When you sacrifice... God will provide

Luk 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Luk 22:43
And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Luk 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Agony- a struggle for victory. Jesus struggled to overcome the situation at hand. His flesh did not want to sacrifice His life. His flesh did not want to be beaten and mocked. But his spirit knew this was what must come to pass, so He states not my will, but thine. He was praying for something to come to pass that the flesh did not desire to occur. He gave himself as a sacrifice for us, as undeserving as we are. Notice though, after He prayed not my will, but thine, God sent an angel to strengthen him! But the trial did not end there. Jesus was still in agony or struggling for victory. So much that He sweat blood!

So as we journey through our personal trials, we must pray not for what we want to see happen but for God's will in our life. Then He will send strength our way, but don't be fooled, He may not take that trial away. For these trials we must see them to the end. He is strengthening you to overcome your fleshly desire for it to end. He wants us to endure until His will is accomplished. When we turn our desires over to God as a sacrifice, He sends strength. When we offer to God what our hearts desire, He sends us strength. Abraham had to go to the point that he would offer his most treasured thing in all the world, Isaac, his son. And look what God did. God provided. He did not provide another route though in the beginning, did He? He did not allow Abraham to just get to the mountain and then turn him back assuring Abraham of his faithfulness. No, he took him to the very brink of his trial, within seconds of Abraham fulfilling the trial with his own hand, God provided the solution. God provided the sacrifice for Abraham.

Some things in life we must sacrifice but God will not leave you void. If you sacrifice happiness God will provide joy. If you must sacrifice love, God will provide an intimate relationship with Him. Whatever, God has requested you to sacrifice, He has something much better in store for you. He won't leave you emptyhanded. He may even return to you the very thing you offered up to Him as your sacrifice, as He returned Isaac back to Abraham.

Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 42:8

...in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant Job.

Job 42:12
...So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:

_

Job offered praise to God and in doing so lost everything he had, God returned to him more at the end than in the beginning before his trial.

God does provide us with strength, but we must show our faithfulness and our willingness to do His will. When we sacrifice, God will provide. Some trials can be ended earlier than others. But for those trials which must be seen through, until something comes to pass, we must obtain strength from the Lord in order to see it through.

So hang on, and pray, as hard as it may be, "Not my will but thine, be done"

A nail in his holy place

Ezr 9:8
And now for a little space grace hath been [shewed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

So for a small moment grace to leave us with a way of escape or deliverance and to give us a stake or a stable object in His holy place, that God may lighten our eyes or allow us to shine, and to give us some preservation or sustenance in our servitude or bondage.

This tells me that when I am going through the trials of life that God gives us small moments to allow us to see the light and he gives us a stability or something to hold fast to. He gives us a way of surviving the trial time. He is there for us when we may not be able to see Him. Like the sun on a cloudy day. We know it is there because it has always been there, and even in the darkest night hour, we know the sun is still there. The sun has not moved. We have moved. God is always there even when the storms of life cloud our view. When darkness sweeps around us we should be able to still stand tall on the promises of God, and know He is still there. Without trying times how would our faith grow. My daughter does not understand yet that even though it is dark outside, the sun still exists. This is a concept not yet understood in her young mind. But I as an adult who have lived through many days and nights, understand that it is still there. Why do I understand this because I have lived those many days and nights. As she grows and wakes each morning and lives another day and night, this concept will begin to emerge for her. It is a similar experience in the spiritual realm. Don't be so youngminded to think just because you don't see God or feel his warmth, He is not there. This is when our faith is flourishing and becoming stronger. Learn from these times. Ask God what His desire is for you to get out of this experience you are in. God expects us to mature as we expect our children to mature. You can not continue to be a babe in christ, you will go through experiences to help you grow and God will continue to bring you through these until you have the skill that he desires you to obtain from that trial.

Be thankful in these times that God is taking the time out of your life to teach you something, maybe it is a sign to you just how great a purpose you will serve for His kingdom. What great plans does He have for your life here on earth? Why is He choosing to grow your faith? There is a bigger picture to our lives than we tend to think about. It is not just about being happy. I had someone tell me a while back...Well I am sure that God does not want us to suffer, He is a loving God and He wants us to be happy doesn't He?... Sure He wants us to be happy. So be happy during your trial time. That is completely our decision. Someone who sits on top of the world can be happy or sad. So don't let the world tell you that it is not God's will for us to be depressed or sad so therefore it is not His will for you to continue in your trial. It is not for a punishment. It is to help us grow and it is our choice to be happy about it or sad.

