Hope, Tribulation and Prayer

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; constant in prayer;

Rejoicing in hope - Hope in great things to come for each faithful follower of Christ. Hopefully and rejoicing in the prospect of great things to come (most importantly eternal life), will keep you looking up and believing the God has great things in store for your future. 

Patient in tribulation - Remember that what Christians suffer, we suffer for Christ's sake. Christ never said that our life wouldn't have hardships and pain, but He did say He would be right by our side through it all. Suffering for a believer is the spiritual discomfort brought by resisting the pressures of the flesh. 

Romans 8:17-18 says "and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Jesus isn't suffering physically or mentally, and if we are suffering with Him, we don't have to either. He is our head and seated at the right hand of God. Suffering and persecution are no doubt difficult to walk through. Just remember that Jesus will bring you through the troubles of life. I do not believe we were made to suffer all the days of our life. We are heirs to Christ and Christ has overcome every tribulation. When you get fed up and frustrated at life remember, patience implies steadfastness.

Continuing instant in prayer- being consistent and fervent in prayer through The Holy Spirit,  believers are able to break strong holds, cast out demons, heal the sick, love the unlovable and shake the nations. The devil trembles when Christians use our authority to pray fervent prayers. When we do, curses are being broken and healing begin in Jesus name. 

Have a blessed day in The Lord,

Cindy Mae 

Bitter Roots Produce Bitter Fruit

 

Hebrews 12:14-15 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Follow peace and holiness and steer clear of bitterness. Scripture says 

in Romans "If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men." Peace is sometimes difficult to have, however as much as it is possible do so. Be at peace with yourself to guard yourself from bitterness. 

It is difficult for bitter people to have healthy relationships. They see everything through a critical lens. When we learn to appreciate what we have and those around us, bitterness drifts away and is replaced with gratefulness. 

If the whole world seems to be so ugly for you, maybe you should take a look at the windows you are looking through. Are you looking through windows of faith, believing that God will do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond in your life or are you seeing life so bad and unfair because you didn't get your way? 

Trust God and ask for His perfect will in your life. I like this quote by Spurgeon. "A bitter spirit is a poor companion for a renewed heart." -C Spurgeon  

To steer clear of bitterness, have the attitude that no one owes you anything. Life isn't always fair, but God is fair. It says in 2 Thessalonians 1:6 that "God is just..." There is no reason to get bent out of shape and bitter. God will set all your crooked places straight when you stay in faith and pursue holiness.  

Write down in your journal* the areas in your life where you feel bitter. Ask Jesus to remove that bitter root so you will not produce bitter fruit in your life. 

Have a blessed day in The Lord, 

Cindy Mae 

*I strongly recommend getting a journal if you don't already have one. Write down the dreams God has placed in your heart and back them up with scripture, believe for God's perfect will in your life. :-) 

Watch and Stand Fast In Faith

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 

The Bible tells us to watch. Be consistently engaged in prayer and in growing sensitivity to The Holy Spirit. See Matthew 24:43 Matthew 26. We must watch and be on guard against the enemy's attacks. Take comfort in the fact that " He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4) Also watch for opportunities to receive good and do good. Watch your loved one's backs. There are ideas floating around that try to draw believers away from unity of the Gospel. 

Stand fast in the faith - Hold on to the truth of God. Do not be moved by the world.  

Be brave and be strong. There is strength in Christ Jesus. Even when we feel weak, we are made strong in Him. 

Have a blessed day in The Lord,
Cindy Mae 

Christ Strengthens

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Paul is saying that he could endure any trial, perform any duty, cast out any wrong thinking, and conquer every temptation from the enemy. He was saying that whatever challenges came his way, he would be able to perform because of Christ in him. I believe that was not an arrogant statement, but a statement of faith. He relied confidently on Christ's strength, not his own strength. 

I love the fact that as believers in Christ, under any trial, there is One who can strengthen us at every step of life. Christ is able to bring us victoriously through the trials of life. We have a Mighty Friend who is unchanging who will always help us.  

