Day 18 - Power Food from God - Daily Inspirational Verses from Real Life

Isaiah 40:31 - (NIV): "but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; 

they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

After the prophet Isaiah spent 39 chapters on what is going to happen to Israel because of their sin, he begins in chapter 40 telling them of their future redemption.  If you are Christian, this part of the prophesy is frequently considered the advent of Christ.

Put aside for the moment that Isaiah has just prophesied the Babylon captivity, which did happen, and he is now prophesying the return to Israel for his people, which also happened, and look at the message. (If you ever wanted a sign that God actually acted in his peoples lives, this chapter and book is what you need.)

He is telling them that their entire nation is going to be destroyed, that their king and his family is going to be destroyed, that their temple is going to be destroyed, and that God is going to allow it to happen.  Then they are going to be taken from the land that God gave them, and forced into a society that will kill them for even believing in God.  Pretty horrible. 

Then he says, Have Hope.  Tall freaking order.  I worry about the gas bill being paid on time, and lose sleep over it; this is several million times worse, an he is saying Have Hope.

Fortunately, he does not just say it, as do so many of today's self help people, he tells us how.  He tells us to let go of what we think the outcome should be, and put it all in God's hands.  Abandon your ideas of escape and your fantasy of revenge or ultimate victory, and just wait on the Lord. He promises us that it will work out so well that we will feel like we are soaring on eagles wings.
In Matthew 4:4 we find that "God's Word Is Spiritual Food Without Which We Will Die."  This is an example of Spiritual Food becoming tangible, as it always should, if we walk in the Spirit of the Lord.

This is Power Food.

This is the Truth.

This will save your life.

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For information on be certain of your Status with God, overcoming your actions that keep you from God, and allowing you to accept his free gift of eternal life, Click Here.

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Day 1 - Daily Inspirational Verses from Real Life

Art used by Permission from www.GoodJobNotes.com

If you live in a world where things are just not going your way a little too many times, there is some powerful help from the word of God, written just for you and me. Unlike what I used to believe, the Lord provides real change, real help in real time.  Here is one of those awesome words.

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. - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV1984)

Hope generally is most needed and noticed in our lives when things are going badly, and we can not alter our emotions.  Despair begins to take over, and we start seeing catastrophic results are possible everywhere.  

It is even possible that catastrophic results are real, and not just possible, but happening.  Yet, Hope is still possible.  

Hope is like Superman, arriving just in the nick of time, to change how you look at everything, and make a good outcome possible in your mind and life.

1) Yet, you do not need to wait for despair to arrive.  In Jeremiah, God is telling you that he HAS PLANS FOR YOU.  Not the person next to you, not your country, your church, the good people, the other people, but YOU.  

2) Better than that, he is going to MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER (prosper) you, and he will do it with out harming you.

Of course, the ultimate good is heaven, and we all have a solid hope in Heaven, if we have accepted the free gift. This promise is more worldly too.  God WILL give you HOPE.

In my life, I have been sued by corporations with money. One of these experiences was solely based on them wanting to escape from their responsibility to me. They knew I did not have money, and could not defend myself. Worse, the attorney was the very picture of evil in thoughts words and actions. Because of him, I learned a new word, Ad hominem, in court, which means "personal attack."  He was cautioned for that over and over again.  The ONLY hope I had was in the Lord.  End of story, God showed up in this world by providing an attorney for us, who allowed us to have some dignity, and escape the ad hominem and the corporation.  Yea God!

This is not some long range promise, but rather a promise for the here and now as well.  Your faith, if you have it, can be based on the Lord's own words.

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For information on be certain of your Status with God, overcoming your actions that keep you from God, and allowing you to accept his free gift of eternal life, Click Here.

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Then the Light Came On

Used by Permission: www.GoodJobNotes.com

Yesterday I woke up late, as we always do on Wednesday mornings.  As in now my habit, after 55 years of life, I start the day on my knees, speaking with my creator.  This habit started with evenings only, about 6 months ago.

