Category Archives: Encouragement

Finding Hope through Healing and Faith

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A Short Story by Lisa Blair

Some people believe that God has stepped back from performing miracles. They suggest that the Age of Wonders concluded with the closing chapters of the Old Testament. Yet, many individuals have experienced His miraculous presence. This affirms that we continue to live in a New Testament era filled with His grace and intervention.

For the majority of us, life unfolds in a landscape often colored by illness and uncertainty. We seldom witness those breathtaking moments where a person, deeply entrenched in suffering, experiences swift and profound healing. Still, for those of us fortunate enough to have encountered personal healing, the experience is enlightening. Witnessing a loved one rise from the depths of despair also clarifies the fingerprints of divine miracles in hindsight. It is within the small, seemingly insignificant moments that we recognize the turning points in our narratives.

In times of distress, when health falters, medical professionals can only discern that something is amiss; the precise nature of the ailment remains elusive. They tirelessly search for answers, exploring the perplexing landscape of symptoms and the underlying causes. Then, through relentless research and rigorous inquiry, a diagnosis emerges like a beacon of hope, though the path to recovery still feels muddled and uncertain. The doctors, though armed with knowledge, grapple with the question of how to combat the illness itself: Which medications can alleviate the anguish? What treatments hold the promise of halting its progression, or even eradicating it?

Suddenly, a breakthrough occurs—a ray of clarity pierces the fog of uncertainty. Answers materialize, and treatment plans take shape, ushering in a renewed sense of direction. Some people without faith credit this transformation solely to scientific endeavor. However, I believe all creation, including the principles of science, manifests God’s will.

With the diagnosis in hand, a tangible course of action presents itself, fostering hope for positive outcomes. Each step forward is a silent testament to God’s handiwork. Whatever journey we traverse, God accompanies us. We awaken each morning—a miracle in its own right. As we navigate through illness, we are granted another day, even when it feels more like a burden than a blessing. Each round of medication and therapy eventually leads to a flicker of vitality. In these moments, fragments of our former selves break through the darkness of our trials.

Do we recognize these transformations as miracles or as the fruits of science? They result from scientific advancement. Yet, they are also infused with the miracle of divine grace that envelops our lives. When we take the time to express gratitude for these small miracles, we affirm that our Savior stands with us. We acknowledge this divine presence. As we give thanks for regaining our health, we realize we are never truly alone. This holds true regardless of the prognosis. Each day is a precious gift, inviting us to live fully, even midst the challenges we face.

We can open our hearts to the prospect of a grand miracle—the successful completion of a long-awaited operation, the elimination of daily medications, and the farewell to prolonged rehabilitation. We learn to persevere through the harshest trials, eventually arriving at a point where life feels vibrant and manageable once more.

Gratitude fills our souls for the time we have been granted. We cherish the renewal of our relationship with the Lord, who stood steadfast during our darkest moments of illness. With every breath, we embrace the present. We acknowledge the inevitable passage of time. We also recognize the certainty of death that awaits us all. Yet, instead of succumbing to despair, we revel in the beauty of each day lived fully. We know with confidence that even amid life’s fragility, tomorrow can bring the promise of renewed hope.

The emergence of renewed hope grants us the invaluable gift of introspection. During moments of self-reflection, we come to understand that healing manifests in various dimensions of our lives. We experience physical healing as our bodies recover and regain strength. We go through emotional healing as we learn to cope with our feelings and overcome past traumas. Most importantly, we experience spiritual healing as we reconnect with a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. These transformative experiences are the miraculous gifts of life. Far too many overlook these gifts. They are bestowed upon us by our loving Father in Heaven.

As we close out 2024, reflect on the miracles in your life. List them, and count your miracles, then praise God for His interventions in your life. Our miracles are endless.

Scriptures:

Romans 15:19:

“They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit”. 

Psalms 77:14:

“You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples”

Mark 11:24:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Romans 15:13:

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

James 5:14-15: 

“The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well” 

Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬-‭3‬:

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,”

Isaiah‬ ‭38‬:‭16‬:

“Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live.”

God’s knowledge existed before the beginning of time. In Jeremiah 1:5, it is declared, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you.”

