It's better to trust The Lord

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psa 33:16-19 NIV)

Just Deal With It!

• I know someone whose favorite response is, "Deal with it." (That is usually when he has done something someone has to "deal with".
  
  Jesus said, "...everything that is hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light..." What comes to mind? Could that be inconvenient? Embarrassing? Even scary?
  
  Better to "deal with it" now in private with God rather than other ways later. Aren't you glad we have that opportunity? (I know I am!)

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"No one would light a lamp and then cover it up or put it under a bed. No, lamps are mounted in the open, where they can be seen by those entering the house. For everything that is hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light and made plain to all. So be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them." (Luke 8:16-18 NLT)

God will make a way

"I know what the dream means," Joseph said. "The three branches mean three days. Within three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison and return you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. And please have some pity on me when you are back in his favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in jail, but I did nothing to deserve it." Pharaoh's cup-bearer, however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. (Gen 40:12-15, 23 NLT)

Praying in doubt

zed what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying. When he knocked at the outer gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer it. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she didn't open the gate but ran back inside and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. The other people told her, "You're out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. Then they said, "It's his angel." Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking and knocking. When they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. (Act 12:12-16 ISV)

MOST IMPORTANT!

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mar 12:28-31 NIV)

Praise is what you do

• Just saying, "Lord, I praise You." is not praising Him. Praise requires you to do something. Praise is defined as "the expression of approval or admiration for someone or something.", and, "the expression of respect and gratitude as an act of worship.".
  
  So, what have you expressed to God lately?

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O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you! I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. (Psa 63:1-4 NLT)

Endurance

• We can endure a lot when we have the understanding, encouragement, and support of those who love us. Even one makes a difference.
  
  But when no one understands or even cares how we feel or what we have experienced... that is a very lonely feeling indeed.
  
  Where do we find hope then? I know a way...

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That's why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people's sins, he would have already experienced it all himself--all the pain, all the testing--and would be able to help where help was needed. (Heb 2:17-18 MSG)

God promised

• Can we intentionally forget something? Probably not; that concept is self-contradictory. However, there is something we can do.
  
  We can retrain our mind to replace thoughts about one thing with another, in other words, train ourselves not to think about something. Though difficult, it is not self-contradictory, and I know it can be done.
  
  God has forgiven and forgotten my past. If He has, so should I. This is how I deal with mine. I found it a good way to begin.

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And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says, "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts so they will understand them, and I will write them on their minds so they will obey them." Then he adds, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." Now when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. And so, dear friends, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. (Heb 10:15-19 NLT)

Forgiveness

• Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. Do not confuse them. A feeling should not determine the decision; however, the decision can influence a feeling... eventually.
  
  Conclusion: Decide to forgive even when you do not feel it.

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Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Col 3:12-15 NIV)

The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. They dig a pit to trap others and then fall into it themselves. They make trouble, but it backfires on them. They plan violence for others, but it falls on their own heads. I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. (Psa 7:14-17NLT)

Just passing through

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36 NIV)

It just might be you

He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. (Mark 6:5-6 NIV)

What will a man give in exchange

• Would you think it absurd if I asked you to give me a one hundred dollar bill in exchange for a penny? Sure you would. You know better; you know what each is worth.
  
  Yet, people make more absurd exchanges every day. They abandon Spirit things to obtain flesh things--infinite, eternal value exchanged for insubstantial, temporary value. Every day.

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Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:61-63 NIV)

Out of the ordinary

• When facing overwhelming odds, what do you do when the natural, logical thing to do does not work or has no possibility of success?
  
  Jehoshaphat took a huge risk and did what was militarily and strategically illogical: He sent the "praise team" ahead of his soldiers.
  
  Did it make sense? No. Was it right? I would say so! The enemy was defeated and it took three days to carry off the spoil.

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After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. (2 Chr 20:21-22 NIV)

God's is always current affair

Bless the LORD, My soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, My soul, and never forget any of his benefits: He continues to forgive all your sins, he continues to heal all your diseases, he continues to redeem your life from the Pit, and he continually surrounds you with gracious love and compassion. He keeps satisfying you with good things, and he keeps renewing your youth like the eagle's. (Psa 103:1-5 ISV)

His ways are not our ways

"But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And we hear that he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest every believer in Damascus." But the Lord said, "Go and do what I say. For Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for me." (Acts 9:13-16 NLT)

On our way home!

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev 21:1-4 NIV)

I thank God

• If you have never felt that you failed "so bad so often" that there was no hope for a future, I am truly glad for you. If, however, you struggle with that feeling, I understand because I have been there.
  
  I learned from experience: I cannot fail enough to cause God to give up on me. Not possible. I can give up on myself, but He will not.
  
  If you are at that hopeless point, trust His grace, mercy, and unlimited, unconditional love. For me, it felt like it was all I had left. (More than "felt"--it was.) I discovered it was all I needed.

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Then I said, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!" Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, "See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven." (Isa 6:5-7 NLT)

God cares

"There are very few certainties... but one of the absolutes is that we will experience hardship and stress at some point." - Dr James C. Dobson

I think of prayer as a "pressure relief valve" when the pressure of stress rises: it keeps me from blowing up. It reminds me that I am not alone and that I do not have to handle everything by myself.

And another thing: Did you know God cares about how you feel today?

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"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36 NIV)

God knows

• It is easy to hide things from other people. Very easy. We do that.
  
  We hide things from ourselves too--more often than we realize. We usually do not do it consciously or intentionally. But we do it.
  
  We cannot, however, hide anything from God. Not even the deepest, most private things. But we try anyway, and He loves us anyway.

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Look at them! They try to hide things from the LORD. They think he will not understand. They do their evil things in darkness. They tell themselves: "No one can see us. No one will know who we are." You turn things upside down. You think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that something that is made can tell the one who made it, "You did not make me!" This is like a pot telling its maker, "You know nothing." (Isa 29:15-16 ERV)