Life is tough sometimes.  Some people cause drama; some love to cause others' drama.  Whichever the case you may be in, know this: God is in control, of every situation, every disaster, every miracle, etc.  

As we keep our faith in this vision, we can rest in His presence.  We can be assured that whatever comes before us, God will work it out. It may not be today or tomorrow or even ten years from now, but He will bring out the good in the calamity.  

I'm grateful God is with us in our pain.  Even when we don't have answers, it should give us peace to know that He can be trusted.

At my weakest moments, God shines through.  He's done it through all my 41 years of walking with Him.  

Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.He will not leave you or forsake you."

There's so much hopelessness in this world.  Hopelessness is one of Satan's favorite tools.  He wants us to feel scared, alone, unworthy and not sure of which way to turn.  

 I've been there and don't want to go back.  Two of my greatest defenders, my shield in times of distress, are strength and security.  These two weapons do not come from me, but from my God.  I search the Word and find strength in His Word.  I search the Word and find security in His promises.  

 STRENGTH - Isaiah 40:29 - He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength."

Today I asked myself, “how am I going to have the strength to overcome this hurt, this pain, this depression that is overwhelming me?”  I realize that I can't overcome this burden on my own.  It would be a gross delusion to believe that in my own strength I can forgive and move on.

I find my strength in acknowledging God as my Savior and admit my total helplessness and dependency on Him.  It's there that I come to know His strength, His power and His might.  

 SECURITY - John 10:28-29 – “28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

God didn't bring me this far to just leave me.  He's going to work this all out to my advantage; I believe this.

Stay faithful friends and fight the good fight. You are already armed with all the weapons you need; strength/security from our Creator!

Biblical hope is a reality and not a feeling.  Biblical hope carries no doubt.  To a Christian, this is a hope on which we base our lives, believing that God always keeps His promises.

Where's your hope today?

God will set all things right in His timing.  Amazing to think about; timing.  Most of us want things to happen on our terms, our own timing.  I've learned many lessons throughout my Christian walk, and one of those is God’s timing.  

Don't try to second guess God.  Don't try to make things work out on your time clock.  Most of us can look back on our lives and see God's perfect timing, although, at the time, it seemed like we were waiting a lifetime.  

Trusting in God, in His timing, is having the faith that no matter what happens, God is in control, and He wants nothing more than to give His children the best of life.

Our human nature can make waiting for God's perfect timing a difficult thing to do.  Most of us find it difficult to even wait on anything or anyone these days.  

The main ingredient in understanding God's timing is trust. 

 God is using my trial to strengthen my faith, and I trust in His timing.

 Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

Part of my daily devotion this morning mentioned, “strive to want to become more like Jesus, no matter what the cost.”  How many of us are willing to lay our life down daily for the Creator of the universe?   This means laying aside all doubts about the future, all fears of what could happen today or tomorrow, and the 'what-ifs' of life.  It means living for today, this minute, this moment in time, for the One who laid His life down for us.  

Think of it.  If Jesus had not died on the cross for me, I wouldn't be writing this today.  I wouldn't be blessed to have a family and Christian brothers and sisters to share life with. 

 This world and these times are so uncertain, but, yet, you will meet people, Christians, who have a smile on their face and love in their heart.  Why is that?  Because we know that we don't have control over anyone or anything.  We know the One who flung the stars in the sky and created man from the dust of the earth, will prevail in the end.  

And when that day comes, all the tears and fears we've had here on earth will all disappear.  I don't know about you, but I am so looking forward to this day.

 Stay faithful, my friends, we're just a breath away from Heaven!

 1 John 2:6 – “Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.”

I heard once that you should have a daily goal and try to accomplish that goal each day.  My daily goal is to please God, to show humility to others, and to be a blessing to those I encounter.  

 Just imagine, if we all did this, each day.  What a wonderful world we would live in.  But, the reality is that we live in a broken world, and that outside of God's grace and love, we can't accomplish anything.  

 Goals require discipline and consistency; not giving up, even when you're kicked in the face, (so to speak) by Satan.  Just imagine the desperation that Job (from the Bible) felt.  

 We've all faced difficulties.  We've all been there, maybe not as extreme as Job’s situation, but it sure feels like it when it's you.  That's when God reaches down and picks us up out of that desperate, hopeless feeling.  He loves us, folks, right in the middle of our unworthiness.

 I strive to please God; to make this my daily goal. I don’t want to put Him on some meaningless to-do list.  I want to stop being so busy with trivial activities and focus on the prize.  The prize is eternal life with our Creator. 

 As I strive towards this goal each day, I don't want to forget others along my path, and I want to share my love with those that God places in my life.  

 If you’re curious about this Job guy, look him up; he has his own Chapter in the Bible!

 Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

I've been reading about Job in the Bible.  Wow!  How could one human possibly go through the suffering that Job did?  Could I do that?  Could my faith hold up to all the tragedy and suffering, physically and mentally that Job went through?  I would hope so, but it's a scary thought.  

It helps me though, when I go through my trials here on earth.  Trials that may seem trivial in light of Job's journey, but the same concept applies.  I keep my eyes lifted to the One who made me.  I don't take my eyes off God, the One who created the Heavens and the earth.  

 God is with us in our pain and afflictions of life.  His character gives us hope when life feels hopeless. I have peace in knowing that God may not remove all the pain that may come to me, but, trusting in Him gives me the confidence that I need through this season of life.  

Trust in God with all your heart and acknowledge Him.  I could not do this life without God in it!

Trials do not show us how strong our faith is, as much as they reveal whether we will remain faithful through them.

 Joshua 1:9 - “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

I've been reading about Job in the Bible.  Wow!  How could one human possibly go through the suffering that Job did?  Could I do that?  Could my faith hold up to all the tragedy and suffering, physically and mentally that Job went through?  I would hope so, but it's a scary thought.   

It helps me though, when I go through my trials here on earth.  Trials that may seem trivial in light of Job's journey, but the same concept applies.  I keep my eyes lifted to the One who made me.  I don't take my eyes off God, the One who created the Heavens and the earth.  

God is with us in our pain and afflictions of life.  His character gives us hope when life feels hopeless. I have peace in knowing that God may not remove all the pain that may come to me, but, trusting in Him gives me the confidence that I need through this season of life.  

Trust in God with all your heart and acknowledge Him.  I could not do this life without God in it!

Trials do not show us how strong our faith is, as much as they reveal whether we will remain faithful through them.

Joshua 1:9 - “Have I not commanded you?Be strong and courageous.Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

It’s hard to be thankful when nothing is going right in your life.  I know that God is faithful.  He’s our guard and protector from the evil things of this world.  

God's plans and His timing are always perfect.  I have so many things to be thankful for. I have so many blessings poured out to me every day.  I have a family, a home, a job and friends.  I can go to Church without being persecuted, and I can praise God openly and not worry about being shot or ridiculed for my faith.

 I do thank God each day for my blessings.  Friends, God is so merciful to His children.  He wants to give us all the riches of Glory.  He wants us to have a happy joy-filled life.  

 What He’s most impressed with is that we acknowledge our blessings, even in the midst of tragedies. That’s true faith and perseverance. 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 – “But the Lord is faithful.  He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”