conquer | NEW LIFE

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”
1 Corinthians 1:27

I did a follow up call with someone that I was talking with earlier today. She was concerned about whether she was going to get paid or not due to school closings. I found out the information that was needed and as a courtesy, I wanted to follow up with the call. In doing so it opened up a door for conversation. I didn’t know her and she didn’t know me, but we talked as if we had known each other forever and we talked on the phone for at least 15 minutes.

Do you sometimes wonder why does it always take a tragedy for us being a little more kinder, to show more love and support, going the extra mile, for us to be doing more of what we should have been doing already?

It would probably be safe to say that sometimes we forget, we lose sight, we lose touch or allow the cares of this life to cause us to be disconnected.

Though things are so uncertain at the moment and they have changed so many times in the course of a day. As people are hurting and in turmoil they grow weary causing them to be unsure of what to do next. It is in these moments in the midst of tragedy everywhere, that I still feel that there is hope for humanity.

God knew us before we were even formed in our mothers womb and knows actually what it takes to get us back on the path that he has called for us to be. Just like the ingredients it takes to bake your favorite cake or meal, it is those ingredients of life that God uses to create us into who he has called us to be. Unfortunately, he uses a little of bit of tragedy, sorrow, along with joy, happiness, peace and discomfort, etc. and he mixes them all together to mold us an make us.

” Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am they God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will up hold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”
Isaiah 41:10

Sometimes things have to die, so that other things can live. Dying to old habits, old mindsets, our selfish ways, so that we can birth to new habits, new ideas, create a better path that others may follow. It’s up to each one of us to be willing to make the necessary changes so that we will become better as a result of it. There is still life even in the midst of tragedy.

In this time of quarantine we should all be willing to do a self examination of the things we need to change within ourselves. What are the areas where we need to heal? Is there someone we need to forgive? As much as we want things to go back to the way they used to be, things will never be the same again.

Yet I still have this hope that we will all be better after this, as it is causing us to change and have a different aspect on life. Only those that remain the same are the ones that refuse to change.

Here I am Lord, let the work begin in me!

“Create in my a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit with me”
Psalm 51:10-19

Song List

Holy Spirit by Kim Burrell https://youtu.be/hpOjwb9w1cU

Holy Ghost, fall down on me
Let Your spirit fall down on me
Holy Ghost, fall down on me
Let Your spirit fall down on me

Create in me a new heart, oh God
And renew a right spirit within me
Cast me not away from thy presence, oh God
Take not thy Holy Spirit from me

Holy Ghost, fall down on me
Let Your spirit fall down on me
Holy Ghost, fall down on me
Let Your spirit fall down on me

Holy Spirit help me to walk right
Talk right, live right, help me to be right
I’ll never do anything without
Your leading spirit, Holy Spirit

Cast me not from thy presence, oh Lord
Take not Your spirit
Take not Your spirit from me
Take not Your spirit from me
Take not Your spirit from me

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statues”
Psalm 119:71

Already at the beginning of this a New Year most of us if not all of us have already experienced some type of loss, hurt, pain, betrayal, and disappointment. With extreme anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and fear.

By the end of January people were ready to give up and throw in the towel. I had seen post that said, “Thank you January for a good year.” Because of the magnitude of their afflictions, they have already counted out the rest of the year.

Today’s Word

af-flic-tion
suffering, distress, pain, trouble, misery, hardship, misfortune, adversity, sorrow, torment, anguish, grief

“We are troubled on every side, yet not destressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body”

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

In life we will experience things coming from all different directions and sometimes several things all at once, yet God will give us peace even during our storm. Life happens to us all and there are somethings that will throw us for a loop, have us scratching our head, baffled, puzzled, and confused. But because our hope and our faith lie in Jesus Christ, we don’t become desperate, thirsty and hungry after the wrong things.

Have you ever been talked about, lie on, cheated, used, and abused, but when you look around God was still there? He promised that he would never leave us nor forsake us, and He is always true to his word. Even in times when things are not going well in your life know that God has not forgotten about you. Though we are tossed to and fro, thrown away, disregarded, and rejected, I find the strength to push through because I know though the weapons may form, they want to prosper.

As Jesus hung on the cross, he had a moment where He questioned God, but he said not my will, but thine will be done. He said, “IT IS FINISHED”, hung his head and gave up the Ghost. Now as a believer we have to walk out the finish work on the Cross. So, in the end we still win. God will complete the work that he has started in us, but we must participate in the plan that he has for our lives.

NECESSARY…

Despite our afflictions when we trust in Jesus Christ, we are able to overcome and conquer the very things that should have taken us out. Through these scriptures I found encouragement and strength of some of the things that I will experience even while going through, if I faint not.

Psalms 34:19 Deliverance
2 Corinthians 12:9 Grace
1 Corinthians 10:13 Way of escape
Romans 8:18 His Glory revealed
Roman’s 5:3-4 Patience, Experience & Hope
Philipians 4:13 I can
James 5:11 Mercy
Psalms 22:24 Continual Praise
John 16:33 Peace

So why in the world would a God want us to go through affliction?

NECESSARY…

When David the Psalmist talked about “it was good for me that I have been afflicted” he was referencing to the fact of the change that it was rearing within him. No, it did not feel good, no he didn’t like it, nor appreciated it initially, but yet it allowed him to know God in a different way.

There were 3 continual prayers throughout David’s journey which were:

1. Psalms 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in my mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”
In order for God’s word to be hidden in his heart, meant he had to learn it, study it, meditate, contemplate, ponder, consider, reflect, digest on it day and night. Because of his love for God, his desire more than anything in the world was to know him and to please him by keeping his commandments.

2. Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”
Through God’s word it will give us clarity, direction, a guide and a light even when the path seems dark. In Psalm 23 it talks about the Lord being a shepherd, so even if you were to get off the path his word will be like a GPS system and put us back on track. We must be willing to follow his direction and his plan for our life even when we don’t understand, or the way seems is unsure.

3. Psalms 119:133 “Order my steps in Your Word: And let not any iniquity have dominion over me”
He wanted God’s word to guide him, to align him and to not allow anyone’s wicked, sinful, evil, scandalist, unjust, and unfair actions of man to overtake him.

NECESSARY…

It is through the pressing together that the oil in your life is manifested. So, when you feel the pressure or the fire might intensify, it is because God is pruning and refining you into something greater. Do not be overcome but overcome through Christ Jesus.

Song List

I am who I am today
Because God used my mistakes
He worked it for my good
Like no one else ever could
God told me to tell
It was NECESSARY

Necessary by Fantasia & Dennis Reed