Too Far Gone? But God!

Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. Psalm 119:116

Have you ever heard someone say such and such a person was too far gone and there was no hope? Maybe you yourself have uttered those words. No matter what, there is always hope. Whatever you are believing God for,  do not cave in to doubt, fear, or a time table. God has His own time and His own purposes for the deliverance of our loved ones. It is the enemy, Satan, who puts lies into your head that there is no way this individual will ever change. Don't believe it!

I was thinking about the word hope and how we do not need to be around nay sayers who feed the negative aspect of the waiting game for God's miracle. He answers in His time and in His way. Praying is what you need to keep doing and never give up. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says "pray continually"! No matter how seemingly earthly impossible it seems or how far gone a person appears to be, God is the God of miracles. 

Do you have a situation in your life or the loved of a family member that seems like it will never change? Guess what, it can change. Keep praying and keep believing.

PRAYER: I believe in hope Lord and I believe in prayer. I know you work things out in your time and maybe it is me who needs to grow through this entire process. Help keep me patient while I am waiting. In Jesus' name. Amen.

More of God's Lemonade Stand devotions can be viewed at www.godslemonadestand.blogspot.com

Help My Unbelief

 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

I know of people who doubt God or Jesus because their prayers weren't answered. Perhaps a friend or family member died. Maybe a prayer has still not been answered. Whatever the case, because of a situation, a person may choose to not follow God at all or barely at all. To me this is sad because you are either for God or against Him, no halfway.

Jesus wants us to pray and not stop. Some may find this quite foolish, but the alternative is to follow the world and the ways of the enemy, which is Satan. Yes Satan is not a cartoon character. He is the power of evil and darkness of this present world we live in.  When we do not follow or believe God we give him a foothold in our life.

I don't know about you but I choose to believe and keep on believing as I know sometime I will see the glory of the Lord and for that I can not wait.  Who do you choose?

PRAYER: Help me to be patient when I pray Lord and know your ways are beyond my understanding and you have a plan better than any I could dream up. Comfort those who have a hard time believing. Let them feel your presence in their lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Stop Laughing, Believe It!

Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:13-14

Are we doubting Christians or believing Christians? Good question. Praying occurs then worry starts. Promises are read yet pessimism arises. Are you a person who feels miracles only happened in Jesus day because if you are it is time to transform your thinking. As it says in Jeremiah 1:12 'God's word will be fulfilled.'

Nothing is too hard for our God. He is the creator of everything. By Him we live and move. Why do we think He does not reach down and answer prayers even today? It is time to stop your laughing and unbelief and instead embrace the attitude that believing equals receiving and doubting means we do without.

What is it you are believing God for?

PRAYER: Help me Lord to be a patient waiter as I pray and wait for you to work things out your way for your purposes. I do not want to get in the way of your plan. In Jesus' name. Amen.

DREAM BIG!

Do you have a half full or half empty approach to life? Do you look at every problem coming your way and get overwhelmed? Does your attitude need an adjustment? Do you look at a task and think it is impossible?

In a nearby community in Tennessee I was thrilled to see a new coffee shop open where another one had apparently not succeeded. I told the owner I was very happy and hope they did well. I said I loved seeing small businesses start up and be successful. He responded to me, "I do not plan to be small for long". What a tremendous positive outlook!. He did not respond "I hope we make it but I fear this economy" but instead was positive. That is the attitude all of us need to develop.

Now I do not know where this owner stands with Christ or even if he was a believer but he sure had a can do attitude and was full of hope and a good outlook on things. All of us could learn a lesson in that. For me as a writer wanting to have a book someday I need to know I can and will do it and not doubt. entertaining wrong thinking only brings a person down and makes the enemy happy because he has you paralyzed that you are incapable.

Let me leave you with Philippians 4:13(NIV) which says 'I can do all this through him who gives me strength.'

PRAYER: I thank you for hopes and dreams you have placed in my heart Lord. I thank you that with your help I can succeed. I thank you Lord that I have the mind of Christ and choose to stop doubting and look to you as my strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.

GOD NEVER IN SPAM FOLDER

In communicating with each other, especially through electronic media, sometimes messages are not received or they may come across the wrong way.

Not so with God. We are always connected to Him and not in His "spam" or junk email folder, if He in fact had one. He waits to hear you and wants you to "talk" to Him.

There may be some who are reading this who see prayer as something only priests, preachers, rabbi's or other knowledgeable people do. My friend, prayer is for everyone. Jeremiah 29:12(NIV) says 'Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.'

