Strength

Annette Coffey1 Comment

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV

Have you ever been at the end of your rope? Barely hanging on and not able to go on? Trials and circumstances seem to be pounding into you like waves. God where are you? I need help I can’t do this. You are not alone. You are in good company. Last week fear was gripping me and saying all of God’s promises just didn’t help. I believe Gods words and I can quote many of them but that wouldn’t make it go away. I was trying to write in my book and ignore what was going on in my mind. I felt God said to write on strength. God is an ever present help in trouble. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So I wrote and God spoke. When I was almost done he told me something really important that would help. Praise! Whenever you need victory stop. It isn’t that God’s not there. It isn’t that you don’t deserve help. It isn’t that God doesn’t want to help you. Be still and know that I am God. The only way to do that is to be open up and be in his presence. Because in his presence is fullness of joy. Something I didn’t have right then. Where can you find his presence. Correct, he inhabits the praises of his people. So all week long I plugged in my ear buds and turned on praise music and sang along letting each word fill my head. He is good and he knows what he is doing even though I don’t. I don’t have to know the outcome because he is trustworthy. I look back over my life and can not think of once when he failed me. He is never late or unable to meet my needs. I could talk all day about his great and mighty wonders and barely scratch the surface. I think, “what is the worst that could happen?” Death, well if I’m dead, I’m with him, so not death. Job was probably one who holds the record for bad days. He lost everything his children, servants, possessions, his wealth, even the respect of his friends and his wife. They blamed him and told him it was his fault. While he sat in ashes wishing he was dead. His wife told him to just curse God and maybe he will strike you dead. But Job was a good man and could never do that. Even if God was to slay him he would always serve him. Worrying and being anxious doesn’t do anything. Can we change anything ourselves? No! Seek him and his presence and wait. This too shall pass. This week I am back to blessed and victorious. And I know a week of his presence helped.

Where does your strength come from?

Truth

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“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us that are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

How can you prove that the Bible is true? I watched a debate about this subject and it is hard to explain. I think a better question would be, “how can you prove that the Bible is not true?” If the Bible is not true than nothing is really true and there is no absolute truth. Scientists have had their theories for many years, but they are just that they are just man’s theories. And we know that no man is perfect. We all make mistakes. I look at this complex world and know with every fiber of my being that something so intricate and amazing did not just happen. A designer is the only thing that makes sense to me. I believe in an all knowing, perfect creator. Because to me the perfection in all life is too elaborate for any other scenario. Random chance seems just ludicrous to me. If there is an all knowing creator then the fact that he knows everything makes sense. It may be relative but I believe that the Holy Bible is a gift from our creator to help us live a perfect life. If we know how life works best than we can learn how to understand life and how to be perfect. We may fall short but we are made in our creator’s image with all it would take to be like him. Who is perfect. He promises to help us, because on our own that is impossible. With him nothing is impossible. He has told us that all truth is his and that he can’t lie. Jesus is the truth. He is the only way to the truth. Men like to think that they know everything. Their pride can blind them and make it impossible to see truth. The true Biblical message in its entirety is a love story so powerful it beats all love stories. If someone really seeks the truth they will find it in Jesus. But those who believe their version of the truth are perishing and will probably never be able to see truth. I believe that if someone really tried to find all the flaws in the Bible they would find Jesus who is the truth and the truth would set them free. I don’t think you can really pick apart all the details of this amazing love letter and not be changed. When you know the truth it will set you free. It is easy to say that the Bible isn’t relative and that those stories just can’t be true. That it is just outdated, which makes no sense if God is the same always, never changing. He is also right and perfect. He would know what we would do back then as well as tomorrow. He can even predict our behaviors perfectly. He knows our every thought and why we would think it.

Do you really think you can prove him wrong?

Independence

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“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

At what time do we earn independence? I always thought that depending on how hard it was for our forefathers to get that we would always have it. But we now live in a time that you have to earn it yourself. Without age, education, money and success you may not have it. If you are alive in the womb you don’t matter but the one who carries you decides if you matter. In our Declaration of Independence, in the second paragraph it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men(humans) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Life is no longer valued and you have to earn it. Are you of value at conception? We worry more about animals than humans that were made in the image of an all perfect creator. One that loves them and has great plans for them and a mission. He wants us to know the truth because then we can be really free. If our world was still perfect than no one would ever die. But our world is far from perfect. That child deserves to learn everything they can and to be the very best person they can be and then they can make a positive impact on their world. But they are told what they can learn and how. They are told just what they can and can’t learn unless they have money for private education. Just as every child has the right to not learn what they do not want to learn they should be allowed what they choose to learn. Families have the right to take there families to church but schools have the right to teach them other beliefs. We are only taught what our government wants. It doesn’t matter if it is correct. It was said once, “Our country is great because our people are good, but if are people aren’t good we will cease to be great.” Our great country is falling fast. This is so saddening. God’s son died so that each and every person conceived could be free and luckily before they are old enough to decide for themselves God decides for them a chooses them for himself.

