Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Source Of Our Strength

Date: Wednesday, June 03, 2015
Chapters: Job 27-29
Message Title: The Source Of Our Strength

Hello My Friend,

God has placed me in a position the past few years to where I only acquire the exact funds and things that I need when they are needed. Now, recently I have been struggling with some health issues, nothing major, just trying to adjust and keep the symptoms at bay is the issue. I am telling you all this because we all go through struggles, sometimes one, other times many, but then there are the times when all is well and we sit back and wonder how we ever got through all the chaos. Our source of strength, Jesus Christ, and only He can give us the strength to endure so many things that would send us to our grave earlier than we imagine. “Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.” - Psalms 28:6-8.

When we are faced with struggles it seems as though everyone wants to give us advice, and it's not always the nice, kind words we long to hear. As Job is laying there in pain, he tires of responding to his three friends and their horrible accusations. Instead he speaks a parable. “As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.” - Job 27:2-7.

While Job did not understand why he was being afflicted, he knew that he would be justified before God. No, he did not think that he was perfect and never sinned, but he did think that his God knew the steps that he took, and was done trying to justify himself before his friends. We have no one to justify ourselves to except to God, and He definitely knows the way that we take, each and every one of us. “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” - Galatians 3:8-14.

The world looks at the things we see everyday as the pattern for the paths they choose to take, if it looks good they want it, and go for it, if struggles come, they run. There are many things in the world that science or own logic can explain, things that God will never reveal to us because it would be too much for us to comprehend. Job, speaks of some of these things, “There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.” - Job 28:7-13.

Did you ever stop to think about how a child is formed in a mothers womb? People argue everyday that a life is not a life until it is birthed out of the mother. Life truly does begin at conception, and this is something miraculous, something no amount of science can explain. We cannot always explain God, but we can explain how God got us through each struggle. God loves us and wants to see us blessed through the struggles He allows in our lives, and that is why He allows them. We really cannot choose the hand that God deals us, but we can choose how to play the hand with confidence in the only one who can truly give us the victory. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” - 1 John 5:1-5.

When we are in the struggles that we are in, it's often necessary to remind ourselves of all the blessings that God has given us. Job recalls his says of prosperity, giving God the credit for all of them. “Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.” - Job 29:2-5,10-14.

It is the devil who gets us thinking that everything is hopeless and that there is no end in sight to the struggles, but we must recount every blessing, even the struggles we are in. Everything we go through has a purpose and a message behind it, sometimes we may never know the reason until we see Jesus, but we cannot give up. God is with us, always, He is our strength to keep going when we just want to lay in bed and hope that our dreams will somehow become the reality. And guess what? If we looking to Him, things will look up, and the reality will be better than any dream we could ever dream of. “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:5-7,11-13.

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for the life that You have given me and the path You have chosen for me. I do not always understand the steps You have me take, but I do know that You are with me in all of them. I know that I mess up and make some wrong decisions because I just don't understand or are too impatient to wait for You to show me the correct answers. I'm sorry for going over Your head, and not waiting for You. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me the strength I need to endure the struggles You allow in my life, let me not look to the right or left, but straight toward You. I know that as long as I do that You will always lead me back to the path I need to be on. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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