Trusting the One Who Changes Things

Well, sometimes my life

Just don't make sense at all

When the mountains look so big

And my faith just seems so small

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf

You have been King of my glory

Won't  You be my Prince of Peace

And I wake up in the night and feel the dark

It's so hot inside my soul

I swear there must be blisters on my heart

Surrender don't come natural to me

I'd rather fight You for something

I don't really want

Than to take what You give that I need

And I've beat my head against so many walls

Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees

And this Salvation Army band 

Is playing this hymn

And Your grace rings out so deep

It makes my resistance seem so thin

You have been King of my glory 

Won't You be my Prince of Peace

-Rich Mullins

Human Nature

It seems as though the human nature of a person has trouble accepting the aid of another individual, and if we do then we must give something in return that is equal or greater than that which was given. There is a problem with this factor when God enters the equation. There will never be a gift equal or greater than God's gift of love. We will never be able to give Him the gift of salvation that He once gave us.  This may make some of us so aggravated, either at ourselves or at God. In the moment of irritation and maybe the feeling of inadequacy we tend to lose sight of how we act toward God. We may end up trying to fight through our problems alone. 

 This song beautifully shows how we want to make things work out on our own, but in the process of all of our "time wasting" we find ourselves down at the bottom in a tomb of depression and shame.

I'm sorry to tell you this but you can't do it alone. You won't make it through the darkness and you won't make it though the hurts without God. He is the only one that can conquer the battle.

2 Chronicles 20:15-17

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

We will never be able to repay God for what He has done for us and is doing for us, but He doesn't ask us to repay Him. He simply asks us to commit to Him and to follow his ways. He asks us trust Him and to not reason within ourselves but to find the reasons in Him.  He will guide us into the knowledge that we so desire.(See Proverbs 3:5) If we want to be guided by God we must first commit to Him. I'm not talking about a blind commitment that leads to being uncommitted. There is a divine place that one can be structured in commitment. In order to find this place one must love. 

2 John 1:5

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Okay, in order to follow the commandments of God we must first love Him. It is easy to do something for someone you love but if you hate the individual you will want nothing to do with them. With that being said, if there is no relationship between you and God there will be no commitment. In return, there will be a life filled with misery from chasing false dreams and identities, always wanting something new to fill the empty void that God once occupied. 

In Short

What I'm trying to explain is, we cannot and will never make this life without God. He is the ultimate peace, comfort, joy, love (the list goes on). Without Him we will never make it. It doesn't matter how inadequate you may feel, you are worth it. God doesn't want you to go take a cross to save yourself He just wants to have you for His own. All He wants is your heart. He is asking for nothing more and nothing less. When you have given your heart to Christ, completely, things change. The heart is healed and changed. The nature of humanity is changed and it is all changed because of the hand of God. We can't change ourselves. Let God do the work. He is a master at fixing broken situations. Keep the faith and hold on. 

My Refuge, In Whom Will I Trust.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be trouble, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

He taketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breath the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burnt the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Seals.

God is our refuge. He is our security. We don't have to be afraid of the things coming against us because we have a God who commands the seas and stills the storm. We don't have to worry because we have a God who considers the sparrow. He heals the sick and inclines his ear to those that call upon his name. God is looking out for you. He hears your cry. He will close the mouths of the enemy and he will lift you up. The all mighty, loving, wonderful God is looking out for you. 
You, I know! It is crazy to think that he cares for someone so little as us but he does! He will never let you walk alone. Remember, he is walking beside you holding out his hand. Take hold of it and move with him. Trust in God and he will be your hope and joy. He will be your comforter. Hold on! God's got a plan for you! 

But I've Sinned...

I have sinned. There is no way that God will ever accept me back. Why would he want to love someone like me? 

Have you ever felt this way? The guilt of one mistake weighing down on your shoulders even though you have already repented of it. Well, if you have ever felt this way or if you are feeling this way I hope that this post can help you out. 

Just the other day I was thinking about the mercy of God. I was wondering what makes God forgive us. Especially when we have given God plenty of reasons to walk away. I started to think about all that He has brought me through and why He could ever love someone like me. In the process of pondering this thought, I decided to read the word of God to find my answers. This is what I found.

Romans 3:23-24

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

So everyone has sinned at one point in their lives. We have all fallen short of the glory of God, yet his grace is still there for us. We are justified through his grace. He gave us that grace when he died for our sins. 

