We’ve all lived through experiences where the phrase, ‘but God’ was our way of escape. His love never fails, and as his children, our love for others, despite what may have occurred, should never fail. Love endures through every circumstance.
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT
Image and scripture-Bible.com
We see all forms of violence occurring throughout the world, and many pose the question – where is God? God is ever present, He is our sovereign Lord, but you must remember the evil one (Lucifer, was exiled and fell from heaven to earth and is the king of earth. He is the king of chaos, hate, pestilence, pandemics, war and all things that bring troubling times to us. We must remember that in these times God is still in control. When we look back in the annals of time, and in the Bible, these things occurred while Jesus walked the earth. It is this evilness that caused the very people that cried ‘Hosanna’ that became Palm Sunday that also yelled ‘crucify him’ prior to what became Easter. We live in a battle between good and evil. There are strongholds of evil, but there are prayers that can break those strongholds. There are prayers of protection, such as the 91st Psalm. Please read and memorize this scripture each morning and before bed. Let it become a habit and protect those around you.
We cry for normalcy, a return to what felt comfortable. Normalcy changes as the world changes. Only one thing remains the same – God is in control.
Psalm 91 NLT –
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.””
Psalms 91:1-16 NLT (https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.91.1-16.NLT)
God is in Control
Lord God, I pray for Your protection as I begin this day. You are my hiding place, and under Your wings I can always find refuge. Protect me from trouble wherever I go, and keep evil far from me. Nov 3, 2019 Biblestudytools.com
List of Scriptures that show God is in Control:
Browse the full Bible verses below. https://www.womansday.com › life)
Prayers of Protection
20 Powerful Prayers for Protection. Crosswalk.com, Feb. 20, 2020
Bible Verses About Protection. Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/bible/bible-verses-about-protection-41
His peace is greater than our understanding.
~ Lisa Blair
Only God can give us peace that is greater than our understanding. Rest in His peace of mind and heart. His love is like a warm blanket, once wrapped in it, the world falls away.
We are anxious and fret needlessly. God is with us. Who or what can stand against us?
~Lisa Blair
What a great way to begin the week, recognizing God is over all things. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The truth is, we are anxious and fret needlessly. When we surrender and reside in His Will, His Word, and His Way, the craziness of the world cannot crash down on us. We are protected by His promise to keep us safe.
Our life on earth is a dispersion cast by Satan’s deception. God gave us life to live fully and with power. We have the power to rest in His peace as the world spins off kilter around us. We can experience the calm He provides if we walk in His peace.
Let us walk in victory this week, standing fast in the face of all challenges. We are victorious!
Lord God, only you are my strength.
Lord God, only you are my refuge.
Lord God, only you are my helper.
~Lisa Blair
God is my strength. I rely on Him 24/7. There is no time we are not in communication. I call on Him in praise for the beauty around me, for keeping me and guiding me. I ask for His strength during challenging moments, and in His love in the good times and bad.
He is my refuge. He keeps me safe and sheltered from danger, pursuit, and harm. I call on him in times of need only to find He is standing there waiting; upon contact (with Him) I feel the peace that He provides. A peace that is difficult to explain in everyday terms. The Bible describes this as the peace that is greater than our understanding.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6, NIV
It is during this peace that the chaos unravels. His strength overrides the fear the chaos wrought upon my very being. Resting in His peace, I recite, ‘I fear not because the Lord is my strength and through Him all things are possible. Through Christ fear dissolves. Through Him, crooked ways are made straight. Through Him, I gain clarity and sight. Through Him I become aware that He is establishing the way out of no way. Through Him, I recognize who I am in Christ. I am His child through adoption.’
The Lord is my strength, my refuge, and my helper, without Him, no thing is a good.
Without Him, I am weak. Without Him, I am engulfed in chaos. Without Him, I am lost seeking asylum at the wrong port of entry. Without Him, there is no peace.
“Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And, this peace will control the way you think and feel.” ~ Philippians 4:7, CEV
Godly sorrow precedes Repentance.
~ LISA BLAIR
For many years I felt the Lord was a punishing God. Words such as sorrow suggested that we were a hurt people. The truth is we are a hurt people, we are a sinful people who must come to a place where our sins are no longer acceptable as our guiding truth. Satan uses sin to capture and control us, to lead us to a hellish death. When we become remorseful and recognize the sorrow we have weighed down upon ourselves, and the God who loves and protects us, we enter into a state of Godly sorrow.