Do you value human life?

Satisfaction

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“I have food to eat that you know nothing about. My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:32&34 NIV

When you are passionate about something you will find so much satisfaction in doing it that you can forget other things. I sold homes when I was younger and I would get so busy that meal times would come and go and what I was doing was so satisfying that I wouldn’t even notice that I had missed a lunch. I felt I was making a difference in someone’s life and that kept me going. That wasn’t anything that was life changing but it was important to someone. Right now I am so close to God and seeing him do so much. I am so amazed that he is willing to let me be a big part of what he is doing and now I am making a difference. God is so good and I want to do all I can for him. In Matthew it says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.” Whenever I think of doing God’s work I get excited. I’m saying, “Send me, send me.” I want to be a part of when God is moving. It brings so much satisfaction. He is so busy in so many peoples lives and I just love being a part of it. So many people are busy worrying about what they need or want. “What about me?” When I started running after God and making a difference in others’ lives. Especially wanting to see people growing in their walk with God life got so much more exciting. I didn’t even think much about my needs but they are always being met and exceeded. So many others needs are being met and exceeded also. It is all consuming. I get so excited that I just want to see and do more. Before my stroke I just didn’t get it. I didn’t get involved and I didn’t have a special relationship with God. He might move in a service that I was in and I would see it but I didn’t really understand. Now everything is different. I will never forget the time the music we were singing just lept off the page and I saw every word and what it truly meant to me. I sit up on the front row during worship and the passion and emotion of the worship team seems to flood over me like a tidal wave on the beach. I get so emotional and God’s love is so strong. I just want to be more involved. It is never enough. If I have been praying or given money for a certain need I am so blessed when God moves.

Do you want to be a worker too?

Anger

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“In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are angry, do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV

The Bible does not say don’t get angry. We all naturally feel angry when someone is cruel, thoughtless or selfish. This says when you are angry do not sin. So being angry is not the sin. But what we do with that anger can be. Holding on to anger is like tying an anchor around your neck. It will only get heavier, dragging you down as you refuse to let it go. It really seems stupid If you think about it. I watched another movie the other night. I’m sure you can see by now that I love watching good uplifting movies before I go to sleep at night. And I have had some really good nights of sleep lately. I have always had trouble sleeping soundly ever since my stroke. But not lately. The people in the movie had some bad things happen to them that really should have caused great bitterness, but instead they decided to find love and acceptance for the one who hurt them. Oh, it was not easy. One woman was shot by an attacker but he became a very close friend. Then when that friend was tragically killed in an accident his father had to learn to forgive the one who killed his son. But by doing that he gained a whole new life with this man and his daughter that was so fulfilling. Each person had to come to a place where they could see that anger was destroying them and giving the devil control. They had to make a decision to forgive. To forgive doesn’t mean you forget, but gives you the peace to move forward. To think of someone with anger is the same thing as murder to God and it harms everyone involved. Anger and hatred are wrong and damage many. The devil loves it when we are angry because it gives him control. Whatever you do as long as it depends on you live peaceably with all people. This is something Jesus said while he was alive and it’s very good advice. The world we live in has enough anger and hatred we don’t need to add to it. We need to make this ugly world better and love, love freely. The attitude you hold on to does make a difference in everyone’s happiness. Be a difference maker. Is there someone you need to forgive?

