https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012%3A2&version=KJV

Today I asked myself the question… who am I trusting to provide for and complete the work that was started at my birth? I believe the majority of the depression we experience is when we look to ourselves or other people to bring completion and meaning to our being and efforts. After all, we are but dust and human. The breath that was breathed into Adam gave Him life, and is the same Spirit that can inspire and sustain us. Once we focus on another source of encouragement, solely, is the start of death by wilting.

For me, personally, I have to exercise faith in the Lord through faith to complete the rebuilding work in my remarriage….also in my Parents’ and inlaws lives in the areas of finances and health. Please pray for Sister and Brother-in-Law…they have limited resources, and Scott is a stroke patient. For my Parents… in the area of my Mom’s health, mentally and physically. Thank you very much! We serve a gracious God…let us grab onto this graciousness through faith! (Ephesians 2:8)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204%3A16-18&version=NIV#aoh=16432324505090&amp_ct=1643232452668&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblegateway.com%2Fpassage%2F%3Fsearch%3D2%2520Corinthians%25204%253A16-18%26version%3DNIV

     Have you ever wanted to feel better about yourself or your situation? I have personally gone through many days of “mourning” mine and others’ declining health as we age.  Our old man shouldn’t be the gauge by which we judge everything.

     The key is to remember that the new man is what should be focused on.  I have, and I am sure everyone else has noticed, needed strengthening of the inner man each day.  It is beautiful seeing how God is able to renew us time and time again.  Each day we serve Him, we are being sanctified.  My prayer is for all of us to be able to recall the fact that all of our hardships are temporary and will not last forever. Maranatha….Lord come quickly!

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%204%3A12-13&version=NIV

The Word of God is very important! It is our Bread of Life (John 6:35). In fact, it is actually God who became flesh. Jesus was present in the creation, as told about in Genesis and referenced in John 1. Not only is it life, but Hebrews 4:12-13 mentions that it is truth.

That is so needed in these times….the proper truth being uncovered. There are many people out there claiming to have the accurate viewpoints on life. Jesus has come to cut through the lies. Just like light and darkness, the light is going to drown out the darkness. Jesus is the light, as mentioned in John 8:12. Let us flood our minds and hearts with His Word!

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2041%3A10&version=NIV;KJV

Isaiah 41:10 has been my life verse. Why? it is because I am, unfortunately, a person who naturally gets afraid. It has been a verse that gets me to stop and refocus.

This Sunday Pastor Kevin highlighted the factor that our attacks happen in our mind; Satan loves to work on our flawed ideas. In Philippians, I believe Chapter 4, it encourages the believer to think or dwell on what is uplifting. Paul encourages a person to pray about everything, to not try to figure things out alone. What a timely chapter, and Isaiah 41:10, to help set the mood for me and Alan as we attempt to seek God this week (and throughout 2022). I encourage everyone to examine what they put in the mind, and how they channel the concerns and fears of the mind. Praying is what Christ did daily; so it speaks of the necessity of it for our lives.

   https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2019%3A7-14&version=KJV

       I wanted to focus this devotional on Psalm 19, verses 7-14. It shared how holy, without fault, God’s Law is.  First of all, His Laws do not leave a person feeling beat up.  Obeying His instructions gives refreshing to a soul. Secondly, Jesus gives witness to them….He can be trusted.

       I was thinking about the laws of man, and how many times they leave a society feeling put under a burden.  For instance, the most recent vaccination mandate.  It just seems such an overkill to attack people’s livelihood to encourage vaccinations.  I bet many more people would have taken the vaccinations if it wasn’t pushed on everybody.  Jesus was and is the only perfect God/man.  That is why He can be trusted.

     Since Jesus is God and He is perfect, we can trust His Laws are without fault.  He, through His Spirit, has testified to their validity. He gives us truth and enables us to see clearly. King Jesus is worthy of obeying at all times!

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2013%3A15&version=NIV

     Job 13:15 appeared on my calendar today….what a statement of faith!  Job had such a reverance and trust in God his creator, that it didn’t phase him all the trials he was going through.  His heart and mind was staid on Jehovah.  Our relationship with our Savior should be focused so much on how much God loves us,  it will erase any doubts or fears we may have (1 John 4:18).

     I believe our downfall is when we begin to make our problems the central focus of our lives, instead of recounting the nature of God and His many promises.  Is God like us?  No!  He is so beyond our understanding (Ephesians 3:20)!  In closing, I would like to leave the thought of His being our Redeemer….He fulfills the lack that every man has.  Jesus, through His Spirit, will answer ever need.  He has paid the price!  Here is a song by Nicole C. Mullen.🙂

    

Romans 8:18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

This statement from Paul fits in perfectly with the sermon given this morning, based off of Exodus 17. God clearly wants to reveal to all of us where our hearts are at, when we go through the times of testing. It is not for us to complain or challenge God. Let us take courage and hope in the promise that our sufferings will not last forever, but will soon pass.

If we will learn to refocus our attention on Christ and not base our view of ourselves on our emotions or the situations we are facing, then we will find ourselves breaking the ugly chain of bitterness and depression. Instead, we will find ourselves basking in the confidence of who we really are in Christ, and will be utilizing the grace Christ has given through faith in Him. Oh how I want to daily have a heart after Him and His truth! No more measuring myself by past experiences, but by what God has said in His Word!