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Saturday 29 October 2016

Seven Ways God Uses Tough Times to Shape Our Lives


Tribulation tests our identity as Christians Tribulation tests our identity. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23), Jesus described several situations. The seed that landed on rocky places did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. When the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Jesus said that the one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. Since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution come because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. The seed that fell on good soil produced a good crop. By implication, that seed that fell on good soil stayed connected to the source of its life and was not destroyed by trouble, persecution, the worries of this life, or the deceitfulness of wealth. When we deal with tribulation as we should, it authenticates our true identity as believers.

Tribulation tests our faith "These [trials] have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7).
Tribulation tests our sense of purpose When I was in my first year of medical school, I was about one minute late to histology class two or three times in a row. Our professor approached me in the laboratory and notified me that my tardiness reflected on my "sense of purpose." I was never late again, because I realized how it would reflect on my character. As it says in James, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him"(James 1:2).

Tribulation tests our obedience "The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything" (2 Corinthians 2:9).
We are tested to teach us to rely on God "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many" (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).
We are tested so that it will go well with us "He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you" (Deuteronomy 8:16).
Some people do not pass the test In the New Testament, there is a Greek word, adokimos, that speaks of people who are tested but do not pass the test. It is used several times in the New Testament. I have included selected quotations:
"No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:27).

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless of course you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong" (2 Corinthians 13:5-7a).

"They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good" (Titus 1:16).

"But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned" (Hebrews 6:8).

Consider what 1 John 2:19 says about some who left the fellowship: "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going out showed that none of them belonged to us."

As I study these concepts, I can only come to one conclusion: Salvation is a gift from God, but if your life does not show evidence of God working in it, you likely never received the gift.

Trials and Tribulations – The Testing of Your Faith


Many Christians have either lost part or all of their faith in the Lord as a result of getting hit with some severe torpedo shots. And unless you have a full understanding as to why God will sometimes allow bad things to happen to good people in this life, you can have your personal faith levels in the Lord shaken to its very core depending on the severity of the storm cloud that may have just struck you.
The Bible tells us that God’s people can perish for having lack of knowledge – and not having the right kind of knowledge to fully understand why bad things can even happen to good people in this life, especially to Christians, can cause you to perish in your own personal relationship with the Lord if you ever end up losing your faith in Him as a result of not being able to fully understand why He may have allowed some severe adversity to hit you in the first place.
Per the other articles we have in the Spiritual Warfare section of our site, I believe that you can learn how to keep some of the adversity that may strike you in this life away from you if you can learn how to properly plead the Blood of Jesus for deliverance and protection, along with learning how to walk with God’s anointing.
The Bible tells us that we have to learn how to become good soldiers of Jesus Christ. If you can learn how to become a good soldier of Jesus Christ and learn how to walk with God’s anointing in your life, then you can either keep a lot of these storm clouds from ever hitting you in the first place, or you can quickly defeat them once they do come knocking at your door.
However, as a result of living in this fallen and cursed world, even the best of God’s true soldiers will still have to face a certain amount of conflict and adversity in this life from time to time. There is simply no getting away from it.
And until we get the New Heaven and the New Earth after the millennial rule of Jesus from the city of Jerusalem, the curse of Adam and Eve will still continue to stay in place on this earth, and as a result, we will all have to face a certain amount of storm clouds in this life – with no exceptions to this cold, hard, brutal fact and reality.

  

A Prayer for Trusting God in Hard Times


"As a child of God, you ought to expect God to answer your prayers. Do you ask God to do something without adjusting your life to what you are praying? If you are praying for revival, how are you preparing for its coming? If you are praying for forgiveness, are you still living with guilt? If you have asked God to provide for your needs, do you remain worried and anxious? Ask God to increase your faith, and then begin living a life that reflects absolute trust in Him." Henry Blackaby
Dear intercessors,

We all want God to answer our prayers. We believe in the power of prayer, but when it comes down to our own individual lives and our own problems, we often don't have the faith to believe God will answer. The times we are living in are difficult. We are often trapped by our unbelief and fear, but God is preparing us for the end-time harvest. He wants to enlarge our territory. He wants to bless us with increase, because His nature is to care and bestow divine favor on us.

