Why Is This Happening?

A family member you have been praying for gets in a car wreck.

Some are having serious financial problems.

Someone you have been teaching a Bible study to comes to church and seeks God in the altar. Later that person is assaulted while walking to the store.

A man who is taking steps towards God and trying to get his life together suddenly ends up in the hospital with an unexpected malady.

Saints in the church become disgruntled over really minor things.

You start feeling depressed, even though you really have nothing  about which to feel down.

Your church burns to the ground.

 

These are all things that have either happened(or are happening) in our church or with some other churches that we know.

When things like this happen it may cause us

to feel sorry for ourselves

to try to work out situations on our own

to wonder if God really loves us and knows where we are at

to lose our focus, which is to share the gospel and reach out to lost souls

 

The real truth is……………………………..

When the devil starts to mess, THE LORD IS FIXING TO BLESS!!

Adverse circumstances do not mean that we are out of the will of God. When we are praying, fasting and witnessing as we ought to, there is going to be opposition. We need to remember that

We will reap what we sow. Psalm 126:6, Galatians 6:7

Our labor is not in vain in the Lord. I Corinthians 15:58

and finally

If we hold on, God will give us the victory.  Romans 16:20, I Corinthians 15:57

 

I am holding on!!

 

 

 

Tenacity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, as I was walking the dog, I came across this weed that had busted through concrete. It’s not the first time I have seen something like this, but as I looked at it, a thought in the form of a question came to my mind.

What would happen if we had this kind of tenacity in living for God?

 

Whatever Your Lot In Life………

Last night we had an evangelist with us in service, and he told an interesting story of his younger days when he was evangelizing with his wife and daughter who was just an infant at the time.  He was in another state and going to a home of a pastor he had never met before. He pulled up to what on the outside looked like a nice home.  The pastor greeted him at the door, and although he smiled and was cordial, the evangelist sensed an air of sadness about him. Entering into the house, the evangelist and his wife were stunned to see the house in shambles. It wasn’t a filthy place, but it was a mess from obvious construction that had been going on. The evangelist and his wife discovered later that evening that the room in the house where they would be staying was infested with ladybugs. Seeing as they would only be staying there for a few days, they decided that they would just put up with it.  After they had gotten things settled in their room, they went out to the living room to spend some time with the pastor and his family.  Conversation turned toward the evangelist’s infant daughter, and someone asked what the baby was named. When the evangelist said his daughters name, he immediately felt tension in air. He wondered what he had said or done that would evoke such a feeling. The pastor asked him in a barely audible voice, “What did you say her name was?” Upon the evangelist repeating his daughter’s name, one of the pastor’s sons turned 360 and walked out of the room. The pastor then began to relate an incident that happened a couple of years back. He had a granddaughter with the same name as the evangelist’s daughter. One day, when the granddaughter was a toddler, she was playing there on the pastor’s(grandfathers) property. Somehow, while the grandparents got distracted, the little girl wandered off, and when her grandparents noticed, they began looking for her. The pastor’s wife(grandmother)ended up finding her face down in a pond they had on their property. They were devastated. The pastor’s son who was the father of the child, became bitter and turned his back on God. This was another devastating blow.  About a year or so later, the pastor was on his way to church on a Sunday morning and driving in inclement weather. He failed to see a stop sign, went through it and ended up hitting a car. The driver of the car was a woman, and she had her young daughter in the car with her. Both of them died.  The pastor was distraught over this, and the sad incident was also printed in the local paper.  In the midst of the turmoil that followed, the assistant pastor at this church ended up leaving and pulling half the congregation out with him.  The evangelist found out later that the reason the house was in shambles was during this period when all these trying things happened, they had been remodeling their house. (First they remodeled the church, and then they decided to work on the house, which was actually left in shambles by a former pastor.) They got to the point where they just lost heart and couldn’t continue with the remodeling. The evangelist, upon finding out all this information had a question he needed to ask the pastor. The question he asked went something like this.  “After all that has happened to you in the past few years, how can you keep on pastoring here? How do you keep going on? The pastor’s answer?

