More Than Able in Christ

Genesis 1:27 (KJV) Says, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them." Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) Says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Romans 5:8 (KJV) Says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 8:28 (KJV) Says, "And we know that all things work together for good for them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Hebrews 4:16 (KJV) Says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Philippians 4:13 (KJV) Says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

The above verse of scripture taken from Genesis makes clear to us that we were created in the image of Almighty God Himself. Knowing this should be enough for people to recognize that they are beautiful. Take a moment to consider that out of the millions of people in this world God found you to be necessary as he creates no two people alike. That in and of itself is a miracle. With God as your divine creator you can rest assured you are worthy, you are enough, you are loved, you are beautiful, and you are necessary.

In the above verse of scripture taken from the book of Jeremiah, it is made clear that God has a plan for our lives. It is also made clear that his plan is for us to enjoy a life filled with His divine peace, and joy as we live in obedience to Him.

In the two verses listed above from the book of Romans, we see that God loves each of us so much that He sent His Only Son who was perfect and sinless to die on the cross paying our sin debt in full. That is a love so great that there are no words to articulate it. He also tells us that He will work all things out for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. A good example of this is Joseph who shared dreams he had with his brothers telling them that in his dreams they would bow down to him. This along with the fact that their father had given Joseph a coat of many colors which they saw as favoritism prompted the brothers to be overcome with jealousy. They threw Joseph into a pit and sold him into slavery. God took all that Joseph went through and worked it for good as through a series of events, Joseph winds up going from the pit to the palace, and his brothers indeed end up bowing down to him. God placed Joseph in a high position under Pharaoh, king of Egypt which allowed him to distribute food to his family, during a time of famine in their land. Joseph was able to do this years after his brothers had thrown him into that pit.

 If we will remind ourselves that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us then we should have no problem doing as the above verse of scripture taken from the book of Hebrews tells us to do, and that is to go boldly before the throne of God in prayer bringing all things to Him. Remember God is all-powerful, all-knowing, He is everywhere, and there is no problem he can't solve, no sickness he can't heal, no disease he can't cure, and no situation he can't restore.

Finally, the above passage of scripture taken from the book of Philippians sums it up well by making clear to us that there is nothing we can't do with God working through us, and walking by our side. We can face the storms in our lives knowing that we have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us, that He is with us every second of every single day, that He will never leave us nor forsake us, that He loves us tremendously, and that He wants what is best for us.

It is vital that we come to believe and take to heart the truth of God's Word, and stop allowing Satan to convince us via the thoughts he puts in our minds that we are weak, that we will never be able to accomplish the tasks before us, that there is no way we will make it through the storms we face in life, that situations are over our load, and that we are not enough. When we allow Satan to push God's Word, which is the absolute truth, out of our minds, and replace it with his lies then we allow him to stop us from moving forward in life. Believing Satan's lies  prevents us from accomplishing all that God has planned for our lives, and from living the life filled with divine peace and joy that God intends for us to live. It lands us in a state of misery and depression which has a negative affect on everyone and everything in our lives.  Satan is thrilled when we buy into his lies, and allow them to overtake us because in this state of mind we are not likely to be a very good example of what being a Christian looks like. It prevents us from  witnessing to others via our character, behavior, attitude, and responses in all that we do. It hides from others what a true Christian looks like.

I encourage you to pray daily, and to keep God's Word close to your heart. When Satan starts bombarding your mind with negative thoughts kick those thoughts out immediately, and replace them with the truth of God's Word. Remember that you were created by Almighty God in his own image, and that as a born again believer in Jesus Christ you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. Truly ponder the power of that. I urge you to remind yourself often that God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for your sins paying your sin debt in full. That my friends is a tremendous amount of love. Finally, knowing all of these things, I urge you to remind yourself often in the peaks and in the valleys of life, that no matter what you're facing in life you are more than able in Christ.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!

Why Pray?

Matthew 14:23 (KJV) Says, "And when he had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone." Mark 6:46 (KJV) Says, "And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray." Luke 6:12 (KJV) Says, "And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Luke 5:16 (KJV) Says, "And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed."

In the above verses of scripture we are given examples of Jesus going off alone to spend time in prayer, and that are many more examples of Him doing so found within the pages of God's Word. This makes clear to us that prayer is of the utmost importance. Some people question that if God is all-knowing, present everywhere, and all-powerful then why pray? Prayer is our direct communication with our personal Lord and Savior, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to talk with him as a friend whenever we choose to do so.

There are several reasons to pray, and one of those is for guidance. If we have the desire in our hearts to follow the plan that God has for our lives then we need to go to him in prayer, and ask Him to lead, guide, and direct our path. When we go to him in prayer and ask Him for guidance, if we will listen to what he places on our heart he will give us direction, and the divine peace that tells us that direction is from Him.

Another reason to pray is to ask for forgiveness of our sins. The Bible tells us that as human beings we are all sinners. The good news is that when we go to God in prayer, ask Him to forgive us for our sins, and we repent of them He forgives us immediately.

Yet another reason to pray is to ask God to help us with the decisions we need to make in our lives. We should go to God in prayer about all the decisions we are faced with from the smallest to the largest. What better advice can we get, when it comes to making decisions than that which Almighty God Himself can give us?

Furthermore, we should go to God in prayer about the troubles we face in our lives. God is our Heavenly Father, and we are His children. He loves us tremendously and want to help us. If we will go to him in prayer, when we are facing difficulties and problems in our lives, He will be there for us, and He will help us making through. In fact the Bible tells us that he will walk through our storms with us, and all the while he will be holding our hand.

We should also go to God in prayer, and ask Him for protection. The world is full of violence and hate, and with that said we all need His protection. Even as we go about as witnesses for Christ there are people who wish to persecute us. Jesus Himself was persecuted. God's Word tells us in Matthew 5:10 (KJV) "Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake:  for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

Yet another reason to pray is for healing. God is the Great Physician, he is all-powerful, and he is more than able to restore our health.

Above are a few of the reasons that we need to pray, and there a many more. I encourage you to go to God in prayer about all things. If Jesus found it necessary to pray, and to do so often, then it is evident that we should. Remember the importance of prayer, and pray daily. Take all of your troubles to God in prayer, and leave them there. Do what you can do to help yourself, and then trust God with what you can't do. He is more than able. When you pray remember always to praise and thank God for all the miracles, blessings, and answered prayers he has given you in your life. He deserves the praise, honor, and the glory for all of them. God's Word tells us that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This means he is still a God of miracles. There is no sickness he can't heal, no disease he can't cure, no problem he can't solve, and no situation he can't restore. Prayer is vital, and I encourage you to pray on a daily basis. You will be amazed at the power of prayer.

If you have a prayer request and would like for me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!