Spiritual Motivation and Insight

[CrimsonTide4]

Going All the Way Through with God

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched....
—Isaiah 43:2
God wants us to be diligent and go all the way through with Him, not just go until the way becomes difficult, and then stop there. One of our greatest challenges is to face our mountains rather than trying to go around them.

Sometimes we go around and around the same mountain, and we end up like the Israelites in the wilderness who wandered around for forty years. (Deuteronomy 2:1-3.) We must learn to face our mountains, determined to go all the way through with God. That is the only path to victory.

I encourage you to go all the way through with God no matter how difficult it may seem. Let God have His way in your life. Pray for God's will and not your own will. God's way is for you to set your face like flint, dig in both heels, and go all the way through.

By the way, the attitude that you have while you are going through is most important. The Word says that it is to be a joyful attitude, otherwise you may have to make the trip again. (James 1:2-4.)

[NOWorNEVER]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
By the way, the attitude that you have while you are going through is most important. The Word says that it is to be a joyful attitude, otherwise you may have to make the trip again. (James 1:2-4.)

Lord, this is SO hard to do sometimes.

[Honeykiss1974]

We’re always being tested. We’re tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible situations, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and seemingly senseless tragedies.

An important test is how you act when you don’t feel God’s presence. Hezekiah experienced this. Listen: “God withdrew…in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart” (2Ch 32:31 NLT). Hezekiah had enjoyed close fellowship with God, but at a crucial point God left him alone to test his character, reveal his weakness, and prepare him for greater blessing. Could that be what’s happening with you?

When you understand that all of life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant. Every day is an important day, and every second a growth opportunity to deepen your character, demonstrate your love, and depend more on God.

Are you in a time of testing? If so, rejoice. God never allows the test you face to be greater than the grace He provides. Listen: “He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you strength to endure it” (1Co 10:13 TEV).

Every time you pass a test, God notices and makes plans to reward you. James writes, “When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12 GWT). So hang in there, God will bring you through this test and make you stronger and wiser.

[Honeykiss1974]

You don’t have to have a dream that others consider great, for it to be important in God’s eyes.

If your dream’s to be a great parent, that doesn’t mean you don’t have great faith, it just means you understand your calling. All Moses’ mother did was to give birth - but oh what a baby! God protected her son when she couldn’t do a thing to help him. Then He brought her to Pharaoh’s house and paid her to raise him. And when you discover your purpose, God will provide for you too! If you want to see the resources come, get the mission straight!

No matter how big your dream is, don’t let it intimidate you! As a child Joseph dreamed of being a great leader - which first landed him in a pit, then a prison. “Where’s your dream now, Joseph?” Understand this: your dream won’t always look like it’s coming together. Sometimes it’ll seem to die before it springs to life. The Bible says that Abraham ignored the fact that his body was almost dead, believed God and fathered Isaac, even though biologically speaking; it seemed like a lost cause.

Paul dreamed of taking on the world for Christ and folks around him called him a fool. Did that derail him? Not one bit. Listen: “We are fools for Christ” (1Co 4:10 NIV). God uses radical people who don’t care what they look like, people who’ve survived difficult pasts, defied the odds, held on to their dream and declared, “My God is able!” And you can be one of those people!

[Honeykiss1974]

MARK 11:23 NKJ 23
"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
`Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in
his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to
pass, he will have whatever he says.

"Talk to mountains? Do you think I'm crazy?"

Jesus talked to things, and taught that "whoever" could also
speak to mountains.

A mountain is primarily any obstacle that stands in your way.

Faced with obstacles, most Christians pray to God. But Jesus
told us to speak directly to the obstacle and tell it to be
removed.

There is nothing wrong with discussing things with God. You
should. But when something is blocking your progress -- Jesus
said YOU should tell it to get out of the way.

Most Christians just speak to God about the mountain, instead
of following Jesus' directions and speaking directly to the
mountain.

Are you just talking to God about the problems in your life,
instead of talking directly to the problems and telling them to
be removed?

