ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER
WAITING
How do you respond to not receiving what you've been waiting for? How do you respond to the challenges faced from time to time. And how do you respond when the option to go forward seems impossible and the option to go backwards is a case of Lord! save me or I drown? Well to simply put it " after you have done all you know to do ......STAND get it? and keep standing Something happens when we choose to stop the panicking, wait, then listen. The next voice you hear let's you know that everything will be just fine and in most cases the answer to your challenges are provided Lord, teach me to wait patiently on you and to keep standing through life's challenges knowing that just one word from you changes a whole lot of things
IS THERE ANYTHING REALLY TOO HARD
Have you ever had moments where you’ve continually asked yourself “How am I going to get through this” or perhaps you’ve agonisingly muttered to yourself “Someone Please help me” In some cases it’s the Oh! Not again silent thought, sometimes you’ve cried yourself to sleeping hoping and praying that by the morning your situation would be different. May be you’re struggling, struggling to make ends meet, struggling with your kids, struggling with your marriage, struggling with an addition or a bad habit or maybe it’s your health Well, well, well......Is there anything too hard for the Lord? You are not an exception & I know sometimes it can feel that way but you just have to hold on tight, life is full of ups & downs but whilst you are waiting you keep praying, you keep praising & expecting things to change for when you cast your bread on the water you will find it in many days. There is absolutely nothing too hard for the Lord
FORGIVENESS - NOT MY WAY
Have you realised that there appears to be 2 versions of forgiveness? The funniest thing is that for so many years we have all somewhat subscribed to one or the other. One is God’s version and the other is yours and mine. Our interpretation of forgiveness sometimes goes like this: I choose to forgive you and I’ll try to forget however if I can’t forget I’ll forgive you and forget you, erase you from my life and carry on living, I am sure many of us can identify with that one God’s forgiveness on the other hand goes something like this: Son/daughter I know you, I forgave you even before you asked and I have chosen to forget and rather than forget about you, I love you and draw you closer than ever before and should you chose to hide yourself from me, I’ll stay closer and never leave your side Friends, it’s time to change, it’s got to be God’s way and none other, it’s time to live for God and live free by chasing to take on God’s way of forgiveness One line to rememberer from the Lord’s prayer is this “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” now thats another class
TODAY, IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE
If God told you that He was planning to rapture those who have served Him faithfully and been Holy as He is Holy within 7 days...at any time, what would you be doing differently in your life right now? What would you give up? What would you stop making excuses about? What would you do more? Would you still be "nervous" about witnessing to others or would you frantically tell as many as you could because you know, you may only have a few minutes left. How would you respond to those who offend you or mock you? Who would you finally forgive or start speaking to again? Would you still spend so much time playing games and watching tv (if any at all)? Would you pray more and actually start seeking Him with all your strength just to find Him? Would you act the same as you do now? Would you finally start waking and love? Would you actually trust God and stop worrying as He commanded? Would you stop complaining and disputing as He commanded? Would you give up what you want to be able to extend your hand to the poor? Would all that you do glorify the name of the Lord? I could ask hundreds of questions, but you know what I mean! The idea is that, knowing that God would rapture some within 7 days at any time, what would be different about your life? If there are things that you would change, We ALL need to start doing them right now. Paul says that he counted EVERYTHING as loss compared to knowing God. The truth still remains that He will come like a thief in the night. The rapture could happen at any second - before His actual return. Do we really want to be left behind? Is what we can't give up now really worth our eternity? I've been pondering this question concerning my own life and thought I'd share with you guys. Ken Smith said..."It's time to get serious about getting serious" (lol). It's important that we repent and return to our first love before it's too late. As Ravenhill said, we need to stamp eternity on our eyeballs! Our King is returning...and soon!
A PSALM IN TIMES OF NEED
“I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!” Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.” You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” Psalms 30:1-12 NLT
A PSALM IN TIMES OF NEED
“I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!” Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.” You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” Psalms 30:1-12 NLT
I AM IN AWE, YOU SHOULD BE TOO
ou have searched me, Lord and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar, You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would out number the grains of sand when I awake, I am still with you. If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
