“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”

Romans 8:26-27

Though the infirmities of Christians are many and great, so that they would be overpowered if left to themselves, yet the Holy Spirit supports them. The Spirit, as an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements. The Holy Spirit is the spring of all desires toward God, which are often more than words can utter. The Spirit who searches the hearts, can perceive the mind and will of the spirit, the renewed mind, and advocates his cause. The Spirit makes intercession to God, and the enemy prevails not. ~ Matthew Henry

“God’s dream isn’t just to get you into heaven, but to GET HEAVEN INTO YOU!

Grace lives because Jesus does, works because he works, and matters because he matters. To be saved by grace is to be saved by Jesus—not by an idea, doctrine, creed, or church membership, but by Jesus himself…” ~ Max Lucado

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3-9‬ ‭

Sometimes we need a reminder that God is going to come through for us. Many reading this today are facing giants which have never been conquered – mountains which have never been moved. It feels like you are drowning, or that you are being crushed under the heaviness of oppression. Things are happening beyond your control, and there seems no way out.

I have found that when we are confronted with fearful news, we have to respond with something more powerful. I want to commend to you the benefit of pondering the faithfulness of God. Here are just a few scriptures…

“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”

(II Thessalonians 3:3 NKJV)

“Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”

(Psalms 36:5 NKJV)

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

(Psalms 37:3 NKJV)

“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.”

(Psalms 119:90 NKJV)

We cannot always trust ourselves, or our emotions in the midst of battle. But we can trust in God’s faithfulness, goodness, and mercy. We can hide in the pavillion of His faithful word, which is unshakeable and unchanging.

Don’t wait around for feelings of faith and hope. We cannot depend on feelings to carry us through. Rather, stir yourself up, and stir your faith by speaking out the truth of God’s word and His faithfulness. Your faith will catch up, I promise you!

Be mindful of the songs you sing at church. Bring them to mind when you feel overwhelmed, and start to worship Him with a song of faith. You can do this on your drive to work, your lunch break, whenever you get the opportunity!

This particular song by Elevation Worship comes to mind frequently for me. Maybe you could look it up and take a listen…

“You are Faithful”

When I felt like the burden

Was more than I could hold

When the whispers of worry

Overwhelmed my soul

You never left me alone

You were there all along

You are faithful

Why should my heart be afraid?

You are faithful

I know You’re not gonna change

You are faithful, faithful

I was down to the wire

Hoping You would come through

And You stepped in the fire

Like You always do

How I’m convinced of Your love

You are more than enough

You are faithful

Why should my heart be afraid?

You are faithful

I know You’re not gonna change

You are faithful, faithful

Oh God, my Father

How great, great is Your faithfulness

By Kirk Henderson

“There are many trials, temptations, dangers, and enemies in this fallen world that are bigger and more powerful than me……He rules with perfect wisdom over all the circumstances……In grace, he blesses me with what I need to face what he has decided to put on my plate.

I am never–in anything, anywhere, at any time–by myself.

I never arrive on scene first.

I never step into a situation that exists outside his control.

I never move beyond the reach of his authority.

He is never surprised by where I end up or by what I am facing.

He never leaves me to the limited resources of my own wisdom, strength, and righteousness.

He never grows weary with protecting and providing for me. I do not need to be afraid.

When you forget God’s sovereignty and his grace, you give room in your heart for fear to do its nasty, debilitating work. Pray for grace to remember. Your sovereign Savior loves to hear and to answer.”

From “New Morning Mercies” by Paul David Tripp

So many people in today’s world are filled with angst and easily offended. What we need is a deep sense of joy. As old fashioned as it sounds, JOY really is

Jesus first,

Others, then

Yourself.

Today, let’s all focus on making Jesus the Lord of our life, and along with that, take steps to regard others needs as more important than our own. Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves a lot less than we do in this culture. “Do to others as we would have them do to us.”

Like 6:31.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Romans 12:10

“… in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

In Ephesians 3:17, Paul says, “May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” The supreme surprise of God’s love is that it has nothing to do with you. “God is love” the scripture says. God loves you because he is he. You don’t influence God’s love. Your actions don’t alter his devotion. Success signals God’s love no more than struggles indicate the lack of it.

When you feel unloved, take a trip to the cross and look at Jesus, cross-nailed and thorn-crowned. Choose God’s love. For the sake of your heart. The prayer is powerful and simple: “Lord, I receive your love. Nothing can separate me from your love.” Take a breath and descend so deeply into his love that you see nothing else. ~ Max Lucado

When God feels distant, he may be calling us away from a soft, flimsy faith into a tough, unshakable allegiance to Jesus. ~ Piper

Doubt is in the mind: unbelief is in the heart.

Doubt is the searching heart; unbelief is the hardened heart.

Doubt says I want to believe; unbelief says I will not believe.

Christian, your salvation is held together by an unbreakable cord of three strands:

The Father planned it.

The Son purchased it.

The Spirit preserves it.

God has work to do.  And he uses our hands to do it.  What the hand is to the glove, the Spirit is to the Christian.  God gets his fingers into our lives, inch by inch reclaiming his territory.  As a glove responds to the strength of the hand, so you will respond to the leading of Christ, saying, “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

The question is not, how can I have more of the Spirit?  But, rather, can the Spirit have more of me?

Accept his power.  Be the glove and let him get his hand deep into your life.

Surrender to his plan.  Harbored sin interferes with Spirit circulation.  Confessed sin restores power.

And keep at it…unceasingly seek God’s Spirit.

Accept.  Surrender. Keep at it.  A-S-K.

~ Max Lucado

There are three levels of how to live with material things: (1) you can steal to get them, (2) you can work to get them, (3) or you can work to get in order to GIVE.

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Too many professing Christians live on level two. We glorify work over stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and given ourselves to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s not a bad thing. Work is better than stealing and mooching. But that’s not what God calls us to.⠀

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Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two: work to get. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three: work to get to give. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery — temporal and eternal suffering. Enough for us; abundance for others.⠀

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The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking that a large salary must be accompanied by a lavish lifestyle. God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do. Copper can carry unbelievable riches to others. And in the very process of that giving we enjoy the greatest blessing (Acts 20:35). ~ John Piper