Bragging

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“But if I say, ” I will not mention his words or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.” Jeremiah 20:9 NIV

I love to write. I love to talk about my great God. The more I learn about him, the more I see him doing in others lives. I just can’t keep quiet. It just isn’t possible. I watched a show last night about ‘The Answers in Genesis,’ project. It was so interesting to see how God is moving through the lives of others. This project, just now really getting started, began over fifty years ago. Different people were influenced greatly by those in their lives. By family, friends, and sometimes chance encounters. I watched this two hour show about how the creation museum and the arc encounter got started. It really started with Ken Ham’s parents and the passion they had for their great God. His father was a teacher living in a small town in Australia. He first believed in the Bible and wanted to teach based on God’s principles. This rubbed off on Ken, the need to give answers to all of life’s questions to people. Genesis is the foundation and to a strong Christian Family they knew that the answers were there in the Bible they just needed to get that to people. Science has tried to find answers their way and has led many people astray over the years. In school we were taught one way and at church another. Now there are many more scientists that are finding out that the Bible really can be correct. If you have God’s spirit burning down in your soul you know that you know the truth. I know it in my gut. I can see God moving. The more I see and hear the more excited I get. The more people who come around to God’s ways the more I want to yell, Yah! I knew that all along. God is working in so many lives all at one time. Circumstances in our lives bring us together with people who are on that same journey of discovery and we can help build each other up. When one person has that passion burning inside them it can be contagious. When two people have that passion burning watch out. Amazing and great things can happen. Ken’s passion had built for many years before he felt called by God to move to America. God had been working on other people in the same way. They had a common goal and when they met that passion exploded creating great things for God’s people. The Creation museum has dinosaurs created by a man whose passion is bringing dinosaurs back to life for people to see and his was another chance encounter God’s way. The Arc Encounter has had 30,000 visitors and it is brand new. They also have books, movies, and so many other ways to get people the answers to life’s questions as to how man started.

Do you want to know more about mans beginnings and the earth?

Gifts

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“I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual gift to make you strong.” Romans 1:11

NIV

“Today is God’s gift to me. What I do with it is my gift to God.” I read this quote the other day and it really got me thinking. God loves us and wants us to live a full and abundant life. But what we make of each day is very important. Only a handful of others actually make an impact on the lives of others. Most people seem ok with living a mediocre life. Getting up, going to work, doing my thing, resting and going to bed just to do the same thing all over tomorrow. This seems to be enough for the majority. That’s how my life went along while my kids lived at home. Oh, I always strived to be a supermom. I wanted to make a difference in their lives because they meant so much to me. I made time for school parties and field trips. I was homeroom mom and tried to be involved. We were involved with church so I helped with youth activities and sent my kids to church camp. Now my daughters are grown and have kids of their own. They are the same way or maybe better than I was. All of my kids are still active in their churches. So this really was important. The point I’m making is that I did this because I loved them. Now that I am alone living in a nursing home and retired I have time for my new love. Since 2013 when I went after all I could get of him I have been falling more and more in love. Now I want to do all I can for Jesus. Even if you are not retired I believe you can make time for what you are passionate about. Some make music, some paint, some watch old movies or run/exercise. At this point in my life I guess I thought about finishing my race and finishing it well. We are told to run the race to win. That’s what I want. I’m now busier at times than I was back then. But I tell myself often that I am doing it all for the Lord. I write every afternoon and sometimes at night. The Lord has given me spiritual gifts to help me do what he has called me to do. He has called me to write. And thanks to him and his good gifts I am good at it. I read what I have written and know that it is him and not me because it’s inspiring. Each day I thank him for gifts of wisdom, knowledge, discernment and faith because they have helped me do all that I do even better. I teach a Bibletime where I live and help out as the resident council President because this is my new family and I love them too. So do all you can for those you love. And that should include everyone. Live a full life. Life is what you make of it.

How is your race going?

A Disciple

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“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31 NIV

What is it to be a disciple? A person who is an adherent of the doctrines of another. To be taught and trained. That can be anyone you long to be like. A parent who teaches you how to live, a teacher who teaches knowledge, a coach who teaches athletic ability and a policeman who teaches laws. That is a very small list and so may people can impact your life causing you to want to be like them. To emulate them. But none of those people are perfect everyone has faults. We all will one day die and then no one will long to be like us anymore. Even many so called gods will die or have died. But my Jesus is alive. He lives in everyone who believes in him. If you are one of those people then you know that you have been set free and the love you feel is undeniable. You no longer live to please yourself. That no longer seems that important to you. You live to serve your savior Jesus Christ. Doing things he told us to do and things his father told us to do. Following their doctrines is now a priority. We have their spirit living in us to help us we do not do it on our own. Through thick and through thin they are there. This spirit speaks to our hearts and gives us the strength to do good deeds and be more like Jesus. The more you look like Jesus the more you long to be that way because peace comes over your life. This is a far cry from the happiness you might feel when you get what you want your way. This is a joy that is hard to explain. We all will follow something or someone in our life. I decided to follow Jesus because he gives back so much more. Some follow just because they want eternal life, life in heaven after this life is over, and that goes on forever. The fact that they were set free from sin and so much else is a great side benefit. Now all the hard stuff doesn’t seem so hard anymore and someone is with us through it all. We don’t need to please anyone but our king we know we aren’t perfect and that’s ok. Our God loves us just as much either way, nothing we do could ever keep him from loving us just as much. I know I have made mistakes and felt bad about them but I run to God and tell him I am sorry and he is glad to forgive me. I will always follow him for so many reasons.