MATTHEW 17:20 NKJ 20
"So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for
assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and
it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

According to Jesus, unbelief keeps us from speaking to our
mountains.

What is the mountain in your life? What stands in the way of
your progress? What holds you back from going forward and
fulfilling God's plan?

Speak God's Word to that mountain!

Speak to the devil and his forces and tell them to get out of
your affairs.

Speak to sickness and tell it that it can't stay in your body.

Speak to debt and financial lack and tell them to be removed
from your life.

Speak to doubt, fear, and worry and tell them to be gone.

If you say, "I just can't believe it would do any good for me
to talk to problems," that's why you still have them.

Read what Jesus said again, and again.

SAY THIS: I will speak to the mountains that try to hold me
back.

[CrimsonTide4]

But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

In a culture filled with moral depravity and pressures, Paul gave strong encouragement to the Corinthians about temptation. He said: (1) wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone, so don't feel you've been singled out; (2) others have resisted temptation, and so can you; (3) any temptation can be resisted, because God will help you resist it.

Don't try to resist temptation on your own--trust God's power to help you.

[CrimsonTide4]

Matthew 6:27
Which one of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature.

Tell me something. What is worrying going to do for you? Jesus says take no thought for your life, for your food, for your body, or for what you should wear. In other words, is worrying about the situation going to change anything? Well, this passage of Scripture says take no thought. So don’t worry about it. Don''t buy it. Refuse the package. Say, “No, I am not signing for that.”

Taking a thought means that you''re worrying about how you are going to do this, or what are you going to do about that, or how are you going to live through this, cancer runs in the family. When you start talking like that, it becomes your thought. You have purchased it with your mouth.

Now just as a thought comes in your mind and becomes yours by saying it, a thought also leaves your mind by saying the opposite. That means, you have to replace it with something higher. When you replace it with God’s Word, then you''re taking something of the spiritual realm that has more power than the natural realm.

The natural realm says, I''m broke and don’t have any money.” The spiritual realm says, “my God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory.” The natural realm says, “I''m sick.” The spiritual realm says, “Himself bore my sicknesses and carried my diseases.” The natural realm says, “I''m going to be by myself.” The spiritual realm says, “ it is written, I am with you always even unto the end of the world.”

I Peter 5:7, tells you to cast all your care upon God for He cares for you. When you allow worry, confusion, and care to govern your mind, you play right into the hand of the enemy. Then you will try to fix the problem with fleshly means, instead of working through the power that is only available through God’s Word.

Put the Word of God in your mouth—it’s higher than anything else. What you say will affect you first. God wants you to start with issues from the Word spiritually, first dealing with yourself. Eventually what you say will affect the natural problems in your life. Don’t follow after the flesh, say the opposite. Replace every thought with something higher—the Word of God.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:25-34; I Peter 5:7: I Corinthians 2:14-16

[CrimsonTide4]

THIS IS GOOD!

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off. And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of me to do this."

"No" his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean, "This is good?" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you when you were captured."


Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit.

~Author Unknown

[Honeykiss1974]

HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU
Olivia Long

I have given My Beloved so many wonderful promises. My righteous ones who have been waiting, ready to move on in My plan and sometimes you wonder have I forgotten you?

For some it seems as though family is crumbling around you. Some are seemingly sitting in darkness praying just to have comfort and peace and hopefully that there will be ultimate deliverance.

Some are very lonely and depressed. Some have made tragic mistakes and feel they can't be forgiven let alone move forward. Some are in the midst of uncertainty and hopelessness. Some feel like you are suffocating under the weights that have beset you.

For some there are doubts, fear or anger and you feel abandoned. Some have grown weary from the waiting.

Some are battling with an illness that says you are at death's door - you are in need of a healing, a miracle healing and you feel so helpless and vulnerable.

Some ask why haven't my prayers been answered? Why is this tremendous hurt still besetting me? Why am I suffering? When will I see an answer to my financial problems?

Why don't you tell me what to do? What did I do wrong? Some have even gone your own way and you depend on the words of others instead of My Word.

