"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2Corinthians 12:9

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah"
Psalm 46:1-3

Over and over I have planned out my day and have something unexpected happen. Sometimes it is a small thing like the notification I mentioned saying someone installed a phone somewhere and the bills were going to come to us. Sometimes it is a large thing.... sickness, death, or disaster of some kind.

I often feel like one of those spiders that walks on the surface of the water. When the water is smooth I have no problem walking on the surface. However, the water often gets rough. Sometimes it turns into a hurricane situation where the waves are 50 feet high. What can I do?

There is only one thing to do. I must turn to God. I don't have to look for Him or wait for Him. He is right by my side all the time. He has what I need. He can change the situation or He can carry me through it. With His help I will be able to survive.

I won't just survive, either. I will be able to experience joy where there is no joy. I will be able to have peace where there is no peace. Notice the scripture doesn't just say God is a help in trouble, He is a VERY PRESENT help! So often, as we thrash about trying to survive, we forget that He is standing next to us with His hand out saying, "Take My hand. I will help you. Lean on Me."

It has taken me many years to be able to see Him in the midst of trouble. It is my own fault. When times were good I wasn't communing with Him every day. I wasn't searching the scriptures to find out more about Him and His Kingdom. Once I developed a friendship with Him where He is in my mind all the time then I found that He was my first thought when things happened. I moved Him up in the priority list of my mind to the top place. He became my best Friend. He became my daily Companion. It was only me that was hindering that relationship, not Him.

Can you handle ANYTHING that happens today? I guarantee you that, with God's help, you will be able to handle whatever comes along.

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
Psalm 18:2

When I was attempting to get my broken glasses problem fixed (as described in this week's welcome message) I actually did include God in it at the very beginning.  However, all I asked Him to do is to help me keep my temper under control and to be able to love the people that I encountered.  I asked Him to help me to behave like a Christian.  Yet, it wasn't until later on in the day that I finally asked Him to help me solve the problem!

For the past few weeks I've been struggling with different things.  The enemy was trying to keep me off balance.  Just when I'd get one thing handled he would throw another.  While the problems were occurring He had people treating me rudely and it was all I could do to not react in the flesh.  I was doing OK, but  the stress was beginning to get to me.  I began transposing numbers and spelling words wrong.  I kind of retreated from conflict instead of facing it.  Then, when he saw I was not losing my cool as quickly as he would have liked he broke the lens in my glasses.  He knew how important it was for me to be able to read.

So, if God is my Rock why was I sinking into the quicksand?  If God is my Fortress why wasn't I hiding in Him?  If God is my Deliverer, why wasn't I giving Him my problems and allowing Him to handle them?  If God is my Strength then why did I feel drained of all strength?  If God is my Buckler (Shield) then why wasn't I hiding behind Him?  If God is the Horn (Container) of my salvation (deliverance) then why was I not pouring it out on the situations?  If God is my High Tower then why the heck wasn't I up high in Him looking down on everything????

I have to quit leaping out in the flesh.  It is something I've done all my life and it is something that the world expects me to do.  It is a BAD HABIT!  I must make myself hand everything (EVERYTHING!) to God and not do anything until He hands it back. OK, that's enough about me.  How has your week been?

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
Ephesians 6:16

First off, we are putting ourselves out there as our first line of defense.  How capable are we of seeing what is coming our way each day and being prepared for it?  Doesn't it make more sense to set ourselves behind the shield of faith and let God be in front?

Once you know the value of having a computer program that protects your computer from viruses, you won't go online without it.  The shield of faith is something that we should keep between us and the world all the time. The shield of faith means we are allowing God to have control.  We are allowing God to protect us from those fiery darts that come our way from every direction.   Instead of handling every problem alone we will benefit from God's help and God's direction.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?  It's not.  It isn't like a virus checker that silently works in the background without you having to do anything but turn it on in the first place.  The shield of faith must be constantly maintained.  We must choose to stand behind it every moment of every day.  We must give each thing that comes along to God.  We must be aware of His presence and allow Him to be in control.  It takes a conscious effort.  The good news is that the more we do it, the easier it becomes.

I can't give you too many details about God's virus checker because He customizes it to fit each of us.  You have to allow Him to show you how it works for you.

I have a friend who puts on her spiritual armor every morning.  She visualizes herself putting on her loin protection which is truth, her breastplate of righteousness, her shoes which are the gospel of peace, her shield of  faith, her helmet of salvation, and her sword which is the Word of God.  She won't get up without them.  Not a bad idea!

Be aware of His presence!  Just because you feel alone doesn't make it so.  He is there.  Ask to feel Him.  Ask for peace.  Ask for strength.  Ask for wisdom.

With the Almighty God who created the universe on your side why should you despair?  What more do you need? Go read 2Samuel chapter 22.  You will be blessed abundantly!

In the 107th chapter of Psalms this verse repeats itself four times in verses 6, 13, 19, and 28.  The people were suffering from the consequences of their actions and still God helped them when they cried out to Him.

