Acts 16:25 (after Paul and Silus were thrown into prison for no cause- they had done nothing wrong) "About midnight, Paul and Silus (while they were in jail) were praying. They were also singing praises to God. The other prisoners were listening. And suddenly there was a powerful earthquake. The foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were open and all of their chains fell off!"
Have you ever felt like you were at a "midnight" in your life? Where everything seemed dark around you? Have you ever felt in chains, bound to something and that no matter what you did, how many times you told God you were sorry, that you couldn't break free?
Have you ever felt falsely accused of something and no one seemed to believe you or try to understand you?
God saw the midnight, the darkest hour of Paul and Silas. God sees your "midnight". What did Paul and Silus do? They prayed and sang praises to God. And then what happened?
Suddenly God began to shake the foundations.... and immediately all the doors were open and all of their chains fell off!
As we begin to praise Him, God will replace your darkness with light, God will set you free from the chains that bind you, and God will be your advocate, your deliverer and will fight the battles for you!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Wait!
Psalm 27:14 says, " Wait on God! Take heart and don't quit! He will strengthen your heart. I'll say it again, Stay with God and wait on Him!"
Waiting on God is sometimes very hard to do. I remember just recently when we were waiting on a referral for adoption. When we started out, they told us we would only have to wait for 6 months. Then when we got to 6 months, they said we would have to wait for 12 months. We finally made it to 12 months and then they changed it to 18 months. Again, we held on till it was 18 months and then it changed once again to 24 months!
What was God doing?! All we wanted to do was to help another child, so why was God making us wait so long! So many times I just wanted to quit and forget it all! The heartache and pain didn't seem worth it to me!
The reason God wanted me to wait was because He was doing something wonderful behind the scenes that I couldn't see yet.... it wasn't ready yet. Something even better than I had imagined.... but it wasn't ready yet. And if I would have given up because the wait was so long and hard, I would have missed out on one of the biggest blessings of my life.
Sometimes some of God's best gifts for us are ones we have to wait for. Not because He wants to test us to see if we can suffer and wait, but because He is working on things for us behind the scenes that we can't even see and can't even imagine how wonderful they are!
So, what are you waiting for? What have you asked God to do for you that you feel like He's not even listening or doing anything about it?
Like the verse above says.... don't quit! Don't give up! Keep waiting, and our Heavenly Father who loves you more than you will ever know, is working behind the scenes on something extra special just for you!
Waiting on God is sometimes very hard to do. I remember just recently when we were waiting on a referral for adoption. When we started out, they told us we would only have to wait for 6 months. Then when we got to 6 months, they said we would have to wait for 12 months. We finally made it to 12 months and then they changed it to 18 months. Again, we held on till it was 18 months and then it changed once again to 24 months!
What was God doing?! All we wanted to do was to help another child, so why was God making us wait so long! So many times I just wanted to quit and forget it all! The heartache and pain didn't seem worth it to me!
The reason God wanted me to wait was because He was doing something wonderful behind the scenes that I couldn't see yet.... it wasn't ready yet. Something even better than I had imagined.... but it wasn't ready yet. And if I would have given up because the wait was so long and hard, I would have missed out on one of the biggest blessings of my life.
Sometimes some of God's best gifts for us are ones we have to wait for. Not because He wants to test us to see if we can suffer and wait, but because He is working on things for us behind the scenes that we can't even see and can't even imagine how wonderful they are!
So, what are you waiting for? What have you asked God to do for you that you feel like He's not even listening or doing anything about it?
Like the verse above says.... don't quit! Don't give up! Keep waiting, and our Heavenly Father who loves you more than you will ever know, is working behind the scenes on something extra special just for you!
Monday, April 16, 2007
You Matter!
When I was in High School, I never really felt important... or that I really mattered. I never felt like I really stood out in anything. I seemed to be average at everything I did. I had sisters who always seemed to turn the guys heads. One of my sisters who was just two years younger than me was blonde, tan and thin... just what the guys liked and just what I wasn't! I remember being on family vacations and as we walked down the streets or went to restaurants, the guys were always gawking at her and I always felt invisible.
Satan used those times to try and make me feel like I wasn't valuable. That I didn't matter.
But that wasn't true. I had a God who created every detail of me and loved it! He took great delight when He created me. I made Him smile.
Matthew 10:30 says "the very hairs on your head are all numbered."
Times when you feel nobody notices you and nobody cares, know that your God in Heaven notices every detail about you. He loves your smile, the way you laugh, the way you care about your friends. He notices everytime you walk into a room. He notices everytime you get down on yourself or just get discouraged.
God says not only do you matter, but you matter GREATLY to Him.
Satan used those times to try and make me feel like I wasn't valuable. That I didn't matter.
But that wasn't true. I had a God who created every detail of me and loved it! He took great delight when He created me. I made Him smile.
Matthew 10:30 says "the very hairs on your head are all numbered."
Times when you feel nobody notices you and nobody cares, know that your God in Heaven notices every detail about you. He loves your smile, the way you laugh, the way you care about your friends. He notices everytime you walk into a room. He notices everytime you get down on yourself or just get discouraged.
God says not only do you matter, but you matter GREATLY to Him.
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