shadow

encouragement

Building a House

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“But Christ is faithful as the son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.”
Hebrews 3:6

Jesus was faithful to God to carry out everything that he was sent on earth to do by the one who sent him. Christ is faithful to us because God is faithful to us. God said he would send His son down to save us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

God is the master builder. Jesus is the contractor. We are the workers, building our house-His house.

As the workers we’ve been hand-picked to perform certain tasks that are necessarily in order for the proper house to be built. Just like the master builder trusts the contractor to hire the right people for the job, God trusts us with the tasks He has given us.

We can rest in His hope and faith because that is what He modeled for us.

Now it is our turn.

Daily challenge:

Focus on the small bricks you are laying, the everyday activities that don’t seem like much, but overtime can make a lasting impact. All of our effort and energy exerted for God is timely and appointed. What are some of the smaller bricks you are laying each day in order to build your house?

But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

Where does our confidence and hope come from?

He who is faithful will provide until the second coming of Jesus Christ

-Stephanie Miller

 

Photo Credit: image created via wordswag

Do you Sing-along or change the station?

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“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

I like to listen to the radio. I usually rotate between a few stations that play Christian music, so hearing the same song more than once a day is inevitable. Occasionally, I turn on the radio and “Good Good Father” is playing for the seventh time. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Chris Tomlin, but sometimes I get tired of hearing it and will change the station hoping to hear a new song.

Satan is much like hearing that same song; he is a broken record, always filling our head with the same thoughts of doubt.

You’re not good enough

You don’t know what you’re doing

No one will love you

You will fail

If I already know the lyrics to the song I can either sing along or I can change the station.

When we don’t like what we are listening to, we change the radio station in our car. The same principle applies to our thoughts. I rather listen to the truth of God’s Word than Satan’s lies any day. God gives us exactly what we need to deflect the attack of the enemy through His word.

  • guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23)
  • take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
  • do not conform to the patters of this world (Romans 12:2)
  • put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13)

When you surround yourself with the truth, you can spot the lies. These verses are the truth on which we stand and rely upon.

The Lord is faithful to strengthen and protect us by giving us His word to study and His truths to sing! My sweet friends, let’s surround ourselves with the truth of the word of God, so we can drown out the voice of the enemy!

Many Blessings,

Stephanie

 

photo credit: image created via wordswag

Trusting God in Tough Times: Expect Difficult Times

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It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.

 

Expect Difficult Times

“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, NIV

Expect_Trouble_MONDAYIn this world, we can expect trouble. John 16:33 spells out this statement for us in black and white. Jesus was speaking directly to His disciples, and He didn’t say you may have trouble. He said, “you will have trouble.” That sounds a little depressing, right? Thankfully in the same verse, Jesus also told us to take heart because He has overcome the world.

It’s important to set realistic expectations. Following Christ doesn’t exempt us from struggles or difficult circumstances. If our expectation is a life with no hard times, we will be disappointed and possibly even angry at God when the wheels fall off. Sometimes, the struggles we face can build our faith and character, creating a deeper relationship with our heavenly Father.

How do we maintain our trust in God when our lives are seemingly falling apart?

I’m reading a book right now entitled Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges. Bridges paints a beautiful picture of God’s providence over all His creation. In the book, he teaches that God only brings or allows things to happen in our lives that are for His glory and our good.

It’s a tough statement because sometimes we can’t see any good in a particular circumstance from our perspective. That’s when it becomes important to remember that only God sees the entire picture. Can we learn to trust God even when we don’t understand what He is doing?

God gives us some encouragement in His Word as we learn to trust in difficult times. We learn that He will keep us safe in days of trouble:

“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.” Psalm 27:5, NIV

And it helps to keep our eyes on what is being achieved eternally (what is unseen, not what is seen):

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV

Most of all, we already know the end of story. Jesus has overcome the world. Though we may experience difficult times, and even walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus has overcome evil and is waiting for us in eternity. What hope and peace that knowledge brings!

Learning to trust more fully,

Allison