Words from my pastor: "We make our children clean their room right?!"

Are we not the children of God? So take joy in cleaning your room! Just like life, it is not all fun and games. We have circumstances that need our attention to make us into better people. So it is your choice whether to take your life and be happy with it and continue in your way with a smile or feel that God is picking on you and "bellache" the hard times! (not that I don't do my fair share of bellyaching!) :-)

Give it all to God, He will take control of it. Be obedient to what His will is and it will all work out for the good of those who serve the Lord.

Till the ground from whence you were taken

Gen 2:7
And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Gen 3:17
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;

Gen 3:23
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Interesting, Adam was taken from the dust of the earth, and after he sinned God cursed that ground that in sorrow he would eat of it all the days of his life. Once he was sent out of God's presence he was to till the ground from where God had brought him from. He had to work at the problem that God had brought him from and produce something fruitful from it to be able to live. This is just my own thoughts but I find it interesting... Does God do this with us still? He brings us from a problem, we somehow take it into our own hands, and God allows us to return to that problem to now make something fruitful come of it. A lesson learned maybe. If we would just allow God to do his will in our life, instead of taking control ourselves, then we would not have return to that problem, time and time again, until we produce something good from it.

I think God wants to supply our every need, but we get in the way and become as gods, knowing good and evil ( we try to take control over what we think needs to happen!), so He in turn sends us right back to the same problem or circumstance that he originally brought us from. He directs us to make something fruitful from it.

For example, when my daughter drew on the wall, she knew it was wrong but did it anyway. But, instead of just turning away from it and ignoring it, I took her back to that spot and made her wash it clean. God does that to us. Takes us by the hand, walks us right back to where it all began, while standing at our side He directs us to do His will, not our will.

I thank the Lord for such fatherly care and love. He is my friend, my comforter, my prince of peace, my calm in the storm. He really cares for each and every one of His children. I am so blessed in the fact that He chose me out of millions of people to be one of His children. No matter what comes my way I know He will bring me through. His patience endures, and His love and compassion are endless.

I just love the lyrics to this song. If you really think about what you are singing to the Lord, it really will touch your heart. These are some powerful words here. I vow to praise you, through the good and the bad. Think about this. Through the good and the bad. Not just when the sun is shining and everything is great and grand. But in the dark of night and in the middle of trials and tribulation. Can you honestly say this and mean it? Whether happy or sad. SO, when you are on top of the world is God on your mind and when close ones have turned their back on you or said hurtful things to make you down and depressed, do you praise the Lord during those times too?

We do owe it all to Him. We will never be worthy to give him the praise He deserves, but on the flip side of that, He is always worthy to receive it. So at all times this is what we should do is praise Him. So learn through your trials to praise the Lord, make it what you do. No circumstance will stand a chance of bringing despair upon you when you learn to praise the Lord. When life throws you bad stuff, learn to throw back praise unto the Lord because ultimately He is in control. Yes, we get down and discouraged but as soon as you can pick yourself up and Praise the Lord, and you circumstance won't stand a chance of conquering you!

Praise is what I do
When I wanna be close to you
I lift my hands in praise
Praise is who I am
I will praise you while I can
I'll bless him at all times
and I vow to praise you, Through the good and the bad
I'll praise you, whether happy or sad
I'll praise you, in all that I go through
Because praise is what I do, cause I owe it all to you
Praise is what I do even when I'm going through I've learned to worship you
No, my circumstance, doesn't even stand a chance
My peace outweighs the bad

After singing this song in our chorale practice, I was sure lifted up. It is amazing how you can change your feelings so quickly. So as easy as it is to feel down it is just as easy to feel up again. Praising the Lord through all of life's rollercoaster can help you find stability in all the emotions it brings.

People in our life

You may ask yourself why God allows some people to come into your life

You may ask yourself why God allows some people to leave your life

You may ask yourself why God allows some people to stay in your life

But always know God allows everything for a reason

So the next time you ask God one of the above questions, keep in mind

God allowed you this day to do His will and that person was in your life for that reason.

