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Prayer Focus

One Encounter can change everything

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Paul’s  encounter

The second most eventful part of Christian history apart from the life of Christ, is the conversion of Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus. like Jacob’s encounter, Paul did not only receive a name change, but a deep core change that penetrated his very Jewish rabbi nature.  Paul’s understanding of spiritual life was rooted in the teachings he had received in Jewish history and his interpretation of the scriptures.

Who was Paul?

Paul was of the lineage of Benjamin and Hebrew ancestry. His parents were Pharisees—fervent Jewish nationalists who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses. They worked to protect their children from contamination of anything outside Jewish laws. Paul studied under the rabbi called Gamaliel, who was a well respected teacher and leader in the Jewish Sanhedrin (gotquestions.org). Under his influence, Paul mastered the study and dissecting of scripture and Jewish history. During this study Paul worked hard to become a lawyer and a member of the Sanhedrin. He developed a fervent passion and zeal for his faith that allowed no room for compromise.

 Acts 9:1-3

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Who Paul encountered?
Paul was probably seen as a raving lunatic, a religious fanatic for the cause of religion. But, while he was on his way- ready to execute his threats against the people of God… He suddenly encounters a “light from heaven flashed around him.”  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-5). Jesus addressed Paul directly as the Head of the church. Paul’s decision to persecute the Lord’s people were directed to Jesus.

Changing life’s perspective

What would cause someone to change his whole perspective on life in a single encounter?

This was one of Paul’s many trips in his pursuits to persecute Christians for their faith in Jesus Christ. Paul encountered many Christians along his path, he was relentless about his religious beliefs and ill-treat anyone who did not share his faith- especially those professing Christ Jesus. Little, did he know, the same God he was defending, he was actually offending. One journey to Damascus would reveal this in detail.

As Jesus intercepted his journey, he made himself known to Paul. “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,”. Paul knew at this point, it was not the Christians he was really attacking, it was Jesus (Acts 9:5).  Paul knew about Jesus, but now it was time to meet him face to face. Paul was no longer the same, after that encounter. For one thing, he was blinded by the bright light. This day Paul had a revelation of who Jesus really is. This startling discovery brought a new understanding of his faith in a person not a religion. Paul who thought himself as a friend of God was really God’s enemy.
This God intervention resulted in a miraculous conversion, Saul became known as Paul, which marked the beginning of a life radically changed and fully dedicated to the cause of Christ.
You may not encounter Jesus the way Paul did. Every encounter is unique and personal. Yet for each person who encounters Jesus there must be an evidence of change that speaks to every area of one’s life. One thing is true like Paul, when you encounter Jesus you will never be the same. It is just not possible.

 The Results of a great encounter

Paul expresses the impact of his conversion

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11).

Paul encountered Jesus-the mind blowing power of his resurrection, and to share in the fellowship of his suffering. The knowledge of Christ became of greater worth to him, this knowledge of Christ surpasses anything he knew before.Paul encounters a righteousness that is not of his own- not based on law but faith in Christ Jesus.CONFIDENCE- relying on someone or something, a firm trust, having self-assurance in one’s own abilities and qualities.(Dictionary.com) There was a transfer of confidence from self to Christ.

 

Paul’s encounter produced a lifestyle and life-long change

 
Paul directed the object of his confidence not to himself and his amazing qualities, but toward Jesus His Lord. He directs his boast not in his long list of accomplishments, but in Christ Jesus. Whatever Paul did he did it with gusto. Full of zeal. Full of passion. Fully persuaded. When you encounter Jesus that passion and gusto you sinned with and served mammon with should be directed to Him. Jesus becomes the object of your affections. A true conversion is real and authentic. There is no uncertainty about lifestyle changes, actions speak for themselves.
If there should be any boasting it should be Paul-“Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” Yet what was gain to him he counted and considered loss–garbage for the excellence of Christ (Philippians 3:5-6). Nothing in Paul’s scope of life was better than his encounter with Jesus Christ. Absolutely, NO Experience can TOP his experience with Jesus.
 
What are you esteeming in your life greater than Christ?
What have you encountered in your lifetime that makes you put Jesus in box?
Who has come into your life and seemingly sweep you off your feet – causing you to put Jesus in second place?
Think about it!

The longer you live the more you encounter things every day.  But none of these encounters will ever be able to replace or substitute for Christ. You can find a substitute for almost anything in life that may work just as good; but there will never be a substitute for Jesus. When you encounter Christ-His love, His forgiveness, the surpassing greatness of his grace toward you, like Paul you will never, ever be the same. You cannot and will not be the same after Jesus has met with you. What Paul discovered, beyond his human ability to comprehend the law, was a supernatural experience that would defy all he knew about religion and Jewish history. Scripture for real was coming to life before his very eye. As a result a lifestyle and a lifetime of real visible changes were evident.