1 John 2:1-2

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

WHAT?!? God shows us, through this scripture, that we are not to sin. Then he says that if sin happens to be present in our lives that there is an advocate. What is an advocate? According to Strong's Concordance, an advocate is one that pleads the cause of another, a comforter, and a counsel for defense. God will actually fight for us if we repent. He is the propitiation for our sins. What does propitiation mean? According to Strong's Concordance, propitiation is God's blood atonement for our sin. He is the sacrifice for our sins. Guess what? He not only is all of this for you and I but for the whole would! That's crazy right?? 

In conclusion, we don't have to beat ourselves to a pulp about everything we have done. The only thing that we really need to do is repent of our sins. In doing this, we allow God to become the advocate for our sins, but when we hold back from God because we feel unworthy or worthless we take away the power that God has. When we don't allow ourselves to be open with God, he can't be open with us. I encourage you today to find a place and tell God about your problems. He is not far from you today. Let him have control of your situation. Let him be your advocate in this very moment.

Psalm 34:17-18

The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

He loves me, he loves me not.

In life, we should not allow flowers to guide us in relationships. Maybe I'm just tired of hearing people say, "There is no man for me. There will never be a man for me." 

If we rely on what we thought was good for us, then we would never have found a deep relationship with God and we would never know the power of God. We have to stop picking at flowers and start trusting in Jesus. Maybe that man you have been drooling over isn't the one. You may need to take a step back and see if your heart is right with God. Is this man leading you to God or away from God? When you are confronted about how much time you are spending with him, do you get an attitude? Is your spirit right? Can you meekly and humbly take correction from the authority God has placed in your life? Do you respect the pastor and pastor's wife that God has placed in your life? If not then maybe just maybe you should pray some more about your relationship.

 Just like flowers our ideas and what we think is right will wilt away. Our will is nothing but the will of God is everything. Let God work in you and do His good work before you try to get a relationship with a man. It's not worth the heartache. Trust me, God has great plans for someone that trust and respects his will.  Most of the time our lives will crumble when we step out of the will of God and try to do our own will. Turn it over to Jesus and he will give you the man of your dreams. Give your life to God and to his will; the blessings will come. Stop letting self get in the way of the power and glory of God in your life. 

I had a preacher tell me once, "It is better to be single and trying to find a man than to be married and be unhappy for life." I believe these are the wisest words I have heard in a long time. Don't make the mistake in choosing the wrong man when you could have the best man for you. The man created and designed just for you. Just wait a little longer. Hold God to his promises and draw closer to him. He'll send your man your way and you will live the happy ever after that you have always wanted.

Stormy Clouds

It looks like the clouds are falling; finally giving up the fight to hold on. Or maybe they are crying and that's why they are grey. They are depressed and tired of life. All that's left is darkness to fill their void. It's sad, they could be happy but they have to turn all stormy. 

The True Friend

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
2. All our sins and griefs to bear!
3. What a privilege to carry
4. Everything to God in prayer!
5. Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
6. Oh, what needless pain we bear,
7. All because we do not carry
8. Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged—

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful,

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—

  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He'll take and shield thee,

Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised

Thou wilt all our burdens bear;

May we ever, Lord, be bringing

All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded,

There will be no need for prayer—

Rapture, praise, and endless worship

Will be our sweet portion there.

As I look over my life and see the relationships that I have had, I realize that God has been so good to me. I remember losing friends and feeling down because I had no one to turn to and no one to trust. I would cry and ask God, "Please, can I just have one friend that won't leave me and hurt me?" It was rough. I remember lies that were spread about me that would crush me. It wasn't the lie itself, but it was the fact that people actually believed those lies and turned on me. I mean, these were my BEST friends! I felt so alone and rejected. I thought that I would never have another friend to trust. I had given up on trust in all aspects of my life. I stopped trusting my family and sometimes even God. It wasn't that I gave up on God but I failed to trust that he actually cared for me. I stopped trusting that he loved me. I was in a bad place. I became depressed and didn't know who to turn to. Thank God that He woke me up and screwed my head on straight! In the loneliest moments Jesus was there holding out His hands. He took me to scriptures like:

 Hebrews 13:5-6

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

So that we boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

WHAT!! I know! I would begin to cry as he showed me that he was MY friend. It didn't matter what people did or said He would always be my friend.

