Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: faith

Joy In The Midst Of Pain

Encouragement

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:5‬

Psalm 30:5 is a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness and steadfast love towards us, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. The psalmist acknowledges that weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

This verse speaks to the reality that life is full of ups and downs. There will be times when we experience pain, loss, and heartache. But in those moments, we can take comfort in the fact that God is with us and that he will bring us through to the other side.

God’s anger towards our sin is real, but it is also temporary. His grace and favor towards us are eternal. No matter what we have done or what we are going through, God’s love for us remains constant.

As we face the trials of life, we can trust that God is working all things together for our good. We may not always understand what he is doing or why, but we can be sure that he is with us and that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

May we hold onto the promise of Psalm 30:5, and may we always remember that joy comes in the morning. Let us trust in God’s unfailing love and faithfulness, and may we find hope and peace in him, no matter what we may face.

Pray

Lord, I trust your mercy and grace will see me through today. Help me to enjoy what you have supplied me with and I will find peace in resting in Your presence.

Give Me Peace

Encouragement

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬

In today’s verse we find a promise from God to those who trust in Him. There’s no doubt that we all need more peace in our lives today. Have you noticed when you’re nearest to God there is more peace and joy? 

That is because your trust is in Him. But how can we keep that “perfect peace” when we are faced with difficulties of life?

We need to rid ourselves of the fear and doubt that intrudes our minds which ultimately affects the way we think and act. 

Oswald Chambers said, “Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be ‘bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…’ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together.” 

If we place our minds on anything else we may experience temporary and imperfect peace, but God alone is the giver of perfect peace. God is the only One who can deliver on the promise of perfect peace. 

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus calls us to build our lives on Him and to obey His words. The rain will fall, the floods will come, the winds will blow, but those who build on the foundation of Christ are like a house built on a rock that can withstand these storms. But those who put their trust in anything else other than Christ are like houses built on sand that can’t hold up and are washed away. I pray you place your mind on Christ and trust God who will provide you with peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

Pray

Lord, remove all doubt that I have. Give me peace that surpasses all understanding. Let my faith in You be greater than all my fears. 

Praise The Lord

Encouragement

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:6

It is estimated that the average person takes an average of 23,000 breaths a day. Every breath you take is important. If you were to stop breathing… death is near.

Breathing is not something you have to think about unless you are having a hard time breathing. Our lungs naturally inhale and exhale and most of the time we don’t even notice the action.

Here is the point of today’s message. We are given 23,000 opportunities to praise the Lord. We should praise God for every breath He gives us.

Let’s praise the Lord for every breath we take and with every breath let’s praise the Lord!

Do you praise the Lord 23,000 times a day? With the mindset of praising God for giving us our next breath we can. But don’t wait until you can’t breathe to be thankful for each breath.

Take a deep breath right now and consider what happens when your lungs fill with air (oxygen) and you exhale the converted air (carbon dioxide). The 3 to 5 seconds that it took to breathe in and breathe out is amazing. The oxygen you inhale contains vital nutrients for blood to carry nutrients throughout your body to live.

Interestingly enough, you exhale carbon dioxide that provides sufficient nutrients for plants to survive. And in return plants give off oxygen for humans to survive. God works in mysterious ways!

How many times you can praise the Lord today?

Pray

Lord, thank You for every breath I take. Thank You for the clean air that I breathe and the plants that provide oxygen for me to breathe. Help me to realize that every breath I take matters and is an opportunity to praise You.