Prayer Focus

5 ways in which God opens doors

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God has set before you an Open Door

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (Rev. 3:8)

Have you ever come to a door in your life and knew you could not open it even if you had the best help of someone in authority? The circumstances seem so insurmountable to you, you wonder how can even God with his awesome power…. do this?
 
I have good news for you! This is the time to expect the free favors of God to break loose in your life. To expect God to open the most impossible doors for you. Are you going to trust that God has your best interest at heart and he is well able to open doors? Revelation 3:8 records; “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
 
Let’s discover some ways in which God opens doors.

5 ways in which God opens doors

open-door1

Open doors are God’s specialty

There many ways in which God open doors, but these are some ways that he does. We must BELIEVE that he opens doors and we must EXPECT it to happen for us.

1.  It will be supported by the Word of God

God will not do anything that does not honor his character and his word.  He will not violate His standard to meet our needs. He will not put us in a position where we must do sneaky and shady things to maintain our position or status. If an opportunity requires you doing dishonest things, God is not involved. God wants us to live above reproach. Even in prosperity, God knows how to prosper us the right way. We are the ones who become impatience and run ahead of him.  Whatever God does will always be support by his word. He will open doors and clear paths without you having to compromise his standard to make it happen.

2.   The open door leads you to trust God  implicitly

This is a situation, where you know only God could have opened the door and it leads to honoring Him.  God is amazing, not only does he go before us and makes crooked places straight, but what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. God wants us to trust him implicitly. If you can open the door all by yourself, then you don’t need God’s help. It is time to learn to depend on God’s favor to open doors for us and not on our efforts, lines or personal swag.  Are there doors, walls, gates, mountainous situations, barriers or obstacles blocking your advancement to next level? If you had to depend on man’s faithfulness to help you, you would be disappointed many times. But with God, when we set our hearts on him and refuse to quit believing, nothing can thwart his plans or stop an open door.

3.  It might be an unusual door

Look at Joseph, for example; would we say that God opened the door for him to go to Egypt? He entered Egypt as a slave, became the Managing Director of Potiphar‘s Estate, he was wrongfully imprisoned, then rise to prominence as a leader of Egypt. He was very instrumental in helping not only his own family but other nations experiencing famine. Joseph became a world changer. We can’t see a reason when we don’t understand what is happening. Yet God knows what he is doing. He has never ever made a mistake. If we do like Joseph, refuse to give up and keep walking, the door we desire will soon be opened right in front of us. Don’t get discourage if you do not see anything happening right now. Exercise patience and never quit believing his promises.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God has never failed on any of his promises, he wouldn’t fail YOU either. You must believe this with all your heart.

He will go before us, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron… (Isaiah 45:2).

“Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley…(Isaiah 40:4)

“I have aroused him in righteousness And I will make all his ways smooth; (Isaiah 45:13)

4. He closes a door

Sometimes when doors are shut in your face, you tend to feel depress, angry and disappointed, especially if you were depending on it. Not realizing; God might have shut that door to open a better door for you. We never think that a closed door, means an open door.  With God it is. When one door closes, there is always another one left open just for you. Many people can testify about losing their jobs, they didn’t like anyway…yet received a better one, lost a good contract opportunity, but a better one opened up. Stop crying over closed doors and lift your eyes to a new open door that God has already set before you. Somethings, you just need to walk away from some stuff.

5. Difficult doors

The mass majority has this notion, when God opens a door, it will all be smooth walking, no effort on my part, no struggles, piece of cake. I think we have lived long enough to know that it is partially true. Sometimes, you wonder, if God opens this door, why such a fight? Why such a struggle? Yes, but you always win. It’s called perseverance. My daughter started a management program with her company and for the first few months after graduation she was placed with a very difficult manager. She wanted to quit in less than six months in. Within a week she was transferred to another location doing exactly what she wanted to do and her manager is amazing. She is happy for those months of booth camp because she has grown and has a greater appreciation for what she has now. It does get better, if you can hang in there a bit and prove yourself.

When you need an open door, you know who can do it. He is the God of open doors. Revelation 3:7  “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens.” There is no need to walk in fear; He has the KEY, therefore, if God opens the door, he is well able to keep it open. He will open doors for great businesses deals, new and better jobs, promotions, increase, training opportunities, scholarships, government contracts, private contracts and much more. He will cause you to receive unusual favor. What would take months and years for others, we can expect to take hours or days, trusting God. The door is already open, God is waiting on you to stop the pity party and walk through it.