We are the ones who limit Him because of our lack of trust and our fear of stepping out in faith. The truth is that the things we do for God should be outside of our own ability and should be trusting in His supernatural ability. When we back away from dependence and trust in God, we are not living by faith. He wants us to trust and obey His Word. He wants us to be strong and courageous. We need to be willing to attempt things big enough that unless God's steps in, we are sure to fail. This is the kind of trust and dependence He is looking for in our life. We need not be shaken. He can break through every obstacle. He is the God of the impossible!
A Prayer for Trusting God in Hard Times

Lord, I thank You that You are the God of the impossible. You can do anything. I want to trust in Your ability and not my own. Teach me to see difficulties in my life from Your perspective. Help me to focus on You and Your power. I want to be like Joshua and Caleb who believed in a good report and focused on You even in hard circumstances (Numbers 14:7-9). My responsibility is to carefully read, trust, and obey Your Word. Today I bring before You this difficulty in my life [Name a hard situation you are right now facing]. Help me not to fear but to trust You in this situation. I declare my faith in Your ability to fulfill Your promises to me. You will fight for me and win the battles in my life. You are mighty, powerful, righteous and true.
I have nothing to fear with You on my side. I will be strong and courageous even in hard times. I will not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord my God will be with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9). You will never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 1:5). I do not need to figure everything out. You already know the best plan for my life. I will not try any man-made method to do only what You can do. Show me Your supernatural power. Teach me how to walk by faith and pray breakthrough prayers. I choose to have faith in Your ability to break through every obstacle in my life. Just like Joshua, You will give me the land and every place where my feet step (Joshua 1:3). “Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever” (Psalm 44:5-8).

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:5-11). In Jesus name, amen.

"Faith does the impossible because it lets God undertake for us, and nothing is impossible for God. How great - without qualification or limitation - the power of faith is! If doubt can be banished from the heart and unbelief is made a stranger there, what we ask from God will surely come to pass. Prayer throws faith on God and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God."

Bible Verses About Trials: 20 Scriptures on Tribulations


Trials and tribulations are words that we do not like to hear.  We all face different trials and tribulations.  They come to us in every walk of life.  Some of us will face financial trials for our entire life.  Many will face physical trials or troubles.  Maybe it is family or relationship trials. We all seem to have some “cross to bear.”  Some people seem to believe that if you become a Christian, that all of your trials will go away.  Some have called this the “prosperity gospel” which means that if you believe in Jesus, everything will be great!  This type of belief is not found in Scripture.  Quite the contrary.  Jesus never told his followers that if they followed him, everything would be great or rosy.  He told people that followed Him that it will be a difficult road.  Thankfully, there are many passages and verses concerning trials and tribulations (some other words used too are “trouble,” “affliction,” and “oppression”).  Here are some examples to think on…

2Peter 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Verses on Trials

Deuteronomy 4:34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Deuteronomy 7:19 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

Deuteronomy 29:3 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders.

Luke 22:28  “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials,

Acts 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;

Bible Scriptures on Rejoicing During Trials

James 1:2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

1Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Bible Verses About Trials and Tribulations
Even when it seems like your world is falling apart, God has a purpose for your trial.
Tribulations Quotes From The Bible

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 4:30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice.

Mark 4:17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.



John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 2:9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

1Samuel 26:24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”

Verses on Trouble

Joshua 7:25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.

Judges 11:35 And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.”

1Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns,

2Samuel 14:5 And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.

Sometimes people think that trials are the same thing as temptations.  These are not the same thing. What is the difference between a “trial” and a “temptation”?

According to the dictionary, a trial is “a test of faith, patience, or stamina by suffering or temptation.” A temptation is “an enticement to do something wrong by promise of pleasure or gain.” It is “the act of tempting, especially to evil.” Temptation comes from evil desires inside us, not from God. It begins with an evil thought and becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an action. People who live for God sometimes wonder why they still have temptations. Does God tempt them? No. God tests people but he does not tempt them by trying to seduce them into sin. But God does allow Satan to tempt people in order to refine their faith and help them grow in their dependence on Christ. Don’t ever confuse temptation with God’s testing your faith (trials) as a way to strengthen it.

“James 1 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.””

Trials will indeed come our way.  If you are not facing a trial right now, Praise God!  But be ready because one is sure to come your way.  God never allows us to go through more than we can handle.

