Awareness of ones inadequacy more often than not is misunderstood as a weakness in the negative sense of the word. In reality from God’s perspective our inadequacy is a treasured blessing, a positive. This inadequacy instead needs to be viewed as boot camp. A type of training ground in a surrendering, a wholehearted dependence on Christ, Christ’ life to be made manifest. God has and will continue to infuse His power which is made perfect only through our inadequacy.
2 Corinthians 12:9: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 3:5: “Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”
My friend, Susan Joy Thornton adds this comment: “When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. No one escapes events in life that tear at the very fabric of our hearts, leaving us feeling lost, angry and sad. But cultivating a spirit of faith and gratitude, even in our extremities, has the power to heal our broken heart!”
Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
May peace flow like a river through the very depths of your being. May joy rise within you like the morning sun. God offers fresh mercies and real power for each new day. Lay hold of them. May God’s ever-present strength awaken your heart and sturdy your steps. And may your faith grow until it swallows up your every fear. God is with you at the break of day. He will not fail you. Though darkness and despair and weakness threaten to overtake you, they will not, they cannot, because you belong to Jesus. Take refuge in Him. He is your stronghold, your high tower, your deliverer, and your defender. Believe that He’ s–even now–working on your behalf. He heals, reveals, corrects, and redirects. He’s your perfect shepherd and will lead you safely through the storm. Trust Him with your whole heart today.
~ Susie Larson
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Malachi 4:2: “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”
Lamentations 3:22: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.”
Psalm 73:25-26:”25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”
Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
“May God Himself restore to you something you lost and never thought you’d get back again. May He heal a soul wound you thought you’d never get over. May He pour out an abundance of joy and hope that makes you celebrate before the answer comes. And may thriving, rich faith mark your life in every way. You have access to the Most High God. May you live accordingly. Sleep well tonight!”
Susie Larson
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Psalm 139:4: “You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.”
“May you tune out the noise of the world and lean in and listen to what Jesus has to say to you today. He’s got a divine strategy just for you. He’ll show you what to do, where to go, and what to say. Your story matters to Him. He’ll not for a moment, leave your side. He offers peace that passes understanding and strength where you’re weak. His Spirit within you defies the gravity of the past you’d rather forget. You are forgiven and free. Do not let your history speak to you except to teach you. Do not fear the future nor man’s opinion. Jesus is more powerful than these, and He is for you. The wind and the waves obey Him. Sickness has to bow before Him. You serve the One true God, and He is mighty to save!”
Lamentations 3:22-24: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
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If we would learn to praise God in the midst of fire, it would carry us THROUGH the dark night of the soul.
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Photo taken at the beginning of our Mt. Everest Base Camp trek October 2008 just on the outskirts of Lukla Village. A Gateway To The Everest Region.
I wrote this years ago yet thought I’d share as it’s timeless. It speaks to our human experience of either currently entering or exiting a life storm.
DARKNESS BRIGHT
As the picture so eloquently portrays light dispelling the darkness I’m reminded of seasons where God has been faithful to make my own personal darkness bright. And in the midst of a dark night of the soul it’s also true my character has and continues to be chiseled.
So in the midnight of a storm it’s comforting to me to know Christ has gone before, won the battle, intercedes and continues to lead. And because of Jesus I cannot wait for the sunrise, I must choose to praise God in the midnight shadows, surrendering my will to His for His glory to be manifest. It really is all about fighting from victory.
Ruth Myers expresses it well…
“Lord, I’m yours. Whatever the cost may be, may your will be done in my life. I realize I am not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I’m not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular to prove I’m somebody important, or to promote myself. I’m not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I’m here to please you… I’m here to love you, to obey you, to glorify you. O my Beloved, may I be a joy to you!”
How am I’m continuing to grow and persevere?
By choosing to praise God in the midst of the fire which carries me THROUGH the dark night of the soul.
By knowing and believing and living the Word of God which says, ““If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” – Psalms 139:11-12.
Lamentations 3:22-25: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57: Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 1:1-5, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Psalm 73: 23-24: “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”
We come to the Bible knowing the unique importance of the Book of Genesis.
The Bible would be incomplete and perhaps incomprehensible without the Book of Genesis. It sets the stage for the entire drama of redemption, which unfolds in the rest of the book.
Almost all of the important doctrines and teachings of the Bible have their foundation in of Genesis.
Genesis gives the foundation for the doctrines of:
It is precisely because people have abandoned the truth of Genesis that society is in such disarray.
Genesis is important to the New Testament. There are at least 165 passages in Genesis either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the New Testament; many of these are quoted more than once, so there are at least 200 quotations or allusions to Genesis in the New Testament.
In John 5:46-47, Jesus spoke of the importance of believing what Moses wrote: For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? We can’t truthfully and consistently say we believe in Jesus if we don’t believe in the Book of Genesis.