Additionally, in Ephesians 1:4, it states, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”

Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He healed people in the past, He heals people now, and He will continue to heal people in the future.

God declares, “I know the plans I have for you.” God knows what we will go through. Some challenges work together to help you become a mature Christian who submits to His will. Teaching you how to surrender your Will to the Will of God.

Scriptures – Bible.com

Photo – LAB Photos


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Surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s Influence

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Receiving the Holy Spirit
Paul prays for the Ephesians

In Ephesians 3:17–19, Paul prays that the Ephesians will come to understand and experience God’s love. To truly understand and experience this love, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You also need to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s prayer was specifically for the Ephesians. (The Book of Ephesians is one of the sixty-six books of the Bible. The Bible is the living Word of God.) Paul was praying that the Ephesians understand and experience God’s love. His prayer extends to all living people today as well. If you are not a believer, are you being called to become a believer today? If you are a believer, are you in a fruitful relationship with the Holy Spirit? Do you think and function as if you are in control or do you submit to His influence?

Think about the nature of your relationship— are you fully invested in it? Are you content with the Holy Spirit simply residing in you, or do you desire something more?

Jesus promised you, and everyone throughout time, an advocate when He ascended to sit at the right hand of God. Luke the author of the Book of Acts teaches that the Holy Spirit is the advocate. He was sent to dwell in you the moment you become a believer. The Holy Spirit wants to influence your life. He desires more of you. Nonetheless, if you only accept Him as a resident, you are limiting His impact on your life.

As a believer, you entered a relationship that is instantaneously rooted and grounded in love. As humans, it is beyond our full understanding. In that moment, you realize you are filled with God’s fullness and that you belong to Him.

God, loves you unconditionally and dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. He desires for you to engage more deeply in your relationship with Him. He is a living partner. He serves as your advocate, guiding you on our journey. He speaks to the Father on your behalf. He redirects you, and He protects you from harm and so much more. In the Book of Acts, Luke encourages you to surrender to His influence.

As your advocate, He communicates with you, but how you respond is your choice. You can decide to listen to His messages or ignore them. When you surrender to His influence, you grant Him the authority to shape your behavior, character, and spiritual growth. When you let Him influence your life, the relationship deepens and grows more intimate spiritually.

Your greatest resource is the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with God is the most important one you will ever have. When you desire His influence, while keeping Him at a distance you have not fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit. You have not relinquished control over your life.

You are missing out on the fullness of God’s love. According to Charles Stanley, “We are filled with God’s Spirit the moment we accept Christ as our personal Savior. We are not repeatedly refilled, we have all we are going to receive of the Spirit at Salvation. As we grow in our Christian walk, we learn more about God’s ways, character, and presence within us through His Spirit. The more we know, love, and obey, the more we learn how to live a life to the fullest.” (Life Principles Bible, Second Edition. Thomas Nelson, 2011, page 1575)

In closing ask yourself, how can I move beyond selective listening to obeying His commands? What steps are necessary to fully submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life? Am I willing to let go of the things that hold me back? Does my behavior prevent me from advancing to the next stage of my spiritual maturity? Is today the day I choose to surrender to the influence of the Holy Spirit?

Note: According to Charles Stanley’s Life Principles Bible, “the phrase ‘filled by the Holy Spirit’ was not used again, except for being mentioned in Ephesians 5:18. In that phrase, Paul talks about surrendering to the influence of the Spirit-not to the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, which every believer receives.”

Photo, LAB Photos and AI Pixi; Scripture, bible.com

TEMPTATION IS A GATEWAY DRUG

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Temptation will always tap you on the shoulder!

God will always give an escape route to free us from impending temptation. If we ignore the escape route, we will most certainly fall into sin. Recollect a time when you regretted getting involved in something you should not have been involved in. I am certain you can also find the moment you chose to ignore the quiet voice that told you to leave, run, go in another direction, do not enter… The quiet voice was God speaking to you offering an escape route.

Thanks to God’s loving kindness. We received freedom from reaping the horror of permanent sin when He sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross taking on our sin to give us a way out.

Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

When Christ died on the cross, he took all sin, past, present, and future. We are not bound by eternal sin. And, in the face of temptation and its cohort, sin, God always provides an escape route.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Scriptures About Temptation

Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 14:38 – Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil (sin), and he will flee from you.