Don't misunderstand me.  I have prayed for years, but it was never a habit, repeated no matter what.  I did it when I remembered, and when I was in need.  I had to create a system to follow, because if I had no system, I would forget, due to being human compounded by my brain injury.  If you would like to read more about how TBI can mess with your life and faith, then read Dark Well of Despair - Light of Hope. The systems always failed, when I was tired or when the crisis passed.  New ones took the old ones place when my guilt for living life and crisis combined to get me back on my knees.

Anyway, on Wednesday, I was praying in the morning before my day started.  In the last few weeks I had finally overcome my shame or fear at being discovered praying by my wife, as if she did not pray or that praying was a sign of weakness.  It is a sign of weakness by the way.  When comparing oneself to God, one either admits one is weak, or one takes on the robes and attitude of Satan, and thinks they are God.  I am no longer thinking I am God, and happy to admit that my strength, physical, mental and philosophical are all from the hand and word of God.  (I am now actively working on building my body as I have not been able to do for decades, only because I now admit that this is all by the hand of God.  To read about that Journey, read Resistance Band Workout Weekly Log - Week 1.)

What was I praying about?  Peace.  I want peace.  Because of my injury, everything takes on mammoth proportions, paranoid feelings overcome me, and everything adds up to bad. So the last week seemed really bad to me.  Migraine headaches, people yelling all the time and the world coming to the end.

I gave up. For the first time in my life, I gave up, right there on my knees.  I gave up totally, and my prayer changed.  It used to be about. "Dear God, this is what I want to happen, but whatever you want will be ok."  Yesterday it became, guide me through today.  Keep me from bad decisions. I forgive ....... and ....... and ..... for whatever I think happened, and I beg you to forgive me too.  Bring me to where you want me to be..

That was it.  And peace showed up.  Bang.  Peace showed up right then.

Then the Light Came On.

I am climbing toward the light, and I will never forget who the light is, or where the ladder came from.  God Rocks.

You Might Die in your Troubles, but you Might Live Too.

Romans 8:28 - (ESV): " And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Yesterday in church, I learned what Romans 8:28 really means, and I was not surprised, as I always assumed that is what it meant to begin with.

Paul is NOT telling us that all our problems will be fixed. He is telling us all of GOD'S problems will be fixed by his using us.

Aside from the good news that God wins, and we are his, that is a little sad. To drive the point home, the pastor also quoted, " And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Tada, he says. God did not even rescue Jesus, so why would he rescue you. See, it is all about God!

For sure, it is all about God. I was very down heartened, and started doubting my faith. I began thinking I was less than a Christian, because I was putting all my worldly hopes onto God's shoulders too. I even remembered Daniel 3:16-18 " Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

They were even willing to die for the Lord, even if he did not rescue them.

You see, in my life, right now, I am in way over my head. I can not get out of the trap I am in, and now one can help me. Only God. I am not saying, Help me God, and if not, it is ok. I am saying, "Help Me God."

So I began to feel even less of a Christian. Maybe there is not hope. I am not afraid of death, and I was starting to look forward to it. Rather be with God than in this mess. Again.

Then it hit me.

John 11:1-6 - (ESV): "Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."

Lazarus was brought back to life. God did help. In the flesh. 

Buck up Christian.  It is all about God, and God will use your suffering to make you stronger, to help his needs, but he also fixes things in the world.  Your world.  There is hope, and if not, there is hope in eternal life.


Wait a minute. God helped the three in the furnace too. I forgot.

Just because there examples in the Bible where God lets us feel the pain, does not mean we are always going to feel the pain.  He asks that we follow him, and believe that in the end, it works out for God's best interest ... and that God's best interest is also you best interest.

The Value of a Christmas Gift

Some of the things we say, make us feel good, but have nothing to do with life as it is lived.  Giving, though, is a act that God himself has practiced for our behalf.  Christmas is the apex of all gifts.

To download this poster, as a free 11 x 17 copy, click here.