We should not shrink from our duties or fear life, because in all circumstances, Jesus will uphold us.

How has Christ strengthened you and what areas in your life are you believing for Him to strengthen for the future? Ask and trust Him.

The Love Of Money

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Mat 6:24  "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

"For the love of money is the root of all evil." All sorts of evil come from the love of money. I think it is important to point out that "money is NOT the root of all evil," or that it is an evil at all. We need money to buy groceries, pay medical bills, pay electricity bills etc..

Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry: but money answers all things.

It is the "love" of it which is the source of evil. When a person loves money, he or she will do whatever it takes to get the money. When someone chooses the love of money, the love and lust after that money will blind the person to Godly love. The love of money is like a harlot that sways God's people away from what is holy. 

I like what it says in Matthew 6:24  "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

I agree. No one can serve two masters. I choose to serve God, because I know that He is my source and my strength. Yes, we need money to live however, as followers of Christ Jesus we should have comfort that we will be taken care of and we don't have to compromise our faith. 

Challenge

If you feel that you are constantly lusting after material objects, search your life and see if the love of money is present. If so, simplify. 

"Never Own Anything-Get Rid Of The Sense Of Possessing!" -A.W. Tozer

I have noticed in my past, when I felt overwhelmed that I need this or need that, I really didn't need it but I wanted it. I found the love of money connected to that need. I pray and I simplified. Sometimes this need to be done daily. If the need for more and more senseless material items are gone, then the love of money will leave as well. 

Have a blessed day in The Lord, 

Cindy Mae 

Belief and Promises

John 14:1-6 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

God kept the promises He made to so many people in The Bible. Adam and Eve, to Moses, David, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and many more. God kept the promise of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. Through Christ we are promised help for today and peace and hope for what lays ahead. When God promises something in The Bible, take note of it. God is not a liar. It says in scripture that God's promises are "Yes and Amen!" 

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

How have you seen God's promises become fulfilled in your life? I can look back on my life and see so many promises that I knew where fulfilled by God. No one else could have done it, but The Lord.

Do you struggle to trust Him for promises? Which promises in The Bible are you holding near and are focusing on? Write down the scriptures. 

I want to encourage you to thank God for making and keeping His promises. 


Have a blessed day in The Lord,
Cindy Mae 

Temperature of the heart

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Our speech and actions reveal our core beliefs, attitudes, and motivations. The good impressions we make will not last if our hearts are deceptive.  

What is in your heart will sooner or later come out in your actions, speech and behavior. 

                                          Challenge 

Search your heart and ask The Lord to clear out any hatered or bitterness in your heart. Scripture says, "For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." What are you bringing forth out of your heart? What are you speaking today? Defeat, lack, envy OR are you aligning with God's Word and speaking healing, favor and blessings!? 

Have a blessed day in The Lord, 

Cindy Mae 

Jesus has overcome!

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."Luke 4:13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

It says in scripture that Christ was tempted, but has overcome the enemy. As followers of Christ Jesus, we too will be tempted. The good news is, when the temptations of life come, we have Jesus who has overcome the world. Since Jesus lives in us, we have overcome as well! 

Throughout his ministry, Jesus would confront Satan in many forms. Every time, Jesus overcame the enemy. Jesus knew His Heavenly Father was faithful in delivering Him out of every attack.

Challenge

Sometimes we see temptations in life as a one time thing. Realistically, it is daily. We need to guard ourselves and our loved ones against the devil's ongoing attacks by lifting each other up in prayer. Where are you most susceptible to temptation right now? How are you preparing to withstand it? Write these things in your journal and pray about them. God will help you with them. 

Have a blessed day in The Lord,

Cindy Mae 

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Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to our Bible Study! Feel free to read and follow along. If you would like to comment and join in, just create a blogger account (which is connected to gmail). Thanks for joining in, now let's get started. 

-Cindy Mae