God of all Grace

 1 Peter 5:10
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

It is God, and God alone, by His grace, that we are made children of God. In our humanity we are weak and incapable of living a life that is perfect, a life that is able to overcome the attacks of Satan as he seeks to destroy our faith and standing with God. Suffering comes with the territory of trying to live a godly life. But, through it, we are made stronger and become rooted and grounded in Christ. Peter says that the God of all grace is able to make us perfect. The word "perfect" is translated from Greek to mean “equip or adjust us.” In our humanity we are not equipped to handle the trails that we must face. God is refining our faith as we go through suffering and hard times. His purpose is to make us strong in the face of adversity. His desire is that we become established in Christ at a place where we don’t have to fear Satan and his attacks. We can trust and have faith in Christ to resist the temptations that we face in our lives each day. Temptation to put our trust in the flesh, temptation to cast our faith away, and think that God does not care about our situation, our suffering. He is the God of all grace, and we can believe He is able to do all that He has promised to do for His glory and our good.

Through the Fire

 Psalm 66:12
…We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

The verse brings to my mind the great hymn of the church, God Leads Us Along, “Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long.” The fire purges, and the water cleanses. Everything in life happens for a purpose. God’s intention is to bring us through. Things in life happen and we may be tempted to give up and quit trying. Even when we stand for what is right, the devil has a way to twist things and have us question if we have done the right thing. The fire is sometimes intense and we are tried and proven.  We don’t necessarily praise God for the trials and tough times, but we can praise Him in spite of the difficulties of the circumstance. Going through the fire looks different for everyone. Whatever the fire is, God is not tempting us so that He may see us fail, but He desires that we put our trust in Him, and be willing to give thanks in everything.(1 Thess 5:18) Through the fire, you will prove your character by praising Him.

He Will Deliver

1 Sam 17:37 …The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…

He is a God who able to deliver us from our enemy. He has proven Himself over and over again. He is the same God that has carried us through all our trails and tribulations. We can look back as we journey this life and see even in our failures and times of doubt that He has been there to fight our battles for us. He never has failed us and He never will. He is the God of yesterday, today, and forever more. We need not fear the giants in our live that seek to destroy us. For even in the face the giants God will deliver us. Let us go forth believing and trusting God that He will bring us through every situation we face in life.

Trails and Afflictions

1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.

Becoming a saint or a godly Christian come only through trails and afflictions. It is God’s desire that all that serve Him be made perfect in the image of His Son. Not perfect in our humanity, but made perfect in our love to Him and others. His goal is to establish us to a place that we know where we stand and our faith is   able to detect deception from Satan. We are made strong to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy. When all hell breaks loose in our lives, we settled the question long ago. No matter what happens, I believe in a God who cares and is able to take us through.

My Help Come from God

Psalm 121: 1,2 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 

Getting help when you need it is not always available. There are times when I could use some help lifting or moving something heavy, but everyone I know is busy or not available. It times like this, I either have to be creative or just wait for another time. Calling for help recognizes that we cannot do things in our own strength, we need someone else to give assistance. During times of trial or difficult hardship, we often cry out for help. Our hearts our broken with grief at the passing of a loved one, we find ourselves in a place where we our financially in need of funds, we have just been given the pink slip dismissing us from our jobs, or we are told that we have a serious illness,  the list goes on. Where can we go to get some help? Our emotions have been depleted, and our spiritual life is on the edge. On a hill far away in time, hangs the Savior of the world, Jesus who came to this world to give us salvation and the help to overcome the tough times in our lives. I will look to Jesus, a helper in time of need. He is all I need. As the beggar cried out to Jesus to help him by restoring his sight, I cry out to Him, “Jesus, from whence comes my help, you are able to help me through, for I am weak, but you are strong”.

Lead Us and Hold Us

Psalm 139: 9,10 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Yes there are times we feel that God is nowhere to be found. But, He promise to never leave us or forsake us. This is not the time to walk away from believing and trusting Him to carry us through. Even when we may be going through a difficult situation, or a time of loneliness, He will take our hand and lead us to the other side of our trail or hardship. Finding comfort or satisfaction outside of God always comes to a dead end. Like Job, we may turn in every direction and wonder where He is. For “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. We don’t see Him physical, but by faith our eyes can be open to him even when life is dark and uncertain. We can have the confidence that no matter where we our, God sees us and desires to hold us.

Temptation is Real

Heb. 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Temptation is real and everyone born into this world faces them. Our faith in God is often tested when we face temptation. It is seen as a time of trial and hardship. We are tempted to give up and cast our faith away when it appears that God has forsaken us or does not care for us. Why would God allow such tragedy to come into my life? Then there is the temptation to give into our fleshly desires. Desires that are selfish and are forbidden in God’s word. A man is tempted to look upon a women and lust after her, fulfilling the sexual desires of the flesh. A person is tempted to take that which is not there, coveting possessions of others, and one is tempted to lie to avoid unwanted consequences or to get something they want. Whatever kind of temptation or test we face, we are not able to handle it on are own. We need a Savior who Himself has faced temptation and knows what we face. He is able to come to our aid and rescue us in the hour of our need. To overcome temptation, we must practice the presence of God, we need the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us the power to overcome our weaknesses. We our just earthen vessel, but God has promise to be with us and fill us with His presence. In the face of temptation, let us depend on His grace and the blood of Christ to give us the victory. 