Then when I would doubt his love for me scriptures like:

Jeremiah 31:3

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

He began to lead and guide me in His word, and the more I listened to His voice the more I believed that he was my friend. 

Soon I began to see that it didn't matter who hurt me or who turned against me. All that mattered was that Jesus was my friend. Even now I am so happy to know that I have a friend in Jesus. He was the one that I could turn to and He would answer my prayers. He was the one that cared about my feelings.

I hope you know that Jesus can be this friend to you. He will never hurt you. He will never fail you. He will be the friend that you have always wanted. While He holds you in His arms, He will whisper words of love to your soul. You will no longer have to live with fear of rejection or slander. He will only bring forth the truth in your life. You will be able to draw closer to Him when you realize that no one can ever be a friend like Him. He will always be your friend. I pray that you can see Him as your friend just like I have. I pray that you can learn to trust and love Him just like He loves you. Oh, how he loves you! Let Jesus be your friend. This friend is the friend that sticks closer than your brother. (Proverbs 18:24) He is the friend that loved you so much that he laid His life down for you, His friend. (John 15:11)

I hope that you can see that you are not alone but you have the greatest friend that could ever be. That friend is Jesus. Today, I give you Jesus.

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Don't Forget Me for I Haven't Forgotten You

"Don't forget me for I haven't forgotten you." The words echoed through my mind. As I sat on the floor in my bedroom, tears began to run down my face. The realization of the love of God came to me in that little moment. He has done so much for us. He took the cross with us in mind, yet we can't spend one little moment with him. He knows us all so well but what do we know of him?

When God spoke these words to me I realized just how rejected God is. He wasn't just rejected when he was beaten, spit on, and hung to die on the cross. He is rejected daily. You may ask how. Well, how many times have we just gone about our day when we felt that small tug on our hearts? How many times has God wanted to spend time with us but we have ignored his voice? This is how we have rejected him. We have rejected him and asked him to leave our schools. We have asked him to leave our government. We have asked him to leave our lives. We have asked him to step back and let us have control. 

One question I have to ask is, "What has being in control ever done?" It has done nothing but mess up everything. When Cain took things in his own hands thinking that he had a right to be angry, he killed his brother. When Abraham's wife told him to have a child with her handmaid that way they could have their promise child, doubting God, it left them with anger and strife between the family. We are terrible at controlling things. Why not just let God have control? Why not just surrender your life to him and let him work it all out? Don't forget what he has already done. He hasn't forgotten those moments. He hasn't forgotten you. He loves you. Will you still love him or will you just go on about your day ignoring him? He has been calling you but you have been shutting him out. He's screaming out today, saying, "DON'T FORGET ME FOR I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU!" I can see the tears streaming down his face as just another person walks away from him and says, "I've got other things to do." 

God is everything. He is the one that gives each and everyone of us breath. He gives us everything that we have need of. The question I have is, "Will you remember him in your day or will you forget him and walk away?"

Overcoming Temptation

How do we overcome temptation?

In order to overcome temptation we have to know what temptation is and where it comes from. What is temptation? According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, temptation is a "trial; a being put to the test." 

James 1:2-3

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

In this scripture it is saying that temptation is trying our faith and through this it is teaching us patience. 

James 1:12-14

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death.

So let's just study out this scripture for a minute. In verse 12, If a person endures temptation he will receive the crown of life. What does it mean to endure? In this scripture, endure means to take it patiently, persevere, suffer, and to stand firm. So In order to receive the crown of life we must stand firm against temptation and we must push forward in truth. This way we are able to overcome. 

How can we overcome when we don't know who or what is tempting us? Verse 13 is letting us know that God does not tempt us. We know this because God is not evil and there is no way that he can be tempted into doing evil. So who is the tempter of our soul? Verse 14 says that every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his OWN lust. This does not mean that we tempt ourselves but it means that we all are born into sin and have a sinful nature that draws us and entices us. Who tempted us in the beginning? It was Satan. He enticed Eve into eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. From that point, humanity was now able to see the difference between good and evil. They were able to see wrong from right. We know that our desires can get us tripped up and cause us to sin. Satan plays on those desires.

Now that we know that Satan is our tempter, we can see in James 4:6 that if we resist the devil he will flee and if we draw close to God, then he will draw close to us. Resist, in this scripture, means to rebel or to withstand. 

