Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: grace

God Is On Your Side

Encouragement

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—”
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭4:8-9‬

We have a promise from Jesus that we are overcomers. We can overcome any stressful situation we face. We can overcome any negative circumstance we are dealing with. We can overcome because we have God on our side.

It doesn’t take long after experiencing a hardship that you start to feel overwhelmed. In today’s verses, Paul gives us hope for a new joy. He says you will have times when you feel like giving up because you feel stressed to the max. But don’t give up.

It seems like everyday we hear of people getting bad news. Bad news that someone is sick. Bad news that someone we know has suddenly passed away. Bad news that someone has just divorced. Bad news that someone just lost a good job.

How can someone see that brighter days are ahead? It’s tough now but there is coming a day that joy will be restored.

We have faith in God that we belong to Him and we are in His hand. He knows what we are facing and He cares. Paul’s words of encouragement to us prove that we may be crushed or persecuted be there will be a brighter day ahead. There will soon be a day that we can have our joy restored.

The most effective way to have your joy restored is to have a positive outlook on life. Thinking positive gives us hope. But when tough circumstances arise it’s hard to be positive all the time. This is when we should consider what we are doing for the Lord.

Are we glorifying Him in all that we do? Are we searching the scriptures for hope and encouragement? The Bible promises that when we seek after God, He will be found and He will pour out His love.

Another way to be encouraged is to do something out of the ordinary that displays the love of Jesus. Helping someone else always brings joy. When we are doing the work of Christ, it satisfies our soul and lifts our spirits.

Pray

Lord, You promise in Your word that you will lift me up and encourage me. Today I pray that you encourage me and allow me to express love to someone else.

Be Strong In The Lord

Encouragement

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Ephesians 6:10

Sometimes life can be a real struggle. Reality can be obscured from a fantasy of what we watch in advertisements, in Hollywood, and what we see on social media.

While the battle itself is invisible, the battlefield is very much visible. Individuals fight, couples argue, families quarrel, and churches split. Add school shootings to the list as well. The struggles of our children are amongst the conflicts as well. Depression and anxiety added to the mix equates for a real messy situation. Life is a struggle.

The true reason of why we struggle in life is much deeper than we can imagine. What we commonly think is the source of our struggle is not seen. Paul says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but an invisible battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

The good news is that we are strengthened and set free through Jesus Christ. Through Him we obtain strength and courage to endure any situation. The Lord helps us overcome any obstacle we face.

Satan doesn’t have any power over God’s children. When Jesus defeated Satan on the cross and defeated death on the third day when He arose. We who believe are set free to live an abundant life.

However, when we don’t rely on the strength of the Lord we become weak. Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. The struggle is real but the Lord is ready to deal with our struggles.

Armor up with the strength of the Lord through the truth of His word. Face your daily struggles with confidence and assurance of who you are in Christ. Don’t try to do life without Him!

Pray

Lord, I am powerless and need You. Strengthen me in the knowledge of Your truth and wisdom. Help me to understand that without Jesus I am nothing. Thank You, Lord.

Love Everlasting

Encouragement

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:3‬

This is a beautiful passage of Old Testament Scripture. It is directed towards the people of Israel and how God has loved them with an everlasting love. The Lord surely fulfilled His promise to regather His children back into their promised land.

This is a great reminder that God’s love is everlasting. The Lord loves us in a way that we cannot fathom.

He redeemed His children from Egyptian bondage and provided for them while wandering in the wilderness. Even in times of rebellion and unbelief, God never rejected His children. Although there were times of discipline, He always restored them to a position of honor because He loved them so much. 

This is the love story told throughout the whole Bible. It’s His story of how He loves His special people unconditionally. No one can ever understand how much love He has for us.

There may be times when you may feel that you are not loved so be certain that God loves you. His love for you is everlasting just like the Israelites.

You may go through times of rebellion and unbelief, but God will never turn His back on you. No one will ever love you like God loves you. He doesn’t just say it, He proves it everyday. 

Pray

Lord, I love you. I am thankful for your unending love for me. As I show love toward others, let them sense your love that is in me.