"My Grace All-Sufficient Shall be Your Supply"

Fear not I am with you, O be not dismayed,
For I am your God, I will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
Upheld by my gracious, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of sorrow will not overflow,
For I will be with you, your trials to bless,
And sanctify to your deepest distress.
When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be your supply
The flames shall not hurt you, I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

-Charles Spurgeon from “Beside Still Waters”

I Am With You

Last Thursday, I was scanning through Spurgeon’s “Beside Still Waters” and I came across the following quotes. The Lord has been very gracious to refresh my soul through them over the past few days. I pray they encourage you as well.

“There is no burden which, if we lift it cheerfully and bear it with love in our hearts, will not become a blessing to us. God means our tasks to be our helpers; to refuse to bend our shoulders to receive a load, is to decline a new opportunity for growth.” –J.R. Miller

“Blessed is any weight, however overwhelming, which God has been so good as to fasten with His own hand upon our shoulders.” –F.W. Faber

“The burden of suffering seems a tombstone hung about our necks, while in reality it is only the weight which is necessary to keep down the diver while he is hunting for pearls.” –Richter

As some of you know, this Wednesday I will be getting surgery. Please pray that the peace of God would flood my heart, that any fear welling up in my heart would turn into trust, and for strength during the recovery time. I am very excited for the week or two I’ll have to rest and spend time with the Lord. God has ordained this surgery for a purpose and I know much good will come out of it. Thank you!

Isaiah 41:10- "Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold your righteous right hand."

Frowning Providence = Ultimate Happiness

I’ve come across the following quote a few times in the past week and it’s just too good not to share… I pray you're encouraged!

“If, in His loving plan you have to bow before what appears to be a frowning providence, you can be sure that He’s got your ultimate happiness at heart. He’s working to free you from your worries, not by giving freedom from trouble, but by arranging circumstances so that as you go through them you’ll experience the truth that He is everything He says He is.” - Elyse Fitzpatrick

Psalm 94:19, 22- “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul...the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”

Shelter in the Storm

I have a shelter in the storm
When troubles pour upon me
Though fears are rising like a flood
My soul can rest securely
O Jesus, I will hide in You
My place of peace and solace
No trial is deeper than Your love
That comforts all my sorrows

I have a shelter in the storm
When all my sins accuse me
Though justice charges me with guilt
Your grace will not refuse me
O Jesus, I will hide in You
Who bore my condemnation
I find my refuge in Your wounds
For there I find salvation

I have a shelter in the storm
When constant winds would break me
For in my weakness, I have learned
Your strength will not forsake me
O Jesus, I will hide in You
The One who bears my burdens
With faithful hands that cannot fail
You’ll bring me home to heaven

-By Steve & Vikki Cook and Bob Kauflin

Isn’t that comforting?! I’ve been freshly encouraged by the lyrics from the above song. While walking through a season of many difficult circumstances I can have peace because no trial is deeper than the love of Jesus Christ…such grace!

Thank you Lord that you are the source of all joy and that I can find rest in my soul amidst the worlds temptations! Thank you for faithful hands that never fail!

Psalm 59:16-17- “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.”

God Reigns in The Storm

“The assurance that we have in the midst of our storm is that God’s ear is always open to our cry and that He’s not punishing us for our sins but rather has poured out every drop of His just wrath on His innocent Son. He’s with us even in our failures and is using them to benefit our soul and cause us to love the cross more and more”-Elyse Fitzpatrick

Because God loves us, and because He’s so kind, He promises that He will never leave us alone. We aren’t orphans, searching through the world for a Father who will love, protect, and provide for us in the midst of our storm. Even though we don’t see His physical body, He has given to us His Spirit for our comfort, and gives us all the assurance and truth that we need. We need not fear or anxiously look around for help. Our help is standing right in front of us, He is the One who endured the worst of it, for He will strengthen, help, and uphold us. Let’s transfer our focus from our suffering to His. Because of His suffering, the afflictions we’ve endured in the past, afflictions we’re enduring now, and afflictions we will endure in the future surely have/will come to an end…

1Peter 4:12-12- “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

“If ye trust in Him, ye shall receive strength; therefore, howsoever great your opposition may be, ye shall not be weary: If ye confide in and attentively look to him, ye shall have continual courage to go on, and never faint in your minds.” -Adam Clark

Today God is Strengthening My Heart…

Over the past few days I’ve been walking through some circumstances that have tested my trust in our Almighty Father in Heaven

The Lord was quick to remind me of His love in the midst of these circumstances and bring comfort to my soul out of Isaiah 41:10- “Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I WILL strengthen you, I WILL help you, I WILL uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God IS at work through all these situations, and in the end, He WILL prove to be faithful!