Use each experience to be a learning experience for your future. Keep it in context.

People come and people go, God is with you always.

What would be your story...

A thought for today. In the "Bible days", did the people that are written about know they would have their stories published in Gods holy word? Did they live their life thinking that someday someone would read all about them? My guess is no. Their strengths and weaknesses, their failures and victories. David and his love for the Lord or his desire for ungodly things. Abraham and his faith or his anger with the israelites. Joseph in his despair in the prison or when he reigned with Pharoah. The woman with the issue of blood, grabbing at the hem of His garment for healing, or the woman who spent a lifetime of savings and blessed Jesus with her alabaster box then used her own hair to wipe His feet. They did not do these things knowing that someday someone would read their story and it would be used in such great ways. They lived their life as they thought it should be lived. Yes, some had more defeats then others and some had more wisdom etc. But my point is they had no way of knowing that us in 2008 would be reading about their journey with the Lord! So now I pose my question....what would be your story? If someone would write about your journey with the Lord what would they say?

My hope is that they could say something like...
2Ch 17:3
And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David... That is my desire.. or
Gen 39:2
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man;

Mar 14:8
She hath done what she could...

Mar 14:9
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, [this] also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

If God chose someone to write my life story than I would certainly hope they could put those verses in there. I desire for my life for the Lord to be with me every step of the way. This by no means makes me perfect. As everyone else even the ones that had their stories in Gods word had their pitfalls and mistakes, they more abundantly had the Lord at their side.

So as you live today, take into consideration, what would your story be? What kind of legacy are you going to leave behind? What would the Lord say about you if He were going to tell your life story?


Jos 24:15
...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Philipians 4:7 Peace

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." He keeps our minds or protects them against the things of this world that may destroy our mind. It is a hedge He will build up to protect you. His peace is beyond all understanding....in other words we can not understand at moments in life when we should be all upset or stressed over a situation that we are at peace. When the sea should be stormy because of the weather it is calmed by the words of God "...peace be still..."and " that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Yes, for sure we have our days when it all seems to come unraveled and we just are not going to make it, like when Peter began to sink in the water but look at the simple task he had to do in order to make it and keep his head above water...

Mat 14:30
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Mat 14:31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth [his] hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Mat 14:32
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

The important words to remember he cried and immediately.. What did Jesus do, He immediately stretched forth his hand!

All Peter had to do was cry out to the Lord and He was there to reach for him, and the wind ceased. When troubles come and it just looks like you are sinking, cry out to the Lord, He will hear you and immediately stretch forth his hand. The winds may still be strong, the rains may still pour down but eventually you will come into the ship and the wind will cease.

Keep God close to you, dont let your eyes get off Him because you need Him close so you can call upon his comforting words to send forth peace in your life and situation.

There was a moment in my life, my reference point, when storms were all around me and I cried out to the Lord, He immediately heard my cry and I felt His warm, comforting arms just encompass me with his peace. When life gets so rough I don't think I can go on, I remember that peace I felt and it helps me to continue on my journey. God is everywhere, He knows all your troubles and thoughts, so why not just share them with Him and let Him send down His peace and comfort to your situation.

II Corinthians 12:9 Strength

"for my strength is made perfect in weakness..." That says it all. How else can we see the Lords strength if not through our weakness. He uses us to show is capabilities to those who are in need of such. We are His witnesses of His strength and love. Life is not meant to be an easy road where everything is simple with no complications or worries. If it were so then we would not ever look for anything more to life. Instead of complaining why a situation is so difficult we should turn our eyes upward and see that it is for a reason if not for our own but maybe for someone watching the situation that needs to see the example of how we react to this hard time.

Yes good things happen to good and bad people so why should not bad things happen to good and bad people the same. It rains on the just and the unjust but it is our attitude and our spiritual walks that set us apart. God is always by our side He is our faithful friend. He will guide us through what ever comes our way. We are never alone! Never!

Today I thank my creator. My best friend. My prince of peace. He is my shepard and He has always been right beside me since a young child and He has never left me. Take comfort in your refuge, the Lord. He has indeed made me fruitful and my prayer is that He continues to do so.