Be Fully Persuaded!

Romans 4:20-22 "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness "

If God has ever spoken to you about something:
-- Stagger not at the promise of God through unbelief
-- Be strong in faith, giving glory to God
-- Be fully persuaded that what He has promised, He will do!!

At the End of our Road is Christ!

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

With all the trials that we go through, this verse should comfort us. Before time began, God knew where we would be and what we would be doing. We are all handcrafted by God for good works. The most comforting thing about Ephesians 2:10 is that we don't have to fear the road that we have ahead of us, because Christ prepared it specifically for us to walk. Though the road may be treacherous and narrow, especially at the speed life has been going lately, at the end of it is Christ!! This is why in every situation that we encounter, we need to "acknowledge God" in it. Acknowledging God in every situation helps us incorporate trust in Him and He will direct our path. Proverbs 3:5-6

Glimmers of Light

John 1:5 "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

When we are going through trials, we tend to forget the promises that God has spoken to us. Don't let it happen! What God told you in the light, remember in the darkness! His Word is true during your time on the mountaintop and in the valley. Just keep praising and believing God. There is a reason you are in the valley...a lesson to be learned. Learn it, apply it to your life, and continue to grow in Him! And always be listening!

God does not leave you in the dark alone. He makes darkness his secret place. (Psalm 18:11) And there is always something to be learned. God is always speaking. Keep listening for His voice through “glimmers of light”. It only takes a glimmer of light to dissipate the darkness.

Those glimmers of light can come through many different ways. God knows you personally. Begin to listen and see the ways that He speaks to you. For example for me:

1. God Speaks Through His Word.

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Always stay in His Word during times of trial. When reading His Word, something always “jumps off the page” and pierces my heart, being exactly what I needed.

2. God Gives An Encouraging Word 

Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

God speaks words of encouragement through other people. He can use them to minister to you or sometimes the person doesn't even know they are being used. They just say something that really brings revelation and comfort.

3. God Ministers Through A Song  (Songs of Deliverance) 

Psalm 32:7 "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."

Keep praising God through the dark times. I have found many times where God brings just the right song that ministers to my heart bringing deliverance to my situation.

4. God Speaks Through Parables

Mark 4:2 "He taught us many things by parables."

I have found in my own personal life where God will use what He knows are my favorite things, to speak to me, teaching me lessons, through parables just as He did in His Word. For example, one of my favorite things is butterflies. Using the life of a butterfly along with some of my own personal experiences, through inspiration from God, I created the heart and purpose of a book I wrote and had published in 2004. 

He knows what we need, even before we ask!!  (Matthew 6:8)

What “glimmers of light” has God used to bring you out of a dark time?

One Wound At A Time

I saw this on Facebook and wanted to share. It really spoke to my heart.

 

ONE WOUND AT A TIME
by Ministries of Francis Frangipane


The Bible says, “Pursue peace with all men” (Hebrews 12:14). Pursue means we aggressively take the initiative to make things right. It means we act on behalf of Heaven rather than allow another's anger to serve the purpose of hell.

However, we must be realistic. When we reach out to a deeply offended person, they will likely be repulsed by our first efforts. Scripture tells us, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a citadel” (Proverbs 18:19). If a person has been hurt, they will need trust to be restored, and this process of initiating trust can actually be painful to both parties. A wounded person may lash out. You may feel like the price of restoring the offended person’s trust is simply too great to pay.

Let me share an insight I received about the basic nature of relationships and reconciliation. My wife and I were “bird-sitting” our oldest daughter’s pet conure. A conure is about half the size of a parrot with similar coloring. However, this creature was hostile. Each time I’d touch the cage, it would squawk and try to bite me. After several initiatives on my part at being nice, I said to myself, “Why bother?" So inwardly I made an evaluation that we had been given a “killer conure” to watch. Obviously, I concluded, this bird came from the wrong side of the tracks.

My wife, however, decided she was going to love this little bird. Even though it was just as aggressive toward her as it was with me, Denise relentlessly extended herself toward little India. Each time she fed it by hand, the bird attacked, taking chunks of skin from her fingers with each bite. Denise would yell in pain, then instantly return to talking softly, reaching into the cage with food.

After a week or two, the bird finally began to relax. Her survival instincts based on my wife’s gentle response, convinced India that my wife was not a predator, but a friend. Soon it permitted Denise to reach into its cage without attacking her; a couple more days and I discovered this aggressive little finger-eater perched lovingly upon my wife’s shoulder, its little round head snuggled warmly against her neck, cooing in her ear.

Denise won the heart of this little bird: it loved, because she first loved it. You see, the problem with the bird was not aggression, but fear. My wife allowed herself to be wounded so trust could be established; when wounded, she did not retaliate. She won the heart of this little bird one wound at a time.

