Daily Scripture: Purpose in Your Hardship

We all go through hardships and the roads of life are definitely not easy but in those tough times of life we can find strength and encouragement in knowing that God is with us.  Whenever we are on the bumpy road of life, we can hold on to our faith and trust God to provide everything we need and provide plenty or more than enough.  Hold on during this hard time, God is right there with you and although it may seem unbearable right now, God is using this hard time to strengthen you and to advance His kingdom.  Hold on to the encouragement of knowing if He did it before, He will do it again.  If he provided before, He will provide again plentiful and fully.  Stay positive and know there is a purpose for all that we go through.  God has a purpose over your life, and it may not feel like it but there’s a purpose in your hardship.  Buckle your seat belt, hold on, learn from it, grow from it, hold on to your faith and allow God to strengthen you through your hardship and turn your trials into triumph!!!

17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardshipsto enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

~Acts 14:17-22

Daily Scripture: Rest in God

We go through so much in life, sickness, heartbreak, betrayal, hardships and so on and so on, that we feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.  We even look for somewhere to turn but often feel like we have nowhere or no one to turn to. And as we continue to search for somebody to turn to the burdens on our shoulders seem to get a lot heavier and we become more worried.  Some days it seems like we receive more bad news than good and that the burdens are never ending.  But there is someone that we can turn to and that person is Jesus.  In Jesus we will find love, we will find joy, we will find peace, we will find comfort, and we will find rest.  God simply says come to me and I will provide everything you need, even that rest that you’ve longing for.  Everything that you are going through go to God and let Him take care of it and He will allow you to rest while He fixes it all.  So many nights we sleep but don’t rest because of everything bogging us down.  But the only way for us to finally rest is we must come to God and He will not only give us physical rest but also rest for our soul.

27 “All things have been committed to meby my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

~Matthew 11:27-30

Ask and You Will Receive

As humans our pride kicks in when we’re in trouble and in need of help and because of that pride we hesitate asking for help.  But we need to learn to drop our pride and ask for help. Regardless of what you are going through in life, the ups, the downs, the happiness, the sadness, or whatever trouble it is, know that God will turn all of our sadness, hardship, and grief into happiness, success and pure joy.  When we humble ourselves and ask God for assistance, whatever we ask Him for He will provide as long as it’s within His will.  Remember that we must always remain humble and that God will provide everything we need according to His riches, we just have to learn to communicate and ask Him for help.  God is the only one that can turn all of our situations around. Don’t be ashamed to ask Him for help, God knows our hearts and everything we are going through, He is just waiting on us to come to Him, to build our relationship with Him, and to talk with Him and ask Him for assistance.  Whatever it is holding you down or whatever it is that you need, ask and you will receive for God will turn everything around and make you whole again!!!

20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has painbecause her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 

~John 16:20-24

Daily Scripture: Pray Through It

No one is immune to the trials and tribulations of life but we must learn to continuously pray through the storms of life.  We sometimes get so overtaken by what’s going on that we talk to everybody around us and ask them for help with our problems except the one that matters the most, the only one that has the solutions to all of our problems.  Not only are we to pray about it but we also must believe by faith what we are praying for, believe that God will provide and answer all of our prayers, and if He doesn’t answer the way you want Him to it’s because He has something better in store for you.  Sickness. Pray.  Family Problems. Pray.  Financial Problems. Pray.  Sadness. Pray.  Mourning. Pray.  Whatever it may be that is giving you hardships, pray about it.  There’s power in prayer and through your faith and prayers, God can turn your problems around right before your very eyes.  God is waiting on each of us to talk with Him about our problems, to hand over our burdens to Him, for He is the only one that can take care of whatever it is you are going through.  Whenever you’re in the midst of the storm know that you are not alone, God is right there with you. So keep walking, keep fighting and continue to pray through it all! Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it? 

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oilin the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

~James 5:13-16

Daily Scripture: Out of This World

So many people get so caught up in trying to seek and gain treasures, happiness and peace from within the world we live in.  They begin to go against their character and morals chasing these items.  But what they fail to realize is that they are seeking these things in the wrong place.  We must continue to hold on and remember that the true treasures, happiness and peace we all long for can only come from one place, and that is from our Heavenly Father.  The peace we need, the strength we need, the happiness we all long for cannot be given to us from within the world we live in.  God provides us with His peace that helps us to sustain the world we live in that can be so hard, sad, and sometimes down right horrible.  But the good news is that the God we serve provides us with all we need, gives us peace to make it through those hard times and lets us know that we do not have to be worried, troubled or afraid because He will provide all we need.  The joy, happiness and peace that we all long for the world can’t give it to us and the world can’t take it away.  Rest easy and live in the peace given to all of us and know that the treasures, happiness and peace we all have is not like that in which the world tries to provide.  The treasures, happiness, love, joy and peace we have are out of this world!!!!

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Daily Scripture: No Eye Has Seen

People will try to talk you out of you hopes, dreams, aspirations and the vision you have for your life.  They will question you, ‘how are you going to accomplish that?’ or ‘what makes you think that you’re capable of accomplishing that?’ and so on and so on.  They will make you question yourself and even try to plant their dream for you in your head.  But what Gad has for you is for you.  Nobody knows what God is calling you to be and whatever God has planned for your life it will come to pass.  God will equip you with everything you need to accomplish His will for your life while encouraging you and loving you every step of the way.  Don’t get defeated when people try to down play your vision, as a matter of fact don’t share your vision with everybody.  God will ensure that the vision HE has for you will become reality.  Nobody can see, hear or conceive what God has planned for you and your life.  Keep pushing and know that nobody can keep you from what God has destined for your life!

9 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[a]—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

~1 Corinthians 2:9-12

Daily Scripture: Don't Worry

We get so caught up in what’s going on around us that we constantly worry about what’s to come.  We worry about finances and how we’re going to pay this, that, and the third, we worry about what we’re going to wear, we worry about what we’re going to eat, we even worry about what other people think about us or if we will have enough time to accomplish everything we need to accomplish.  But simply put, we all need to STOP WORRYING.  When we worry it does not fix the situation, it does not bring about the solution we are looking for.  All it does is bring about more stress and anxiety.  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:27) We have to seek God for the solution to all of our problems.  There’s no need in worrying because God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).  God will supply everything we need and bring about the solutions to all of our problems.  Don’t worry about what’s to come, focus on the her and now and know that God is in your present and is already in your future working everything out on your behalf.

27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

~Matthew 6:27-34

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