I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU AN OPEN DOOR….

Advancing the Kingdom of God in the earth.

Be blessed

 

Prayer Focus

8 ways to make quality decisions as a Christian

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8 ways to make quality decisions as a Christian

Luke 10:41-42

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

You may find yourself at a crossroad, which requires making a decision you are not comfortable with. Yet it is a decision you must make in order to move forward. You are troubled about many things and feelings of anxiety like Martha is taking you over. This is because your decisions may have far reaching consequences. The decisions you make not only affect you, but your entire family, your employees, your department, your business, your organization, your finances and your ministry. You cannot avoid or procrastinate your decisions for a long time because you may end up regretting not making the decision sooner, or not making it at all.

Some of us are making decisions wisely as we may think, but there is still that element of uncertainty and unpredictability of the outcome of these decisions. I invite you to step into Mary’s shoes, after you have considered all the pros and cons, choose to listen to what the Lord has to say about it. Consult heaven on your decision. Involve God in your decision making process, He has been known to order steps, direct paths, lead the way, make the way clear, open doors, cause impossible things to happen, change outcomes, change minds, turn vinegar into water. He is the all-knowing, all-wise God and He has access to information we don’t. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).”

Consider these things in making your decisions:

  1. Find a quiet place and time where you can pray and consult with God

1 John 5”14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Job 22:27    “You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.”

  1. Find the promise in the word and stand on it. Rehearse it when your mind is bombarded

Proverbs 2:6

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

  1.  Make sure the decision is not YOU-Centered, sheltered under self-preservation

Did you consider all parties it may affect?

Are my motives right in making this decision?

Ask God for his wisdom to do right by others as you would yourself.

Proverbs 16:2

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.”

  1. Release the anxiety you feel and invite the peace of God to fill your heart and mind

Anxiety sometimes causes you to make quick and unwise decisions. Because they are mostly fear based.

Are you feeling anxious about the decision?

Then Pray! Be anxious for nothing. I speak this scripture daily over my life, because I am moved to make decisions in haste and I have to pray and think things through.

Proverbs 21:5

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes   surely to poverty.”

  1. Pray with confidence, pray in the Spirit, then believe that he hears you

Ephesians 6:18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Jude 1:20

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

1 John 5:15

And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

  1. Learn from past experience and employ the counsel of authoritative figures.

Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

  1. Make your decision with confidence, peace and the wisdom of God

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  1. Walk away knowing that the decision you made is supported by the Lord. He’s got your back, should anything go wrong.

Note: What to do when you need to make a decision on the spot?

Take a minute to quietly pray-asking God for his wisdom. A decision that has great impact, should not be made without prayer and good consideration. Do not let pressure force you into making premature decisions.

Proverbs 18:13

“He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him.”

Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 19:2

“Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet errs.”

As you make decisions, from simple to complex:

I pray God will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; and He will counsel you with His eye upon you (Psalm 32:8).

I pray that anxiety will be out the door “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).”

I pray in all you do, “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.”

Be blessed

Advancing the Kingdom of God in Earth!

Prayer Focus

Rest in His peace

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My prayer for you today: Rest in His peace!

Peaceful waterYou might be facing some interesting situations right now, where things are shifting a bit in your life. So learning to trust God’s word and resting in God’s peace, becomes necessary for you. The enemy’s plan is to steal your peace and he will create any situation to make that happen. One day you are happy and all is well and another day, or the before the end of the day, something goes wrong and your peace is out the door. Some people become nervous when things are going great in their lives, because they are afraid it will soon come to an end.
 
The fact is, there will always be something out there that is trying to steal our peace. But the truth is, you don’t have to let it. You must be in pursuit of God’s peace. Believe it or not, it is our responsibility to secure our peace and rest in God. The challenge is staying at rest no matter what goes right or wrong in our lives.

That’s the place we need to be in God – at rest, experiencing calm assurance and living in full- God confidence. “But this is not being realistic,” you might say…. Yes, it’s much easy to carry the care than to cast it. After-all, it’s my problem. Yet God gives us a golden opportunity to access his divine rest and peace and live the abundant life. The pressures of work life, family life, social life and the world at large, does not make it any easier for us to rest. Yet God has given us a great invitation, to walk in his peace and enter into his rest.

Hebrews. 4:3

Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.

The reason we rest is simple, God RESTED. He had finished all his work before the world began. God was not thrown into confusion when the first man and woman sinned. He accomplished salvation long before man ever showed up, none the less sin. The same for us all, the things we are losing sleep over has already been accomplished by God. Our Job is to give it over to him and let him take care of it.