You have trusted in your own thoughts rather than Me and wonder if there can be any hope that I will still use you? Some are distraught for you know My promises for you but still you remain in a waiting mode, not getting anywhere let alone accomplishing anything for My Kingdom purposes.

Some have a great fear that you will blow it, that after you have waited so long and so patiently even when everything in you screams to move forward, still you stand-now concerned that at the moment I move you will miss it.

The enemy wants you to believe I have forgotten you by besetting your mind that I won't see your needs or answer your prayers and to whisper in your ear that I AM not listening and have forgotten you.

My Beloved, I CANNOT forget you because I am a God of justice.

My Beloved, hear me and believe Me in what I say unto you. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU !!! Now is the time that I wish to remove any areas of doubt - any areas of fear - any areas of anger or bitterness. Instead of despair I bring you hope.

Know that through this lengthy storm that you have been enduring,where you sometimes think I have been doing nothing, that this is when I have been doing My greatest work in you.

Haven't I said that you are engraved in the palms of My hands? Haven't I said that I will make a way where there is no way? Haven't I said that I will provide for your every need? Haven't I said that I would heal every hurt?

Forgotten you? Beloved, I CANNOT forget a child of mine! When others have abandoned you in your hour of need, Ihave never abandoned you! Although the answers seem agonizingly slow in coming, Beloved, the answersARE coming!!! NOT ONE PROMISE I HAVE MADE UNTO YOU SHALL FAIL, FOR I HAVE SPOKEN IT!

Haven't I said that I will come with a vengeance, a God of recompense? SURELY, I will come and save you and SURELY, I will move you into your Kingdom position.

The battlegrounds have been many, but still the hope in Me was always deep in your heart so that nothing or no-one could tear you from Me. For all who have listened to Me, spent time with ME, obeyed Me, depended on Me even through all your failings, and still you wait upon your Lord and you will see Me move in unprecedented power and glory upon you.

I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU. I know exactly where you are and what you are going through, trust Me, I have it all under control.

I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU and you have My unfailing and unending love and My plan for your life. I will never leave you alone or forsaken. Your answers are coming and they will be the 'correct' answers and they will come RIGHT ON TIME.

I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU and I shall come to you. Prepare your hearts for I AM coming!!! This long season of heartaches, tests and trials is coming to an end so prepare the way for the Lord!!!

"For the Lord thy God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore unto them." Deut. 4:31

"For the Lord loves justice and does not forget His saints (holy ones, consecrated ones); they are preserved forever, but the descendents of the wicked shall be cut off." Psalm 37: 28

"Say to those who are of a fearful and hasty heart, Be strong, fear not! BEHOLD, your God will come with vengeance; with the recompense of God He will come and save you." Isaiah 35:4

[CrimsonTide4]

HoneyKiss,

Thank you sooo much for the God Has Not Forgotten You post. I needed to read that today. I have not read all of the posts in this thread, but I am surely glad that I read this one.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
HoneyKiss,

Thank you sooo much for the God Has Not Forgotten You post. I needed to read that today. I have not read all of the posts in this thread, but I am surely glad that I read this one.

Girl, it ministered to me when I read it, so you know I HAD to share it!

[Honeykiss1974]

ENCOURAGING WORDS WHEN I NEED HELP

~Help is always available for me
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matthew 7:7,8).

~Help in times of stress
"Jesus says: 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. And I will give you rest for your souls'" (Matthew 11:28).

~Help when I need a way out
"And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it"
(1 Corinthians 10:13).

~Help when I need to see a reason why I am suffering
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2).

"All kinds of trials have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold ... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6,7).

~Help when I am under pressure
"I was under great pressure, far beyond my ability to endure. But this happened that I might not rely on myself but on God, who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:8,9).

~Help when I need to encourage others
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts me in all our troubles, so that I can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort I myself have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).

~Help in times of trouble
"Jesus says: 'I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world '" (John 16:33).

~Help when I think nothing good will come out of a difficult situation
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

~Help when I did to do my duty
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'" (Luke 17:7-10).