Whatever your lot in life, build on it.

 

I just thought that was so profound.  In spite of this man’s struggles and troubles, he had purposed in his heart that he would still do something for God. Life can sure throw us some curve balls. We all will have our share of troubles , but whatever happens, I pray that I could have a victor and not a victim mentality and the attitude of this pastor. May God help us to view our troubles according to His Word.

Psa 27:4,5

 

 

 

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalm 32:7

 

 

 

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah

Psa 59:16

 

 

 

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Note : The evangelist and his wife were asked by the pastor to stay longer than originally planned. In spite of the ladybugs, they said yes. Several souls were filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus’ name in those meetings. The pastor and his wife were thrilled!

.

 

Fear Knots or “Fear Nots” ?

Are fear knots or “fear nots” guiding your way

when it seems your path is filled with dismay?

At trying times you must make a choice

to whom you will listen, which voice.

 

As life’s circumstances you closely survey,

Are fear knots or “fear nots” guiding your way?

Is anxiousness the only sound heard,

or are you tuning in to God’s Holy Word?

 

Down the human path you are called to trod.

When the testing comes, does it seem rather odd?

Are fear knots or “fear nots” guiding your way?

Will adversity cause you to earnestly pray?

 

Trials will come, a fact that is sure.

Abiding in God is the only true cure.

When perplexity knocks will your soul find a stay?

Are fear knots or “fear nots” guiding your way?

 

10/26/09

 

Isaiah 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

 

Isaiah 44:8  Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

 

Isaiah 51:7  Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

 

Psalm 118:6  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

 

Matthew 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

 

Luke 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

Going, Going……………..

not quite gone, but it was close. This has been an interesting week for our family. It’s not every week that you come within a day of losing your house through foreclosure and having it sold. The sale was supposed to be on Thursday, but through prayer and lots of phone calls, faxes and e-mails, the sale was stopped, and we’ve been given a 30 day reprieve while our paperwork is being reviewed.  The week began with both of the kids getting sick. Our first day of school was supposed to be Tuesday, but that didn’t quite happen as planned. Friday morning, we sprung a leak in our bathroom while my husband was shaving. Fortunately, my husband was able to fix it with some parts from Home Depot that only cost a little over $12. Today, we received a call that another church which is about 1/2 a block away was on fire. We were concerned that it might spread and reach our building. The neighboring church ended up losing their preschool facility before the fire was finally contained. Because our air conditioner was on at the time, we did have some smoke get into our building, but it doesn’t appear that it will cause any lasting damage.

Even in the midst of all of this, God has been extremely good to us! No matter how bad our circumstances may get at times, there is always something for which we can be thankful.  These are some Scriptures that have come to mind this week.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

 

All things that happen to us are not good, but God can work them for our good if we will put our trust in Him.

Romans 8:31“What shall we then say to these things? If God

be for us, who can be against us?”

Gen 42:36

 

 

“And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.”

 

If you know the story of Joseph and how things turned out for him in the end, you can see that Jacob was wrong in what he said here. These things were not against him. God had a plan. Jacob just couldn’t see it at the time.

I’m glad God has a plan for our lives, even when we experience adverse circumstances or don’t understand why things are happening to us.  I’m also thankful for two verses in Proverbs that have been an anchor for me over the years.

Proverbs 3:5,6

 

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  

There is no safer place to be than in His hands! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Will You Say To Your Soul?

Do you ever talk to yourself? I know that I do occasionally. Today, I heard a sermon entitled O My Soul. It was a contrast of two people in the Bible that had a conversation with their souls. The first is the rich man in Luke chapter 12.