As I watched this little drama unfold, I saw something basic, yet profound, concerning God’s relationship with us. Trust is not an accident; it is the result of love that pays a price.

Isn’t this the way of the Lord with our own hearts? He came to us, yet we repeatedly wounded Him. Instead of retaliating, Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them.” He proved over and over again that His love was safe, that He was not our enemy.

Even when we rebel and sin He shows us mercy, working to restore us to Himself. It is His kindness , the Scriptures say that lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). He repeatedly shows Himself trustworthy, merciful and loving. He knows that, in time, we will come to rest in His goodness. And as we do, we let Him reach into our cage; we climb upon His hand, and He carries us on His shoulder.

As He has been to us, so He wants us to be toward others, even those who may appear hostile and alienated from us. Paul tells us, “Love suffers long” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NKJV). We must be willing to let ourselves be wounded, even repeatedly if necessary, in pursuit of healing relationships. We must prove, not just in word but indeed, that our love is real and our hearts are trustworthy. Whether we face divisions in families, churches, or in the racial conflicts we see today, only when trust is established, can healing begin.

Waiting At The Window

There is one thing that almost everyone does when they get up in the morning. It is just a natural thing for us to look out the window or door because we want to know what the weather is like. Many decisions we make for the day are based on the weather. We decide what to wear based on the weather and some times people even let the weather dictate their mood for the day.

The thought came to me of how we never really know what life is going to bring us each day. It could be a "stormy" day where everything goes wrong or maybe a day of "sunshine" where lots of good things happen. Perhaps the day brings a little bit of "drizzle", just enough to cause confusion in a situation. This is why I think that "Waiting At The Window" first thing in the morning is very important. Beginning your day with God will make all the difference in the world when it comes to what you may encounter throughout that day. We can be prepared for what awaits us if we take the time to receive from God.

No matter what awaits us beyond that window, no matter what storms that life may bring, we can always find that calm and peaceful place in God. It is always a special time if we choose to sit by the window in the cool of the morning, a quiet and peaceful place alone with God, daily glimpsing through the window of hope, waiting on the word for a situation.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning" (Psalm 130:5-6)

On The Road To Emmaus

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:13)

It's amazing when God speaks through His Word! It brings change!! Receiving revelation is personal and life-changing! Get in the Word! Let it transform you! Let it change the way you think and feel. Let your feelings be affected by the Truth of God's Word and the joy that it brings. Don't let it be the other way around. Don't let your feelings dictate what is true.

We all need that "Road To Emmaus" Experience! (Luke 24) Through this Emmaus Road experience we find their eyes were opened that they would understand the scriptures. (Luke 24:45) "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures". He also gave them two commands before he left. Verse 47 to preach the repentance of sins in his name among all nations and to tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from high. To have an Emmaus Road experience means to tell the world about Jesus and be endued with power. Do you need to walk down Emmaus Road?

There are some who do not believe that they need to be ENDUED WITH POWER through the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Get into the Scriptures and pray for revelation, that God will open your understanding!!

The Isaiah 6 Experience

"Without a vision of the Throne Room all we have to say is what is wrong. We don’t have true answers until we see the Lord high and lifted up.... and our lips are cleansed! Isaiah had to learn that only a vision of the holiness of God could change the human condition.
This more than just the call and commissioning of the prophet. It brings us to the real solution of coming judgment and the devastation of the human heart. It is a HOLY God revealed to our eyes, and the cleansing of our hearts and lips for ministry". (Passion Translation)

Worship That Makes A Difference

During my Bible Reading in Isaiah 6, I was reminded of Isaiah's vision in Chapter 6:1-8 how important it is to pray, worship, and spend time with the Lord first thing in the morning so we can be prepared for whatever we encounter throughout your day:
 
PRAY – Spend time in God's Presence first thing -- Isaiah 6:1-8 Isaiah goes into the temple and worships God and sees a vision of the Lord and the first thing that comes to Isaiah's mind when he sees the Lord, is his mouth. It's the first area of his life that he is convicted about. An angel brings a live coal and touches his unclean lips saying his iniquity is taken away and his sin purged. The Lord asks who He shall send and who will go for them. Isaiah says to send him. He will go. He did not say this until he had an encounter with the Lord. 

It is only while in the Presence of God, that we will begin to see just how undone we are, and allow God to change us. We need to begin our day, seeing the Lord, coming into His presence, confess our faults and weaknesses, so that God can touch our mouths, cleanse us for going out for the day, to help our community, those with unclean lips. Every day, have an encounter with God! Let God touch your mouth, cleansing you.
 
We must have the ‘Isaiah 6 experience’ take place with thousands of God’s servants in coming days. If we see what Isaiah saw, we can speak what Isaiah spoke…Pray for the revelation of the throne room if you dare!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Ljl32SqRc