He is with you

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When is the last time you have been alone? I’m talking no one around or in close proximity of you? We can all think of a time where we have been completely alone. We can all recall a time and place where we felt alone and all by ourselves. The truth of the matter is that we have never, nor will we ever be truly alone. We always have someone with us. We will always have a watchful eye over us. God is ever present and has never ever left us. It may feel that way because we don’t have someone with us physically, however, we can never say we are truly alone.

HERE IT IS…

The KJV version of this verse says it this way, the the grace of of God will rest, rule, and abide with us henceforth and forever. That is what we should want God to do. Rest with us. Rule over us. And abide with us in everything that we do. The Bible says he will never leave nor forsake us. The Bible says that he is an ever parent help. The Bible says that where ever we go he will be there with us. We have a lot of friends and family that say they are our “ride or die”. I only know of one person who rode on a donkey and then died for me. His name is Jesus. He is always with us.

Start NOW

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What if I told you that you just won the mega millions. You just won an astronomical amount of money that is yours. You have been given a check to deposit into your bank account that is yours to do whatever you want with. Immediately the thoughts in my head start to think of all the things I dreamed of as a kid. I start to think about paying things off. Paying my family debt off. Buying homes and starting businesses. Investing and other things. All because I was given something that I dreamt about but felt I could not obtain.

HERE IT IS…

The benediction from the scripture shows us just how it can be done. We have to start by giving glory honor to the one who is able to give it to us. I watch people go to the stores and pay they’re hard earned money on lotto tickets because that’s where the money would come from. As for me, I’ll give the glory and honor and praise and power to the one who gave the money to them. God is the one who supply’s all my needs. God is the one who can do more than I can imagine. My faith and joy lies with him because he is able to do it. NOW, not later. Not eventually. Not soon. NOW, I give it all to him. Start NOW.

Take it with you

“Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:20-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One of my favorite stores I love to go to is Ace hardware when I am fixing things around the house. I love going in there because the focus on things dealing with the house. It’s smaller than the bigger stores and may not look like it has everything that you would see at the other places, but it’s there. I go there to make sure I am equipped with everything that I need to complete the job that I am doing. I go there because of the way they help me and show me easier or cheaper ways of doing things and get the same result. When I leave there they make sure I have everything I need and still provide me with more if I need it.

HERE IT IS…

How do you feel when you when you walk into Gods presence? I know for me when I come into his presence I feel so much better. I come with a expectation that God will do something amazing in my life. But it doesn’t stop there. When we come and we get what we need from God, do you walk out leaving everything that you just recurved there? Or do you take it with you to use? It’s no worse feeling of going to the store grabbing a lot of stuff and then realize that when you get home you left something there that is pivotal in what your doing. Don’t leave what God gave you with him, you have to take it with you and use it.

Now…

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s amazing to me of how things have become so different than they were when I was in school in comparison to now. The difference in the technology made all the difference. The teaching styles are different. The note taking or lack there of. The difference in how papers are written. Everything has become so immediate and streamlined that there is no room left for error almost. I remember writing a paper before spell check, before plagiarism sites. Before all these things are able to be done immediately. All because of the advancement of technology.

HERE IT IS…

We may think this technology is new, but I like to believe that this technology has been here since the beginning of time. Before the apostle Paul finishes this letter to Thessalonians he ends it with this declaration. NOW, he says in the very beginning. He shows them just how fast God can move. He shows them that God is a God of action. He tells them that the declaration he is giving God can do this now. As you start your day and as God has already predestined your day speak to it and tell it that NOW we will win. NOW we will succeed. NOW no matter what comes my way my God will supply all my needs. NOW in Jesus name.

Benediction

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ever notice that when you are visiting someone there is always that awkward moment where you have to make a move to leave? That moment where it seems that everyone’s escape to leave starts with this word “well”. It seems to always create that moment where you have to let them know that you are about to go. Trying to do it in a nice considerate way so that you can leave and go about your business and allow them to go about they’re business. You don’t ever leave with giving a last word and formal goodbye.

HERE IT IS…

What do you need to leave behind? A lot of times we try and say good bye but we leave the door open for whatever it is to come back. It’s almost like saying “ I’ll see you later”. Sometimes there are somethings that you have to let go of completely. There are somethings that you have to say good bye too without a chance for it to come back. Stop allowing things to come back in when the time for it and you are over. It’s time to give the benediction to things in your life.

At the right time

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Galatians 6:9‭-‬10 NLT

One of my favorite scenes from a movie was from Facing the Giants. This movie had it all for me because it was based around football and God. The coach had a player do what’s called a bear crawl across the field. Instead of seeing where he was going he blindfolded him and made him carry a person on his back. What he did was encouraged him the whole way bit as he got to the end he grew tired and fatigued. He was struggling to make it. Just buy the way the coach encourages him, made him push even when he wanted to give up.