Who are you a disciple of?

Majesty

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“My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long – though I know not how to relate them all.” Psalm 71:15 NIV

Oh, I know my God lives. What proof do I have? It is hard to explain. God has become so real to me in the last few years and I just want to scream of his excellent greatness. I see the stars at night and I think of the many galaxies and each star, comet and asteroid. How the Earth continues to orbit at just the correct axis so we nether freeze nor burn up. How the wind blows around the Earth bringing with it continued seasons and moisture. The beautiful greens and colors of plants and flowers to enjoy, not just for food but plants for pleasure. Like a red rose from a spouse. Plants for medicines and healing. Animals of all shapes and sizes, many different colors and many different characteristics. Look at a sloth so lazy and slow or a hedgehog all curled up in a tiny little ball. We got to have a petting zoo come out to our care home last month and they brought so many different exotic animals and had them in a great big playpen together. It was fun to see how they all got along together so well. I got to hold so many strange and different animals. You know God did not just make necessary and important animals, but I think he really had fun coming up with funny looking, strange, beautiful, and amazingly unique animals. I love to watch animal shows. I learn so much from them. My favorite was funny friends where a horse and a chicken were best friends. The chicken loved to ride around on his back everywhere he went. Just like people they had very strong bonds but didn’t care that they were different. Animals can do so many amazing things. Then there are humans. Our bodies are unbelievably technical but so adaptable. This week I watched a video about a woman who was born with no arms who got her pilots license. She flew small planes with her feet. I used to be a pilot so I know how so much happens at once. It must have been so difficult for her at first. She used her legs and feet for everything. Look at great minds and all they have done for our world. Doctors and inventors, mathematicians and astronauts. We have come so far but I give all the credit to my awesome God. I have found so much joy in praying for others and seeing some extraordinary answers to those prayers. We all go through so many hard times but when answers finally come after some time it can bring such joy. Like the movie ‘Breakthrough ‘, which I highly recommend. Where a young boy falls through ice and drowns. But comes back to life as if nothing had happened. A true story. God is the only answer for such miracles. If you don’t know him you are really missing out.

Would you like to know more?

The Journeyu

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“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord'”Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven .” Matthew 7:21 NIV

We are all on a journey. Each and everyone of us who are alive are on this journey to discover first ourselves, then God, and the true meaning to this life we have been given. This life is but a snapshot of the long journey we are on. Our life here is approximately 80 years. Some more, some less. But it is very brief compared to forever. We all go somewhere after this life is over. That is determined by the small life we live here. To describe eternity is difficult. Throughout this life God is always calling us. Whether you were born into a Christian Family that went to church every Sunday, or were born to a Muslim family or a non-religious family who did not go to church. You are given life by God and he loves you. Everything around you tells of his glory the fact that there is a great creator is around us daily in all we do. You will know someone who knows Jesus. And will hear about him. But whether you accept or reject these feelings is up to you. You will make a decision to believe or not. If you don’t want to think about it you have already made your decision to reject Jesus. Back to eternity. Heaven will be a wonderful place. There will be no pain or trials anymore . Everyone will have perfect bodies and perfect minds able to know everyone by sight even people you have never met. Like Moses, King David, or the Apostle Paul. It will be a perfect joyous place. Where your happiest memory on earth is just multiplied and goes on and on forever. Or darkness and isolation , surrounded by flames of fire closing in on you all around. Fire that touches and smells overwhelming you but never consuming and never ending. There will be no parties in heaven and your friends may be there but you will never know because you are isolated. No one to hear your cries. How we live our lives and where our heart lies is so important. The only way to heaven is to let go of your past, your pride, your hurts, hate, anger and reach out to Jesus he is the only way. He is already reaching out to you. He knows you are lost and since all man has sinned we are separated from God. We need a savior to forgive us. He will with just a word. Then you can know what it is to really live. Blessed and loved. Forever.