“You cannot serve Him in your strength. You can only serve Him in the strength He gives as you need it…Be of good courage, for today He will strengthen your heart.” -Charles Spurgeon

Rest In God's Presnece... Exodus 33:14

Please read through and find rest in God through the following encouraging words from Charles Spurgeon…

Nothing can harm you if God is your refuge. David said, “You are my rock and my fortress” (Ps. 32:3), and every believing child of God may claim the same promise. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling” (Ps. 46:2-3), “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Ex. 33:14). May these inexpressibly precious promises be fulfilled in your life today.

What could your heart desire or your mind conceive beyond the blessedness of these assurances? God’s presence and God rest is a ring of finest gold set with the choicest pearl. This blessing is worthy of God, and only His boundless love could proclaim.

Think these promises over. Chew on them as food for your soul. Let the Holy Spirit speak these words with power and your innermost soul will be satisfied with the best of heaven’s food.”

Expect Trials to Multiply

The following quote from Charles Spurgeon has brought much encouragement to me today. I pray it does the same for you!

“God does not put heavy burdens on weak shoulders. God educated and tests our faith by trials that increase in proportion to our faith. God expects us to do adult work and to endure adult afflictions only after we have reached a mature status in Christ Jesus. Therefore, beloved, expect your trials to multiply as you proceed toward heaven…

Do no think that as you grow in grace your path will become smoother and the sky calmer and cheerer. Quite the contrary! As God gives you greater skill as a soldier of the cross, He will send you on more difficult missions. As He more fully equips your ship to sail in storms, He will send you on longer voyages to more boisterous seas, so that you may honor Him and increase in holy confidence.”

Through Fiery Trials

Normally when we’re struggling with trusting God, anxiety, joy, or even waiting, it’s usually because we’re suffering through different situations that God has placed in our lives. I know this has been the case for me many times! This past year I’ve had to rely wholly on God for strength and rest in His sovereignty numerous times to get me through different trials. Finding that strength didn’t always come easy! It took a lot of work! There were many hours of crying out to God and reading scripture. There were many days of doubting that God was at hand and days when He brought much joy. All in all, by His grace He was faithful to help me grow in my weaknesses and draw me closer to Him.

Maybe today you are walking through a fiery trial and feeling like God isn’t at hand. It could be finances, a work or family problem, pain or sickness in your life or someone else’s life, or maybe even bearing the weight of someone else’s burdens. Whatever it may be, I pray you find the following scripture verses encouraging and they fill you with the hope that God is faithful in all things and through all things. Let’s remember that Christ died not mainly to make things go well with us, but to bring us closer to God! How exciting that we can have joy in our trials because no matter what comes our way, God is our salvation and strength!

James 1:2, 12- “Count it ALL joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Psalm 23:4- “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Isaiah 41:10- “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will up hold your righteous right hand.”

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

2 Corinthians 4:17-18- “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory, beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are transient, for the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Psalm 18:1-2- “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 40:2- “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

Romans 5:3-5- “…We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Romans 8:18- “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Romans 12:12- “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Colossians 1:24- “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.”

Nahum 1:7- “The Lord is good, a stronghold in times of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

2 Corinthians 12:9- “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

1 Corinthians 10:13- “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

1 Peter 1:6-7- “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 4:19- “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”

1 Peter 4:12-13- “Behold, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

1 Peter 5:10- “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Philippians 4:19- “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 23:6- “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!”

Psalm 84:11- “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Romans 8:28- “For those who love God all tings work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Thank You for the trials
For the fire, for the pain
Thank You for the strength
Knowing You have ordained
Every day
- SG Music

I can't remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.
-Sara Groves

Though trials come
And every one
Can take me further from Your truth
You calm my fears
Dry all my tears
And draw me closer, Lord, to You
-SG Music

“Two women looked through prison bars,
One saw mud the other saw stars”
-Linda Dillow

Where are you looking today?

God Ordained Pain

Psalm 34:1 –“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”… Even through migraines, back pain, and hand pain.