We can see by the word of God, that the way to overcome temptation is to persevere. We must push forward. Then, we must resist or rebel against the devil. We must stand up and say, "Hey! I'm not doing that. God's been to good to me; I can't fail him now." After that we must draw close to God and let him move in our minds and souls. It is amazing how just one prayer meeting can change your entire outlook on things. If you turn to God, he will clear your mind. You can overcome temptation.

A Vessel of Use

2 Timothy 2:19-21

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonor.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

What does it mean to be a vessel of use? What do I need to do to be a vessel of use for God? These questions have ran through my mind many times. I want to be a vessel of use for God, but how do I become that vessel?
According to this scripture, in order to be a vessel of honor I must turn away from sin. I must purge my heart of all of the things that hold me back. I must turn  my life to the master. That is the only way that I can be a vessel that is sanctified and meet for the master's use. 
This is my prayer, "God let me be a vessel of use. Let my heart be clean and prepared for what you have for me. Let me walk after you and in righteousness. So I can do a work for your kingdom. I give up the pleasures of this life in order to follow you. I give up my ideas on how life should be ran and I place it in your hands. Have your way in me."

Mark 10:20-21
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

I don't want to be like this man. If the Lord tells me to give something up I want to give it up. I don't want to become sad and leave and not change. I want to be changed so that I can be what God wants me to be.
Today I hope to encourage someone. You may feel down, tired, and worn. Don't give up! You too can be a vessel of use. Keep on pressing on and have faith in God. Our timing is not his timing. He knows what he is doing. Sometimes it is hard to wait but trust me it WILL be worth it! If you are following the plan of God and doing what the word says, then you are one step closer to being used of God. Don't let go of the hope. Don't let the storms cloud your vision. Just keep on moving forward. Don't look back but look forward. There is a blessing coming your way! It's right around the corner! HOLD ON!

I Wont Go Back

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

I wonder how I got here?

What did I do to get here?

Somehow I made the wrong turn and now I'm lost and burned

In my mess I fell deep because my flesh was weak

But now I hear your voice and I'm making the choice

I'm turning away from the things that I do 

That I know aren't pleasing in your sight

I'm turning away from the messed up mindset 

And the things that I know aren't right

I'm turning away from the past, the hurt, and shame

All the things that had me bound

I'm turning away, turning away

When temptation tries to lure me off my course

I will choose you, I'll choose you

'Cause I've been there and I'm not going there no more

Said I want a new start I'm giving you my heart

From your love I never want to depart

(I'm turning away) From the way of my past

(I'm turning away) I've changed my mind, changed my heart

(I'm turning away) I'm surrendering unto you

(I'm turning away) I'm turning away

(I'm turning away) I'm turning away

I won't go back to the place that God has brought me from. There is no point. What does this world have to offer? What does sin have to offer? The only thing that this world brings is death and destruction of your mind. Sin corrupts and takes over the heart. Just like a poison, it eats away at the soul. Just like a disease, it starts slowly, only to leave your mind and heart crippled, deformed, weighed down by guilt and heartache. It leaves you with scars and flashbacks that will never leave you alone. 

I have made my decision. I will not go back to the things that held me away from the presence of God. I will not allow my soul to be destroyed by the pleasures of this world. For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world an lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) 

I feel like someone is at the point where they have the choice to stay with God and follow his will or to turn away from everything and follow after the world. I have one question for you. What does the world have that could ever be better than the presence of God? I hope you can realize that nothing is greater than what God has done to save you. No one could ever love you like Jesus can. No one will ever hold you like he can. 

Please don't go back to what God has brought you out of. It isn't worth it. What will you gain? Remember how you used to feel. Remember the depression, remember the misery that you felt in the world. Then, tell me that it is worth going back to. Nothing is worth losing your soul. Nothing is worth losing your ticket to heaven. Nothing is worth losing your relationship with God. Please make up your mind that you won't go back.

