BE ENCOURAGED!

Written by FAVORED1 on September 1, 2010 – 11:05 pm -

Thursday, March 11, 2010

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in Him, the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God.

[Romans 4:16-25]

BE ENCOURAGED!

Good Morning Beloved,

Be encouraged no matter what’s going on,
He’ll make it alright,
but you gotta stay strong.

Be encouraged no matter what’s going on,
He’ll make it all right,
but you gotta stay strong.

I know right now it’s impossible to see,
but God is gonna work it out if you just believe.
Remember this one thing while you’re going through,
if God delivered Daniel, He’ll do the same for you.

Hold on, trouble don’t last always,
these trials are just a test, just a test of your faith.
So stand strong and dry your weeping eyes,
‘cause joy comes in the morning,
and everything is gonna be alright.

Be encouraged,
be encouraged,
but you gotta stay strong.

Be encouraged.

(Be Encouraged, William Becton)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9kh3m9EVCg

A 90 year old pregnant lady! That really excites me. Wow! Can you imagine the headlines… computer message boards would be on FIRE all over the world! I can almost hear them, “is she crazy?” Why lady… give it up? Isn’t that how many in our culture view the miracle of childbirth… as a burden instead of the greatest blessing God enables a human body to perform. Well, you may not be called to parenthood in your golden years, but isn’t it wonderful to know that God is not “slack concerning His promises”. If He spoke something 20 years ago, it will happen. Sometimes, we much like Abraham and Sarah, have a part in the delay. I know there are areas in my own life where I should be further along, but my OWN procrastination has slowed me down. Whether out of fear, anxiety, laziness, or lack of trust, I own my part of it, ask God to forgive me, and move forward. There is absolutely nothing we can ever do to get back “lost” years (actually those years weren’t really lost, everything in our past has prepared us for where we are now, where we are going or someone else’s deliverance) It is unproductive to lament over “coulda-shoulda-woulda’s”… we have right now. This second.. what are we going to do with this blessed moment? Are we listening to that still quiet voice, or are we “loud-talking” it with doubt, debate, unbelief, murmuring and complaining? Be encouraged and thank God for right now… right now. He knows what He is doing, and He knows what we are doing

… or not doing

. He knows us so much better than we know ourselves. He is with us through life’s challenges and life’s triumphs. What He is pulling out of us is priceless. Be encouraged! Don’t wait for someone to encourage you.. sometimes you just gotta encourage yourself. Everyone is not going to understand the place you are in all the time. I once worked on a job where one of the employees was angry because he didn’t receive a cake in celebration of his birthday like everyone else did for theirs. He was smiling, but I knew he was angry about it, how? because he talked about it EVERYDAY for the entire two weeks I was there. What baffled me was that he had told his boss during the party for his co-worker months before, that he didn’t eat cake, was raised Jehovah’s Witness, and didn’t celebrate birthdays. Question? What was the problem? I suspect it was less about cake, and principle and more about offense. Listening to him everyday, I could hear how he felt that others were favored over him. We need to get a hold of ourselves when we feel ourselves slipping into self-pity and discouragement. The Bible tells us to encourage one another, and we can’t give what we don’t have. Feeling a little low? Go to the Source… He will gladly fill you to overflowing with what you need.. exactly when you need it…