Facing Life's Trials and Tribulations



             


Recently, God has handed me some pretty big challenges.  Challenges, one might question why we are given some of the toughest situations in our every day life.  Your life is flowing along smoothly, things are great, one couldn’t ask for more. You tell people “My life could not be any better.  God really is taking care of me.”   You start to get very comfortable on easy street, so comfortable that you start slacking in three of the most vital importance’s, of one’s life... staying in the word, church/fellowship and prayer.

                Suddenly, you have forgotten to praise God when you wake every morning.  You forget to thank him for his blessings, comfort and protection as you go through your day.  You don’t  try to but when one is in their “comfort zone” they begin to turn their focus on earthly things instead of on God above.  Then, just when you think that nothing could go wrong, you hit rock bottom.  Suddenly, your life is shattered, crumbling before your eyes.  Panic sets in and soon you are grieving.  You ask “ Why God Why?”  “What have I done to deserve this?”  You tell God, as in my case, “Have I not suffered enough?”

                You see, in my case my life crumbled a year and a half ago.  After many years of working hard to keep things together, protect my children and provide a good family life for them.  One in which we did not always have.  But, for years I thought that Gods plan for me was to keep it together no matter the cost or what kind of destructive effect it had on my life.  At that time I was in the word every day, I prayed constantly and was very involved in my church.  I found myself screaming at God questioning him and then begging his forgiveness for subconsciously allowing Satan to have an inch of control.  I constantly had to remind myself to refocus, that God had a purpose for my suffering and that he had a better plan for me.  I remembered my faith and knew that he was just waiting on me.  Waiting on me to ask for him.  His hope for me was to stop trying to live my life alone, taking care of everyone around me, avoiding any help that I might need and thinking that I could do it myself.

                I remember being on my knees one day, tears streaming down my face.  I humbled myself before God.  I was so tired and fragile.  I feared that I no longer had the strength to push on.  I can remember crying and telling God that I was sorry for my mistakes, for letting him down and most of all for being upset with the one person who has carried me my entire life, Jesus Christ.  I prayed to God that day and said “God, I am so tired.  I do not think that I can do this anymore.  Please God, tell me what you want me to do?  Help me God, please!”

                Suddenly, there was such a peace surrounding me, a warmth that radiated through me.  And then I heard him.  He told me to surrender to him, to give him it all.  To lay it at his feet.  Most of all I can remember him telling me to be still, know that he is God, listen and wait.  It was amazing at how different I felt at that very moment.  Such a weight had been lifted from my life.  Slowly, things began to brighten.  I was praising God for saving me once again.  The sudden   changes in my life were amazing.  I had gained my strength back, only this time I became not only a stronger, more faithful Christian, I became the strong individual that God had intended for my life.

                My life started to get easier.  The tears dried up and I was facing things in my life.  Facing them with confidence and a strength that I never thought that I had.  I started to put my life back together again.

                God is merciful and good.  He knows us inside and out.  And his plan for us is the ultimate plan for anyone’s life.  So, I started to get comfortable again.  Thanking God everyday for the many blessings in my life.  For my peace, my children, Scott, for my life.  Even though I was in God’s word, trying to walk in the paths that he was leading me I began to get back in that “comfort zone”.  And before long, my life started to shatter once again.   My health was failing, my job was suffering because of my health and the problems of the past began to come back to haunt me once again.

                And once again I found myself asking God why.  “What am I doing wrong God that I am once again faced with a fear that I can’t understand?”  

                I found myself re-evaluating myself in wonder as to where my weaknesses lay.  And the answers were quite clear.  I had to let go and let God.

                You see, when we face darkness in our lives we sometimes forget that there is a comfort and a peace that is there waiting for us if only we open our hearts to receive it.  Facing life’s trials and tribulations is a mysterious component of our lives that only God understands.

                I reflect on a passage from 1 Peter when he speaks to a group of Christians  who are suffering their faith.  Peter reminds them how much Jesus suffered.  Jesus suffered for us that we might have a life of faith and peace.  In 1 Peter he tells us that through our faith we are shielded by God’s power until Jesus returns again.  He tells us that while we rejoice in this we may have to suffer in all kinds of trials.  He tells in 1 Peter 7 “These (sufferings) have come so that your (our) faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  Jesus Christ suffered and died for us so that his glories would follow.