James 1:12-16 – Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth (metaphorical, and perhaps physical) death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

Hebrews 2:18 – For because He himself (Christ) has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes (temptation, sin) of the evil one (often your own desire).

Matthew 4:1-11 – Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The Word of God provides the escape route from temptation. Temptation is a carnal want that leads to our sinful nature. Temptation glistens, smiles, seeks illicit things that cause you to feel good in the dark, never in the light. It is the final step into the dark. The escape is most prominent in that moment, turn away, run…

Learning to identify the families of temptation creates an awareness of how sin creeps into your life. Paul defined them in Galatians 5:19-20 (AMP). This is not an exhaustive list.

“Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies-any believe that is against the word of God], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these.”

Temptation always comes before a fall (carnal desires/sin). Temptation always precedes sin. We should praise God that He established an escape route (through the crucifixion of Christ, the taking on of sin), providing a redemption route (repentance/forgiveness), and saving us when we sin (acting in our carnal nature). To quote Donnie McClurkin’s lyrics, We Fall Down but Get Back Up. How will you apply this study to your life? Will you listen to God’s quiet voice and run or flee, or will you ignore his warning to satisfy your human condition?

This diagram provides a pictorial of your options.

What can we learn from the diagram?

The attack begins with a thought. The thought focuses on the temptation. During this time your mind weighs the choice to listen to God and run from the temptation, or run to the temptation. If you run from the temptation you will know the escape route the Lord has provided. If you choose to run towards the temptation, you will become quickly consumed by the sin and start to ignore the quiet voice of the Lord. But, most people hear bits of His quiet voice, and eventually repent of your sin. God at once responds in love and provides the escape route. There are consequences embedded in the sin itself. Satan will not make it easy to escape, he wants us to suffer during and after we sinned. It is so much better to guard your heart, listen to the Lord’s quiet voice, and seek the escape route that God provides than to fall into the darkness of sin.

Please note, not all sin is attributed to Satan. Our nature is corrupt. It seeks gratification at all costs. Sin offers the things that you crave most. Temptation is a gateway drug tempting you to ignore God.

Scriptures – Bible.com; Diagram – Lisa Blair; Image – lifehopeandtruth.com

Obedience vs. Rebellion: Learning from Abraham and Saul – Bible Reflection

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The Bible teaches us that we are to be faithful and obedient. Most of us think we are faithful and obedient because we follow the Word of God in the most general of ways. However, God is not looking for general adherence to the Word. He looks at how we listen and interpret His commands.

When God told Abraham (Genesis 22) to sacrifice his son, Issac, he did not deliberate, he did not weigh the loss of a son, he, in faith, knew God had a reason he wanted him to sacrifice his son Isaac. He believed God’s commands had purpose and the outcome depended upon his response and love for the Lord. In this case, because of his obedience the angel, in verse 12, told him not to lay a hand on the boy.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” ~Genesis 22:12 NIV, Biblegateway.com

Sometimes God tests our faith and sometimes He instructs us in which way to go. The angel of the Lord called out to Abraham a second time to convey God’s declaration to him.

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you… ~Genesis 22:15-16 NIV, BibleGateway.com

All scripture, that means every word in the Bible is God-breathed. He uses the Word to teach, rebuke, correct and train us in righteousness.

 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV, Biblegateway.com

The NLT version says that it teaches us what is true to help us realize what is wrong in our lives. The Word teaches us to do what is right.

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT, Biblegateway.com

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV, openbible.info

Abraham clearly chose to listen and follow God’s command. He was 100% in. He did as instructed. How often do we follow God’s instructions for our lives?

There was a time when God instructed me to stop spending. I thought, I was not overspending and interpreted His message as being more of a request and not a command. God knows the path to our destiny. He is the great architect. I had prayed for Him to reveal the next stage in my life to do His good work. Little did I realize that overspending was a lesson I needed to follow to get to the next stage. I did not follow His command like Abraham. I scaled back, like Saul who interpreted the commandment to meet his own needs.

