In Difficult Times, God Hears Our Weeping

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The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;  the Lord accepts my prayer.  Psalm 6: 9

It seems that everywhere you go now people are discouraged, hurting, and afraid.  The news media gives us a steady flow of painful reports that often overwhelm us with concern, and attempt to steal our hope.

Unfortunately, in our cluttered and hyper-paced lifestyles we often rush through our challenges and attempt to control the outcomes ourselves.  We sometimes get drawn-in to the painful reports and feel overwhelmed with the difficulties.

It is important to recognize that in our times of difficulty, we have a resource we can turn to for comfort and guidance.  As the times become more difficult, we must discipline ourselves to spend more time He Who is our refuge in times of trouble.  In Him we will find peace during the storms.

Consider what David shared in Psalm 6.

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?

4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from my groaning. 

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.

8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

The Day of Freedom

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 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”   1 Thessalonians 5:21

Learning to Trust AgainDid you know that this could be your day for freedom?  You must first determine what you need freedom from.   Do you need freedom from fear and anxiety or do you need freedom from discouragement?

You can gain freedom from these emotional bondage’s by being thankful.  It may sound too simple but a thankful heart is a profound truth found in God’s Word.   A thankful heart is a heart that sees what God has done and is thankful for the blessings.

If you have not developed a thankful heart you will find yourself repeatedly struggling with disappointment and discouragement. Freedom means you have overcome these deadly emotions! It just takes one act of obedience to God’s Word to overcome.

Looking at how the Lord has blessed you develops a thankful heart.  If you are always focusing on what is wrong then that is what you will see, think about and feel.  That’s the picture that will develop! To develop a thankful heart you must focus on what is good about the situation and thank God for it. A thankful heart has to be cultivated out of obedience to the Lord.   Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21; “In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus,” Even in a devastating situation, look for what you can thank God for and focus on this blessing.

Maintaining your freedom from fear and disappointment is the next challenge. Living in the present is the key. When your thoughts are always drifting backwards on what went wrong you would feel discouraged. When your thoughts are always on the future you can become anxious and fearful of the unknown.  Stay in the present and focus on what God has done this day and be thankful.  A person with a thankful heart is at peace.  Face each new day and focus on what God has done.

The Voice of God

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“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10)

Do you know what the voice of God sounds like?  It is a distinct sound that we hear with our spiritual ears.  Spiritual ears are skilled to hear the voice of the Lord and they attain this skill through seasons of stillness.

Skill comes through stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).

A skilled bird watcher has ears that are tuned to hear the sounds of birds.  He can walk outside and at once identify various birds.  Each bird has a unique and distinct sound that sets that bird apart from all the other birds, but it requires an attained skill to hear them.

As a Christian, we are to be so tuned to hear the voice of our Lord that we hear Him above all the other sounds.  In our world today, there are many voices trying to get our attention.  A time of stillness away from all distraction is required to learn how to hear Him.

At the creation, when the Lord said, “Let there be light”, everything changed. When He spoke He separated darkness and light. His voice is just as strong today and can bring about a complete change in your life.  All that is needed are spiritual ears to hear and a heart to obey. If you want change in your life, listen to Him as you read His Word and He will show you what He calls darkness and what He calls light.  Listen and obey the still small voice of the Lord if you want things in your life to change.

 

God Will Answer

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“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness…You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was distressed…” Psalm 4:1

Have you ever felt hemmed in, trapped and unable to move?  At that moment you can call upon God, and He will answer you.  He will lift you up and free you from the present bondage.  He will never leave you or forsake you.

The children of Israel were hemmed in and unable to move when they were in bondage in Egypt.  But they cried out and called upon God, and He answered. God sent Moses to lead them and deliver them out of bondage and captivity.

If you too feel you are hemmed in, call out to God!  He will answer when you call.

The Psalmist David said, “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high and defend you…send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion.” Psalm 20:1-2 Amp

What Do You Magnify?

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And Mary said, “My soul doeth magnify the Lord” Luke 1:46

What do you magnify?  Magnify, according to Strong’s Concordance means, to make or declare great.   Whatever we magnify becomes bigger and bigger in our mind.  If you magnify a problem then you can’t see the solution, all you see is the problem. Think about Mary’s problem. The angel came to her and said, “You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus.”  (Luke 1:31)

Mary’s response in Luke 1:38 was, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to what you have said.”  She would soon be pregnant and unwed.  That could have been a huge problem.  But, Mary did not focus on the problem; her attention was on God.  She trusted God!  If this was of Him, He had the answer.  So, she looked to the Lord and magnified Him!

Today, take your mind off your problem, focus on the Lord and His blessings.  You will see the problem decrease and the Lord will be magnified.

Embracing Spiritual Maturity

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“Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4  (NIV)

spiritual maturityFulfilling the call of God on your life will require spiritual maturity.  The Bible offers us many wonderful examples where God led His child through situations to teach them, and bring them to a more spiritual mature place.  It was necessary in order to prepare them for the work they had before them.

Let’s look at Solomon and what he had to go through to prepare to build the house of the Lord.

King David wanted to build the House of the Lord, but God told him that Solomon would be the one who would build the House. Even though David was probably disappointed, he began helping Solomon prepare himself for the task. In 1 Chronicles 29:1 David said, “Solomon is yet young and tinder” (inexperienced), in other words he had not matured yet.  King David knew Solomon was inexperience and would need to mature in order to accomplish the call on his life.

We live in a world of immaturity. We live in a time when the adults have more toys than the children and most people don’t want to grow up. The first step to spiritual maturity comes as the worldly desires are put aside and the work of the kingdom becomes a priority.

