Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

I Am With You

Encouragement, Trust

I Am With 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.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬

His Presence Is Everything

This is a verse we all should memorize and keep close to our hearts.  Whenever you feel that God may not be listening, remember this promise.  Or when you feel you just can’t make it another day, know that God is still there.  When you just cannot do it, He will.  He holds everything together in the palm of His hand.

The truth of this great verse is found in the promise of His presence. We never know what we may encounter from day to day, but we can count on God being right here with us.  If we have fear, His presence is all we need.  If we are without understanding, His wisdom surrounds us.  When we are lacking, He fills us with His love.  The power of His presence is overwhelming when we realize how close He is.  God is not far away.  As a Christian, He is living inside of you.  He wants to be part of your life.

We should seek and desire His presence everyday.  Moses said to God in Exodus 33:15, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”  Moses didn’t want to make a move until he knew God was going with them.  Moses was so use to seeking His presence that He would be lost without it. That should be our same attitude and desire.  God’s presence is the most important thing we know.  The Holy Spirit is God’s presence.

Prayer

Praise Him out loud by saying or singing, “You are my strength, You are my help, You are my God!”

Not My Will

Encouragement, Trust

Not My Will

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
Luke 22:42

God’s Will

As Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was to be crucified, He was intensely praying for God’s will to be done.  Divinely, Jesus knew what needed to be done but on the humanity side He was dreadful of what was to come.  This verse points to the fact that Jesus was fully man and fully God.

Jesus was praying for God to remove the cup of suffering.  He was praying if there could be any other way besides the cross then let it be.  But if not, then the will of the Father is best.  Jesus wanted the will of God to be done, perfectly.  This should be our prayer as well.  We should pray for God’s will to be done in our life not matter what.  No matter what suffer, loss, or anguish we must face it will be for the Lord’s sake.

Sometimes we don’t fully seek the will of God for our lives.  We seek was pleases us the most and when we face a mess we turn to God for help.  God’s will is always best for us but it’s not always the easiest.  We too may face suffering and shame in our walk with God but in the end we should always remember that if it is God’s will then it is the best way.  It’s hard sometimes to agree to have God’s will to be done in our life but we should yield our will and way to His.  Since God knows all things and He knows the future then we need to pray the same prayer that Jesus prayed.

Prayer

Lord, today, nonetheless, not my will, but yours, be done.  I submit to your will and way for my life.

Sow Bountifully

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Sow Bountifully

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:6‬ ‭

You Reap What You Sow

God loves a cheerful giver. (vs. 7)  A generous heart that gives freely and willingly is rewarded in the same manner.  God will bless you according to how you give.  Christian giving is reflected by one’s relationship with God.  The more we are aligned with the will of God the more we will experience the awesomeness of God.

Paul is teaching the Believers in Corinth an encouraging principle.  He promised them that if they would give bountifully, God will reward bountifully.  As Christians we should be willing to give what we have to those who are in need.  The early church was able to meet the needs of everyone.  Today we see a lot of people who are in need.  There are a lot of church members who are in great need of assistance.  Some do not speak out nor ask anything from their church.  We should all be prayerfully sensitive to the needs of our fellow Believers.  There is great joy in store for those who are able to give freely and willingly.

God wants us to give more than just our money.  He desires that we share our faith and talents as well.  We all are gifted in various ways that provide blessings to other people.  If you can give big, give it and watch what God will do with it.  If you can sing beautifully, sing so others can hear you.  If you can teach, wisely teach the Word.  If you can preach, what are you waiting for?  There is so many different ways that you can bountifully give of yourself and what you have.  Always remember that you have what you have because God has bountifully given.

Prayer

Lord, use what I have to help someone else in need.  Give me a generous giving heart.