your body.

God is a loving Father, Who will forgive you if you truly repent when you sin and open your heart to receive His grace.

He knows you and He knows me…by name.

How incredible is that?

He knew our names before we were even born. That’s how big and omniscient God is.

God’s Words Can Speak to Your Heart

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

Is there a certain verse you turn to when you need encouragement or a reminder of God’s promises?

Those are words to His love song, for you. 

He wants a relationship with you. He doesn’t need us, but we need Him desperately.

I love to hear from friends which Bible verse speaks to them the most. Here’s one from Russell C. who lives in Seattle, Washington.

It’s really beautiful and you’ll find it in Zephaniah 3:17, ESV –

*The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Here’s why this verse in particular has spoken to Russell’s heart:

“This is usually my favorite verse because it is a clear indication of the creative and non-generic nature of Father’s love towards me individually. He has written a song, about me, and sings it over me to rejoice in what He has created and in my potential. It has long been my goal to learn this song, to sing it with the Father, and to totally agree with His opinions and His vision for me.”

God’s Vision For Our Lives

I think about that verse also and it gives me a lot of peace. God created Heaven and Earth and yet He knows each one of us individually.

Think about the last time you went to a concert. Remember that huge crowd of people in the audience?

God knows you individuallyGod can pick you out of that crowd in the twinkling of an eye. That’s how powerful God is.

Let’s go bigger.

Think of every man, woman, and child in this great big world we live in. God still knows you personally (in this whole world full of people) and He knows your heart.

God knows your heart personallyHow amazing is that?

Now that’s a love song worth sharing.

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*Bible reference: English Standard Version. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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Christians – Should You Share That Post?

Christians – Should You Share That Post?

To “Share or Not to Share” – now that’s a good question, especially in this day and age.

Have you ever been on Facebook and seen an inspirational or funny picture-quote from a friend and felt that you had to share it right away on your own wall?

Here’s an example:

Christians - should you share that postIt’s funny, right?

But, be careful.

I’m seeing some risky sharebait and I don’t think people even realize it.

See where it says “Anonymous” in the example? Normally, that word would also be a clickable link to some other website.

Anonymous is usually fine, but it’s some of the other sources I’m seeing all over Facebook that are concerning.

What is sharebait? It’s a post that has the potential of going viral.

Your friend was probably just one of a thousand people on social media who saw a clever post, didn’t check the originating website carefully, and shared it right away.

source of the quoteWho is the originator of the quote and do they represent anything that you want to be associated with? For instance, you would never find me sharing a quote from Bill Maher, or any other liberal – no matter what.

Take Care When You Share

For a fictitious example, let’s say you see a post on Facebook that says in big letters, “I like chocolate” with a picture of a delicious, mouth-watering brownie in the background.

Sounds harmless enough, right? Why not share it?

But wait, what if the the chocolate quote came from a website called “Love is stupid.”

That “Love is stupid” website shows up as a clickable link now, on your wall. Do you really think love is stupid?

check the sourceIt’s wise to check the “source” of the quotes you share before you share.

This actually happened:

A Christian friend of mine shared a wonderful inspirational picture-quote that I almost shared myself until I looked at the source website.

Fortunately, I caught it quickly before I did.

The clickable website “source” contained an F-bomb.

How can you go out and talk about the love of Christ to people when you have an F-bomb glaring at everyone when they look at your Facebook wall? That could be very embarrassing.

guard your witnessThe internet is Satan’s playground. We’re going to see more and more junk from questionable sources online. There will be a distinctive separation between darkness and light and a lot of it will be played out right on the internet.

Psalm 19:14 –

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 

English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

 

 

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The America In My Heart

The America In My Heart That I Will Always Hold Onto

I found this video and wanted to share it with you. It represents everything about America that I love – no matter how much the current culture is trying to change it. America is the best and most beautiful country in the world. Why, oh why, are liberals trying to destroy her?

Tears of Sadness For The America In My Heart

The video is from the Hillsdale College Choir. Did anyone else get goosebumps besides me? Did anyone else have a few tears well up besides me?

I love that video. It’s a masterpiece of images set to one of the most wonderful songs ever written about our great country.

No one can change the fact that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. The agenda-promoters can rewrite history and confuse the next generation, but the true facts of our country’s founding remain.

The America in my heart

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th.

God bless you all, God bless America, and stay strong!

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