Tag Archive | endurance

Ever Feel Like An Outcast

Sep6

Have you ever felt different from everyone else? Feeling like an outcast or you simply didn’t feel like you fit in with the crowd? Well, I sure have. There have been many times that I didn’t fit in or I felt rejected in some way. It tends to make you wonder, “What’s wrong with me?” Why do I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb?

Oh Yes You Are

Guess what? We are blessed and meant to be different:

“If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” (John 16:19)

The good news in Galatians 1:15 says: “But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased.”

We were created and chosen by God, Himself. So, STOP TRYING TO FIT IN. You don’t have to feel different or rejected just because the world may see you this way. You can simply be grateful that you are unique and special because you belong to the Creator of the Universe.

You don’t need to go searching for peace, love or happiness. You don’t need to feel lost, hurt, depressed, sad or alone. God’s presence surrounds you at all times! You are valued and loved right now, this very minute! You don’t have to change because you are more than enough just the way you are. YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, HE LOVES YOU RIGHT NOW AND IS PLEASED WITH YOU!

SHOUT…I AM SPECIAL, UNIQUE, TALENTED, LOVED AND ACCEPTED!

Oh Yes You Are 2

Why don’t you take a moment to thank Him.

Say:  Lord, Thank you for accepting me into your family, just as I am. I’m grateful that you love me and that your amazing presence surrounds me. Thank you for making me special and unique with a very bright future. Thank you for your love, guidance, provisions, guidance, and protection. You are the reason that I can accept and love who I am right now. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!

 

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Setup NOT Setback

Aug30

Broken PiecesOne of the greatest stories ever told in the Bible is about the young man, Joseph. God gave him a dream at a very young age. However, he wasn’t given the “how” or “when” of the dream.

Joseph’s life was a whirlwind of events. He was his father’s favorite son, which unfortunately, lead to his brothers’ jealousy. I’m sure Joseph didn’t realize that this jealousy would lead him to being thrown into a pit, sold into slavery by his own brothers, and being thrown into jail for something he didn’t commit.

Think what must have ran through his mind. He must have wondered about “why” bad things keep happening to him. Why did his brothers do this? Why would God allow this? What happened to the dream?

Here he was a young man that received an incredible dream from God Himself. You can only imagine his excitement. The Bible even tells us that he was so excited, he shared the dream with his family. Even though Joseph was excited, his family…especially his brothers were not enthused about it.

Best yet to comeJoseph found himself going through terrible things in his life. The more he tried, the worse things became. I’m sure he had no idea that he would hit every brick wall imaginable just for doing what was right.

So, what was his response to all the “so called” setbacks? He trusted God. No matter how bad things got or how many setbacks he encountered, he trusted God. As Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.“

Joseph never could have imagined that he was going to be one of the most powerful men of his time. He had no idea that he would end up saving so many lives; including his own family. The very brothers that sold him into slavery.

Yet through it all, Joseph remained faithful to God. There is so much we can learn from his story. No matter what adversity you encounter, no matter how bleak your circumstances look right now…know that God is setting you up for something amazing.

Just like Joseph, we need to stay focused on God who promises that all things will turn out in our favor. We will be victorious and successful against all the odds. It doesn’t matter what is happening in our lives right now. It doesn’t matter if we can’t see a way out of our situation.

We might not know the “how” or “when”; but we can be absolutely certain that our FUTURE IS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN WE COULD EVER DREAMED! GOD PROMISES IT AND IT WILL BE SO!

SIDE NOTE:

From time to time, I share song links to help you stay motivated through difficult times. Here is another wonderful tune that I hope helps you stand strong when everything seems to be going haywire. It is from the Fireproof movie called “While I’m Waiting”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3b2jw1rjBc

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The Fiery Darts

Aug15

23_grace-temptationWhen the Bible tells us “Emmanuel is with us” (Matthew 1:23), then we can rest assure that no matter where we go, no matter what comes against us, no matter what circumstances happen…we have Almighty God with us during all the good and bad times. God is our supply! He has provided us with wisdom, understanding, redemption, deliverance, salvation, forgiveness, healing, and prosperity. So, if God has provided everything for us, why do we need to put the full armor of God on?

