No matter what...

No Matter What:

God is good all the time.

God is faithful all the time.

God is loving all the time.

God is caring all the time.

God is forgiving all the time.

God is a friend all the time.

God is a Father all the time.

God is a Shepherd all the time.

God does not change. He is who He is. And He is good.

Suffering

Suffering is a time when the world seems to stop, or maybe not the world, but our world for that matter. Suffering causes internal focuses which can then lead to internal prayers. Suffering can take our eyes off of God when he so desperately may be allowing this in order to refocus our attention back on Him. How easy it is to push aside the feelings and ignore them rather than reaching to the core of what Christ is sometimes trying to speak to us about.

I was reading Philippians today and came across Paul's words when he was going through the same thing. May we never lose faith. May we never lose hope, for that is what we are living for and hope does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5).

"Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." (Philippians 1:12)

"Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." (v. 19)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Take heart to the direction God is leading you, even if he is leading you into suffering, for there is hope, that hope doesn't disappoint us. And His plan reigns far greater than what we know is possible or even imaginable.

Gratitude

Here is a blog from Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church.

There are few things more important to God than gratitude. It’s the highest level of living because it’s where you realize everything you have is by the grace of God. It’s the eternal state of Heaven, and it’s something we can experience here and now.

Here are the five observations on gratitude:
1. Gratitude is never invisible or silent. There is no such thing as silent gratitude. If you’re really grateful for something, you’ll say it and show it. Unexpressed gratitude is a lost opportunity to give God praise.

2. Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. In the same way that you can relive an offense through bitterness, you can relive a blessing of God through gratitude. It is possible to relive the joy of yesterday’s gifts with today’s thankfulness.

3. Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends. To keep a high sense of gratitude, you must keep a low sense of entitlement. You can’t be grateful for something you feel entitled to. And the truth is, you’re not entitled to anything.

You woke up this morning. Someone else didn’t. They thought they would, but they didn’t. You received a standard Christmas bonus. Someone else is still looking for a job.
If that wasn’t enough, for the Christian, anything short of hell is God’s miraculous, overwhelming, and sufficient grace. We’re not entitled to salvation. It’s a gracious gift that demands a grateful response.

4. Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing, or create a blessing in almost any situation. The opposite of this point is that negative people can find a burden, enlarge a burden, or create a burden in almost any situation. It might sound crass, but some people are crap factories. It doesn’t matter what you put in them, it just comes out crap. They’ll always find a reason to complain. They’ll always find the worst in every situation.

But then for other people, they find crap, put a seed in it, and let it grow. Who do you think possesses more joy?

Your situation doesn’t need to improve for your gratitude to increase. Gratitude sees the best and the potential in every situation.

5. Gratitude increases favor and creates opportunity. Gratitude will make you magnetic for miracles. Joseph preserved his gratitude even after unjustly spending over a decade in slavery and prison. And God used him to save a nation and preserve His people.

If you want the favor of God to flow through your life, keep a grateful heart.

Over My Head- Starfield

These are beautiful lyrics....

Lost for the words to sayI'm left here in disarrayWaiting for You, waiting on truth I've thrown reason overboardKnowing that there's still moreI don't yet believe, I can't even perceive I can't seem to understandCan't seem to find my wayIt's over my head, it's over my headLearning this mysteryTrust what I cannot seeIt's over my head, it's over my head The wonder of all You've madeFoundations Your hands have laid Bringing me back to my knees, to my kneesI'm lost for the words to say Lost for another wayBringing me back to my knees, to my knees I'm lost for the words to say Lost for another way Ruined for anything other than Your loveI'm desperate to know You, LordDesperate for what's in store Finding my hope in only You, in only YouTake me beyond this doorLead me to something moreOpen my heart up for more of You, more of You

Unstoppable- Rascal Flatts

Yeah yeah yeah.. Hey So, so you made a lot of mistakes Walked down the road a little sideways Cracked a brick when you hit the wall Yeah, you've had a pocket full of regrets Pull you down faster than a sunset Hey, it happens to us all When the cold hard rain just won't quit And you can't see your way out of it
You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable Love, it can weather any storm Bring you back to being born again oh, it's a helping hand when you need it most A lighthouse shinning on the coast That never goes dim When your heart is full of doubt And you think that there's no way out
You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable Like a river keeps on rolling Like the north wind blowing Don't it feel good knowing Yeah

You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable Love is unstoppable So you made a lot of mistakes Walked down the road a little sideways Love, love is unstoppable

It's Never Too Late to Call....upon God

The bridges have not burned down
I hope you come around
And how far you fall
It doesn’t matter at all
It’s never too late to call.


Can’t stop your world from spinning in circles
Now it’s caught up with your life
I’ll pray from a distance for the tears that you cry
In need of forgiveness, we all stand the same
I still remember when you lost your way
Time stood standing.The darker your night, the brighter your day

Love will light your way
Heaven waits the same
We were the best when we stood side by side

* Article One

Little is Much ~ Downhere

What is the measure of a life well-lived
If all I can offer seems too small to give
This is a song for the weaker, the poorer
And so-called failures

Little is much when God's in it
And no one can fathom the plans He holds
Little is much when God's in it
He changes the world with the seeds we sow
Little is much, little is much

Who feels tired and under-qualified
Who feels deserted, and hung out to dry
This is a song for the broken, the beat-up
And so-called losers

Consider a Kingdom in the smallest seed
Consider that giants fall to stones and slings
Consider a child in a manger
Consider the story isn't over
What can be done with what you still have