HE'LL DO IT AGAIN

The other day I was looking through the aisle of the CVS store when suddenly arms from behind were embracing me. I turned quickly to find a young lady that worked there that had attended the women's crusade in April. 

 It was indeed a pleasure to see her and most of all wanting to hear how she was doing. She had been powerfully touched at the crusade and The Lord delivered her from some serious issues, but the look on her face the her body language quickly revealed the state she was in. So I asked, " how are you doing?" She proceeded to fill me in on the raging battle that she was in and how difficult it had been for her. 

But, I loved the ending comment; "I refuse to give up and lose what God did for me at the crusade." Well, enough said, that's it! I told her she had just scored at that moment because what she spoke out of her mouth has the power to keep her free.

Keep Recognizing Jesus

. . . Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid . . . —Matthew 14:29-30

The wind really was boisterous and the waves really were high, but Peter didn’t see them at first. He didn’t consider them at all; he simply recognized his Lord, stepped out in recognition of Him, and “walked on the water.” Then he began to take those things around him into account, and instantly, down he went. Why couldn’t our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves, as well as on top of them? He could have, yet neither could be done without Peter’s continuing
recognition of the Lord Jesus.

We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus. Then comes His rebuke, “. . . why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Let your actual circumstances be what they may, but keep recognizing Jesus, maintaining complete reliance upon Him.

God's on Your Side — the Winning Side

by Rick Warren

“We are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help." (2 Chronicles 20:12 GNT)

When you feel overwhelmed, it's important to go to God in prayer and confess your inability and inadequacy. You need to be honest if you're afraid and tell God exactly how you feel.

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, Jehoshaphat says to God in prayer, “We are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help" (GNT). Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like there was a problem in your marriage, your career, or somewhere in your life that you thought was overwhelming? You start at the beginning of the week thinking maybe you can handle it, but by Wednesday you're out of power.

You Have God's Powerful Spirit

When your life gets hard and you feel overwhelmed, you can tell yourself, "Well, at least I don't have it as tough as Zerubbabel." 

That man was the governor of Judea, whose monumental task it was to rebuild the shattered nation after the Babylonian armies' terrible destruction and after 70 years of neglect and abandonment. Judea was burned, broken, and choked with weeds. 

Zerubbabel was all too aware that he lacked both the people and resources to do this impossible job. The prophet Zechariah was commissioned to remind Zerubbabel that God always equips the people he calls. "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6).

Do you know what that means for you? Since the Spirit is living in you, you have greater strength than you think. You are wiser than you think. You know what else? Zerubbabel got the temple rebuilt. 

      

Today's Grace Moment: 

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=9tyhw8hab&v=001cNWX07JYSkSfRtKyOQVO9TKGdJ16Rhak8tr5_

Stick to Your Calling

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God.... Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:6,9)

Are you doing what God called you to do?

If you haven't ever thought about it before, that may sound like an odd question to you. You may be tempted to shrug it off and say, "Oh, I'm not really called to do anything. I'm not a pastor or a teacher or a minister of any kind...I guess I'm just what you might call a little finger on the Body of Christ."

Finding Peace in Troubled Times

Written by Claire Colvin

Whether you have a child serving in the war in Iraq, recently lost a loved one or have no way to pay the mortgage this month, crisis takes many forms. Its impact is felt deeply. We feel helpless, we feel sad, we feel overwhelmed. Some of us are in crisis right now, for others, the images flashing across the TV screen are bringing up painful memories from the past.

Shaky marriages, divorce, death, illness, accidents, terrorist threats, war arouse in us a crisis response. What happens when crisis or trauma impacts people’s lives? How can we prepare and respond to crisis? Marriage and family counsellor Lynette Hoy, stresses the importance of differentiating between a problem and a crisis:

Overwhelmed And Broken

Terra thought that she would be happy as she prepared to start her new job in a new country. But after going through a time of loss, she felt overwhelmed and broken leading up to her move. She constantly asked herself: “Why did God let this happen when I’m doing what I should be doing?” Have you ever asked yourself that question?

Video provided by: TruthMedia films 

http://powertochange.com/discover/stories/overwhelmed-and-broken/

Related:

Does God Care?

http://powertochange.com/discover/stories/overwhelmed-and-broken/