Come Home

Come out of hiding
You're safe here with Me
There's no need to cover
What I already see

You've got your reasons
But I hold your peace
You've been on lockdown
And I hold the key

'Cause I loved you before you knew it was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave

Now rid off the shackles, My victory's yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There's no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You're not far from home

I'll be your lighthouse
When you're lost at sea
And I will illuminate
Everything

No need to be frightened
By intimacy
No, just throw off your fear
And come running to Me

'Cause I loved you before you knew it was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles, My victory's yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There's no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You're not far from home
Keep on coming

And oh as you run
What hindered love
Will only become
Part of the story

Baby, you're almost home now
Please don't quit now
You're almost home to Me

Dear Prodigal,

You have not gone so far that the Lord cannot save you. I know the struggle inside your heart; the pain and emptiness that you feel. I know the hurts that rip you apart. God has not left you. He is calling for you to come home. He longs to hear your voice once more. He longs to hold you in his arms. It's not to late to turn around. It's not to late to come home. You may feel worthless and you may feel like no one will ever accept you back. Trust me, Jesus is calling you home. He will make you worthy and he will accept you. If you could only see the love that he has for you. If you could see the tears that he cries for you.
The inner turmoil that you feel will never go away until you come back to God. The days when you feel so lost and broken are the days that God is yelling your name. He is saying, "Come home. I love you. I miss you. Please don't go down that road. All it leaves you with is brokenness and pain. I want to hold you again."
I don't know everything that you are going through, but I know a God that does. He is looking down on you and waiting for you to come back. The prayers have prayed from the ones that love you dearly. Travail has sounded in the night for you. Tonight could be the last night you have to struggle. those things that hold you so bound up need to go. You need to find that alter and make things right. God is longing for that moment with you. He is longing for the times you used to talk. He wants to help you, but it is your choice. You have to choose to come home. Just like the prodigal son chose. He had to realize that this world had nothing for him. He had to realize that life back at the father's house was better than living with pigs. He has to desire to come home and once he did, he had to take the steps back to the father's house.
Do you hear him calling? Do you feel him drawing? He's waiting for you.

2 Chronicles 15:3-4
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
But when they, in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found.

He Has Heard Your Cry

Mark 10:46-52

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.

And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

When I look at this scripture, I can see the longing of poor Bartimaeus. He desired to be able to see. Who knows how long he sat on the streets of Jericho, blind. It was probably years. 

Someone may have told Bartimaeus about Jesus. He could have heard it on the streets that there was a man who could heal the sick and raise the dead. Imagine what it must of felt like, knowing that people were receiving their miracles and blessings, but never receiving that healing for yourself. Bartimaeus must have got a little excited when he heard that Jesus was coming down the road. He knew of the miracles that had happened. He knew that today could be his day for his miracle.

If you could imagine right now the cries of this blind man. His calls for Jesus to come and help him. To see him reaching and groping for the healing he desired so much. Others began to criticize him by marking him. They said he would never get his healing. He was unworthy of his healing. He was just a needy, blind man.

I can just see the pain on his face as he cried out louder. I can almost hear his thoughts screaming, "NO! JESUS! COME TO ME! HELP ME! DON'T PASS ME BY!" His desperation for his healing growing with each cry for mercy. 

Then, Jesus hears him and stops in his tracks. He heard the desperate cry. He heard the pain in his voice. He stopped just for him and told his disciples bring him to me so that I can help him. Let me see this man. 

I can see the smile begin to brighten Bartimaeus's face as the disciples tell him to come to Jesus. I can see the excitement flowing through his bones. I can almost hear his mind screaming, "YES! HE HAS HEARD MY CRY! I KNOW HE WILL HEAL ME!"

I tell this story because I want to encourage someone today. God has heard your cry. He has seen your tears. He loves you and wants to bless you. If he did it for Bartimaeus, he can do it for you. Your prayers stop him and your desperation pulls at his heart. He feels your pain and he knows your suffering. He will answer if you just believe. He will bless you. All you need to do is trust that he is there. He stopped just for you today. That moment when you spoke that prayer, he heard. Sometimes prayers are not always answered in our timing. Bartimaeus could have been blind for years. Remember, God has never left you and he has heard your cry.

Psalm 18:2-6

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. 

In A Dry and Thirsty Land

Psalm 63:1-8

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

This scripture speaks volumes to me. I know that each and everyone of us goes through dry times when it feels like God is not there. We pray and do what we know to do, but our answers never seem to come. We reach the point of giving up and throwing in the towel. Maybe we do give up and maybe we do say, "this is all I can take." We may lose our faith in God, but if we could stand back up and remember the promises that God has already given us, our heart will be encouraged. Remember what He has already done for you. Remember the prayers that He has already answered. If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever then He can hear our prayers. He will hear them today and He will hear them forever. If He could bless you yesterday, He can bless you today. 