John 14:27

My Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Jesus knows we would need peace in a world of turmoil. Jesus knows the cares of this life is big enough to cause our hearts to trouble and bring us into much fear, so he gives us his peace. He wants us to live life to the fullest until it overflows.

Where do we find the ability to rest in his peace?

Peace is given, rest is given also; now we take it by faith and labor to enter into rest. It’s all in the WORD. The word is full of great promises. Resting in God’s peace does not mean the absence of trouble, but in the midst of trouble we experience His calm assurance. We must be in pursuit of God’s peace – knowing full-well, God knows how to bring us out and how to get us through.

Seven ways we can rest in God’s peace

  1. Cast your cares and anxiety upon the Lord for he cares. (1 Peter 5:7)
  2. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Col. 3:5)
  3. Employ the fruit of the spirit to work in you – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Gal. 5:22)
  4. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14; Romans. 12:18)
  5. Seek Peace and pursue it. Also Promote peace and have joy (1 Peter 3:11; Prov. 12:20)
  6. Let the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4: 7)
  7. Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (Rom. 14:19).

It is a good idea to live life the way 1 Peter 3:9-11 says….

 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.

Peace has a much more soothing effect on our hearts than all other negative emotions we allow. We have got to guard our hearts from these negative feelings weighing it down and putting undue pressure on it. You might not understand how important resting in God and walking in peace really is, until you truly need it. Let’s make it our duty to seek peace and pursue it. Rest in all that Jesus has accomplished for us already and know that everything is going to be ALRIGHT. Your health will thank you.

Prayer Focus

Overcoming Fear: What rattles you

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Is41.10
Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. [Acts 18:10.]
 
Isaiah 41:10Amplified Bible (AMP)
 
Today I walked with my kids on a familiar trail in one of the parks. I knew that there would be animals I did not care see, but never did I thought I would encounter a rattle snake. This was a small rattle snake, but just as dangerous for me. Someone was standing near the snake and pointed it out to us from a distance. My first reaction was of course fear. I stopped and many thoughts flooded my mind of how I can get around this snake without passing it. Rearattlesnake-wp-3lly, it was the only way out of the park, and I knew I could not allow this snake big or small to rattle me.
Yes, I passed it and we were fine. At that time, I knew I could not allow fear to dominate my thoughts, thinking; Oh there might be many more here and now every sound in the bushes sounds like snake movement. I took authority over the fear I felt and that of my children. I spoke the word and kept on going. This is could describe anything you encounter, that poses a challenge or something that describes your greatest fears. It might take more than a venomous shake to rattle you, like it did me, but something else might.
 
The scripture says God will help us and uphold us and we must believe that he will.
 
I don’t know what your fears are today, but I know that God WILL help you overcome them.
 
God’s hands are not slippery, to hold us firm. Or his grip weak, so he lets us go. God’s hold on your life and mine are strong, steadfast and unbreakable. Others have dropped the ball, but he won’t.
 
There is really nothing to fear when God’s got you.
 
Be blessed!
 
 
Prayer Focus

God is calling YOU to pray

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Prayer is an absolute MUST

Prayer is not for intercessors only, it is for every believer. Gone are the days when we depend on intercessors and prayer warriors to do the praying.

Today we either pray or faint

We must keep on praying for the nations and our local communities. The Devil’s plan is for us to relent and quit praying altogether so he could have his way. In my prayer time this morning the Lord showed me how distracted we have become by all that’s been happening in our personal lives and the rapid changes that are taking place around us. How much we have made the News our source of advice and not the WORD. The News should serve as a source of information but the place we turn to for godly living is WORD OF GOD. God’s standards for human lives have not changed and will never change.

Pray with authority

We have been so caught up that our ability to pray objectively about issues have been greatly affected. Now is the time to refocus our attention back to the WORD and PRAYER. What the Lord has impressed on my heart is that; we feel like we are praying but God isn’t doing anything and changes are happening any. This is where the Lord reminded me about the storms the disciples faced while Jesus was on the boat. Jesus was right there but the impact of the storm was so great it was as if he wasn’t there. He was sleeping and this was an opportune time for the disciples to operate in the same authority and power Jesus used. We are not much different we must also take the word and use our authority to declare what the WORD says and stop being afraid or angry.

There is Strength in numbers

As Believers we are the SALT of the earth, we are the LIGHT of the word, Jesus lives in us, therefore we already possess all that’s needed to shake nations. There are millions of believers around the world. What if we all pray fervently? What if we all pray without ceasing? What we all just get down and pray until some significant godly changes takes place? What if by our prayers we strengthen the hands and courage of righteous leaders in power, instead of criticizing them? What if one chase a thousand, how much would tens of thousands accomplish or even million of believers?

