In Quiet is Strength

"End your hurried pace" He speaks to my tired heart, "and find rest in me. Rest quietly and wait for me. Wait until my power fills you once more. In the quiet with me, your strength will return, and will remain. Many believe that my strength is seen in action. But my greatest strength is given to you in that quiet moment of time with me. It is true that in the quiet times of refreshing you will find confidence and strength to rise up again and fight your giants. But in this moment find rest and know that I am God."

Now I Trust in Faith!

Faith is what I trust in now!

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is confidence. Assurance is trust.

What do I hope for? I have confidence it will be provided. What do I have assurance and trust in which I cannot see or feel or touch? I have trust in God's faithfulness to me. Hence, I can be faithful to have confidence in His faithfulness to provide for all my needs. I will trust and not doubt. Even though my eyes and ears tell me, "no way", I believe because my heart tells me "yes". I know in whom I trust, and I believe He is able to keep me safe in His loving arms.

Stepping Out

I must pray daily for His faith. He is trustworthy, and I must be faithworthy. Faith is the greatest requirement to see His hand move. To have greater faith, I must pray and have that close communion with Him. In that time with Him, I learn that I can truly trust Him in every moment and every struggle. I learn that because I trust Him, my faith brings forth His work in my life. I can step out in faith knowing that He will provide all that is needed.

Faith is my weapon to overcome all that might come against me in this life. It is my power to accomplish His will, and in doing so, learn that He is constant and trustworthy in every moment of my life.

Not only prayer is needed. "Faith without works is dead." I must reach out in His name to fuel my faith. As I step out in faith, I realize my helplessness, and I turn to Him for power to accomplish what I cannot. And then my faith must grow!

Faith is His gift to me. My works is my gift to Him. I will not grow tired in serving Him. I know that once I have done His will, I will receive His promise.

Perfect Love No Fear

It is impossible for love and fear to exist beside each other. It is one or the other. Evil may come against me, but love is the powerful force which defeats it.

There is a human love which can be tormented by fear, but there is a perfect love which conquers fear and trusts in God's faithfulness to overcome all the I face.

The only way to obtain this perfect Love that conquers fear is to have Christ in my heart. If His love is growing in me, I learn more of His perfect love and its ability to conquer my fears. I can only banish my fears with His presence.

I will pray to Him, and think of Him. I will share His love, and dwell on Him instead of my fears. His perfect love and power will rise in my heart until no fear can claim my mind. I will remain strong in His perfect love that casts out fear.

Upward to Your Promise

Don't dwell on the little problems that come up each day. Recognize each struggle for what it is: a lesson to carry you further to the goal. When you climb a mountain and concentrate on the hardship of each step, you never see the beautiful reward waiting for you at the summit.

Regard each step up your mountain as a springboard toward the top, and don't dwell on each pain. Keep your eyes on your goal, and then as you climb, each step will become another solid foundation of growth. If you consider each step as a means to carry you to the promise at the peak, your climb will not bring despair, but great hope.

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:19

Abundant Life

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Do you see God as being generous? He is! He gives abundant life for earth, and abundant life for eternity. This is the reason He came. To give His life for souls! To give us life instead of death! To give us victory instead of defeat! To speak peace instead of turmoil! To bring rest in the midst of the storms of life!

Jesus Christ came so that we may know overflowing life in Him. He gave all for that purpose. He sacrificed all He was for all the ugliness that we are. In His gift to us He becomes the vine that empowers. We are the branches. When the life of the vine flows into ours, we bring forth new growth! We flourish in His presence. Our being becomes one with His.

Whatever you might face today, He has already given victory. He is Peace. Joy. Strength. Power. Healing. Patience. Forgiveness.... He is everything you cannot be alone. But when you are one with Him, He is all you lack. His Life flowing through your veins is all you need. So look to Him, the Author of your faith, and take courage. It is only in Christ that you can have the greatest peace, strength, power, healing, patience, forgiveness. But you must live with Him, and in Him. Then and only then will His life accomplish the miraculous in your life.

This is abundant life!  This is your purpose, and your promise. This is the reason He came. For you.

Present My Request

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).

I will not beg. I will present my requests to Him, believing and trusting that no matter what I lay before Him, there is an answer. He has provision that He longs to supply. All I must do is ask in whatever faith I can supply, and He will supply beyond anything my limited mind can imagine. His supply takes my little mustard seed of faith, and brings a great harvest.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14, 15).

I AM NEW

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20).

I consider His priceless words. He stands and knocks at the door to my heart. He invites me to a life which I cannot comprehend with the human mind. It is a life of utter peace and trust in His abundant faithfulness–a life of spiritual joy. His invitation promises to carry me beyond my avenue of analytical thought to one of rest that no matter what happens in this life all is well. This invitation offers respite from the hectic pace of this world. “Be still and know that I am God” takes on a whole new meaning. I don’t have to struggle to understand anymore. I can find peace in just knowing He is my God, and He is in control. "Come to me,” He whispers in my tempest, “and I will give you rest." 

I long to relinquish this struggle–this pain, but my stubbornness resists that which promises release. I fight losing control, because it means that I no longer have the answer. Even when I shut the door of my heart to His knock, He never stops knocking.  Even when I reject His offer of peace, He never turns away. Even when He finds my heart all closed and barred behind my fortress of pain, He continues on in His constant offer of peace. “Let go, and let me,” He whispers. 

He begs me to let go. He begs me to trust Him. He begs me to quit trying to reason what my mind can never understand. The harder I struggle the stronger His constant knock. The harder I resist the greater my pain. Suddenly the exhaustion of my battle is too much. Suddenly I can no longer bar that door.  Suddenly, surrender is my only option. It is my only hope. It is all that I have left. I must let go and believe. I must open the door to His knock. 

So I let go of all I have tried to handle. I open the door, and incredible peace floods my heart. The peace which has waited patiently on the other side of that door is now mine. What took me so long? No more war inside my heart. No more need to know any answers. No more trying to be what I am not. I am free in Him. I am free of all which I have been.  All that has defined me has ended. I am not the same. There is only one word that describes this freedom. I am NEW.

Seek and Find

If I seek Him I shall find Him. He rewards my journey with the grace of His presence. He is my God, and He will never fail me. His strength and joy will conquer all that comes against me.

He is my guide through the pitfalls. No weapon can rise against me. No discipline can tire me. No problem can terrorize. I shall persevere, and hold on. I will make it through this difficulty because I have sought Him in all moments. He is my strength because I have none within myself, and in my lacking, I have discovered His.

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13

Help My Unbelief!

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24b

This is the cry of my heart. It reveals areas where I lack faith, but it also reveals how my faith has grown. Sounds like a paradox, doesn't it? "I do believe, Lord, yet I need MORE faith to believe." Think about it. As I grow closer to Him, I know Him more, and understand what His power means in my life. But at the same time I am more conscious that I fall short of complete trust in Him. This is the soul's growth. There is increased ability to believe, and then comes a plea for greater faith. It is a cry to overcome all my unbelief. It is a cry for complete trust in Him. My heart's cry is heard, and He answers my prayer with more faith. He also reveals where I still lack in faith, and imparts the power to walk the path that leads, step by step, upwards and closer to Him.