"For He Himself is our peace.." Ephesians 2:14 (emphasis added)
Welcome to the blog! I pray this finds you standing ever strong and encouraged in the Lord, even now...and forevermore. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
As I prayed earlier this week, there was a burden in my spirit, that perhaps more of us are in a storm, on this journey, as devoted followers of our Lord Jesus. So I asked Father to allow me to share His Words... at such a time as this.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you." John 14:27
While in study, I found great encouragement and solace in God's Word...while struggling to allow His Peace to dwell and conquer in me, the enemies of peace. I have learned that in order to grab on to and embrace the peace that only Jesus can give us, we have to let go ....of fear, doubt, bitterness and pain - the enemies of peace. The energy it takes to hold on to these things, zaps us for embracing what Jesus offers us... His life-giving peace.
Heartbreak, difficulties, distresses, heartache, hardships, otherwise known as storms - can either make us panic or they can make us pray. Our storms all have purpose in our lives. And they must all pass through our heavenly Father, to get to us. Remember Job and how he trusted the Lord through his storms? Well, the enemy still had to ask Father for permission to move in Job's life. (Job 1-2)
When (not if) these storms and trials make it to us...they are full of God's purpose and protection - a part of His plan for our lives. Throughout scripture, we learn that faithful ones were tried and their faith refined; their testimonies frequently challenged and their walk with God, tested by various persecutions. Beloved, we too are apart of this Master plan in Jesus Christ,
....our life experiences matter to Him,
........our committed service to Christ makes the difference,
............and our faith is being refined...one trial at a time.
Let nourishment from Father's Word fulfill your every need; may it keep, comfort and strengthen your spirit now and always. These verses ministered strongly to me (and I pray you) too:
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine
and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1Peter 1:6-7
"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
And God is faithful;
He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so
that you can stand up under it." 1Corinthians 10:12-13
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.
For what son is not disciplined by his father?
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace
for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7, 11
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said
to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Therefore, I boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's
power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2Corinthians 12:8-10
"His way is in the whirlwind and the storm," Nahum 1:3b
"Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' Your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:17-19
Thank you for your faithfulness to Jesus...let me know how I may pray with you, it would be an honor and a privilege to do so! God bless until next time....would love to hear from you, theresa