HERE IT IS…

Even when your tired. Even when your sick. Even when your sick and tired. Keep pushing. Because the way that we reap our blessings is by pushing through our own mess. Our own issues. Our own situations. When we push through, and even seems like we are not going anywhere, that’s when God shows up and makes our weakness his strength. Be patient and keep going because as the scripture says at just the right time, when we feel like we wont make it. At just the right time, when our hearts are broken. At just the right time, when our spirits are low. God will show up.

Be still!

Be still in the presence of the Lord , and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.

Psalms 37:7‭-‬8 NLT
I can remember as a child my mom telling me to be still when I was anxious or playing in place it was not convenient. You ever tried to tell a kid to be still while they are in play mode? Where they see space or things that intrigue they’re imagination? It’s not impossible for a kid to be still, however when something is in they’re view, or it’s enough space for them to play, or even if they are just bored they will move. It can be hard for them to sit still as a child. What about us as adults? When God tells you to be still? We become like a child. We see enough space or a chance to do what we want and we go for it.

HERE IT IS…

God says “be still in the presence of the Lord”. Is it that hard to do? To be patient and wait for God to move on our behalf? “Well Rev, sometimes I feel God takes a long time”. Be still! “What if I can fix it”? Be still and wait. We have to remember to do that because gods timing is not our timing. His wa uh s are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. We become so ready to move that sometimes we dont pay attention, or, cant see the things that hiding in the background. We have to be patient and wait until he says for us to go. If we move to early or go when we are supposed to we can mess something up and still have to end up waiting longer than before. Be patient, be still and wait on God.

It hurts but be patient

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Romans 12:12 NLT

When ever it seems if things are going in the direction you want them too something ALWAYS comes up or happens. I mean your money is starting to get right. Family is good and in good health. Work seems to be going great. The spouse is acting right. Just seems like everything is starting to fall into place. The puzzle is coming together. Then, BOOM, something happens. The car breaks down, the kids or family gets sick, an unexpected change in pay. Something seems to always come up to disrupt the course of peaceful living. So what do you do when trouble arises? Do you become in a hurry to get out of it? Do you try to hurriedly make the situation stop?

HERE IT IS…

This next statement I used to have trouble with. I can be honest in saying that I was one of those people where I was in a rush to get that portion over so I can get back to what I thought was smooth sailing. Be patient in the affliction! How can anyone be patient in a troubled, problematic, disorganized, chaos? Because of or confidence in our faith! We have to be able and learn to be patient because we have the faith that God is going to supply everything we need. In reading this I used to only focus on the being patient part and missed the portion that said; “and keep on praying”. We have to keep praying and keep or faith level up because of who our God is. I figured out that since God created the whole world and everything in it, what do I have to be in such of a hurry for. Just keep praying.

In the mean time

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”

Genesis 29:20‭-‬21 NLT

How long would you wait for something you love? Something you really love how long would you wait? Being patient and waiting on something you love is not always the fun part. Waiting always seems to be the hard part. You start to get anxious and seeing ways that you could get it faster and sooner. Waiting can sometimes not be fun. It is my belief that the waiting is all in what you make of it. So what are you doing while your waiting? What is that you have filled your time with in waiting?

HERE IT IS…

Jacob worked 7 years with anticipation of receiving his reward of having Rachel for his wife. 7 years of labor working in the field, tending to the flocks, all for the wife he wanted. He wasnt sitting by watching but he was working in that time. The bible says that even though he worked 7 years it didnt seem that long because he loved her that much. What are you asking God to do in your life? What are you asking God to bless you with? So now the question arises, what are you doing in the mean time? Are you sitting and waiting or are you working for it?

Wait a minute

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NLT

I just had a doctors appointment and it was quick. I tried to make the appointment as early as possible so I could hurry and get it over with. It’s amazing that we try to strategically make appointments for things that we try to control when we cant. We make the appointment thinking that we should be able to get in and out. Not realizing how many people that thought the same. Because no matter how early or late I make the appointment I still have to sit in what’s called the waiting room. I still have to sit and wait until they call my name to go back.

HERE IT IS…

In another version the scripture says dont be anxious about anything. We can get in such of a rush in life that we fail to see what God is doing for us. We want to be able to do things quick and we miss certain things that we need along the way. Dont rush, dont be anxious, dont worry about it. Allow God to provide you with all that you need. It’s hard to sit and wait, but when you allow God to move on your behalf all things will work out for your good. In the Army they told us to hurry up and wait. In Gods Army he tells us; But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 NLT