                We need to trust God.  We need to be still and listen to God.  He is not going to tell us anything except for at his appointed time.  You might ask when?  There is a price to pay for every privilege.  Life will not always be fun.  One cannot go from dating to marriage without struggle.  We cannot go from our old ways to a reborn Christian without struggle.

                We are to enjoy the season that we are in.  Enjoy the journey.  When we worry, we cannot enjoy life.  Allow God to take care of you.  Trust in him and believe in him for all things.

                John 7 tells us that we all might think that the timing is always right, but Jesus told those at the feast of the tabernacle that “The right time for me has not yet come, for you anytime is right.”  If we take a look at our lives, our expectations of everyday Jesus was right.

                Through trial and tribulation we are faced with the challenges that God has set before us.  I know that I am guilty of planning first then praying afterwards.  This is not God’s plan for us.  He wants us to pray first and then plan.  To learn to be sensitive to grace.  By being sensitive to grace, laying it in the Lord’s hand and then allowing him to do the work, we are filled with peace and enjoyment.  Let’s face it, outside of grace, we are miserable.  Am I right?    It does not work when God is not in it.  It ultimately has to be in God’s timing, not ours.  In times of trial and tribulation we must remember that God will not be late.  He may never be early, but he will not be late.  By trusting in him we find that God’s timing is always on time.  Trust God for the right time in your life.

                When you face your trials in life take a look at those around you.  The key to peace about one’s suffering is to put your problems into perspective.  Look at the problems that you have, look at those around you and you might just find that you are thankful for the blessings that you have.

                So, my friends I leave you with these thoughts to ponder on.....  Is it not better to cooperate with God and wait for him.  Is he not waiting on us?  Should we not remain stable, not get frustrated thus distracting us from Jesus?  We should stay focused.  Do we not tend to spend our lives running around putting out Satan’s fires?  We need to attend to God’s business and he will then attend to ours.  I feel that until we can learn to be happy where we are at, we cannot and will not get to the next place that God wants us to be.  We need to have a better attitude and learn how to deal with the difficult things that God gives us.  If we learn to have the victory during trials and tribulations we can be victorious in God’s almighty grace.  Now isn’t that something to give us a hope.  A hope of the unknown?  A hope that no matter how hard life is at times, God is still right there beside us waiting on us to give it to him.

                So often people say to me “How can your faith be so strong with all that you have gone through and continue to go through?”  My friends, I tell you that no matter how much it hurts and how many times I ask the question why, my faith carries me through.  I don’t like what I have to face in life at times, but I do know that if I remain faithful, God will bless me in the end.  He finds a way to bring back my focus on what his plan is for me.  He wants me to be victorious in him and in carrying my faith and love and belief for him, I ultimately am victorious.  I am becoming the righteous woman that he has set out for me to be.

                As I face my uncertainty and fears in life I know that I can face them with the understanding that if I just allow God to take it from me, to trust in him that I can face anything.

                I leave you with my love and with this poem that my dear friend gave to me last year in one of the worst trials that I ever had to face.  It is a poem that I will read every day for the remainder of my life here on this earth.  The words are words that bring me to the peace that God wants for my life.  Remember to be still my friends and know that he is God.  And that he loves                 you so very much and will always be there just waiting.....  Never ever forget to wake each day thanking God for the blessings that he bestows upon your life  You might just find your day a little more peaceful!


“LET GO & LET GOD”


As children bring their broken toys,

with tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God,

because he is my friend.

But then instead of leaving Him

in peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help,

with ways that were my own.

At last, I snatched them back again

and cried, “How can you be so slow?”

“My child” He said, “What could I do?

You never did let go.”

6 Ways to Praise God During Hard Times


More and more it seems that suffering and hurt are prevalent everywhere we look.  Those poor, innocent people that were murdered at a movie theatre in Colorado on July 20, 2012 are just one of the many tragedies in the lives of our fellow man today.  I think now more than ever, we need to stand as Christians and unite as one body and pray for our country.  Satan is so easily using people for his wicked agendas.  This is not a surprise, but it still hurts.  If you are hurting right now while reading this, know that your tender, loving Father has His arms open and He is always ready to hold you if you just let Him.  Many people that are hurting today are cursing God and some believers have abandoned God.  They did not have Christ as their solid foundation.  It is so important to have a strong faith through the best of times so when the winds blow, we will not be moved.  Trials and hard times come for a reason and that is to grow closer to our Father.  So, how can we praise Him during the darkest hours?  Let us look at scripture for clear examples.