To borrow a quote from Radical.net, God help us. Help us to give to you in worship what you have asked, the obedience of our hearts. God help us to hear your Word, and to obey your Word; hear your voice, and obey your voice. We pray that you would be glorified in our obeying your voice. ~Obedience of Sacrifice,1 Samuel 15:22 ESV.

God knows us. He created us and He knows how we will respond. The money was not the issue. My heart was the issue. Jesus said to Peter, if you love me obey my commands (John 14:15 KJV, Biblegateway.com), meaning follow my Word. He commands each of us to do the same thing, “obey/follow my commands.”

We pray that you would be glorified in our obeying your voice. God, we pray you would keep all of us, from at any point, getting caught up in practicing religion, and going to church, and taking part in this or that activity, while disobeying you and your word in our lives. ~Obedience of Sacrifice,1 Samuel 15:22 ESV, Radical.net.

In looking back, I now see where I strayed. I did not immediately follow His commands. I did not curtail my spending. I, like Saul, who told Samuel, that he did kill all the Amalekites as commanded, added I brought back Agag their King. I thought I followed God’s command to stop spending, however, like Saul, I left one thing out.  I slowed my spending down. As a sidebar, I felt guilty each time I did, but that did not stop me. How often do we fail to listen to the quiet voice telling us we are in the wrong yet forge ahead anyway? My decision to follow God’s command my way was a form of rebellion.

Samuel told Saul: 3 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.15 “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night! “What did he tell you?” Saul asked.17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? 19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? 20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?

Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols!” ~1 Samuel 15 NIV, Web.mit.edu

Like Saul, I heard what I wanted to hear. I interpreted what I was commanded to do in a way that satisfied me. I did not obey the Lord as Abraham did. As followers of Christ, we must train ourselves to be obedient in all things, not just some things. God listens to our voice and watches our actions that demonstrate either our obedience or our act of rebellion.

We reap the consequences of self-love/rebellion, following our own interpretation of what God commands. In my case, our finances spiraled downward. If I had listened to His command, I would not have been in the position to have to rebuild financial solvency, and Saul would have been the King of Israel.

26But Samuel said to him, “…You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as the king of Israel!” ~1 Samuel 15 NIV, Web.mit.edu

All scripture is God-breathed. The Word is not open to interpretation that satisfies our pride. It requires complete obedience. Obedience is defined as an act or practice of obeying, dutiful or submissive compliance. ~ Online Dictionary.

Our actions are judged through the lens of obedience or rebellion. As Christians, we are being observed by many. Our actions speak louder than words. If we tell others to submit to the Word and be disciplined, we must first practice what we preach. As doers of the Word, we must learn to be obedient. God, through the Holy Spirit, reinforces His Word and His Will for our lives.  We are rebuked as needed, trained, and corrected in righteousness. God continually prunes the dead and withering branches in our lives to strengthen our dedication and submission to Him.

This article is purposeless if we do not examine our motives and submission to the Word of God. Ask yourself:

  • Am I an Abraham or a Saul?
  • What have you learned about yourself from this study?
  • Do you obey God’s commands like Abraham, operating in the spiritual realm being obedient and specifically following God’s commands and instruction for your life?

or

  • Do you operate in the carnal realm of rebellion like Saul?
  • What are your plans to fully submit?

Our life is a journey. We will stray from the straight and narrow path more than once during our lifetime. Our mission is to learn from each mistake, apply it to our lives, submit to God, work to eliminate rebellion and serve our God by sharing the Good News with all within our scope of influence.

We must always work to be faithful and obedient understanding that God’s way is not our way and stop interpreting His Will for us using our finite scope of understanding to forge our own path.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9 NIv, biblegateway.com

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all of your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. ~Proverbs 4:26-27 NIV, biblestudytools.com

Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ~Isaiah 30:21NIV, biblehub.com

Photos: Google.com, free images

‘If Only’ Pondering

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What does ‘if only‘ pondering mean? When we pray, we often pray for an outcome. If only I had a house, if only I had a raise if only, I was married, well, wealthy… The prayers are doubtful asks. We are not praying to God because He is God. We are praying to God asking Him to prove He is the God of the way, the truth, and the life.

