We will not faint

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“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14 KJV

These two verses of scripture at the end of the 27th division of the Psalm have been my backbone for years. These two scriptures have gotten me through many a dark place. Being able to stay upright through stormy times is not something we can do on our own. We will faint without God; we will fall without Him. But when we completely hope and wait on Hij, we will not faint. There is just no way.

On the Bible App, YouVersion I saved an image that illustrated these verses. The image shows a man standing in a tunnel and of course the tunnel is dark, but the man is holding a light that is illuminating the area around him. God is that light and although the darkness of the tunnel may try to consume us, God provides the spiritual light that guides us through. Therefore, when we wait on Him, He strengthens us, gives us courage and we witness His goodness. There is no way we will lose.

Iron sharpens Iron

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During our last, Wednesday Night Service, our Pastor, delivered the Word and God gave revelation.   During his sermon, he said, “I have to be the best me for you.”  This statement enlightened me and led me to Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  God revealed to me that when you surrender to purposefully becoming the best God wants you to be to sharpen another,  you have died to self.   You begin to live I Corinthians 13: 4-7 which reads, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” We love as God loves and desire that those within the circle of our influence live an abundant life in Him. We become unselfish, we put others above ourselves and acknowledge that being the best we can be trickles to every area of our life; in our homes, within our church communities, and in our jobs.  Jesus said we are the light of the world, a city that sits on a hill that cannot be hidden.  Think about it; we set the example as we walk in Christ.  Therefore change your perspective and make it your goal to be the best God has designed you to be so you can intentionally sharpen others.  Remember Iron does sharpen iron.

 

 

Pray for one another; spiritually support one another

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Paul prayed a beautiful prayer over the saints of God residing in Colosse; found in the book of Colossians.  After reading this prayer, I committed myself to pray this powerful prayer over my brothers and sister of the Gospel.  As members of the Body of Chris,t we should continually pray for one another.  The following is the prayer.  “I continually pray for my brothers and sister in Christ, and I asked God that they will be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  I pray that they walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him and that they will be fruitful in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God.  I pray that God will strengthen them with all might according to His glorious power for all patience and longsuffering with joy.  I pray that we all give thanks to the Father for he has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light, and has delivered us from the power of darkness and moved us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love.” Colossians 1:8-13.  So, Saints pray for one another; spiritually support one another. For we all are part of the Body of Christ.

Convicted

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Have you ever known you were wrong and justified your actions?  I did this evening.  My husband and I went to a local restaurant, we often frequent, for a casual dinner.  When we were seated, my husband did not like the location and asked to be seated nearer to the front.  The hostess graciously did so.  After being seated, we were told our server would be with us shortly.  However, the wait turned into an uncomfortable long time.  My husband, always a rational person, did not appear to be bothered, but I was fuming.  When our server finally arrived, I could tell she was rattled.  Maybe she had an unusual hard workload this evening.  I did not care and became overly polite the polite that border rudeness.  Our dining experience went from bad to worst, and even my husband said we experienced horrible service.  In the end, I would not speak to our server and did not tip.  Justified; maybe; Christ-like behavior; NO!

Later at home, I was reading my Bible along with a book for my Christian book club.  One section of the book talked about pride and reference Philippians 2:1-8.  Also, in the book  I read these simple words, “It is not about me.”  Convicted!!  I realized what our server at the restaurant should have seen in my reaction was patience and the love of God and not the pride of Lori.  I had a choice, and I chose unwisely.  A bad experience will come and go, but the impression we leave people we encounter will last.  It is not about my way, but God’s way should always prevail.  Lesson learned.

Unlimited Potential

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God places in each of his children unlimited potential. A sister-friend ministered this to me, and it made all the difference. I was reminded that we can do all things through Christ which strengthen us. As the potter working with clay on the wheel, God shapes, moles, and forms our lives for His glory and honor. He wants us to walk in what He has established. Look at our Savior Jesus Christ; He came into this world as flesh, lived and died for the sins of this world. He showed us; we can fulfill the destiny God sets for His children. We have unlimited potential. We have unlimited potential to do the will of Father, to establish ministers that help millions of people; to pray teach and deliver the Word of God; to ministers and disciple those who think they have no hope. Lots of times we settle for the labels that men place on us and never consider what God prescribes for our lives. It does take courage to follow the path God has set for us because we may be swimming against the current. People may think little of what we do for God or they will try to sabotage it. Think about Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The builders had building material in one hand and weapons in the other. Their actions took courage and faith in God. God knows our fate because He is our creator. He places in us unlimited potential. Think about Paul, no longer Saul persecutor of the early church, but minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; establishing churches and encouraging the people of God.
 
I encourage you to seek God for His guidance, never allow yourself to be burdened with limiting labels. He settles our destiny and guides our lives. We will find fulfillment and peace as we trust in Him, so trust Him. Understand you have unlimited potential.

When you feel faint

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Today I felt faint; not about to physically faint, but tired in my Spirit.  Then God reminded me of the scripture that my Father quoted lots. Isaiah 40: 28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, And to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”  In this, I understanding my Father in Heaven gets us.  He knows we sometimes become tired and want to throw in the towel, yet He is there to renew our strength.  He does this, He alone.  I can lean on Him, and He never lets me down.  I know we have experienced trying to lean on someone, and it just did not work.  We cannot fault them for their inabilities; we just went to the wrong source.  You see once we chose this faith life, we chose a hard path.  However, we have help; God continuously strengthens us for this journey.  So today if you feel faint go to the right source, our Heaven Father.  He lovingly gives us the power to continue our journey so we will not become weary.  He gives power to the faint.