“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa. 55:11 NASB)

God has the power and will to fulfill His promises!

The Bible is filled with thousands of wonderful promises to cover every possible need you could ever encounter (2 Pet. 1:4). They are placed there for you by God Himself and are all 100% guaranteed by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). You just need to find them, mix faith with them (Heb. 4:2 KJV) and believe they will work for you (Mark 11:24).

“And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:21 KJV)

 "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Num. 23:19 NIV)

Trustworthy God! 

Trustworthy is defined as reliable, dependable, honest, honorable, upright, principled, true, truthful, as good as one's word; ethical, virtuous, incorruptible, unimpeachable, above suspicion; responsible, sensible, loyal, faithful, staunch, steadfast, reputable, and completely straight-up. All of this describes God!

God’s unchangeable nature is trustworthy

"When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.' And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.” (Heb. 6:13-18 NIV)

A trustworthy saying to fully accept!

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Tim. 4:9-10 NIV)

God is a trustworthy confidant

“Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him” (Psalm 28:6-7, NASB).

We can be completely confident!

“This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God--who does not lie--promised them before the world began.” (Titus 1:2 NLT)

“Trust would not be trust if it did not require some commitment from us to walk by faith and not by sight. God is a trustworthy confidant, for He constantly seeks our good.” – Billy Graham

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3 NIV)

Notice that the above verse says He “has blessed us” (past tense), because God has already done it! It's totally accomplished! Finished! Done!

Every spiritual blessing in Christ!

Notice that the second part of the above verse says that He's provided you with “every spiritual blessing in Christ.” That means all of them have been given to you without exception. There are no blessings excluded! That’s right, you get them all! The entire group! The total amount.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8 NIV)

God blesses you to be a blessing to others!

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2 NIV)

"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12 NASB)

Life has its challenges – press forward through them!

Shortly after purchasing our first house, we decided to build a deck off the back porch. I had never built a deck before, so I went to a friend of mine, a home builder, to ask him for some advice. He said, “Do you know what you want your deck to look like?” And I said, “Yes, I do.” He then relied, “Great! Now just get started and build it!” I said, “But, I have never built a deck before!” And he said, “The main thing is to make your plan. Get all the materials you need. Then get started and keep working at it until it is completely done. “That’s it?” I said, “What if I run into problems?” And he said, “Every job has problems! That's just the way it is. But, you can't  allow anything to stop you. You solve problems as you discover them. Then, you eventually get to the end with a completed project.”

So, I did exactly what he said and built my first deck. Yes, I did run into a few problems along the way, and figured out a solution for each one.

It's pretty much the same with anything you need to get done

Whether it's something at home (building a deck), at school (assignments), at work (job projects), or at play (sports or hobbies), it's the same process. You need to know what it looks like (envision it). You need a plan (steps needed to do it).  You need to collect the materials to do the job. You need to get started. You need to solve problems as you discover them. And, most importantly, you need to keep working at it until it gets completely done.

Keep pressing forward!

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14

Some interesting epigrams about perseverance

• There aren't any hard-and-fast rules for getting ahead in the world - just hard ones.
• You don't have to lie awake nights to succeed. Just stay awake days.
• There is no poverty that can overtake diligence. -Japanese proverb
• "By perseverance the snail reached the Ark." – Charles Spurgeon

• Triumph is just "umph" added to try.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:15-19 NIV)

Saying thank you!

I heard a story about a woman who had searched for, found, and thanked, the many who had responded to a horrific accident she had been involved in ten years before. What was amazing to see, was the reaction she received from those she thanked. Many of them were moved to tears. One of them said they had never been thanked before! Can you imagine that? In all those years they must have helped a great number of people in crisis, yet not one had bothered to go back and thank them!

Only one in ten thanked Jesus

Jesus had healed ten lepers but only one came back to thank Him! Jesus noticed and said, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”  (Luke 17: 18-19 NIV)

God’s will is for you to be thankful in all circumstances

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18 NIV)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17 NIV)

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45 NIV)

Watch what you put into your mind

Your brain is like a computer and is programmed by what you feed into it. You program it by what you choose to look at and listen to that effect your thinking such as the TV shows and movies you watch, the magazines and books you read, the content of your social media, and even the people you choose to socialize with. All this will effect your thinking and what you do. You must constantly guard your heart from destructive input!

Watch what you allow yourself to think about

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Prov. 23:7 NASB)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23 NIV)

Watch what you say

Your mouth is the speaker for your heart. Your words can only reflect what your brain is already thinking about. If your thoughts are evil, out of your mouth will come evil words. If your thoughts are good, then good words will come out. You cannot behave inconsistently from how you think!

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45 NIV)

Make adjustments immediately  

When you catch yourself saying the wrong kind of things, stop and make corrections with the Word of God as your guide and adjustment tool.

   “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3 ESV)

“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” (Prov. 21:23 ESV)

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” (Col. 4:2 NIV)

My mind went blank! 

Many years ago, when I was a fairly new follower of Christ, someone invited me to the front of a meeting and asked me to pray. I had never done that before! My mind suddenly went blank. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity and couldn't think what to say. I eventually mumbled a very short something or other and quickly returned to my seat.

It’s okay to ask for help

When we wonder about prayer, it should be reassuring to know that even a disciple of Jesus asked Him for instructions about how to pray.

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples'". (Luke 11:1 NIV)

Jesus taught about prayer

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matt. 6:5-13 NLT)

What others have said about prayer

“Prayer is simply talking to God like a friend and should be the easiest thing we do each day." - Joyce Meyer

“Prayer is not a hard requirement – it is the natural duty of a creature to its creator, the simplest homage that human need can pay to divine liberality.” – Charles Spurgeon

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." - Martin Luther

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom. 12:12 NIV)

He is near you

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18 NIV)

God responds to the prayers of the destitute

“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.” (Psalm 102:17 NIV)

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'" - Billy Graham

“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” (Psalm 17:6 NIV)

 Keep your prayers simple, and don't babble

If you want clear answers you can't be fuzzy with your requests.

When you pray, speak plainly and clearly to God

 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matt. 6:7 NIV)

Present your requests to God in every situation

 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6 NIV)

 Watch and pray

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41 NIV)

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" - Corrie ten Boom