As I read this Psalm, I can picture David crying out for God to show His power and rescue him from the dryness all around him. David could have been angry with God, but he wasn't. He was grateful even in the dry times. He was thankful when everything was falling apart. He thanked God for what He had already done and thanked Him in advance for what He was going to do. 

Life is a struggle. It is not easy and trials will come to make us slip and fall. They will also come to make us stronger and teach us important lessons. Each trial or struggle is unique in its own way. I believe that God takes us to the breaking point and then some. He doesn't do this to hurt us. He does it to strengthen us. 

If we always went through the same trial all the time how would we learn anything new. We would hopefully learn how to succeed and overcome that one trial, but what could we show from going through the same thing over and over again? I understand we can get in a rut and struggle with the same thing more than once. I am talking about every struggle that we ever went through being the same. We would never become what God wants us to be and we would never learn what God wants us to learn. We would master one part of our life and the rest of it would be in shambles. 

If we can realize that with each trial comes a greater victory, we would be on fire. My encouragement to you today is, don't become hard while you are in your trial. There is a blessing coming your way. If you stay thirsty for the things of God and thankful during your struggles, He will bless you beyond measure. He loves each and everyone of us and it is not His will that we suffer. He is only trying to teach us something new and show us once again His awesome power. 

Keep on holding on.

Grateful, Ungrateful

"For Every Mountain"

I've got so much to thank God for

So may blessings and so many open doors

A brand new mercy

Along with each new day

That's why I praise You

For this I give You praise

For waking me up this morning

That's why I praise You

For starting me on my way

That's why I praise You

For letting me see the sunlight of a new brand day

A brand new mercy along with each new day

That's why I praise You

For this I give You praise

You're Jehovah Jireh

That's why I praise You

You've been my provider

That's why I praise You

So many times You met my need, So many times You rescued me

That's why I praise You

I wanna thank You for the blessings You give to me each day

That's why I praise You

For this I give You praise

For every mountain You brought me over

For every trial you've seen me through

For every blessing

Hallelujah, for this I give You praise

Tonight, as I was praying, this song began to play on the church's prayer, playlist. I did not realize how much I needed to hear these words. God began to speak to me as I sat and listened intently to the music. 

He began to tell me, "You have been ungrateful." 

What? Me? How could that be? I had just thanked Him for something just a minute ago. Sure enough, I began to search my heart. I called out to God and asked Him how I had done this. 

He began to speak to me saying, "I have brought you through the night. I have watched over you and kept you. I have given you breath to breathe. I woke you up and showed you a new day. I have walked with you in your moments of distress. I have done this all today." 

Right then and there, tears filled my eyes. I began to thank Him and tell Him how sorry I was for neglecting to praise Him. 

Many times in life it is easy to forget about the "little" things that are given to us day after day. We say that it is just a normal occurrence and there is nothing really "big" or "great" about it. If we could really see what God has done just while we were sleeping, or in that moment of fear or depression, maybe we would understand. It is not meaningless. It is supernatural. It is powerful. God took the time to say good morning and let oxygen fill our lungs. He set His angels around us as we slept and sheltered us from harm. This is the supernatural. Sometimes we fail to realize that it is just as big of a miracle to be alive another day as it is to be healed of cancer. 

Thank you Jesus for showing me just how miraculous You are and for showing me my faults. I want to thank You for waking me up this morning and for protecting me throughout the day. Thank You Jesus for Your supernatural blessings!

An Everlasting Love

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)

As I was going about my day, I started thinking about the love of God. Questions began to run through my mind. 

"What causes God to love me? How could He love me after all that I have done to Him?"

Facts are facts and they all say that I am a sinner in need of the mercy of God. Honestly, God doesn't have to love us. He doesn't have to show us mercy, but He does. I am not worthy of the love of God, but He has made me worthy. 

One thing I have had to realize is, the love of God is not determined by how good I am as a person. The love of God is determined when I except it or not. God draws us in with His love. The love of Jesus was shown when he laid down his life down on the cross. He showed us then how much he cares. He cared enough to die for the very sin that plagues humanity. He was beaten, bruised, and a crown of thorns was placed on His head, for me. For me, the blood was spilt. For me, He cried out in agony. This my friend, is the love of God. A love that surpasses all understanding. A love that holds you close. A love that will never let you go. I am so thanking for His everlasting love. I may never understand why He loves me. I may never understand why He would care enough for me, but knowing that He does, is all I need to love Him right back.