Heart is Overwhelmed

Psalm 61:2 “From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I”-

Having too much on our plate, the loss of a loved one brings heartache, circumstances in life bring on more than we can bear, we become overwhelmed with life’s demands and we can no longer bear the load. When we come to the end of our rope It is not uncommon for many to have a nervous breakdown. We internalize our problems and often in our own strength try to overcome. We need to let go of the rope and allow ourselves to fall into the hand of God. He will place on a rock that will be a safe retreat from the things that trouble our heart. No matter where we are, or what our situation may be, we can cry to Him and He will be our helper in the time of need. He knows our breaking point, when life gives us more than we can handle and we become overwhelmed. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we cannot bear. For with every trial and temptation, he will provide a way of escape. He will place us on a rock that will rise above the storms of life and keep us safe.

Job's Confidence

August 12th, 2007
Job 19:1-11, 19-27
In the shadow of despair and hopelessness, Job sees a ray of light shining through the dark clouds that surrounded him. He sternly rebukes those who have accused him wrongly and stands firm in his belief that he has done nothing that would cause the torrent of calamities that he is facing. He still does not understand why God is allowing all the pain and suffering, but he maintains his integrity toward God and is confident that God will see him through. We often go through trails and hardships without understanding the purpose, but God who stands alone as all knowing will judge right in the end. We may never know all the reasons why, but we can know that God lives and He is ultimately in control.

Agony of soul
• Beyond physical pain
• Rebuke those who cause more suffering
Accepting of fault
• “ I could be wrong, but it is not God’s Fault”
• We must always realize that we might be mistaken
Ascribe his suffering from God
• All things do come from God
• Caught in the net of God without know why
Anguish and hopeless
• Fence up- no where to go, no hope for the future
• A Tree uprooted with no hope to live again
Abhorred by friends
• When Friend turn on you
• Don’t give pity, but show compassion and sympathy
Affirming of our faith
• Epitaph of our life- Let it be know
• Though He slay, still he lives
Avenger of right
• God will make all thing right
• We live not for this world, but for the world to come
• Like the beggar, our reward may be in the life after.

The Test of Abraham's Faith

Gen.22: 1-14

The account given to us here in Genesis 22 has been a matter of great controversy. The offering Abraham was required to make is not consistent with the teaching of the Bible. The sacrificing of humans is a known practice among the heathen religions throughout history. There seems to be various explanations to this event, but it is not the nature of this study to explore for possible answers. It is sufficient to say that the final decree of God to Abraham was, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad” The more important aspect of this Biblical account is the spiritual application that is implied. Test and trails will come to every believer in Christ. God does require of us our most precious treasure. All those who walk with God will come to a crossroads in their lives. Are we willing to give it all to Him? A complete and full consecration, letting go, and let God have His way.

Talking with God- “God said unto him”
• Abraham knew the voice of God
• Do we pray enough to comprehend His voice?
Testing of Abraham- “God did “tempt” Abraham”
• God does not tempt with the intent to see us fall
• To show forth God’s glory
• Will our character remain steadfast? Proving the heart.
Total Obedience- “Take now thy son”
• Taking what we love and giving it all to God
• Trust and obey there is no other way
Traveling the Road -“rose up and went”
• Our spiritual journey often takes us to a “place”
• Getting there is half the battle- We must not be detoured
Top of the Mount -”I and the lad will go yonder”
• Isaac’s wiliness to be sacrificed
• Pointing to “The Lamb of God” - God Provided
Temptation and Deliverance “The angel of the Lord called”
• No temptation given to man- He will provide a way of escape
• Obedience is better than sacrifice
• His purpose is accomplished
Trial of our Faith-“I know that thou fearest God”
• Those who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution
• Faith is shown by works- Not enough to say “I believe”
Testimony of the Lord – “It shall be seen”
• He is our provider-Jehovah-jireh
• He is all we need

Our Lively Hope

1 Peter1: 3-12

Review: Waiting on God through prayer requires that we submit to God and have a heart that will forgive. Bitterness and un-forgiveness are on one of the greatest hindrance in seeing God answer prayer. We cannot earnestly and effectually see God work when our own hearts hold grudges and feeling of contempt.

The Abundant Mercy of God
• Again and again God is reaching down to us
• Hope that is alive and real- What do you hope for?
• Made possible by His resurrection

Anticipation of Heaven
• A place that will not fall apart or crumple
• A holy place
• It will be forever
• Prepared and reserved for those in Christ

Acceptance of Trial
• We rejoice even in our trials
• Tried by fire- Testing our faith in our hope
• We may be found still praising God

The Appearing of Jesus Christ
• Faith rolls back like a scroll
• Our faith become sight
• Rejoicing- The life of a Christian
• The end of faith- Our eyes shall behold Him

Attested by the Prophets
• They looked for the Christ to come
• By faith, they looked to future for coming
• We now see the fulfillment of what they said would come
• We can look back by faith that He came.

The Angels Curiosity
• A Holy God reaching down to unholy man
• God set men free from the bondage of sin