A Key to Strengthen Your Faith

The safest place to hide during life’s storms is in God Himself.

 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Prov. 18:10, ESV).

“My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:3 (NLT).

Some valuable lessons about handling negative experiences and emotions can be learned from a man named Job in the Bible. After he had lost almost everyone dear to him and everything he owned including his health, he leaves us an unsurpassable lesson on what giving God ultimate love looks like and how to handle unimaginable distress. See Job 1:1–2, & Job 1:13–19. But even though Job had to go through some fiercely intense negative emotions, he only gave full vent to his frustrations in God’s presence: worship.

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:20–22, (Berean Study Bible).

After suffering the most crushing losses, and Job’s wife, whom he had loved dearly for so many years told him to just curse God and die! And if all that were not enough to destroy a person’s soul, his closest friends, whom he had been with for many years gathered around and instead of comforting Job, made false accusations against him. The destruction of everything that Job possessed, compounded by the loss of his seven children all happening to him within one single day, and the many dark days of satanic assaults that followed, would seem like more than enough reasons for anyone to stop believing in God.

But what we’re about to witness is the outstanding response of a true worshipper of God to life’s worst circumstances. I don’t know of anyone that has ever gone through what this dear man did and pray that no one else ever will. But as Job confronted these enormous challenges and unquantifiable sufferings, he just did not let go of his faith in God.Instead, he kept the lines of communication between himself and God completely open. And by so doing was able to withstand the relentless attacks in the safest place of all: God’s presence.

It’s impossible for us to fully comprehend the depth of agony that Job went through, but his grief was palpable through his darkest emotional statements to God. Job’s feelings ranged from rage to despair, grief to anger, and unimaginable levels of depression. But he made them all known to God.

My spirit is broken, my days are cut short,

The grave awaits me. Surely mockers surround me;

My eyes must dwell on their hostility.

God has made me a byword to everyone,

A man in whose face people spit.

My eyes have grown dim with grief;

My whole frame is but a shadow.

The upright are appalled at this;

The innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

“Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,

And those with clean hands will grow stronger” (Job 17:1–9, NIV).

After his ordeal was over, God completely reversed Job’s fortunes and blessed him with double what he had before.

So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters …. In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren (Job 42:12–13, 15–16, NLT).

Here is my prayer:

“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours” (Isa. 61:7, NIV). Amen!

Job’s love for God serves as one of the greatest examples of ultimate trust in God when life throws you a boulder. I implore you to also:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Ps 55:22, ESV).

Because:

“Unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! (Ps. 32:10–11, NLT).

Please remain strong. By the grace of God we shall surely prevail.

Will you place your full trust in God no matter what, giving Him your over-the-top mega love in worshipful submission, and receive His double rewards?

A modified excerpt from “Giving God Ultimate Love: Over-the-Top Mega Love.” Click here to learn more about this title.

Dear Friends,

I hope you’re holding up well considering all of the current local and global circumstances. I extend my gratitude along with yours to all of those brave men and women that are on the front lines sacrificing so much to help us all to make it through.  Here, I’d like to offer us some spiritual food for the soul. Make HOPE your go-to Ingredient when you feel completely out of options. The scriptures teach us this.

“Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches. Though its roots have grown old in the earth and its stump decays, at the scent of water it will bud and sprout again like a new seedling. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.  Job 14:7-9 & Jeremiah 17:7-8(NLT).

There is hope beyond the scope of our human limitations. My prayer for all of us during these unprecedented times is the same one that the Apostle Paul prayed for all believers.

 “…I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Ephesians 3: 14-17 (NLT).

Be strong dear friends and let your roots go down deep into God’s word. Jesus Christ is our source of living waters. See John 4:10-15.

So let’s get our hopes up, knowing that  “All will be well!.” 

“Faith is the confidence that what we HOPE for will actually happen…”  Hebrews 11:1 (NLT).

God’s ultimate grace deserves our ultimate love. How can we respond to the height and width and depth of God’s immeasurable love? In “Giving God Ultimate Love: Over-The-Top Mega Love ”, ($15.99, paperback, 978-1-7335652-0-2; $7.99, eBook, 978-1-7335652-1-9) author Bukky Agboola coins the phrase “over-the-top mega love” to characterize the many ways we can show God our love. Through the use of biblical examples—Abraham, David, Deborah, Anna, Elizabeth, Zachariah, and even the unnamed, poor widow–Agboola provides guidance and encouragement that even amidst adversity, we can express mega love to our faithful, loving Father and be richly blessed as a result.

Here’s a great recipe I got from one of our Pastors to share with you. Make a determined effort to have a happy new day each day of this new year even when things are super tough. Before you know it, 365 of mostly those kinds of days or 366 for a leap year and boom! You’ve had a Happier Year for Real!

Make it Happen this Year! All Will Be Well. Remember recipes are for sharing, so share this page to encourage someone this Year. A happy new day to you each day of this year and beyond!

“This is the Day the Lord has made, We Will Rejoice and be Glad in it” Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

 

Happy Birthday, Jesus! Merry Christmas dear friends! Let’s celebrate the reason together! “For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NIV).

BukkyMusic Showcases Traditional Christmas Carols Top Picks http://www.prweb.com/releases/bukkymusic_showcases_traditional_christmas_carols_top_picks/prweb16688416.htm

“God is the only one with an eternal supply of everything we need. It was a wise move on the widow’s part to entrust herself completely to God because by transferring what could not sustain her in the long term into the hands of Jehovah Jireh (the God who provides), her little became much. Her meager resources became consecrated when she connected them to God, and He could now take over the full responsibility of providing for her. God could now also greatly multiply what she had entrusted to Him because God responds to our faith with extravagant blessings in extraordinary ways. He blesses us back with far more than we can ever give to Him, and the most important lesson to draw from this woman’s example is this: rich or poor, those who love truly are generous givers!

At this point, we need to take a deep breath and remind ourselves that we don’t need to depend solely on our own willpower or determination to love or please God in any way. All our help comes from the Lord, and every new move of God begins with God. If we simplify our lives and yield ourselves to God, then we allow Him to accomplish His purpose in and through us. We can do nothing solely with our own strength; we need to align ourselves with God’s word. We learned earlier that we cannot genuinely learn to love others without first receiving love from God:

“My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Ps. 121:2, NLT).

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14, NLT).”

A Free Excerpt from:

Giving God Ultimate Love

Over-The-Top Mega Love

by Bukky Agboola

Visit the post for more.

Source: Author’s Corner With Cheryl Jackson And Bukky Agboola

Remember recipes are for sharing, so please pass this page link on to encourage someone today.  Here is another new recipe to share with you. As long as you’ll put up with something it will not change. So take positive action to change “it” today (whatever “it” may be) and the situation will change. Remember “failure is closer to success than inaction”. Earl E. Bakken. So make a start and make it happen this year. God bless you and happy new day!

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…” Romans 12:2 (NLT).