~Help when I need courage in fighting the battle !
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints"
(Ephesians 6:10-18).

~Help when I need to experience God
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power" (Ephesians 3:16-18).

~Help when your mind it is clouded with negative thoughts
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things" (Philippians 4:8).

~Help when I am fearful
"I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from my fears " (Psalm 34:4).

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind"
(2 Timothy 1:7).

~Help when I am anxious
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).

~Help when I have done wrong
"If I claim to be without sin, I deceive myself. But if I confess my sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive my sins and purify me from my unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8,9).

~Help when I am afraid of death
"Jesus too shared in our humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil --- and free us who all our lives were held in slavery by our fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14,15).
"'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? ... But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(1 Corinthians 15:54-55,57).

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die'" (John 11:25).

"To Jesus who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ... to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen (Revelation 1:5,6).

~Help when I need power to stand firm
"They (Christians) overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their
testimony" (Revelation 12:11).

~Help when I think no one loves me
"This is how I know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for me" (1 John 3:16).

"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1: 5-6).

"God so loved the world that he gave his only and only Son that if I believe in him I shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Prayer: "Lord, you know my weaknesses. Set me free to love you."

~Help when I need comfort
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts me in all our troubles, so that I can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort I myself have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).

~Help when I can't find peace
"Jesus says: 'Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also on me'" (John 14:1).

~Help to overcome when I am tempted to sin
"And God is faithful; he will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear. But when I am tempted, he will also provide a way out so that I can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

~Help when I start to worry
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" " (Matthew 6:25-34).

~Help when I need to pray
(Jesus says); "This, then is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one'" (Matthew 6:9-13).
"You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives..." (James 4:3).
Remember God is in control!
"Yet not one (sparrow) will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:29,30).

~Help when I am lonely
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5,6).

~Help I need to see that others also suffer
Paul the Apostle says "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked"
(2 Corinthians 11:23-27).

~Help in times of weakness
God says to you; "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

~Help when I cry out
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:17,18).

~Help when I lack strength
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my strength" (Psalm 73:26).
"The joy of the Lord is my strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

~Help when I am discouraged
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul ... 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 staff 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 love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23).

Prayer: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

GOD DID NOT DESIGN US TO LIVE WITHOUT HIS PRESENCE AND POWER!

[Honeykiss1974]

GOD NEVER GIVES UP
by Max Lucado

How do I know God is with me? What if this is all a hoax?

How do you know that is God who is speaking?

The thick and dreadful darkness of doubt. The same darkness you feel when you sit on a polished pew in a funeral chapel and listen to the obituary of the one you love more than life.

The same darkness that you feel when you hear the words, “The tumor is malignant. We have to operate.”

The same darkness that falls upon you when you realize you just lost your temper.. . again. The same darkness you feel when you realize that the divorce you never wanted is final.

The same darkness into which Jesus screamed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Appropriate words. For when we doubt, God seems very far away.

Which is exactly why he chose to draw so near.

Throughout time, though God’s people often forgot their God, God didn’t forget them. He kept his word.

God didn’t give up. He never gives up. When Joseph was dropped into a pit by his own brothers, God didn’t give up.

When Moses said, “Here I am, send Aaron,” God didn’t give up.

When the delivered Israelites wanted Egyptian slavery instead of milk and honey, God didn’t give up.

When Aaron was making a false god at the very moment Moses was with the true God, God didn’t give up.

When only two of the ten spies thought the Creator was powerful enough to deliver the created, God didn’t give up.

When Samson whispered to Delilah, when Saul roared after David, when David schemed against Uriah, God didn’t give up.

When God’s word lay forgotten and man’s idols stood glistening, God didn’t give up.

When the children of Israel were taken into captivity God didn’t give up.

He could have given up. He could have turned his back. He could have walked away from the wretched mess, but he didn’t.

He didn’t give up.

When he became flesh and was the victim of an assassination attempt before he was two years old, he didn’t give up.

When the people from his own home town tried to push him over a cliff; he didn’t give up.