This last month I was having trouble finding time or places to spend alone time with God.  Yet, He didn't condemn me for it.  He didn't punish me for it.  He didn't get mad at me about it.  He knew what I was going through.  He just patiently stayed right by my side and helped me when I needed rest, wisdom, strength, or anything else. I felt guilty because I wasn't spending time with Him, but He understood.

Also in chapter 107 the verse, "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" shows up four times in almost the same exact wording in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31.  Since God is so forgiving, patient, understanding, and wonderful we need to be praising Him. He wants us to not run from Him when we feel guilty or ashamed, which is what we have a tendency to do as humans because that's what we expect from other people when we treat them the way we treat God.

God loves us even when we are messing up and when we are ignoring Him.  He always has time for us even when we don't have time for Him. Our God is an awesome God.  There is none like Him.  Isaiah 46:9 says, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." 

We need to read our Bibles and find out Who God is.  We need to spend time in communion with Him to find out His nature and His ways.  That way, when we are going through rough times, we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is going to remain with us and will continue to assist us, no matter what. Praise to our God for His goodness and for all the wonderful things He does!! 

WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE!

God knows what we are going through and He is capable of handling everything.  He can make it go away altogether, He can use it for His purposes, or He can carry us through.  We just have to allow Him to have His way and know that He is right by our side.

How can we get to the point of trusting Him that completely?  We have to know Him.  We have to experience Him on a day-to-day basis in our good times.  We have to allow Him to be a part of our hearts and minds so that, when rough times come, we don't start "looking for Him".  If we don't have that personal relationship with Him then we are likely to thrash about in our flesh trying to solve our problems instead of just turning to Him for what to do. 

He is our Rock.  He cannot be moved.  No matter how bad of a trial we are experiencing, no matter how out of control the world seems, NO MATTER WHAT... He is the Solid Rock. He is available and willing to be our Rock.  Why would we choose anything else? I know that my feet are on the Rock.  Even when it is too dark to see, even when the flood waters are up to my knees, even when my legs are numb... I know, that I know, that I know the Rock is still under my feet. 

I encourage you to take hold of that reality and become a part of that Rock. You can stand tall and strong in the midst of disaster.  It is truly amazing to feel that power, peace, joy, and wisdom bubbling up through you when everyone else is crumbling to the ground and falling apart.

Wait, I have been suffering.  I've had all sorts of things happening to keep me from spending time with God.  I've been sick, too, and that keeps me focused on myself and not on God.

Backing up two verses I read, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." 

Satan is busy trying to keep us from doing what God wants us to do.  That's a fact.  He doesn't want us working on Godly things because that will result in more people coming to the Lord and stronger commitments to God.  He's going to try to keep us occupied and distracted. Yet, I need to resist his efforts.  I need to embrace the things that are going wrong in my life because then I can help others who are going through the same things. After I have suffered a while God will make me perfect.  He will strengthen me.

The most important way I have to resist is with my mind.  I can't allow the enemy to fill my mind with nonsense.  He will try to convince me that I am a failure.  He will try to convince me that God is mad at me so I might as well quit trying to do what God calls me to do.

He has tried to tell me that my Clarion Call ministry is worthless because I have had trouble updating this Bible study regularly. I refuse to listen to him.  I choose to listen to God.  I choose to believe that I just need to stand strong throughout all the things that are happening to me and I will have victory.

Then I give hugs as they circle around.  When the taller two aren't right by my face I bend over farther for kisses from the short one.  I've been head butted, had my glasses knocked off, and gotten fat lips from the dogs accidentally bonking me, so I am careful when my head is near theirs.

When I had two dogs I could use one arm and hand for each.  It still wasn't always easy, but it was easier than with three.

God has more than three dogs.  He has a whole bunch of animals, but, more importantly, he has six and a half billion people.  He knows what happens to each and every sparrow as well as what happens to each and every person.

God doesn't have a problem paying attention to the six and a half billion people in the world.  There is enough of Him to enable Him to spend quality time with each of us.  He doesn't have to share time with me and with you.  He can give each of us full attention 24 hours each day!

We don't have to hope that He hears us or has time for us. 

When we wake up in the morning He is loving us... ALL of us!  When we are feeling lonely He is reaching out to comfort us... ALL of us!  When we are [ -----fill in the blank---- ] He is there for us... ALL OF US!!

God sent the Holy Spirit to live in us.  That means God, Himself, is inside each of us.   We have all we need of His time and His attention.

How can that be?  Don't try to understand it using human terms.  God is God and is not a man.  He knows how many hairs you have on your head and you, yourself, don't even know that information about yourself.  Think about how He called Himself:  I AM.  What does that mean to us?

He just IS!  He IS Everything we need.  He IS Endless!  He IS Always Everywhere!  Often when I am worshipping Him and cannot think of any words that are great enough to describe Him I simply say, "You ARE!"