Born for a Purpose

God's Purpose Will Stand Isaiah 46:9-11 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.' From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. Regardless of terrorists' threats ...  I am God and there is no other. My purpose will stand. Regardless of the economic forecast ...  I am God and there is no other. My purpose will stand. Regardless of Supreme Court decisions ...  I am God and there is no other. My purpose will stand. Regardless of rogue rulers who make arrogant claims ...  I am God and there is no other. My purpose will stand. Regardless of nuclear arms buildups ...  I am God and there is no other. My purpose will...

Isaiah 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. The Good Shepherd cares for his sheep. He leads them where the grass is lush. He leads them to clear, fresh streams. He protects them from the animals that would attack and kill. He keeps his flock together. Not one sheep is ever lost. He leads purposefully and gently. Sometimes he picks up the weak ones and holds them in his arms. He carries them close to his heart so they can hear it beat. Maybe today you feel weak in body. The procedures and treatments have drained your strength. Your energy is gone. Maybe you feel weak emotionally. Anxiety has overtaken your thoughts. Worry has worn you down. Perhaps you are spiritually weak. You have given in to temptation . . . again. You are frustrated by constant failure. If you are exhausted in body, soul and/or spirit, ask Jesus to gather you in his arms. Ask him to hold you clos...

Enduring Hardship It is possible to be beaten until you are numb. You can smile and praise the Lord and say, "Jesus, I my cross have taken," for a while. But then you are slowly beaten until you are numb, and you get into a sort of a rut where you cannot fight back. Timothy had been with Paul a long time, and Paul had been in so much trouble so much of the time. Timothy was tagging along behind in the same trouble, and Paul had noticed a little temptation to be ashamed of the cross. Essentially, Paul was saying, "Don't be ashamed of the cross. Don't shrink from the affliction of the gospel. God has not given us the spirit of fear." Then in Second Timothy 2:3 Paul said, "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." It is as though he might have detected in the young man a little temptation to recoil a bit from the hard life he was called into. Paul knew that Timothy was basically a sound man. He knew Timothy had been rea...

Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.   Satan comes with the "What ifs?" He knows that questions fill our minds and hearts with chaos. He knows that chaos produces panic. And he knows that panic paralyzes.   God comes with the invitation, "Trust!" Trusting in the "Rock eternal" chases the chaos away. Trust replaces confusion and questions with a "perfect peace." Keeping our minds saturated with God keeps the waters calm even when the storm is raging all around us.   How do we keep our minds steadfast? Here are three suggestions:   1.  Read God's Word.  It is his love letter to you. Read through the psalms and highlight his promises. There is calm under the shelter of his wings.   2.  Listen to Christian music.  Load your smartphone with music that reminds you of God's u...

Psalm 103:17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children. "Love", says A. W. Tozer, "is an essential attribute of God." Tozer explains that all of God's attributes are always at work together. One is never held back in order to emphasize another. Let's think about what that means for us. God is self-existent, so his love has no beginning. There has never been a time when God wasn't existent, so his love has always been present. It is from everlasting. God is eternal, so his love has no end. There will never be a time when God ceases to exist, so his love will always be there. It is from everlasting to everlasting. God is infinite, so his love has no limits. There will never be a time when God stops loving us. His love has no ending point. God is holy, so his love is pure . On our best day, man's love is tainted by our sinfulness. By contr...

Psalm 16:7-8 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. As I wrote this, a friend of mine (Edu aka Love Dr) just did a link on WhatsApp to me... It hit me direct to my thought line! The same time am just 7 months after my lady Lilian Mwikali said 'I DO' though it seems like yesterday's dream; though the journey might appear stralling. Perhaps each of us have moments in our lives when it feels like time slows down or the air becomes still and everything around us seems to draw in, marking that moment as one we will never forget. - The long post read this at a certain line. Do you ever have nights when you can't go to sleep? You toss and turn, and your mind begins to race. Then fear shows up. For those of you going through illness, nights can be the worst time. While others sleep, nights are lonely hours that invite your mind to entertain all the ...

2 Samuel 22:32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?   When we place our trust and confidence in people, sooner or later we will be left alone and disillusioned. When we seek satisfaction in stuff, our hearts will crash like a person coming down from a heroin high. When we worship money, we run after a god who never quite quenches our thirst. False gods always leave us alone and afraid. As Alexis de Tocqueville recorded his famous observations on America in the 1830s, he wrote of a "strange melancholy that haunts the inhabitants . . . in the midst of abundance." Americans believed, and still believe, that prosperity brings happiness but, as de Tocqueville noted, "the incomplete joys of this world will never satisfy [the human] heart." David reminds us in today's passage that there is no God besides the Lord! There is no steady and secure refuge except the Rock! He alone is the remedy for the "strange melancholy" th...