You think maybe your prayers are going into some heavenly "spam" folder because they seem not to be answered or at least not like you think they should be. Trust me when I say God has a plan. Isaiah 55:9(NIV) says 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'

Are you able to trust God? Can you pray and leave the rest to God? Remember too, to make sure your heart is right with Him as often iniquity may separate you from Him. Psalm 66:18 makes this point when it says 'If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened.'

Call out to Him today as it goes right to His "inbox".

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that you love me and you want me to talk to you in prayer. I am sorry Lord for not trusting you to hear and answer prayers. I realize it is in your time and your way. Give me the strength to wait. In Jesus' name. Amen.

DON'T QUIT PRAYING!!

Do you ever feel like you pray and pray some more but it seems like the thing you are praying about never changes? Luke 18:1 tells us to 'pray and never give up.' Never means never. Do not quit. Do not stop believing. Your faith grows through these hard times. 

In  Peter 1:7(KJV)  it says '

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold which perishes, may be tried by fire,  might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearance of Jesus Christ. I have written in the past about the fact Christians are on earth in sort of a training mode for our heavenly kingdom. What happens in our life is not always just about us. We are here to be witnesses. Seems at times we can not understand why bad things happen. I just know that God loves us even through the seemingly bad stuff. 

James 1:2-4(NIV) reminds us 'Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds because you  know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance Let perseverance finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.' Are you able to pray a prayer that would release  your problems to God? Jesus wants us to lean on Him and trust Him. You can not be powerful for the Lord when you are all worried and doubting. Pray the prayer and then let God work no matter how long it takes.

PRAYER: Lord I thank you as I know you are working in my life and that of my family. You have a perfect plan. Help me trust and not worry. I give my life to you to use as you see fit. In Jesus name.Amen.

Click on link for a wonderful song of faith:
http://youtu.be/2ZuVtA7Vyk8

AND IT CAME TO PASS...

Dr. Creflo Dollar was on TV one day talking about believing and having a faith walk and not doubting about your prayers. We need to have serious faith not just be  "Sunday Christians" who think that is all that is needed is a one hour visit one day a week. Dr. Dollar said to walk in faith and keep saying 'and it came to pass' over and over, or in other words you are believing God for a job, 'and it came to pass'. You are believing God for a breakthrough in the life of a wayward child, 'and it came to pass'. You are believing God in other miracles saying 'and it came to pass'.

Now for this to work in a believers' life you have to have your heart right with God. Being jealous, vindictive, hateful, backbiting, is not going to demonstrate a love walk. And without love in your heart it is hard for God to hear you. Psalm 66:18(KJV) says 'If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear.'

If you do more than just show up on Sunday and grow in Christ and have a fierce love for Him and His word, then you will have the faith to believe the ending of what you are praying for will 'come to pass'. You have to hang on and keep believing even when circumstances do not seem like your prayers are making a difference. That is what Satan, our enemy, wants us to  believe. Do not focus on circumstances. Focus on ChristConfess things out loud such as:

I have a great marriage

I will find a job

My child will be set free

       No weapon formed against me will prosper.

          All things are possible with God.

In other words think positive and get rid of negativity. Speak positive things out of your mouth. In Romans 4:17 it speaks of 'calling those things as not as though they were.'  Believe it and do it! 

PRAYER: Lord God I thank you for hearing my prayers. I know that I need to keep persevering in prayer according to Luke 18:1 and never give up. Sometimes the enemy will try to discourage me by planting wrong thoughts or fear in my mind. I resist the attacks of Satan and know I am a child of God and you have good plans for me and my loved ones. I need to believe and receive , not doubt and do without. In Jesus' name. Amen.  

NEVER, IMPOSSIBLE, WON'T HAPPEN, IT'S OVER, NO CHANCE

 

What do hearing the words above stir up in you? They are words lacking any hope. When you speak negative your mind is set up to be negative. What about the scripture that says 'nothing is impossible with God?' (Luke 1:37)

A person who gets in this kind of mindset feels hopeless. There is always hope as there is always God. When you think negative all the time and do not believe good things can happen then they probably won't. Worry and fear of the future do nothing but increase one's blood pressure. After this last election many Americans started feeling less than hopeful. The great country they know and love and the freedoms they have enjoyed are in danger of extinction. Worrying over this scenario will not help matters. Whatever is troubling you today you have to pray and never give up. (Read Luke 18:1). Almighty God is totally on our side and against evil. He may allow evil at times for His purposes.