Recently I’ve had to rely on God numerous times to give me strength to get through my days. Ever since the age of 11 I’ve experienced some pretty bad headaches very regularly and have been to the doctors many times about them and haven't been able to point a finger on what’s causing them. It's to the point now that I've gotten pretty used to them. Recently I’ve also been experiencing a lot of pain in my back and hand. I’ve had something going on in my hand for about four months now and am still not sure what’s going on with it. I'm pretty sure the back pain is from work. I do not tell you all of this because I want to receive pity, but to share all that God has been showing me through the pain.

Especially through the headaches it has been easy to get a complaining attitude saying “when is this going to end God???” Today was another day of driving to work with a headache and a long day ahead of me. Something that I’ve been trying to work on lately is praising and blessing God at ALL times, even through the pain. Though I’ve had a headache all day, I’m thankful that today has been a slower day at work and I can rest a little more than normal. I should “count it all joy” (James 1:2) in the midst of headaches, back pain, or hand pain for God has ordained all of it and I should be thanking him rather than complaining. I’m so grateful that I can walk up to a medicine cabinet and get pain reliever and most of the time choose from more than one option when there are people in other countries that don’t even know what pain reliever is or don’t have the means to afford it. May I always remember that through the pain, God is at hand and this is something that He has ordained!

Thank You for the trials
For the fire, for the pain
Thank You for the strength
Knowing You have ordained
Every day

Persevering Through Adversity

Psalm 40:1-2- “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

Endurance is the ability to stand up under adversity; perseverance is the ability to progress in spite of it. These two English words are translations of the same Greek word and simply represent two different views of the same quality: a godly response to adversity.

I’ve been reminded and convicted of many things while reading through Jerry Bridges book “The Fruitful Life.” Here’s what the Lord has been showing me in the chapter on “patience”:

Whatever the source of my adverse circumstances, the key to endurance and patience it to believe that God is ultimately in control, working out EVERY event for my good and His glory. Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” I need to realize that God controls ALL my circumstances, even though I don’t always recognize His control.

Most often, people do not see the purpose of trials. But through the encouragement of Scriptures we should hope, and through hope we should persevere. Our Christian experience is not a sprint that is soon over; it is a distance that lasts a lifetime. It requires perseverance because the reward - the object of our hope - is in the distant future. Endurance and perseverance are qualities we would all like to possess, but we are reluctant to go through the process that produces them. That is why God is so faithful to allow or to bring trials into our lives, even though we shrink from them.

Bridges ends the chapter with this:

“The fruit of patience in all its aspects – long-suffering, forbearance, endurance, and perseverance – is a fruit that is most intimately associated with our devotion to God. All character traits of godliness grow out of and have their foundation in our devotion to God, but the fruit of patience must grow out of that relationship in a particular way. Only as we fear God will we submit to the trials He sends or allows. And only as we deeply apprehend His love for us in Christ will we find the courage to bear up under them. Trials always change our relationship with God. Either they drive us to Him, or they drive us away from Him. The extent of our fear of Him and our awareness of His love for us determines in which direction we will move.”

Father I pray that when I’m faced with adverse circumstances I would remember Your great love for me. May I “count it ALL joy when I meet trials of various kinds.”

In Your grace, You know where I walk
You know when I fall
You know all my ways
In Your love, I know You allow
What I cannot grasp
To bring You praise

Thank You for the trials
For the fire, for the pain
Thank You for the strength
Knowing You have ordained
Every day

Your great power is shown when I’m weak
You help me to see
Your love in this place
Perfect peace is filling my mind
And drawing my heart
To praise You again

In my uncertainty, Your Word is all I need
To know You’re with me every day

Yesterday I was able to get my little sisters out of the house for a while and take them to the park. We read and talked about a chapter of the book, “Girl talk” that we are going through, I had the girls write an encouraging letter to my dad to take next time they go visit him, we played soccer, volleyball, and football (well we attempted to :-p) and played on the playground. After the playground we went to the gas station and got icee’s. Here are some pictures we took:

Psalm 63

The Psalm below is A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Every time I read it I'm so convicted of how often I fail to give thanks to God when I am in trials.

Psalm 63:1-4
“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the Sanctuary, Beholding you power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, My lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; In you name I will lift up my hands.”

Thank you Lord that your love never changes. May I be someone that rests in that truth today, and every day that I live. Please help me to always behold Your power and Your glory all the days of my life. Help me to be someone that looks up to you for strength in times of trouble; for Your grace is sufficient for all things.

From everlasting to everlasting praise, be to You!!!

Daily Bible Verse:

Psalm 25:4-5-"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. "