Joel 2:13 - "Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."


We are never nearer to God than when we are troubled.  When we're comfortable and life is going well, we easily forget Him.  But, when we get into trouble and we cry out to Him, even though He's always there, sometimes the answer is what we pray for; other times it is 'lean on Me and you will get through this.'


This is why we should never give up on God.  Our bodies are dying every day, but our spirit can be renewed every day.  These present troubles will only last during our time here on earth.  I'm looking forward to the immeasurably great glory that will last forever!


Look for God in each day.  He is always there; whether it is to guide you along the way or comfort you in times of trouble.

Romans 8:36 - Just as it is written, "For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."


It says in the bible that we should 'rejoice in the suffering, in order to give God the glory.'  Who have you ever known that is full of joy and laughter when trials come?  Not many. But, as Christians, we need to follow this precedent.  


Every Christian who is serving God and walking in Him should expect persecution, and, don't be surprised when it comes.  This should remind us that we are truly aliens in this world.


To live like Christ, we must take the joys and the sufferings of this life, just as He did.  This should be the hope of every true disciple.  


Our reward will come in His second coming, when He takes us home to be with Him.  


Don't waste the suffering, use it to glorify Him.  Use it to show others how powerful God works in your life.  This life is not about us, but about how we can show Christ to others through us, through our suffering.


God will mold you through these sufferings.  Who will you become through these trials? 

God has been making sinners holy and beautiful since the beginning of time.  Thankfully, when Jesus died on the cross for us, He redeems us by His own power; through His death and resurrection.


Ephesians 1:7 - "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace"


This redemption that Christ offers freely to us, frees us from guilt and shame.  There are so many benefits of redemption, including adoption into God's family; being delivered from sin's bondage; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and eternal life!  


Before accepting Jesus in my life, my condition was one of slavery.  God purchased my freedom and I'm no longer in that bondage of sin.  He made me new almost 41 years ago, and has never let go of me.


Jesus paid the price for us all to be free from sin and gain the benefits of being redeemed.

Let Him make you new today!

Romans 3:23 - "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."


All of us have had times in our lives where we get knocked down, it's the sin nature in all of us.  But we don't have to stay down.  Some comebacks are challenging but they can also be rewarding and necessary for our personal growth into who and where God wants us to be.  


The most important thing is that you learn and grow from any comeback.  Seek God in these times.  Be still and listen for His guidance.  He will always be with you and grant you a heart of wisdom.  


In every down season, there is opportunity for a comeback.  


The enemy is out there, seeking each one of us, simply because of our faith in God.  Trouble will come and it is discouraging to face because of a mistake you've made, but what about the storms that hit you for no apparent reason?  You find yourself saying "why me, God?  Why did you let this happen?"


Take heart in knowing that when Satan is attacking you, don't be discouraged.  This just means that God is getting ready to bring a change in your life to move you to a higher level.  Believe me, I am living proof of this.


I am confident in Christ enough to know that any trial, any arrows that Satan throws in my direction, God will guard me and take me beyond these obstacles.

Spring time is always a favorite time of year for me.  Planting the seeds, waiting for the plants/flowers to sprout out of the ground is exciting.  


Another analogy to this is sowing good seeds of biblical truth to those who don't know Jesus.  But, more often than not, we want an immediate response to our words of hope.


This reminds me of my granddaughter and I talking the other day.  When I asked her if she and her mom were planting seeds for the flowers and garden, she said "yes."  Then she followed by saying "maybe we'll see something come up tomorrow."  I reminded her that seeds take time to grow.  The seed has to get its energy from the soil and then the rain and sun give it energy to sprout out of the ground and grow into something beautiful.


Galatians 6:9 - "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."


God's word, the bible, are the seeds of hope for everyone of us.  It's up to the Christian to plant and water these seeds in those we meet that do not know God.  I can tell you as a Christian, it's not that easy to do at times.  There are times that we need to plant these seeds of hope within the non-believer by telling them stories from our own lives.  Once we get these seeds planted, then it's God who will come along and harvest those seeds at a later time.


Don't stop planting!  It's never to late to start.  It's always growing season in the life of Christ.

John 15:7 - "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."


As a Christian, I've learned that when I ask God something I don't always get an immediate answer.  More often than not, the answer will be 'wait.'  If the answer to my prayer is 'no', then it may be that it's not in God's timing, or it may not be in my best interest.  He could be saving me from harm, or allowing me to grow while I am waiting on the answer. 

Whatever the outcome, there is one thing I know for sure, is that God will answer me.  He has never failed answering me.  I'm not saying that every answer is what I wanted to hear, but nonetheless, He answers.


It has been my observation that in the past when my prayers have not seemed to be answered on my timeline, that this is when I have learned and grew the most in my faith.


The other thing that I've learned is how to go to God with the right heart.  Ask God to see your heart and to break your heart for what breaks His heart.  Be sincere.  Most answered prayers come with painful lessons.


Expect the unexpected.  Trust that if He's having you wait on the answer, there's a very good reason for the wait.  We may not see or know the reason for the wait this side of heaven, but we can be assured that God has His reasons.


Got a question.  Go will answer you, in His time.

There's something to say about how peaceful a Christian can be when there's chaos all around them.  Some may think, 'how can this be?'  It's a peace that surpasses all understanding.  


Psalm 9:10 - "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."


This peace that I'm talking about will rise above our ability to understand it.  Those who don't know God will not understand how someone could remain so serene in the midst of turmoil.


When I pray to God about my circumstances or the mess my life is in, I don't expect God to just give me a quick fix; a pill to make it all go away.  


God gives us what we need, when we need it.  In times of trouble, God promises to give us the peace we need.  This peace is found only in Him.  


We're not promised a life full of peace and no trials.  We will all face times in our lives that we don't understand, or wonder 'why me?'  But because Jesus died for our sins, and if we believe this, we can be assured that no matter what we face, God is with us.


Trust God. Don't give up on the pursuit of peace.  After all, Jesus is the prince of peace!

Matthew 9:36 - "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."


There's a major lesson I learned on my first mission trip.  And that was God's compassion.  All through the Bible scripture exudes the compassion that He gave over and over again.  The compassion that I felt for the people of Peru overwhelmed me at times.  These people have very little, but seemed happy.  They were so happy that we were all there.  They were amazed when our leader told them that we left our families and conveniences of home to come there and serve them.  I'm hoping they saw the compassion within each one of us.


Exodus 34:6 -7 - "And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet, He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation."


There's a truth that comes out of the passage above that we all need to know and be aware of, and it is: God's judgment needs a reason; His compassion does not.


You'll be surprised of the joy you receive when you show compassion!