GOD IS WITH YOU UPHOLDING YOU

By Joseph Prince – Posted July 24, 2017

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand’

It is easy to say, “Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!” when times are good. It is easy to believe that God loves you when you are on the mountain top enjoying the sunshine. But what happens when you are down in the dark valley surrounded by your enemies?

Perhaps today, you are in the valley of marital, financial or bodily trouble, and you are asking, “Where is God?”

My friend, He is right there with you. The God of the valleys says to you, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

When King Jehoshaphat was surrounded and outnumbered by his enemies, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he said to the king, “Don’t be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you. Don’t fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against them for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:14–17)

What King Jehoshaphat did next was brilliant. He acted with wisdom from on high. Instead of putting his commandos in front, he put worshipers in front! What did the worshipers sing? They sang of God’s love for them—“Praise the Lord for His love endures forever!” And God utterly destroyed their enemies! (2 Chronicles 20:21–23, NIV)

Beloved, it is not the trials that make us strong, but our responses in those trials. The devil wants us to respond by asking, “Where is God?” But God wants us to respond with faith in His love for us. We are more than conquerors not because of our love for Him, but through Him who loves us. (Romans 8:37)

So whatever valley you are in today, don’t be afraid. God is there with you strengthening and upholding you. Just sing of His love for you and let Him fight your battles for you!

Thought For The Day

It is how we respond during trials—with faith in God’s love for us—that makes us strong.

Pray About Everything

By Joyce Meyer - Posted July 24, 2017

So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.
—Matthew 6:34

Someone once said that “Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due.” Trying to solve tomorrow’s problems today only steals the energy God has prearranged for you to enjoy today. Don’t waste your time worrying! It is vain and useless. Don’t be like the bassoon player who went up to his conductor and nervously said that he could not reach the high E-flat. His conductor just smiled and replied, “Don’t worry. There is no E-flat in your music tonight.” Many of our worries are like that—unfounded and unnecessary.

Worry is the end of faith, and faith is the end of worry. You can only be a confident woman once you remove fear and worry from your life, and it starts with prayer. Prayer opens the door for God to get involved and meet our needs. The apostle Paul said we are to be anxious for nothing, but in all things, by praying, we will experience the peace of God (see Philippians 4:6-7). He didn’t say in “some” things; he didn’t say in “one” thing, but he said in “everything.” Prayer must replace our worry.

Lord, I open the door and invite You into all the affairs of my life. I have needs that only You can meet, and I know it’s useless to worry about them. Today I commit my needs to You and will rest my faith in You. Amen.

Walk Through

By Joel Osteen – Posted July 24,2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me."
(Psalm 23:4, NLT)

TODAY'S WORD:

We’ve all been in seasons of life when we feel like things aren’t going our way, or we’re not where we want to be. In these times, it’s tempting to let discouragement and doubt come in and take away the peace and excitement you once had. 

You may be in one of those seasons right now, struggling to truly be happy where you are. But this is not the way God wants you to live. He tells us in scripture that even in the difficult times, He is with us. Even when you can’t see a way out, He will make a way through. Even when things don’t turn out the way we planned, He has a plan to turn things around for our good. 

The key is to not get upset about your circumstances. Instead, be determined to walk through to victory. Declare by faith that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Declare by faith that you are rising higher. Keep standing, keep believing and keep hoping because God has a bright future in store for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, I humbly come to You today giving You all that I am. I ask for Your peace in the midst of the storm. I ask for Your strength to stand strong, knowing that with You, I will walk through every adversity in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Fixing Our Thoughts

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted July 24, 2017

Fix your thoughts on Jesus…. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus….
Hebrews 3:1, 12:1-2 (NIV)

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 11:32-40

One day the church musician, Lowell Mason, met an exhausted man on the street. It was Ray Palmer, 24, who had been working a retail job while attending classes at Yale, teaching at a girl’s school, and preparing for future ministry. Mason asked Palmer to take on another task—writing hymn lyrics. Palmer, too tired to produce anything new, pulled from his billfold a little poem he had written two years earlier. It was a personal prayer for renewed zeal and courage, which he had written one night when very low. Lowell Mason composed music for the words, giving us the great hymn, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee.”

When circumstances get us down, we need to lift our eyes to Jesus in faith and fix our thoughts on Him. The challenge of the Christian life isn’t how to avoid fatigue and failure. It’s learning to move forward with faith, looking up to the Lord and His sovereign Word: “My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior Divine! / Now hear me while I pray; take all my guilt away; O let me from this day be wholly Thine!”

May Thy rich grace impart strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire. / As Thou hast died for me, O may my love for Thee / Pure, warm, and changeless be, a living fire!
Ray Palmer