Your prayer has great impact

The impact of our prayers are eternal and far reaching. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4.” We are reminded that the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:16). Our prayers are powerful and effective when we without preconceived notions invite God to accomplish his purpose in what we are prayer for. Prayer connects we who are finite with an infinite, all knowing God ready and willing to hear the prayer of the righteous.

Charles Stanley says, “Praying doesn’t alter God’s purposes or plans, nor does it cause Him to change His mind. What He has decided will occur, and His decisions will be exactly the right ones to accomplish what He wants to achieve.”

There is more with us than against us. Greater is he who resides in us. Colossians 4:2 says we are to devote ourselves to prayer. Prayer is every believer’s mandate, so pray and keep on praying. If you know today that your prayer would make a great impact would you pray more often? You and I have a responsibility to pray let’s do it.

Be blessed.
Advancing the kingdom of God in the earth

Faith

Developing trust as a necessity

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Developing trust as a necessity

Proverbs 3:6

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 your paths straight.

Trust is the currency that completes the transaction with God.

Trusting God is simply believing that He loves you, He’s good, He has the power to help you, He wants to help you, and He will help you. Christians are called believers, but many times, we are more like unbelieving believers. We trust our friends, the bank, the stock market or the government more than we trust God and His Word (Joyce Meyer).

Trusting God means that we are totally relying on His strength, His wisdom, His Spirit, His guidance, His leadership, His integrity and the absolute truth of His WORD.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my Trust Godmouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

We have been taught to trust our own hearts, feelings, instinct, and those of others. These are not bad at all, but with Jesus in the picture, we transfer the trust from ourselves to Him. As much as we are incline to trust ourselves, we can begin to develop our God given instinct to totally trust and depend on what God says. Trust is something we develop as we make God’s word our number one priority. Saying we trust and actually trusting is two difference things. Believe it or not we need to be developed in our trusting skills. This is necessary when you are consistent in the Word and prayer. We seem to only find trust important when our backs are against the wall. No need to wait until something happens, not when we can work on our trusting skills daily.

My husband and I were faced with a situation that could have shook us up and put us in a place of worry. When the situation developed immediately my mind geared into the word. Scriptures I have been reading over the past weeks, months and years came flooding into my mind. The Holy Spirit help me develop a coping mechanism where the word was in my mouth, my ears, my heart and instructed not to consider the negative. Not to give it the time of day. Not to dwell on it. When things happen, we tend dwell on it and we consider it more than we consider the word. It’s not that it didn’t creep up often, but when it did; the word and the Spirit raise up the standard I needed to stay in faith and to walk in peace. If the Devil can steal your peace, he will because then fear takes over and your mind is consumed in a war zone. It wasn’t long before God worked it out beautifully. Developing trust must start with a conscious and deliberate effort. You must deliberately put the truth in you daily so when you need it the most you’ll have it.

These are some practical things we can do to develop of trusting skills

  • Start considering what God says first, before you consider what the doctor says, or any negative report. Find appropriate scriptures and speak it over and over every day.
  • Bombard your mind with the word. Put it in your eyes, your ears, and rehearse it all day long. Habitually study the Word to really have confidence in God.
  • Keep your mind stayed on God (Isa 26:3).
  • Commit your ways to the Lord (Psalm 37:5). Trust that he will bring it to past.
  • Labor to rest in Him – (Heb. 4:11).
  • Follow His voice-His leading (John 10:25). The good Shepherd will not lead you into destruction and he will not leave you to wander alone.
  • Do not depend on you – Trust Jesus.

The evidence of Trust

The evidence of trust is the refusal to worry.

When you trust you, don’t fuss.

When you trust, you walk in peace.

When you trust, your mind is at ease.

When you trust you have confidence that it is going to be alright.

When you trust you are persuaded that God’s got you.

When you trust you let go and let God.

When you trust you stop focusing on you and you focus on Him- His finished works.

When you trust you stop carrying IT and let Him carry you.

Develop trust in the word now so you have substance to fall back on when you need it.

Be Blessed.

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Scripture

12 scriptures about : Be Strong and courageous

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Be Strong and courageous – YOU have a courage heart

 1 Chronicles 28:20
"And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord."
Joshua 1:9
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Psalm 31:24
"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD."

Isaiah 41:10-13

 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 16:13 
"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."
Ephesians 6:10
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Haggai 2:4
"Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts.."
Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
 
1 Chronicles 22:13
"Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed."
2 Chronicles 19:11
And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good.

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