The Bible: The Best Loved and Most Hated Book on the Earth
Roger Bruner: 02/09/20
In AD 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict to destroy Christians and their Bibles. The persecution that followed was brutal. Over a burned and extinguished Bible, Diocletian built a monument on which he wrote these triumphant words: “Extincto nomene Christianorum” (“The name Christian is extinguished”). Diocletian fashioned a medal with the engraving: “The Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the gods restored.”
Diocletian’s boast was premature, to say the least. Twenty-five years later, Diocletian was dead, and the new Emperor, Constantine, dedicated himself to put the New Testament in all of the churches of his Empire. In fact, Constantine offered a sizable reward to anyone who would deliver a copy of the Scriptures to him. The next day, Constantine was offered fifty copies of the word of God. He then commissioned fifty copies of the Bible to be prepared at government expense. Can you imagine Diocletian’s stunned countenance if he returned to the earth today to discover that more had been written about the Bible than about any other thousand volumes combined? The Bible has been translated into more languages than any other volume, and it has been sent into more regions of the earth than any other book.
French philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) declared in 1776: “One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker.” One hundred years later, Voltaire was dead, and his own house and press were being used to print and store Bibles by the Geneva Bible Society. In 1778, Voltaire bragged, “It took twelve men to start Christianity. One will destroy it.” He called Christ “the cursed wretch.”
Geisler and Nix observe that “only fifty years after his death the Geneva Bible Society used his press and house to produce stacks of Bibles.” Moreover, approximately two hundred years after Voltaire’s prediction that the Bible would be eliminated from the earth, a first edition of Voltaire’s work sold in Paris for eleven cents. On that very same day, December 24, 1933, the British government purchased an ancient New Testament manuscript, Codex Sinaiticus, for the Czar of Russia for $500,000. This ancient manuscript, dating about AD 350, is still highly prized and is on display in The British Museum.
The Full Armor of God that Believers are called to put on comprises the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit.
God Word is the Armor of God!
✨ Belt of Truth
‘Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.’ Ephesians 6:14
What It Means:
Some translations use a phrase like: ‘having girded your loins with truth.’
‘Every other piece of the full armor of God is attached to the belt of truth. If you don’t begin with truth, you’ll never defeat the enemy. And Jesus said God’s Word is true.’ John 17:17
✨ Breastplate of Righteousness
‘…with the breastplate of righteousness in place…’. Ephesians 6:14
What It Means:
Righteousness means being made right. Sometimes Scripture refers to righteousness that Christ gives us – His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Sometimes Scripture refers to righteousness that God carries out through us, like ‘the righteous acts of the saints.’ Revelation 19:8
In daily spiritual battle, both varieties of righteousness protect the heart. We need the complete righteousness of Christ, but also the continuing righteousness that comes as a response to God’s gift.
The enemy tempts with all kinds of sinful entanglements, but righteousness protects our hearts. God’s instructions are often viewed as killjoys or burdens. But obedience to God is a protection for your heart from being wounded by sin.
✨ Gospel of Peace
‘…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel…’. Ephesians 6:15
What It Means:
Peace is an attribute of the Lord’s very person and character. Galatians 5:22
In Greek, peace means oneness or wholeness. The gospel, which means good news, is the forgiveness of sins and access to and oneness with God through faith in Christ. This oneness with the Lord produces peace.
Ephesians repeatedly reminds us to ‘stand’ and ‘stand firm.’ One of the easiest ways for the enemy to succeed in shaking us loose from standing firm is to tempt us with worry. When we carry anxiousness and worry with us, we are robbed of peace. But the gospel of peace keeps our feet anchored and standing firm.
✨ Shield of Faith
‘In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith…’. Ephesians 6:16
What It Means:
When Paul wrote this passage, Roman soldiers carried shields that were covered with heavy animal hide. Before a battle, they would dip their shields into the water so that when fiery darts hit them, the wet hide would extinguish the darts.
In a similar way, a Christian’s shield of faith needs to be regularly dipped in the water of God’s word to be replenished and fully functional – because ‘Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.’ Romans 10:17
✨ Helmet of Salvation
‘Take the helmet of salvation…’. Ephesians 6:17
What It Means:
Salvation comes the moment we place our trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection as the payment for our sin. But salvation is also worked out through a lengthy process of sanctification.
The helmet of salvation (like the breastplate of righteousness) rests on the work of Christ to save us, but also involves us as we journey with the Lord and allow Him to work that salvation into every part of our thoughts. The battlefield of our mind is the primary place spiritual battle is fought. The Lord works His freeing truth into our perspectives while the enemy fights for strongholds to bind us. John 10:10
✨ Sword of the Spirit
‘…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…’. Ephesians 6:17
When we are tempted, the most effective weapon that God has given to us as believers is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Jesus modeled this so beautifully during His temptation in the wilderness. When the devil tried temptation after temptation against Him, Jesus used the sword of the Spirit. Luke 4:1–13
When the devil tempted Him in the wilderness three times, Jesus responded with the truth of God’s word – every time.
CravingSoul 