Our relationship with God is not founded on what He can do for us. It is founded on the fact that He sent His only begotten son to die for our sin. It is through faith that our relationship is real and solid. I believe that we do not often focus on the phrase, ‘only begotten son’ as demonstrating the depth and breath of His love for us. My question is, what if God had not sacrificed His Son for us, would we be crying ‘only if’? A statement that decries a state of darkness.

Like many in the Bible, we learn that once they ceased crying for things that they felt would improve their lives and coexist on the planet, the very same moment their circumstances changed. Their belief in our Almighty, Sovereign God took away the sting of their circumstances. As the sting dissipated, their vision cleared, and avenues illuminated alternatives that previously were not viewed. It is difficult to see in the dark, and in the blackness of night, you are blind. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Through Him, there is light that leads the way. Our ‘only ifs’ seemingly rear their faces as selfless requests.

God is the I AM, not a God who must jump through hoops to prove Himself to us. ‘Only if’ we could understand the vastness of His love for us and enter prayer with the intention to deepen our relationship with Him and not to offer up a Christmas list at every turn.

Helpful Scriptures

Jesus is the Light

John 8:12. Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.“

Psalm 27:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Ephesians 5:8. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light.

1 John 1:5. This is the message which we have heard from him, and declared to you, that God is light, and him there is no darkness at all.

Faith and Doubt.

Proverbs 3:4,6. Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Mark 9: 22-23. But if you can do anything, take pity on us, and help us. “If you can?“ Said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Matthew 28:16,17. “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain, where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”

Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith, it is impossible to please, God, because anyone who comes to Him, must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

James 1:2-7. “Considerate, pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Where doubt reigns, faith cannot abide. (Billy Graham) When we utter the ‘if only’s’ we are in essence doubting our maker, and faith cannot abide. When we doubt the ‘if only’s’ weaken our faith, in fact it renders it void. Our faith resides in the truth that Jesus is our Savior, who cares for us, directs us, and provides for us. Praise, and Thanksgiving should replace our ‘if only’s’.

Images: Hebrews 11:6, Highland Park Baptist Church; John 8:12, wiirocku.tumbler.com; Ephesians 5:8,9 Pinterest, Laura Huntington; @studentdevos

Scriptures: Jesus is the Light. Bible Verses About Jesus Christ, Light of the World. ccg.org; 10 Bible. Erases About Faith and Doubt. Jesus film.org; Biblegateway.org


God’s Character Never Changes

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Humans are not steadfast. Our character ebbs and flows. Our sin nature does not allow us to be steadfast, we always falter, some more than others, until Jesus returns we are locked in the the fate of sin. The only constant in our life is that God’s character and standards never change.

This means the God who spoke in the Old Testament is speaking to us today. He spoke to His people through the disciples, prophets, and most importantly Jesus. The story always remains the same. Adam and Eve sinned and were thrown out of Eden. We entered eternal sin as the result of their disobedience. The Messiah will come and save us from eternal sin. Jesus will be crucified and return to heaven. He will return again to redeem His people, and we will live as one people in peace through eternity.

We all need stability. God’s character is our stabilizing force. Why? No matter what happens on earth, His plan is consistent, it does not waiver or deviate. The world today is not much different that the world of old. There are still false prophets and leaders who fail to surrender to the Will of God. Leaders still take bribes, or are rewarded by lobbyists. Many priests and religious leaders are bought by large contributions to their church, and fall pray to idols (money, fame, and fortune). Families still struggle to maintain the nucleus to hold the unit together. Economies and social justice are still at odds. And, the Word of God is still lost to many who only hear the noise of chaos.

This seems like desperate times, and in some respect it is. However, this world will operate in phases until the end. Our loving Father will love us, warn us of our wrong doing, judge us and restore us, each time hoping that we will turn back to Him.

The only thing we can rely on is His unfailing love and character that is ever-present, even when it seems He is not with us.

Our Lord never forsakes us or leaves us. He does not turn a blind eye to this world. He sees all, and remembers everything. He is always with us, holding us up when we cannot walk or take another breath. He provides for us when we cannot provide for ourselves.

He is here with us in the light and darkest moments. HE IS FAITHFUL throughout time. Rest assured, the sun will rise and set everyday as part of His creation and plan for our salvation. He is our loving Father who cannot fail. He is all truth and His character is unwavering.