Simply put…we have a very cunning adversary who knows how to corrupt, deceive and steal our joy. The devil and the spiritual warfare that rages against believers can turn our world upside down. We may not even realize what is happening because evil and deception come in many forms. Let’s face it…the devil is really good at using those closest to us for his evil purposes. However, our war isn’t against human enemies; it’s a full out assault against the rulers, powers, and the world forces of darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

The full armor of God has been given to each of us so that we can stand against the devil’s schemes and satan’s forces. (Ephesians 6:11) We cannot defeat satan and the dark spiritual forces with any natural weapons. The Christian armor is made to be worn daily. While you grow, mature and finish your course for the Lord, the devil and his schemers will continue to hone in on you and will do everything they can to stop your progress. So what does the full armor of God mean?

The Full Armorarmor_of_god of God

Ephesians 6:13-18: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14: Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15: and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16: in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.… 17: And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God . 18: With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”

God has supplied us with the armor to defeat all the attacks but we must put it on! We need to dive into His Word daily to know the truth, understand the Good News of His Gospel, to build our faith and know who we are through Christ. With His spiritual protection and authority, there is nothing that can defect us! Christ already gave us the VICTORY!

So the next time a fiery dart of satan and his cronies come against you…use your power and authority of God’s Word to crush and squash the evil desires and thoughts as they rise up within you. A well understood and rightly applied Word of God destroys any menacing adversary!

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SHOUT OUT LOUD…

I am a Child of the Most High God. Today and every day, God is with me! It is through His love, His amazing grace, His truth, His salvation, His forgiveness, His healing, His understanding, His strength, and His Word that I am and will be victorious over all darkness. With God for me no one can possibly stand against me!

Hallelujah, Give Praise to the Lord!

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Unleash Your Potential

Aug2

God's PlanEver feel like you are going in circles? Just when you think you are heading in the right direction, you seem to hit every road block there is or something happens in your life that makes you second guess yourself. It never fails that when you are spending time with the Lord and you are stepping out in faith, things seem to come against you in a fury.

According to Jeremiah 29:11, God has an amazing plan for every single one of us. A plan that is far greater than anything we could imagine. However, as God’s plan starts taking shape, you will find that great adversity comes your way too.

God’s plan should give us great hope for our future. God’s plan is so incredible that most people will not understand what you are doing or where you are going. God’s plan is filled with peace, love, joy and prosperity…but as you step out towards that plan, there are many things that will come against you. It is during those times that your faith is being tested.

When you find yourself in adversity and everything that can go wrong ~ goes wrong…do you allow yourself to wallow in the pain, hurt, frustration, anger and lack or do you come running boldly to the Throne of God to place it all at His feet?

God has unlimited potential for your life but we need to cooperate with God and His plan. We need to break the barriers of contentment, pain, frustration, hurt, and anger while continuing to learn and grow through it all.

Every day is important. Every day we need to be spending time with God. This is the only way He can help develop us into the person He knows we can be. You may have had someone prophesize wonderful things over your life or you may have been given a wonderful vision. However, if you do not take the time to develop and understand God’s ways then your ultimate plan may get off course or never materialize. We have to stay the course and allow God to direct our footsteps. Without Him we are nothing but with Him we are everything! (John 15:5)

Don’t settle for contentment or feel the need to fit in. God has a specific plan for your life and it needs time to develop. Let God show you your God-given gifts and talents. For when you allow Him to take control and step out in faith, He will open doors that no man can shut and shut the doors that no man can open.

Don’t waste another single moment! Reach out to your Lord and Savior today! No matter how you feel, no matter who talks badly about you, no matter what you see in your life…God wants the absolute best for you and is willing to make it all come true. But you need to cooperate with Him by meeting Him first in the morning. Let God be God in your life. You will never know what you’re capable of until God gets involved. It is because of Him that you have unlimited potential and unlimited grace that comes upon you.

Be that one light shining on the hill that no one ever has seen until today! God will make a way when there is none. God will provide when you can’t see how. God will give you peace in the middle of any storm. No one and nothing can do what God can do! He is the great physician. He is the great peace. He is your strength when you are weak. He is your friend when all others fail you. He is closer than a brother. He is all this and more. So place all your cares upon His shoulder and allow Him to do all the heavy lifting.

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So…I wish to encourage you to seek His plan above all else. Seek His wisdom for it is finer than gold and silver. Seek His presence through all your difficulties. He promises to deliver you and fulfill the plans He has for you!

Unleash Your Potential Today!

YOU WILL BE VICTORIOUS IN THE END!

 

 

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