Another step to maturity is learning patience. We learn patience as we go through difficult situations that give experience. According to Romans 5:3-4, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

It takes tribulation to work patience in us. Tribulation develops patience and patience produces experience.  We gain patience as we face times of tribulation. This strengthens our faith. So we are to embrace tribulation as a time to grow and mature.

Experience comes as we learn to go through difficult times. Many people will view hard times or times of tribulation as an attack of the enemy instead of learning from the difficulty.  You will actually know if you are maturing by how you handle a difficult time. The experience in times of tribulation gives wisdom and wisdom brings maturity.

Rise Up!

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“Fear Not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” 
Isaiah 41:10  NKJV

Many people have been hurt by rejection.  If you have ever experienced rejection, you can probably relate to that downward spiraling effect that rejection gives you.  It has a progressively negative effect; at first it affects your opinion of yourself, your emotional well-being, and if not dealt with rejection will continue to affect interpersonal relationships through-out your life.

Rejection is so painful and devastating that we can all agree it is one of Satan’s most successful tactics that he uses to separate and destroy homes, families, and relationships.  Once you are healed from rejection, you can breathe freely without the fear of rejection taking you down into that black hole of despair.

Rise up!  Receive your healing through the Truth of God’s unchangeable, unexplainable, and unconditional love and acceptance.

Path of Life

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“Show me the path of life…” Psalm 16:11

stay on the pathGod knows exactly what is going on in your world. He has provided everything you need to live during these times; and actually He has provided a way for you to live in peace even during times of trouble.

Find the path of life, the peace of God. Once you find the path of life, stay there, don’t let your heart be troubled. Stop allowing yourself stray off the path, lost and fearful.

You have a choice; you simple stay on the path. You have a choice daily; so don’t allow your circumstances to be in charge. You have been given the choice and you can choose peace over fear, anxiety, and stress. You can choose faith over fear; it is that simple. When you choose faith over fear you just choose life instead of death. When you choose peace over anxiety and stress you have again chosen life. The enemy wants to convince you that everything is hopeless, but the God of all peace wants you to know that you have a choice, He says in Deut. 30:15-16, (paraphrased) “Choose life and you shall live.”

It is a choice of life over death, it is that important of a choice. Think about your last doctor’s visit. If you have a heart condition he made it very clear how harmful certain things like too much sugar and salt are to your health. It is hard to keep yourself from eating these things, but, for your health’s sake you can do it. Everyday that you overcome the temptation not to eat those things that are harming your body you feel a difference. You feel stronger and have more energy. Did you know that worry and fear are more harmful to our body than too much sugar and salt? That is why Jesus said, “Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated, cowardly and unsettled.” I repeat, just stop allowing it; you do have a choice, choose the path of life and wal

God Knows You

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Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee and ordained thee a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5

Isn’t it astounding to realize as you read this Scripture that the same God that knew Jeremiah and created the earth, also formed you?   He shaped and molded you in your mother’s womb and as He was forming you, He planned for you.

Your birth was not an accident or a mistake because God uses all things for His glory.  If we could only grasp the awesomeness of our Father in heaven and realize that He has a special plan and a purpose for our lives.   We just need to draw close to Him and embrace His plan for our lives.  As He formed you He spoke your destiny into existence.

He said to Jeremiah, “I ordained thee a prophet to the nations,” the word ordained means to decree, intend and establish.  Once God spoke, “Let there be light,” there was light.  He decreed light and the light is still present today.  His Word established and sustains His plan and His purpose. Ask him what He decreed as He was forming you?

What He has decreed, He will sustain, carry on and complete.

Why Walk in The Valley?

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“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me ”  Psalm  23:4

Life in the ValleyDuring difficult times, I have often asked the Lord “Why do I have to walk in this valley“?  There have been times in my life that I have struggled with the weight of some difficult situations, and felt weakened by the load.

During those times, the Lord always reminded me of His presence.

Right now, life is difficult for a lot of people.  There is a lot of fear and turmoil around us, and people are hurting.  It’s comforting to know we have a Loving God who is with us during these difficult times.

I’m reminded of what a close friend used to share with me when I was struggling … If you didn’t have a valley, there wouldn’t be a mountain.

Right now, I live on the top of a small mountain.   I love looking at the mountains that surround us, and am always reminded of God’s Glory.

A couple of times I have climbed the mountain that is behind my home.   It’s tough climbing that mountain, but when you get to the top the view is absolutely amazing.  It certainly makes the climb worthwhile.

It would be hard for me to climb that mountain every day – and really, I don’t know that God would want that anyway.  I mean, wouldn’t that somewhat take-away the special moment if I traveled it more frequently?  I’m afraid I would probably take it for granted if I sat on the mountain too often.

I think we’re probably supposed to spend a little more time in the valley – so we always appreciate the beautiful view from atop the mountain.  From my experiences, the valley has helped prepare me for the mountain.  In the valley is where life is grown.

One of my neighbors is a wonderful farmer.  He actually owns the beautiful mountain across from us.  At the foot of the mountain is a beautiful stream that helps to irrigate his large garden.  He owns a farm where he grows corn and other crops, and raises livestock.  It’s the most fertile land I’ve ever seen.

So what am I saying?

While the mountain is incredibly beautiful, we obviously get life from the valley.  And, of course, without the valley there would be no mountain.

When difficulties come, we need to realize it is likely a valley.  Even though it may be tough, it’s important that we experience the fertile ground of the valley.

Also, while we’re in the valley we need to be careful with what we plant because we need a good crop to harvest.  Life is in the valley, so we should sow life.  If we sow discord, we’ll likely reap discord.

Pray that God will grant you wisdom and peace as you grow in the Valley.