SPECIAL GRACE GIVEN

  Do Not Be Afraid “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help the; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41: 10 Sometimes we humans make things complex, but God has simplified faith for us. We must choose to use our faith and believe His word and act upon it or not to believe it. That is our choice. Why did God tell us to fear not? Because He is with us. Imagine, God is with you and me. Why? So, we will not be fearful. That seems clear and simple, doesn’t it? Fear not, because I your God am with you. But He did not stop there. He went on to say, “Be not dismayed.” What does that word dismayed mean? It means disappointed, unhappy. A feeling of alarm , fear, or serious disappointment . God does not want us to let our courage breakdown. Why? Because He is our God. We do not need to be in stress, or lose courage, He says, “I am your God.” And let me tell you He is a big God....

  "I exhort  therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;   For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.   For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;   Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."   1 Timothy 2:1-4 When I read these verses, I realized that God was giving us instructions as well as urging us . Exhort means urging, strongly encouraging. What is God urging us to do? He said, “First of all,” I want to stop here a minute. God’s words “first of all” should say to us that what He is about to ask us to do is important. We are to do it first. So, what do we do first? We are to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all men. Supplication means we are making a request and bringing a petition to God earnestly and humbly ...

 Andrew Murray said, " Nothing so effectually hinders hearing God’s voice as opening the heart too much to other voices. A heart too deeply interested in the news, the literature, and the society of this world cannot hear the divine voice. It needs stillness, retirement, and concentration to give God the heed He claims." Oh Lord God, I ask for you to help me and my family to be still and hear your voice telling us where you want us to go and we trust you to get us there at the right time. In Jesus name. Amen

  This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. I think this reflects the broader theme of obedience and devotion plus the rewards of faithfully serving our God. This is what Hezekiah instilled in the people. And it works. Hezekiah was blessed by God and prospered. It worked then, it works now. It is important that we wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to God and obey His commandments. I read somewhere that sacrificial giving is of God's people. But it goes deeper than giving our money, time and talents. It goes down to the core of our sacrificing the necessary things in our own lives so we can draw close to God. Once the people drew close to God they could serve others better. This means we could too. It isn't all about us getting, it is truly about us giving. Blessings!

  God said,  "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 God is so gracious to us. He knows when we need rest. Several weeks ago, I had retina surgery and rested my eye. It is healing and I am doing well. During this time I followed the Lord's words and rested. Looking forward to being back within a few days. God blessings to all!

Philip Doddridge wrote "Blest are the humble souls that wait with sweet submission to His will; harmonious all their passions move, and in the midst of storms are still." Sometimes we get very discouraged with ourselves. We try working on the faults we see and it gets us frustrated when we don't see change. Be patient with yourself as you would with others. Just ask God to help you each day change the things that you can change and trust Him to change the things He can change. Change in life is inevitable, but making sure those changes are from God takes prayer and seeking His will for your life.  When change comes that is not of God, it is wise to again, go to prayer and seek His will in the situation and His guidance. Maya Angelou said, "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." Blessings!