Godly Sorrow is only Mentioned Once in the Bible
Godly sorrow is only mentioned once in the Bible, in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. Paul uses this term to explain to the Corinthians that they once lived a sinful life that would lead to worldly death, hell, upon departing this earth but had successfully turned away in earnestness to overcome their sin and repent.
Godly Sorrow is an Acute Sense of Sadness
Godly sorrow is an acute sense of sadness we experience when we sin. We feel sadness because we know we have committed sins. We know we have saddened the Lord, just as the Corinthians knew after Paul taught them that God is the Way and the Light. Palm chastised the Corinthians for their dissentions against the church. He intended to cause them to think and having accomplished this task caused them to repent. Paul knew they were remorseful and regretful for their actions of falling back into disbelief, but he also knew that neither would lead to salvation without true repentance and restitution. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.
Godly Sorrow is a Kind of Wretchedness
“Godly sorrow is a kind of wretchedness that can bring the repentant sinner to tears of grief. Godly sorrow results from a heartfelt conviction that we have offended God by our sin.” Our spirit grieves, and when Godly sorrow has its way, we resolve to stop repeating the sins, turn away from our carnal nature and pick up the cross and do good. We cleanse ourselves through prayer.
Results of Godly Sorrow
Doing good, is the result of Godly sorrow. It is through Godly sorrow that we can release the guilt and shame for our sin nature and actions, and repent asking for forgiveness and vowing to never return to them. Repentance is not an emotion, it is our decision to change. We have to make the decision to turn around and change our lives to truly repent. We repent and believe through faith. Faith comes after repenting and surrendering our life to the Lord. It is through God’s grace that we are forgiven and given new life to move forward. It is through God’s grace that we receive salvation.
God Sorrow, Repentance, and Salvation are Ours
Not all of 1 Corinthians 7 is intended for us. Some of it is intended for the Corinthians. However, repentance and salvation are for everyone who calls out to God to save them from their sins and believes that Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to join God in heaven. God restored the discipline of the church of Corinth and sin, and He restores us. We sin through our (own) actions and complicitous approval of those sinning in our scope of influence. The church was complicit by not addressing incestuous behavior. We are complicit when we do not speak out against sin and do not address the offender.
Sorrow Cannot Merely Be Guilt through Discovery
“We must be very careful that our sorrow for sin is not merely sorrow that has been found out, but sorrow which, seeing the evil of the sinful thing is determined never to do it again and has dedicated the rest of its life to atone, by God’s grace, for what was done.” (Barclay)
Godly Sorrow, Apology and the Holy Spirit, Intercession on Our Behalf
When we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes and helps us apologize to God and repent. This is accomplished through confessing our sins, not by denying them or defending them because neither is true confession.
Godly Sorrow is the Lining of Our Repentance
While Godly sorrow is only mentioned once in scripture, it is the lining of our repentance. Repentance separates godly sorrow from worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces true repentance. Worldly sorrow is not really sorrow, it is the only resentment that has been found out (William Barclay). If we do not feel Godly sorrow for our sinful actions, we are not able to truly repent and turn away from them with God’s help. Without godly sorrow, we would repeat the offense, given a chance to do it again. Godly sorrow not only hates the act, but it also hates the nature of the act itself. Without godly sorrow, we are bound by our sin nature and remain in the camp of the evil one.
God Separates Us From Our Sin Through Our Decision to Change
Like the Church at Corinth, we are growing (maturing) when we repent and turn away from sin. God can separate us from our sins and place them as far away as the east is from the west, but He is only able to do so when we are cleansed and convicted to the point of wholehearted confession and repentance. It is through God’s grace that we are saved.
Images – YouVersion/Bible.com; Google Images-Knowing Jesus.com
References – What is Godly sorrow? Gotquestions.org; Studylight.org: 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, Commentaries – Charles Barclay, Albert Barnes, Coffman, John Gill; Nelson’s Quick Reference by Warren Wiersbe; Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary by W.E. Vine; KJV Word Study; Youtube:2Corinthians_BrettVarner; 2 Corinthians_JasonJack
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 