 

Luke 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

 

Verse 19 tells us what this rich man said to his soul. This rich man apparently had a false sense of security from his abundant wealth and deceives himself into thinking that everything is alright because all his financial ducks are in a row. The Epicurean philosophy of eat, drink and be merry which was common and prevalent at this time was what this man embraced. It’s still around in our present culture, and many people are lying to themselves in the exact same manner as this rich man.  There is something about monetary prosperity that can deceive people into having a false concept of well being. It’s not impossible to be wealthy and serve God, but the Bible does speak in other places of the deceitfulness of riches. (Mark 4:19, Luke 12:15)

 

On the other hand, we can take a look and see what the Psalmist said to his soul.

 

Psalm 103:1  A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

103:2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

103:3  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

103:4  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

103:5  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

David is telling his soul to bless the Lord. In verse 2 he talks about not forgetting all the benefits that God gives us, and he goes on to list some of them in verses 3 through 5. The enemy of our souls would love for us to forget the things that God has done for us. Sometimes in the midst of a struggle or trial, it can be easy to forget God’s goodness to us if we begin to focus too much on the present circumstance. During these times it would be good to stop and consider the things that David said to his soul.

 

 God forgives all of our sins when we come to Him in repentance. What a great blessing this is! I don’t know about you, but sometimes I mess up. I’m glad God is not standing there waiting to bop me on the head. Many times I John 1:9 has been a comfort to me.

 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

God is a healer! Although He does not heal everyone that comes to Him for healing, He is certainly able to do so. Sometimes there is a purpose in our sickness(as in the case of the apostle Paul), but we can still trust God that He knows best. If in His wisdom, He sees that a physical healing is the best thing for us, He will bring it to pass.

 

God redeems our life from destruction! If we receive His salvation, we can be saved from eternal destruction in the lake of fire and have a hope of living with Him forever in a heavenly place. 

 

God crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. If we really stop and think about it, we can see ways every day in which God has been loving, kind and merciful to us.

 

I think David gave us some good truths that we can speak to our souls, truths that will help us to keep ourselves in the love of God. The next time I’m feeling discouraged and my soul needs a good talking to, I pray the Lord will bring this to my mind(and yours too).

 

At The Place Of The Sea

I came across this poem last week and really liked it.  Just wanted to share it here. If you are in a “Red Sea” season in your life, may you find encouragement in this.

 

A Red Sea Place

Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul “Go on.”

And His hand will lead you through – clear through -
Ere the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break,
But over their bed you shall walk dryshod
In the path that your Lord will make.

In the morning watch, ‘neath the lifted cloud,
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea,
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed,
You shall no more be afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,
A place that His hand has made.

Annie Johnson Flint

Psalm 106:9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was
dried up: so he led them through the depths,
as through the wilderness.

Heb. 11:29 By faith they passed through the
Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians
assaying to do were drowned.

 

Fear Not Little Flock

Last Thursday as my daughter and I were in the front of the church leading in praise and worship, I opened my eyes and looked out on the small group of people in attendance. Generally, I keep my eyes closed quite a bit when leading in songs for a couple of reasons. First of all, it helps me to focus my thoughts more on the Lord, who is the One I am supposed to have my mind on in the first place. Second of all, there is less of a chance for distraction or discouragement with my eyes closed. When we first started the church here a little over 6 years ago, I often felt very conspicuous leading in worship. Starting a church from scratch, we had people coming that had not received teaching on praise and worship, so it was kind of unsettling when I did open my eyes to see folks looking at me with blank stares. Thankfully, that kind of response is not the norm anymore. This past Thursday as I opened my eyes and looked out on the congregation, I saw almost everybody participating in worship. I was blessed to see that their eyes were closed and their hands were uplifted as they focused their full attention on giving God praise and glory. As I watched my brothers and sisters in Christ, I thought about the various trials that they are presently facing. Some are going through difficult financial situations, others are facing serious marriage problems and some are dealing with discouraging health issues. I felt blessed though to see that in the midst of their struggles, these good folks are still lavishing praise upon the Lord. As I mused upon these things, a Scripture came to my mind.

