![]() A presence of troubles is not a sign of God’s absence. I read over Psalm 139 yesterday, and it was so comforting. Verse 7 says, “I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!” Verses 17 and 18 says, “How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!” How comforting is that? When you woke up this morning, you were on God’s mind. Isn’t it also great to know that our Heavenly Father never sleeps; therefore, we can go to Him at any time. Psalm 121:3-4 (GNB) says, “He will not let you fall; your protector is always awake. The protector of Israel never dozes or sleeps.” God is wide awake right now. Take a moment and thank Him for His presence in your life. Satan wants you to question God’s love whenever you go through hard times. He wants you to ask questions such as, “Lord, if you really love me, why am I going through this?” Your feelings will often go against what the Word says, especially in hard times. That’s why I say repeatedly that we cannot live by how we feel, but only by the truth in God’s Word. That’s why it is so important that you know the Word of God. It’s the weapon you need to battle against the strategies and tricks of Satan. Instead of questioning God’s presence, start confessing verses about His presence. For example, Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up – the flames will not consume you.” Instead of asking, “God, where are you?”, you can say in faith, “Lord, I know you are with me!” I want to note something from this verse. It does not say if you go through rivers of difficulty, or if you walk through the fire of oppression. I can guarantee you that you will. That’s not to disappoint you. It’s to prepare you. We are not guaranteed a trouble-free life while we are here on earth; however, we are promised that in heaven! And guess what? Satan will not be joining us!
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![]() Jesus said, “A healthy tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a poor tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by the fruit it bears; you do not pick figs from thorn bushes or gather grapes from bramble bushes. A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:43-45 GNB).” What kind of fruit have you been producing? Are you producing any at all? If you’re too busy doing things that aren’t glorifying God, chances are, your tree is bare. If you’re too busy getting rooted in the world, chances are, your fruit is rotting. Jesus said, “I am the real Vine, and my Father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit (John 15:1-2 GNB). So, it’s much better to be pruned than to be broken off. He goes on to say, “…I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures… (Verse 16 GNB).” We are anointed to stand out and make a difference, not fit in and just “flow downstream” with everyone else. I want you to remind yourself daily, I am chosen to do great things for God! I am not forgotten. I am chosen! I choose to be around those who choose God, and obey Him! “But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group – and there will be wrong doctrine, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws (Galatians 5:19-23).” Don’t you prefer to be around people who produce the fruit of the Spirit rather than the corruption that flows from the flesh? I would hope so! If you’re currently living a life that’s not producing good fruit, why not make a change today? Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t wait until you feel like it. Do it now! Some of you have put up with things for far too long and it’s time to change! Hatred, fighting, anger, critical and judgmental, negative thinking. If it’s not producing good fruit, cut it off! And that includes people too! If they’re just “hanging on” and not helping you grow, they need to go! Learn to say “no” and let go!
Let's stop talking so much about who has hurt us, and talk more about how much God has healed us!
#thinkrightliveright So many people WANT more FROM God, yet they don't want to DO more FOR God!
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