Tuesday, August 30, 2016

FAITH + PATIENCE = PROMISE

Beginning of this year, I received a promise from God. I thought the promise would be fulfilled in January, but nothing happened. I waited for February, March, April….and so on…and now it’s almost September, there is no sign of the promise! I started wring down my frustrated feelings in my journal. I was being honest. "God, it’s been 8 long months of waiting, I am disappointed. Why aren’t my prayers being answered? I have been hoping, trusting and believing you for this promise and nothing seems to happen. Is something wrong with me? Please let me know. Is there anything in my life that is keeping me from receiving the promise? How long must I wait, God?" I have been battling with God to speak to me why His promises aren’t being fulfilled in my life.

I am so guilty of being impatient. I have probably asked the question, “How long must I wait,” so much that God wants to personally come down and tell me to hush child. I’m like the kid on a road trip that ask over and over, “how much longer” or “are we there yet!” Yes, I was that kid and I still am.

But, have you ever experienced such with waiting on God’s timing. Have you ever asked or wondered, God, how long must I wait?
How long must I wait until I get the job?
How long must I wait until I get married?
How long must I wait until my health takes a turn for the better?
How long must I wait until this storm passes?
How long must I wait for this miracle?

One verse that I was often being reminded was from Hebrews 6:12 that reads “…through faith and patience we inherit the promises.” Yesterday, I heard 2 sermons and the preacher quoted the exact same verse in both the sermons. I began to meditate on it. It came to me afresh. I knew that God was trying to speak to me through this verse. God wanted to teach me faith and patience. I so need faith and patience to wait for God’s timing.


4 KEY THINGS TO PONDER

FAITH
Faith is all about believing, you don’t know how it will happen, but you know it will. Faith, it seems, does not operate only in the realm of the immediate, the here and now. In fact, the faith that the Bible often highlights and celebrates is the faith that has to wait – yet keep believing.

PATIENCE
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. Patience grows when we patiently wait. Hebrews 6:15 – “after he patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Key words here – patiently endured. The promise didn’t come immediately, it took time.

NOT GIVE UP
If we give up, we break the promise. Galatians 6:9 –Your prayer request will manifest at the right time, “if” you will be patient AND not give up while you continue going about the Lords business. While you are taking care of His business, behind the scenes He’s taking care of your business.

TIMING
 Lastly, Habakkuk 2:3 also encourages us to wait for God’s timing: “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

I believe the promise will surely come to pass in His time when we trust Him with faith and patience. For He who has promised is faithful even till the end!!!

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Monday, August 22, 2016

HOPE, AGAINST ALL HOPE

If we all got vulnerable, we would all admit that there are times in our lives that hopelessness begins to set in. Maybe for some of us it is more than we would like to admit and for others it may be just once in a while. No matter how often one experiences that hopelessness it is a very real thing.

I have been there. I have been in many hopeless situations. I knew humanly it was impossible for me to get that. There can even be a lot of good things going on at the same time. It is like the sun is up but the dark black clouds are moving in. We all know how difficult it is to keep our focus on the sun when the clouds are moving in. And once the clouds are there the sun can’t be seen though it is still there. So, what does one do when in one of these moments?


I have been meditating on Romans 4:18 which says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.” Abraham must have had at least one of these moments. God had promised Abraham so much: God would bless Abraham and Abraham would be a blessing to the nations; Abraham’s offspring would outnumber the stars in the sky. But Abraham was as good as dead he was so old and so was Sarah his wife.

This was impossible. But the Bible tells us Abraham against all hope still hoped and believed. In verses 20 and 21 it says this: “Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” So here are a few things we can do when facing a moment of hopelessness:

3 HOPES, AGAINST ALL HOPE

Remember the promises
Recognize the lies and speak the truth. Remember the promises of God over your life and claim these promises. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

Keep the Faith
Move Forward – take steps of faith that move you forward toward the promises. Faith is mostly tested in the most impossible moments of life. Humanly it may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Worship God
Know who God is and His power to do what He says He will do and worship Him and give Him thanks. Give Him the glory in the mountains or the valleys. Who am I that He is mindful of me? That He cares for me.

One more thing that might bring a little encouragement. We don’t have to be perfect at this. Abraham messed up royally and even acted out of unbelief when he took Hagar and had Ishmael. He even lived with that unbelief for quite some time but finally repented and sent Hagar and Ismael (unbelief) away. The key is when the revelation comes that we are living out of unbelief we repent and move back to faith and belief.

A lil prayer:

Dear God. Thank You that nothing is too hard for You. Forgive me when I have wasted time and energy worrying about problems I could not solve; and when I have refused to do what You have commanded because I could not see how it might be done. Please help me to believe what You say and to keep trusting You even when all hope is gone. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

SEARCH ME GOD


Yet another unanswered prayer
At your feet, I lay my fear
On my cheek rolls a tear
Your voice, I want to hear

Search me God

I yearn not to enrich my pain
My requests are they in vain?
Your glory did I just gain?
Pleading on my knees again

Search me God

To You, I bring my broken heart
My thoughts to You I set apart
Cleanse me and help me restart
Thy will in my life to impart

Search me God

In sorrow and anguish I weep
My eyes, so heavy but cant sleep
Dispatch sins from You that keep 
Shepherd this squandered sheep

Search me God

Lead me towards everlasting way
Surrendering myself, in bed I lay
Strength to pass the test I pray
With You beside, I can face the day

Search me God

- by Grace Xavier

Poem published in GloMag September 2016 issue:

http://glomaglib.blogspot.in/2016/09/glomag-september-2016.html

Story behind the poem:

"Search me O Lord" is a poem inspired by Psalm 139, where the psalmist asks God to search him. This verse spoke to me deeply and I have been praying this verse as a prayer. Just thought of jotting down few things running on my mind in the form of a poem. 

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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

LORD I OFFER MY LIFE

Sometimes God gives you something and sometimes He takes it away. In either ways, blessed be His name. Today I want to lay down my heart, dreams, desires, hopes, plans and everything I have been through to Him. This beautiful songs really speaks my heart right now. Hope you are encouraged as I am.



Lord I offer my life to You
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory
Lord I offer my days to You
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer You my life

All that I am all that I have
I lay them down before You O Lord
All my regrets all my acclaim
The joy and the pain
I'm making them Yours

Things in the past things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams
That are yet to come true
All of my hopes all of my plans
My heart and my hands
Are lifted to You

What can we give
That You have not given
And what do we have
That is not already Yours
All we possess are
These lives we're living
And that's what
We give to You Lord



The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51:19).
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