 

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

 

I wasn’t sure at the time why this Scripture came to mind, but later I started looking up more Scriptures that have to do with the kingdom.

 

The book of Romans states in chapter 14 and verse 17,

 

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

 

Here at our church, we still believe and teach as the apostles did in the book of Acts in receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. If you have ever received this wondrous gift, you know that it is a gift that keeps on giving. As we worship God, He is gracious to impart more of that righteousness, peace and joy that come with being filled with His Spirit and having a relationship with Him.

 

Will God save us from all of our financial difficulties, health problems and trials that come our way? He certainly is able to, but sparing us from all adversity may not accomplish His purpose in our lives. Sometimes God would have us to walk through a valley for a season in order to teach us something we could not learn otherwise.

 

No, God will not save us from all of our troubles, but as a wise elder preacher I know once said, “ He will save us in our troubles.” I believe He does this by allowing us to partake of that spiritual kingdom that is mentioned in Romans. There’s just something about the Holy Ghost that gives us power to go on, even when circumstances in our lives are not the greatest. No matter how dark things may get, we don’t have to be afraid if we’ll just keeping giving God the praise and allow the Holy Ghost to produce that joy, peace and rest that we need so much. Thank you, Jesus!

 

A Prosperous Man

 

 Genesis 39:2

And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

Joseph is my favorite character in the Old Testament, and I have many pleasant memories that resurface every time I read about him in the Bible.  I attended a Christian college in Minnesota, and in my last year of college our class was privileged to put on a drama about the life of Joseph. The scene that stands out the most in my mind is when Jacob is reunited with Joseph his son in Egypt after not seeing him for many years and believing him to be dead.(Genesis 46:29) The first time we did this in a drama practice with Robby F. playing Jacob and John J. playing Joseph, the power of God fell in our classroom, and many were weeping and worshipping God. It was incredible.

These are the things I admire about Joseph.

 

He Did The Right Thing We Nobody Was Looking

In Genesis 39, we can read about Joseph’s temptation at the hand of Mrs. Potiphar. It seems in our day we hear of many encountering the sin of adultery and unfortunately, falling prey to it. What was it in Joseph that gave him the strength to resist this temptation? I believe first of all, that he had a relationship with God and that directly affected the way in which he conducted himself.  It was evident to others who did not share his faith that there was something different about him. Mr. Potiphar felt comfortable enough with him to basically have him in charge of his household. I think Joseph had more than just a daily devotion time with God. I think He had a God consciousness. This is evidenced by his reply to Mrs. Potiphar’s sensual suggestions.

 

Gen 39:9

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Joseph had an acute understanding that Someone was always watching him, and partaking in this kind of relationship would be a sin against God. He was able to do the right thing when it appeared that nobody was watching.

 

He Never Became Bitter When Treated In A Manner That Seemed Unfair

I see several instances in the life of Joseph where he received treatment that seemed unkind and unfair. 

 

 

 

 

Gen 37:18

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

 

 

 

Gen 37:19

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

 

 

 

Gen 37:20

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

 

 

 

Gen 37:21

And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

 

 

 

Gen 37:22

And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

 

 

 

Gen 37:23

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him;

 

 

 

Gen 37:24

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

 

 

 

Joseph’s brothers were jealous and talked about killing him, but Reuben convinces them to cast Joseph into a pit.  His brothers then decide that they are going to sell him, but before they can go back to the pit and pull him out, a group of merchantmen come and sell him into slavery.

Gen 37:25

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

 

 

 

Gen 37:26

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

 

 

 

Gen 37:27

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

 

 

 

Gen 37:28

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gen 37:29

 

And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

 

 

 

When Joseph arrives in Egypt and becomes the servant of Potiphar, it seems as though things are going well for him. Joseph is well liked, and the house of Potiphar is prospering under his management.  He is approached by Mrs. Potiphar, he resists her temptation, and then he is thrown in prison because Mrs. Potiphar tells a lie and claims that Joseph tried to seduce her.

