Romans 8:18-31 New International Version

Present Suffering and Future Glory

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that^[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[b] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

This scripture brings us hope because we know we have a future with Christ, that cannot be compared to what we are experiencing here on earth. Even our best days here do not compare to what is ahead of us with Christ when we meet with him. We have a lot to look forward to beyond what our minds can comprehend.

I read this this morning from Stormie Omartian’s “The Power of a Praying Woman” “Everytime you rose above the pain in your life and find the goodness, clarity, peace and light of the Lord there, your faith will grow.” She compared this to the analogy of flying in a plane and going through a storm as soon as the pilot rose above the storm into an altitude above the clouds she saw a clear sunny sky. It proves that no matter the intensity of the storm there is a clear, bright and sunny sky above it if you continue rise with Christ above this moment, this season, this period.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3: 8

This moment is nothing but a moment, stay faithful and endure with Christ. Do not depend on your own strength but read the scriptures, pray even when you don’t want to those are the times you must the most and spend quality time with God. He will refresh your soul.

Dear Heavenly Father give us the upliftment from your word that reminds us to endure this time because much clearer skies are ahead. Help us not to get caught up in the fog of this season that we only fix our focus on that but help us to see that when we continue to rise above the fog there is clarity. We await meeting you. Thank you. In Jesus name amen.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14 King James Version (KJV)

Wait on the Lord, we hear this a lot in messages and songs but what does it really mean?

To wait means to stay until something happens in the worldly knowledge loosely based on oxford dictionary’s definition, but to wait on the Lord means to stay close to him, obey him in doing all you need to do in this time and in this season, let the fruit grow within you and release all that God has given unto you until he comes or until he brings another course of action your way. We must remember waiting does not just mean laying around waiting and doing nothing.

We wait by being and doing all that he wangs of us within that particular season and obeying God by not moving forward in a direction we have not gotten the instruction on yet.

Waiting on him means letting his way precede yours. His course of action happens seamlessly while when we don’t wait we force actions to happen that end in our detriment.

Remember waiting on God also means being faithful until he comes.

“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.”

Luke 12:35-40 (KJV)

Let him find us ready whether it is for a particular avenue he wants for us or most importantly for when he returns for us because the days are upon us we are approaching the days where his return will come soon.

And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31: 8

Don’t be afraid of the times, just be faithful to God, you will be covered and protected by his blood and guardian angels.

Also do not resist his way, it is much better than you wait on him because your own way is less secure.

Prayer: Dear Father give us the patience and endurance to wait on you, when we get discouraged by the world around us help us to remember to take heart because you overcame the world already and we are yours and we are going to be with you. Help us to know we are covered and protected by your blood. Help us not to become OVERWHELMINGLY depressed by the minor things or things we can’t control but help us to see the bigger picture and be all that you want us to be in this time. May we rest upon you. In Jesus name. Amen.

And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.

~Exodus 33:14

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.

~Psalm 3:5

Breathe in

Breath out

I’m trying to calm down but I am

God says come unto me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Thank you Lord for your rest, we need it

“Jesus “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galations 1:4). He wants to continue to set us free in the future.” From Stormie Omartian’s “The Power of a Praying Woman”. This qoute means that Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice unto God on our behalf that we might ask for deliverance theough him from our sins and from the evil of this age and the age to come. So we can freely ask for deliverance because the Holy Spirit lives within us and every evil way of the flesh that rises up and tries to take over cqn be uprooted by the ways of the spirit. We sometimes doubt the supernatural powernof the Holy Spirit, he is first a PERSON, and he is able to drive out evil spirits eith his power. He is also able to drive out and bring into alignment our own fleshly desires and evil intent that comes from within (our own sinful, evil nature). We are sjnful by nature as well and sometimes we forget that, we need to repent daily for our sinful nature’s choices and ask the Holy Spirit for deliverance, you would be surprised what he brings to mind to repent and set you free from.

Trust that your times are in His hands, and He will deliver you in His timing. (Psalm 31: 14-15)

Remember that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” Isaiah 62:1.

