bible.com/bible/116/mat.12.20.NLT
““Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.””
Matthew 12:18-21 NLT
People all over the world, are broken, needy, and hurting due to the pandemic. Fear of the virus has consumed our way of life. During the holidays a lot of people are depressed, lonely, and feel unloved. However, since the Covid, we have to add sickness, mandates, and the loss of friends and loved ones. Thank God, we can call upon him. He will shower us with his love, compassion, and kindnesses. He will see us through the storms of life. David called out to God and claimed His promises. He knew who could help him in his depth of despair.
“But now, O Yahweh-God, make yourself real to me as you promised me you would. Because of your constant love and your heart-melting kindness, come be my hero and deliver me! I’m so broken, needy and hurting. My heart is pierced through and I’m so wounded. I’m slipping down a dark slope, shaken to the core, and helpless.”
Psalms 109:21-23 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.109.21-23.TPT
“But I will give my thanks to you over and over, and everyone will hear my lavish praises. For you stand right next to the broken ones as their saving hero to rescue them from all their accusers!”
Psalms 109:30-31 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.109.30-31.TPT
bible.com/bible/1849/1pe.5.6-7.TPT
“If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands. Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 TPT
bible.com/bible/116/eph.2.9.NLT
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.5.NLT
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:1-5 NLT
bible.com/bible/97/jhn.7.37-39.MSG
“On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)”
John 7:37-39 MSG
bible.com/bible/116/2co.9.9.NLT
“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.””
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 NLT
We are a custom to having electricity at our fingertips. We can have bright lights, soft low lightening, or lights that will even twinkle. We have choices on the ambiance that we want.
On Sunday night, my husband and I both were relaxing in the family room reading. I told Gary I was going to make myself some coffee and asked if he would like something to drink. As I headed for the kitchen, I noticed that the lights were off. I thought to myself I can see just fine. I opened the kitchen drawer grabbing a Keurig coffee pod. Putting it in the coffee maker it started brewing immediately. As I watched the coffee drip into my cup it looked unusually dark. When my drink was done I couldn’t wait to smell and taste it. Oh, no it wasn’t coffee! It was hot chocolate. Why didn’t I turn the kitchen light on? It made me think of Jesus. How He is the light in a very dark world. To keep his light illuminated in our lives we must spend time in prayer and reading his word. Friends this taught me a lesson. Don’t do things in the darkness of the world, you may get something you don’t want, physically and spiritually. Let God shine through you!
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””
John 8:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.8.12.NLT
bible.com/bible/116/rom.5.8-9.NLT
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
Romans 5:1-11 NLT
As Christians, sometimes we are not prepared for the devil and his deceit. I did not realize as a young married couple we were under attack. I thought as long as I served God my life would be trouble-free. Boy, was I wrong? After a couple of years, Gary and I stopped going to church. We thought that was the best decision for our situation. We both agreed we would not quit serving God; we would just stop going to church. The agreement that Gary and I made about continuing to serve God went by the wayside. Instead of reading the word of God daily, it would be months before I picked up my bible. Praying to God was not as it had been when I had a relationship with Him. Praying had become a 911 call to God to help me whenever an emergency arose.
Satan knew not to waste his time on enticing me with the world and everything it had to offer. I had been brought up in church and knew right from wrong. I would never do what I call a blatant sin….you know, things like drugs, smoking, and drinking; I would never cheat, steal, or swear. I was on the road to living a life to make a good impression on others. I was arrogant, prideful, and self-righteous, you would call me a “goody-two-shoes.” The world considered me a Christian, but in reality, I was just a good moral person who was not living close to God. Don’t get me wrong. I called on God many, many times throughout my life and He was always there for me. Even though, I let the devil convince me that I was above sin. Oh, what a fool I was. It was as if I thought I had never done anything bad in my entire life. And of course, I failed to remember that I was born in sin, just like everyone else in this world.
And then there was a changing point in my life:
I started having a recurring dream for almost a year. I dreamt that I had killed someone. I saw the deep, open grave and strained to see who was in the grave. It was too dark and seemed bottomless. I knew I was a murderer. I woke up with my heart racing and the horrible guilt engulfing me. It felt like the weight of the world was on my chest. I had never felt so much conviction in my entire life. the more I dreamt the dream, the more intense it got, and I could not distinguish between reality and the dream. It seemed so real, it felt so real, and I must have done it. I would tell Gary how I felt every morning after the terrifying dream. He would take me in his arms as I cried and would reassure me by saying, ” Honey, you didn’t kill anyone.” I always responded, “Then why does it seem so real?”
After several months of the same dream, I realized that God was showing me what a wretched sinner I truly was, and most importantly how much my sin weighted when he carried it to the cross. My pride, self-righteousness, and vanity all equaled a murderer in God’s eyes. You see God doesn’t measure or grade our sin. He calls it like it is; Sin is Sin one is not worst than another. It is the only thing that can separate us from God. God Loved me unconditionally and showed me what I needed to see and feel, the real me, the sinner I was. One night I was looking through the old bible that had carried me through my years in the wilderness without a relationship with God. I was reading Genesis chapter 6 when I saw words that I had written when I was fifteen, “Don’t murder your soul.” The chapter is on the wickedness of man. God said,” More and more of my people are turning against me. The human body has become their god. My Holy Spirit will not work with them endlessly.” It was only then that I knew who I murdered in my dream; it was me, It was my soul. I asked God to forgive me of my murderous sins and rededicated my life to Him. Gary and I are prodigals that came home. If you have left the fold Jesus is searching for you and pleading for you to come home. It is never too late.
Are U Up for the Challenge?