Remembering Christ

Timothy 2:8-9 says, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.  But the word of God is not bound!  Remembrance of Christ and His death at Golgotha needs to be the center piece through which we praise God in the hard times.  When we suffer, we can remember that He suffered, and His suffering gave us freedom!  This is one reason some leave the faith.  They forgot what even brought them into God’s loving hand.  Praise be to God, our Almighty King that gave us the final sacrifice to atone for our sins!

Ways To Praise God Through Hard Times
Trials and hard times come for a reason and that is to grow closer to our Father.
Prayer

Every time we connect with God in prayer, we are praising Him because we are acknowledging our need to set our burdens on His strong shoulders.  Isaiah 25:4a says, for you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.  These are things we can praise Him for while we are praying!  He takes care of His children!  Even in the darkest part of the storm, He is there as a stronghold to keep us standing against the crashing waves and raging winds.  A man on his knees in prayer can stand before any tragedy.

Through Song

When you read Psalms, you can find so many verses about God’s children singing praise even in the midst of hard times.  David writes in Psalm 142:4b-7, no one cares for my soul.  I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”  Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low!  Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!  Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name!  The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.  This particular Psalm was a written prayer, but it could just as well be sung.  So many songs today are written straight from the Psalms.  One particular song that has always touched my heart on this issue of hard times and suffering is “There Will be a Day” by Jeremy Camp.  This song always brings tears to my eyes.


 Time in the word

Anything that we do as Christians that focuses our time on God brings Him glory and praise.  When we look to His word for healing and guidance, we again are telling God that we need Him and we praise Him for His sovereign nature in all circumstances.  In Hebrews 4:15-16 it says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  This is a passage of love that speaks to all who are hurting.  Jesus was tempted in every way so we can be completely firm in our belief in Him.  My fellow brothers and sisters, write these verses on your hearts.  We can have confidence in our Father in all circumstances.  Stay in the word!  It can heal the broken hearted.

Fasting

Fasting is an outlet that provides a spiritual and physical reliance on God.  Fasting is not set on any particular facet.  Many people fast from food for an extended amount of time, but fasting really involves giving up anything that means a lot to you in order to spend time with God instead.  This is a precious way to praise Him.  When you fast you stop “me” and focus on Him.  I have had the opportunity to participate in the 30 hour famine a few times and I cannot describe the feelings of reliance that I had personally with God in the final 10 hours when food sounded amazing and I gave my cravings to Him instead.  He has sustained me every time I have fasted.  The spiritual bond always grows with fasting because God is feeding that bond as you rely on Him.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness always reflects praise on the Father.  We forgive out of obedience to Christ.  We forgive because it is always the right thing to do.  There is real spiritual maturity and growth when we can look at specific people that have wronged us personally and forgive them.  This is because sin always comes from the devil and not from the individuals themselves.  There is massive spiritual warfare fighting for us every day.  Satan’s legion of demons are always hunting.  It is our job as believers to rebuke them with scripture and always forgive those who trespass against us.  The true fault is always against the devil and his wicked schemes.  Even Christ on the cross asked His Father to forgive those crucifying Him(Luke 23:34).  May we all strive to be like that!  Praise be to our Sustainer in all circumstances!Looking for some more music related articles?

Bible Verses on Trials


How do you react when you face trials and tribulations? Do you give up or do you turn to God and the Bible? Trials are something we all will face as Christians, so learn to get through them by keeping the faith and praying. It IS easier said than done, that's for sure. We can SAY that we just need to pray to find our way through trials, but it is still going to be hard.

Think of every awful thing that happened in your life. Every single instance was painful and maybe you are still not "over it." What can make a different is praying to God for wisdom, for healing and for love. No matter what hardships you are facing, remember that God loves you. He gave up his only Son for you! So pray for grace and pray for strength - each one of us can make it through each one of our trials, we just need to be strong.

With God, all things are possible. This is an important fact to remember. If you want to learn more about making it through your worldly trials, read the Bible verses on trirals below. And God Bless you.

Job 5:19 He shall deliver you in six troubles: yes, in seven there shall no evil touch you.
Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience;
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: 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 on me.
Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you:
1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
 
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