HOPE AND A FUTURE

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

When we receive news that we didn’t want to hear it’s good to remember that God knew all about it before we did and although we don’t know the whys and wherefores, we do know our loving Father holds us in the palm of His hand and He will never leave us alone.😊

When the three young men were thrown in the fiery furnace they found that Jesus came to them in the heat of the fire and broke off the chains that bound them and kept them safe . That’s a strong encouragement from God that He will be with us in the heat of our circumstances and keep us safe too because we’re His children and He holds us close to His heart. 

God says over and over again that He is our strength and shield, that in Him we can be strong to face whatever we’re being called to face. He reminds us that with His help we can take courage when we feel fearful because God is with us wherever we go. 

There will never be a day when we have to deal with things on our own, never be a day when God hasn’t gone ahead of us to smooth the crooked paths. There will never be a day when God is too busy to be involved in every intricate detail of our lives.  

Psalm 139 reminds us He sees us when we sit down and rise up. He knows when we feel upset and when we’re distressed by fears, and He encourages our faith to lift our eyes back up to Jesus who is our great High Priest who understands everything we’re dealing with, He is our very present help in trouble.

Yesterday we saw that whatever we have to go through, God is bringing us out the other side. He is holding us steady, and His plans for us have not changed but they’re always to give us a future and a hope, and not to harm us. Thank You Lord. Amen. 

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

NO FEAR IN THE VALLEY

Psalm 23:4 NIV Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

I have an old bookmark in my bible which says: 

‘The Lord is my Shepherd I need not fear the valley.’

Fear comes knocking on everybody’s door at some point and David had more opportunities to fear than most of us but he learned, through walking with the Lord, that he didn’t need to.

Why was that? He’d learned that no matter what giant he faced, no matter how many battles he had to fight, his God was with him and he had a covenant with Almighty God that covered it, that conquered it and that held him steady and secure. And we do too.😊

His God and ours is El Shaddai the One who is more than enough. More than enough to strengthen and help us overcome in every situation when our eyes are on Him. 

David ran toward Goliath, and told him he’d take his head off not because he’d already overcome a lion and a bear, but because of his God who was with him and His power. 

We have the Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead actually living in us, and we have a greater covenant with God than David had. How much more can we run toward our giants and tell them we don’t need to fear them, we won’t be intimidated, we will overcome them in the strength of the Lord, and with God’s help we will take their heads off and and they will be rendered powerless to hurt us.

Our fears may try to fill our minds but God says Jesus has put those enemies beneath our feet and we need to keep them there until they’re totally kicked out! Move them from our head to under our heel.😊

God is telling us we need not fear in any valley we’re going through, because He Himself is with us and He is all we need. His rod and staff are His Holy Spirit and His Word and their assignment is to comfort, strengthen and uphold us. We don’t set up camp in the valley because God not only brings us through, but He brings us out the other side. We are not victims. We are Victors through Jesus. Can somebody shout Amen today!😊

Lord we thank and praise You for being with us. You are bringing us out of whatever we are going through, and give You all the glory. In Jesus name. Amen.