NAME the very specific things you desire deliverance from. (Depression, lack, envy, any and every feeling or situation that has consumed you for too long, even that very thing that has been pushed to the back of your mind bring it forward right now, we are laying them all down for deliverance)

DECLARE this prayer to God: Dear Lord your word is powerful and therefore we declare it this day, gou’ve said the righteous cry out and you Lord hear and deliver them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17. So in Jesus name deliver me from (name whatever it is). Youve said to call upon you in the day of trouble and you will deliver me and i will glorify you. Psalm 50:15. So in this moment I call upon you for deliverance Lord and I glorify you for who you are. Give me the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever I bind in earth may it be bound in heaven, whatever I loose on earth may it be loosed in heaven according to Matthew 16:19. So God I bind every thing that has blocked and separated me from my true purpose and destiny in you, I bind all things holding me back from receiving and extending true and full love and forgiveness from you to myself and others. I loose (everything that comes to mind) on earth and in heaven. I declare peace, deliverance, victory in Jesus name . May I not trust in my own heart but may I walk wisely and be delivered Proverbs 28:26. May I set my love upon you and may you therefore deliver men and set me on high because I have known yoir name Psalm 91: 4. In the precious name of JESUS I claim deliverance I am free in Jesus name amen. Now walk like it.

READING

Psalm 31 King James Version

31 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

² Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

³ For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

⁴ Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.

⁵ Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

⁶ I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.

⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

⁸ And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

⁹ Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

¹¹ I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

¹² I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

¹³ For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

¹⁴ But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.

¹⁵ My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

¹⁶ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.

¹⁷ Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

¹⁹ Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

²⁰ Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

²² For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

²³ O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

²⁴ Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“…and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

“We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (Acts 15:11).

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

God’s grace covers us. Anything you can think of that you’ve done cannot compare to the overwhelming flow and covering of God’s grace. We should NOT take this grace for granted however, the contrary, we should abound in his grace and refrain from doing the things we understand hurts God.

We should never seek to abuse the free gift of grace because we have it. Think of it, when you have such a gift, you cherish it. Think of your actions today, It’s time to stop carelessly moving through life without careful thought of the consequences your actions provide.

Think today, about how you move through life, the decisions you make and how God is honestly there whispering to you and cheering you on to make the right decisions. He absolutely loves you, do not take his grace for granted. He just wants what is best for you.

Spend time in prayer about this gift of grace, thabk him for it, repent of past and present sins, walk in love the love and grace that he so freely poured out to us we must then also pour out to others because that is what he desires of us.

Think of how merciful God is today to you and extend that same mercy to others. There is no way we can hold onto so much anger, unforgiveness and animosity against a brother or sister when God has died for us to receive the free gift of salvation and grace. He extends that to US a God that does no wrong, and we are but imperfect humans who receive that grace freely and we should also extend it to others who are basically just like us.

Father in heaven we are brothers and sisters here on earth which means together we are to unite in love and serve you God our father. Help us to Dwell in your grace and extend the same to another person as we go through our week. We love you and we repent for ever taking that grace for granted, thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Have a peaceful week ❤

Have you ever wondered what to do next?

Which step to take?

Direction and positioning is important as children of God. We must always seek his face on what the next step of our journey is because as simple as it may seem our steps are crucial and make a transformational difference in the direction we are headed.

There is no anxiety surrounding it, there is just wisdom in asking God where to step next.

Psalm 91 is a great place to start in praying over your steps, your dwelling and the direction in which you head. We always need protection because we truly never know what is in store for us. Take this morning AND each moment of your day to ask God for his protection and his guidance, seek him and when you hear his voice warning, or turning you in another direction by ALL MEANS LISTEN. Take these words to heart and let them resonate in your spirit, do not just say them as a recital. The word of God holds power that is completely out of your control. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds (2 Corinthians 10:4). The weapons (prayer) of warfare are activated as we pray in the spirit and the word of God is the sword by which we use, it is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword. (Hebrews 4:12)

If you seek direction and protection as you take your next steps start by praying over your way and ask God humbly, to take you where you need to go in obedience.