When his brothers ridiculed him, he didn’t give up.

When he was accused of blaspheming God by people who didn’t fear God, he didn’t give up.

When Peter worshiped him at the supper and cursed him at the fire, he didn’t give up.

When people spat in his face, he didn’t spit back. When the bystanders slapped him, he didn’t slap them. When a whip ripped his sides, he didn’t turn and command the awaiting angels to stuff that whip down that soldier’s throat.

And when human hands fastened the divine hands to a cross with spikes, it wasn’t the soldiers who held the hands of Jesus steady. It was God who held them steady. For those wounded hands were the same invisible hands that had carried the firepot and the torch two thousand years earlier. They were the same hands that had brought light into Abram’s thick and dreadful darkness. They had come to do it again.

So, the next time doubt walks in, escort him out. Out to the hill. Out to Calvary. Out to the cross where, with holy blood, the hand that carried the flame wrote the promise, “God would give up his only son before he’d give up on you.”

[CrimsonTide4]

- "The Hour Before the Sunrise"
Luke 5:4

If you've ever had to make a marathon drive over a long distance, or if you just wanted to squeeze every possible hour out of your vacation, you know what it's like to drive all night. If you're a long-haul truck driver, pushing through the night may well be a way of life for you. For me, that last hour or two before dawn, oh man, that's the toughest. That's when you turn on the most obnoxious radio station you can find and you blast it. That's when you start doing aerobic workouts behind the wheel. It's when you roll down the window in spite of the 30-below wind chill and hurricane force winds. What makes the last hours of the night particularly challenging is the truth of that old cliché, "It's always darkest before the dawn." It usually is the darkest time, right when the night is seeming the longest. Then suddenly, there's that little glow on the horizon. The glow gets steadily brighter, radiating light across more and more of the dark sky. And then, there it is - the sunrise! Hallelujah, the long night is over! Just when it felt like it was never going to end!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Hour Before the Sunrise."

That's what time it may be in your life right now. It's been a long drive; a long night. It feels as if it's been dark forever, doesn't it? And, in fact, it just got even darker. This is as bad as it's ever been. You're fighting hard to keep driving - especially when you feel like just giving up on the trip. But God wants to put a little glow in your dark sky right now. If it's getting darker, that means sunrise is coming soon! God has given you His word on this promise: "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

It's no secret that I like pictures of spiritual truth. And Jesus gives us a wonderful real-life picture of this "darkest before the dawn" truth in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 5, beginning with verse 4. Simon, the veteran fisherman, has been unsuccessful in his fishing expedition on the Sea of Galilee. He's back in port, cleaning his nets when Jesus asks to use his boat as a pulpit. Then, Jesus "said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.'"

It may be daytime, but it's dark time for Simon. He's done everything his great ability and vast experience know how to do in order to bring in a catch - and all efforts to succeed, to change the situation have failed. Sound familiar at all? He is, in fact, accepting failure and, at least for the time being, giving up. It's dark. But the light is just about to dawn. The story concludes: "When they had done so (let down the nets, that is), they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." The most amazing catch of Simon's life. Now, here's the principle of how Jesus works - a night of failure sets the stage for a day of fantastic results if you don't give up; if you keep fighting under the orders of Captain Jesus. So, as Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap if we do not give up."

God uses the long dark night to accomplish some important spiritual changes. He wants us to have those times when no human answers, no human consolation, no human heroes, no human efforts can change things. He's bringing you to the end of what you can do, the end of anything you can even think of doing. Because that's the beginning of the things only God can do. But first, He has to get us out of the way.

And He's not about to let your faith stay the size it's been. His power and resources are unlocked by faith, and He wants to use your long night drive to get you beyond trusting circumstances or earth-stuff or yourself or even God's miracles. He wants you to trust totally just in Him.

If it's been dark and it's getting darker, it's not because the night is going to last forever. It's because the night is almost over - it's almost sunrise!

[Honeykiss1974]

Thanks for posting this CT4. This was exactly what I needed to hear this morning.