Put to the Test

     I think too many times, we as Christians think that with our relationship with God, only good and prosperity will come. I admit to thinking this sometimes too. But that isn't always the case. Job is the prime example of this. He trusted and believed in the Lord with all His heart and yet God allowed Satan to enter his life and destroy much of his possessions and family and even himself. Through it all, Job still knew God was in control of his life and he trusted even though he questioned why at times. And I believe questioning why something is happening is not a wrong thought to have when troubles enter our lives. Our initial thought may be that we have sinned or done something wrong in the eyes of the Lord. This may be true, but sometimes God just has a plan, and this is part of it. He sometimes puts us through trials and tribulations to see if we will still trust and follow Him even in the most difficult times of our lives. It says in the bible that we are to be married to Christ (Hosea 2:19-20). I am married to Christ, and this means I will follow Him through sickness and in health; rich or poor; and until death do me part from Him. Then, we are able to meet up with Him again in all His glory in Heaven!
     You may be going through a tough time and not know why this is happening and not trust that God still loves you and is there with you. You may think you have done wrong. You may just feel distant from God right now, which is hard for you. In all of these situations, God IS with you, and still cares. Our faith is not based on FEELING His presence and peace all the time, but rather TRUSTING and KNOWING He is their based on Faith. So please take heart because our creator has a perfect plan, and will not put us through any trials and troubles that we can't handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). Try and take this time to build a stronger faith and trust in the perfect plan of God our father. If He brought you to it; He will bring you through it! Amen

Joy of the Lord

We all have said “that” prayer where we ask God for strength to make it through a tough situation in our lives or to get through a temptation we may be struggling with, but have ever stopped to realize what exactly we are asking for as we tell our Creator to give us strength?

            Well the bible says in Nehemiah 8:10 that the Joy of the Lord is our strength. This occurred to me in the strangest way. I was in the shower, singing as I normally do, when I started to sing the words from the hymnal, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength…” I stopped and thought to myself about how could the Lord’s Joy give me strength in my life and what exactly does this mean. Joy is defined in the dictionary as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” But the Joy God speaks of in the bible is not like this. The Joy He speaks of comes from Him, and it is a Joy that we have because He lives in us. In life, if I am a Christian, I don’t want my success or good fortune to determine if I have Joy or not. The real Joy I want to experience is the Joy I have because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

So how can this joy be our strength? Well for me when I used to pray the prayer asking for strength to make through something or get over a struggle, I assumed this meant that at the time I was tempted or when the problem occurred, then I would magically be able to overcome the problem because a random boost of strength would come upon me, like a bolt from heaven, or something along those lines. I found this never happened. Then I realized that this isn’t the type of strength I was supposed to have in those circumstances. The strength I needed was from the Joy I have found in Jesus Christ! I didn’t need a temporary joy from a bad habit or a good circumstance to arrive on a bad day in order for me to feel “Joyful.” What I needed was the permanent Joy that comes only from a personal relationship with God my father. So in those times of struggle, I now say to myself that I have a true Joy from God and I no longer need a false joy to make my day. This is my strength; Jesus Christ, Lord of heaven and of earth! A being that neither death nor a grave could hold, so because He is in you, nor will your problems and struggles hold you! Amen.

So I encourage you, those who may be struggling with an addiction or may be going through a tough time in life; no circumstance that may arrive in your life is ever too big for God to handle. Next time you are encountering a problem, try to remember that because He is in you, you can have the Joy of the Lord, which is a strength like no other.