Dear Father your word says “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 me from every trap and protect me from deadly disease. He will cover me with his feathers. I pray. Shelter me with your wings oh, God. Your faithful promises are my armor and protection. May I not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. In Jesus name may I not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, these evils will not touch me or my household in Jesus name. May I just open my eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. May I make you Lord my refuge, you the Most High my shelter, and thus may no evil will conquer you; and no plague will come near my home. For you will order his angels to protect me wherever I go I pray. They will hold me up with their hands so I won’t even hurt my foot on a stone. I will trample upon lions and cobras; I will crush fierce lions and serpents under my 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.” rescue, deliver and honour me according to you word give me long life and your dalvation in Jesus’ name I pray and believe these words of power AMEN!
Psalms 91:1‭-‬16 NLT

James 2:14-26New King James Version

Faith Without Works Is Dead^(A)

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Testimony: After praying I felt God lead me to spend extra time studying for a test I had upcoming. Not just once or twice but three times and putting in the necessary work needed to feel confident about the material. By God’s grace, I passed! It goes to show that God is faithful and that faith and prayer + putting in the necessary work will often lead to your success. Without works faith is nothing. So yes pray, but put in the necessary work. God will often answer your prayer with the keys, steps and strategies along with the material you need to actually begin the work. Now couple the faith with the work and start!

Forgive us for the spirit of complacency that we have entertained, help us to move forward by putting our faith with our work and being successf in all that we do. Help us to work effectively and efficiently in Jesus name amen.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James 1:19‭-‬23‭, ‬25‭-‬27 NLT
Let this word penetrate in your hearts and move you to action.

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18.

Loving another person as ypurself can be difficult especially if all you want to do is get back at them. With the same tender care you look to treat yourself with, do the same for others, soothe your anger at God’s feet because the bible commands us to be slow to anger, do not sin by holding onto it for longer than necessary. Let it go. Let us really seek to live the word out in our lives.

Practical steps we can take is writing out our frustrations as they arise or praying in the moment rather than reacting straightaway.

Prayer: Dear Father open our eyes to practical ways of living out the word in our lives, give us the ability and opportunity to live as the word commands us to and show us how to obey it. May we soothe all anger at your feet and seek to love our neighbours even the most difficult ones, in Jesus’s name, amen.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 14

God may call you to love deeply, ask God to help you to love in such a way that honours and glorifies him. Even if the person you are loving doesn’t always do what you think is best, make the decision to love them and teach them in love, always with their best interest at heart. Bless those who persecute you despitefully use you. Love them

God may call you to love someone that seems “difficult”. Love them regardless, love is a choice

This example is simple but powerful. I’m currently studying for my regulation driver’s test so I keep the book which I study from in my room with all of my other books. I was on my way out my room when I overheard and saw a Christian program teaching important truths and lessons about healthy Godly marriages, as the topic sparked my attention, I heard God say go sit down and listen to it right now. So as I was leaving my room a thought came to mind to go back to get my book to take with me so I could start studying after watching the program. I still felt no, don’t go back just go to the couch and watch the program like God said, so I went and did not look back. As I got to the couch I saw the book laying on the couch exactly where I was going to sit. I marvelled and to myself I told God thank you, then I proceeded to watch the program which turned out to be very educational as it taught me about tips this particular couple learnt during their marriage on communication and what to expect as two complete different human beings being in one union. It taught me that you may very well find someone who is absolutely opposite to you in how they parent, handle emotions, communicate and manage difficult situations, even in praying differently, which is all ok.

The powerful note I took away is that no two persons are exactly the same and you cannot turn someone into yourself. Let them be them and let not your narratives be about you trying to turn them into yourself because they simply are not, what is important is that you learn from them what God wants you to learn, because their way and your way are different and you both can teach each other new ways in doing things and unite in that way rather than trying to change each other into a version of yourself. Communication of expectations and feelings is also important for healthy relationships and I would have never got this lesson if I had went back looking for a book that was already there at my destination.

Sometimes we go back looking for things to take on our journey with us when God just said to go, go in time not after the fact, not even before but right in the right time. When you go in faith you’ll receive the blessing you were meant to receive that has your name right on it. Your blessing is waiting on you.