“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 NIV)

God has promised it and He will deliver!

God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully. It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at times, but God has promised it and He will deliver!

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jer. 29:11)

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

The late President, Ronald Reagan, once said jokingly, “Some of the scariest words ever spoken are, ‘I am from the government, and I’m here to help you!’”

Unfortunately, many feel the same way about God! He says, “I am the LORD … and I will help you.” And yet, they treat that statement with fear instead of with delight!

Why is this so? It’s because many don’t understand the true nature of God (love)! They picture Him wrong! They don’t understand that God loves them and really wants only the very best for them.

Understand this about God

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.” (Psalm 146:5-7)

Boldly!

“So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6)

God will uphold you with His righteous right hand!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Powerful and life-changing! 

“See, the LORD’s hand is not too short to save.” (Isaiah 59:1)

And, I believe it! Amen!

“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’ At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.” (Acts 17:32-34)

Idols were everywhere!

The Apostle Paul was troubled by all the idols he saw around Athens when he visiting that city, so he spoke to them about who the real God is. He told them about Jesus, and when he got to the part about God raising Him from the dead, there were three distinct reactions.

1) Some sneered.

2) Others said, “we want to hear you again on this subject.”

3) Some of them became followers.

This is typical when you share your faith with others. Some will sneer, some will be positive, but put it off, and some will believe. And, it’s worth it! God can and will change lives and it’s wonderful to be used by Him to reach others with the good news!

 Here’s what the Bible says about sharing your faith

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” (Mark 16:15)

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Tim. 4:2)

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” (Psalms 96:3)

“We may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16b)

Grace and Mercy to you from God!

·  Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor.

·  Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you deserve instead you receive; compassion and forbearance.

God is abundant in grace and mercy!

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

His greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation available for all people through faith in Jesus

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  (Eph.:8-9)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23)

When the gift of salvation is accepted, eternal life is promised to the recipient

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.”  (Eph. 2:4)

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

It really bothers me to see people who claim to be followers of Christ viciously attacking other believers who they disagree with. This is rampant on social media sites like Facebook. Yes, false doctrines and false teachings should always be exposed, but never in an attacking, non-loving way. Never attack the person you disagree with personally! Too often, religious people resort to personal criticism, gossip, lies, and accusations. By doing this, they become no better than the lost people out in the world.

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25)

“But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” (Gal. 5:15)

Love others the way God loves you!

How has He loved us? He loved us while we were “yet sinners,” before we accepted and received his gift of salvation. (Rom. 5:8)

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

“May abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8b)

The key to being successful in life is being able to make the right decisions in what you do

And, that is possible because you have the mind of Christ. “But we have the mind of Christ.” (2 Cor 2:16b). God gives you wisdom, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5). This means you are able, through God’s involvement in your decision making, abound in every good work!

A wonderful Back-up plan

If for some reason you make a mistake, similarly to a GPS system, God can fix it for you. He will “recalculate” for you and get you pointed back towards the right direction.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”  (Prov. 16:9)

“In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:6)

“Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal. 6:9b)

As opportunities to serve others come your way, don’t get tired of doing good deeds and helping them because eventually it will pay off! And, this is especially true for fellow Christians.

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Heb. 6:10)

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (2 Peter 4:10)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

It is difficult to escape all the negative and scary news stories hitting us from every possible direction! It’s all over the newspapers. It’s blasted from radio and TV. And it’s exploding all over the various forms of social-media. To listen to it you would think the world is completely falling apart at its seams, is under severe attack by radical extremists of every ilk (political and many other kinds), and that everything decent we hold dear is now turned upside down. What used to be called good is now being called bad and what used to be called bad is now being called good. It makes you want to run and hide from it all!

The Bible talks about it

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.” (2 Tim. 3:1). It tells how everything will go from bad to worse and from much of what we are observing all around us, it certainly looks that way.

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:12-15)

And, Jesus had this to say about the last days!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” (John 26:33)

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Eph. 6:16  NIV)

All of us get under attack from the enemy from time to time. It is just a part of living in the world. It can come in the form of fear, worry, strong temptation, oppression, depression or as an all-out anxiety attack. But, you don’t have to put up with any of it!

The Bible says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking who he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8). It tells us to “be alert and sober minded.” The next verse says, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (Eph. 5:9)

When any of these evil attacks happen to you, recognize them for what they are, “flaming arrows from the evil one.” Then, “take up the shield of faith” (use the Word of God) and then extinguish them!

Here’s what the Word of God says

·  “We wrestle not against flesh and blood.” The enemy is the devil and he attacks our minds (our thoughts). “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  (Eph. 6:12)

·  Our fight is a spiritual one and must be fought with spiritual weapons. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds.” (2 Cor. 10:4-5 NKJV)

·  God is in you and He is greater than Satan and his demonic forces! “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

·  God won’t allow the devil to attack you beyond what you can withstand. “There is no temptation (tests and trials brought by Satan) that can come upon you but such as is common to man (things in this natural, carnal world): but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted (attacked by Satan with testing and trials) beyond what you can handle; but will with the temptation (at the same time) also make a way to escape, that you may be able to have victory over it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)

·      God gives you power against the enemy. “Look, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

When the enemy attacks do this

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you….come close to God, and He will come close to you.” (James 4:7-8)