So the words above, which are the title of my devotion today, are words that should not be in our vocabulary because they certainly aren't part of God's. Instead words of faith, hope, trust and encouragement should replace them. Stand firm, stay strong, and keep believing no matter what is troubling you today.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus many times I get scared even though your words say to not worry about mere men and what they can do. I know at times you may allow bad things to get my attention. Father forgive me when I have ever been complacent about evil and not take a stand. I fear not though as I know you are with me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link below to hear a wonderful worship song:

http://youtu.be/FqXZD_z3eCc

DISARM THE ENEMY

 

Do you want to make the devil mad? Like really really mad? Then get serious about your relationship with Jesus. Do not allow yourself to sit around and wonder what next, what is going to happen, or what should I do? Do not fear and worry about the future because that is how the enemy sinks his fangs into you and causes you to panic. You have to still run the race to win and keep going no matter what the attacks upon you. Do not just check the 'Sunday go to meeting block' and that is that. Fall in love with Jesus and get serious about knowing Him. That is the real way to peace and victory.

The enemy has taken root in the wonderful country of the United States of America. No other place is like this once godly nation. I say once because the enemy is trying to come in and change this wonderful nation and deceives many to do it. But our freedom is from God almighty and man and governments have no right to take it from us. Evil dictators throughout history have tried to remove God from nations. When a nation forgets God it falls. But once again we are not to fear. We are not to hate. We are to trust God and keep praying no matter what. Pray for your enemies. Ask God to save them.

Keep looking up to Jesus. Keep praising his name. Keep trusting God to deliver us from the kingdom of darkness. Satan uses the tool of deception to trick many to go his way and believe his lie. He also uses complacency. He traps people when they think their 'religion' is enough. You go to church. That is great, but do you love Jesus I mean really love Him? Are you sold out to Him? Does He have first place in your life? If he does then do you make Him first and not other things and or do you save him til the last five minutes of the day?

The Lord is good and his mercies endure forever. It is time to get serious for the battles which lie ahead. Do not sit around fretting about the demise of our land but start arming yourself with the word of God and disarming the enemy by knowing and reading his word.

If you expect to have victory in Christ over the devil and the fears he brings to you then you have to fill up your mind with the truth of God's word. Try reading this out loud. Psalm 1 says "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction"

Do you want peace in your life? When the world is out of control and you worry and can not figure out the future that is when you need this kind of peace. But you can not wait til chaos erupts to run to God. You need to run to Him now. Run full force and say Jesus I need you. Satan will try to stop you and continue to make you be consumed in worry but know my friend that worry will not bring you closer to God.

Isaiah 54:17 says "No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn." So evil men and evil governments may have plans to bring us down or make us little or try to weaken us but remember that verse. Our real enemy is not a man or a government but it is Satan himself in a battle against anyone who would dare be serious about Jesus. We know who wins in the end.

What is it going to take for God to get our attention and keep it? It is time to get serious about loving Jesus!

PRAYER: Father God I love you and want to trust you for the future. Forgive me when I try to start figuring things out on my own. Forgive me when I have only done what I have to do to be able to say I am a Christian. Forgive me for reading the newspaper more than the Bible. I know it is time to get serious about this spiritual warfare thing. Enough is enough. I will not allow the enemy to steal anymore ground. I will disarm him with the mighty power of Jesus. He has not authority of me. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on the link below and enjoy praising Jesus.

http://youtu.be/yRWDwIQFR1k

YouTube - Videos from this email

STAND IN FAITH!!

Do  you have faith?Even a tiny bit?Faith Is important in many areas of life. First let me define faith. According to Webster's it means loyalty, fidelity to ones' promises, belief and trust and loyalty to God, and having a strong belief.

You have faith when you get in an elevator that it will not plunge to the ground. You have faith in the floor of a building that it will not cave in. If you are married you have faith in the love and loyalty of your spouse to you only. In the Bible it says in Hebrews 11:1 that "now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen."  You have faith that when you pray God hears your prayers. You have faith that when you die if you asked Jesus into your heart you will be in heaven with him for eternity.

2 Corinthians 5:7 says "we live by faith, not by sight." In Hebrews 11:7 speaking of Noah it said "By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Most everyone has heard the story of Noah and seen Hollywood's portrayal of it in 'Evan Almighty' but just imagine being spoken to by God and trying to get those close to you to believe you. It would take an immense amount of faith.

Hebrews 10:23 says "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Also in Matthew 17:20 it says "He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." A good faith verse I like is Romans 4:17 says "As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations.  He is our father  in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." The last part is the part I like when it says "call things as not as though they were." Stop being a dooms day thinker. Say out loud, "Lord I do not know how you are going to deliver _______but I know you will". (Fill in a name in the blank).

 I heard a saying once that said "Believe receive,doubt,do without."  That is good to remember when it comes to faith.What are you believing for today?

 PRAYER: Lord I trust you for the areas in my life that sometimes I do not understand why they are happening. I believe that you are in control and have an awesome plan for my life. Help me to demonstrate that faith to those around me. In Jesus name. Amen.