 

 

Gen 39:10

And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

 

 

 

Gen 39:11

And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

 

 

 

Gen 39:12

And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

 

 

 

Gen 39:13

And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

 

 

 

Gen 39:14

That she called unto the men of her house, and spoke unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

 

 

 

Gen 39:15

And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

 

 

 

Gen 39:16

And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

 

 

 

Gen 39:17

And she spoke unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:

 

 

 

Gen 39:18

And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

 

 

 

Gen 39:19

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

 

 

 

Gen 39:20

And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

I wonder if Joseph was ever tempted to say, “Well thanks a lot God. Here I try and honor You by doing the right thing and all I get is cast into this miserable prison!” However, we read in the very next verse..

 

 

Gen 39:21

But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

 

 

 

Gen 39:22

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

 

 

 

Gen 39:23

 

The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

 

Joseph also had opportunity to become bitter after interpreting the dreams of the chief butler and baker while in prison. What he told the butler and the baker came to pass, and Joseph asked the butler when he was restored to his former position to speak a word for him to Pharoah. The chief butler completly forgot about Joseph for 2 years.

Gen 40:9

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;

 

 

 

Gen 40:10

And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:

 

 

 

Gen 40:11

And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.

 

 

 

Gen 40:12

And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:

 

 

 

Gen 40:13

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

 

 

 

Gen 40:14

But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:

 

 

 

Gen 40:23

Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.

In continuing to read the rest of Joseph’s story in Genesis, we know that God blesses him and really turns his circumstances around and that eventually, he is reunited with his family.(and even forgives his brothers for their sin against him.) Joseph had no idea how things were going to turn out when he was in the midst of his sufferings. How did he manage to keep a good attitude? I believe he understood a principle we see mentioned in the New Testament.

 

 

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

 

 

 

 Not everything that happened to Joseph was what we would consider “good” but God used it all to bring about good, not only for Joseph but his family, the nations suffering famine at that time and all since who have read the accounts of Joseph in God’s Word.

I’m thankful that Joseph’s life still speaks today.

 

God in the grocery store

Things have been rather tight for us financially, and this is the case for many other people that I know. I had to do a little bit of grocery shopping today and knew I would need to take it easy and not spend too much. Should I go to my favorite store(which tends to be a little pricier than the others) the middle of the road store that I go to once in a while or the store that gives me the feeling of shopping in a prison? After some debate in my mind I decided on the middle of the road store.

Have you ever felt like crying while you were out buying food? I did today.  Oh, I wasn’t bummed over not having much money to spend.  The tears that were near the surface were there because over half the things I had on my list were on sale.  This might seem silly to some people, but things like this are just little reminders to me that God knows where I’m at, and He really does care.  He certainly has helped me many times to get more bang for a buck. Over the past 25 years that my husband and I have been together, we’ve had our ups and downs financially. I have found that some of my best times, spiritually speaking, have been when we were broke.  I’ll never forget my husband being let go from his job when our daughter was 5 months old. It was a total surprise, and he ended up being unemployed for almost 14 months, but God was so faithful to still provide for us. I remember a few visits to our pediatrician’s office where I wasn’t charged anything , and I remember that good doctor giving me free formula and other baby products. We came to a point where we were days from foreclosing on our home. We prayed for God’s will, and when it looked like there was no help, the VA was able to step in and help with our loan. Shortly after that, Pete went to work again. Sometimes I think maybe God likes to get us in a position where we have no other options so that He can show us once again that He really is enough.

I don’t know what 2009 holds in store.  I am believing God for good things. If hard times come(which doesn’t necessarily mean “bad”) I don’t ever want to forget that if I look to God and put my trust in Him, He will be enough. My wish for the New Year is that He will be enough for you too.