1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Psalms 91:2, “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

Life happen. We deal with a lot of stuff. We face stress everyday and toil under its burden. Challenges attack our faith everyday. And many don’t have a safe place to turn to. Nor anyone to just talk about these things with.

Don’t worry, God is always there with us. To me, this is a way of escape. God is my fortress. My safe place to unburden my self too every day. He is the keeper of my secrets. He is my problem solver – my problem resolver. God has a way of miraculously fixing my situations.

A definition of fortress is a person or thing not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance.

This definition is so fitting with God! Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower:
the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

I take comfort in the fact that God is able and he holds me safely in his arms. Even in those times when the enemy wants us to believe we are all alone. I can run to him – take refuge in the power of his name. I am held safe in him because he is my fortress. I have peace! That peace of God that passes all understanding.

I just have to choose to call upon him. To trust in him.

This is why I don’t have to worry!

Because of him I am protected. I am comforted. I am heard. I am understood And I am safe.

Even when the world is full of chaos. Full of unprecedented times. We don’t have to fear for we have a fortress. A strong tower. Covering.

It’s all about choices. We have to choose God – every day. We have to choose peace. We have to decide to allow God to be these things for us. He is always willing and able to. But God does not force to do anything. He wants to be your choice.

My mom used to say “when you get sick and tired, you will change.” This is true. When you get tired of dealing with fear and uncertainty you will choose something different. God wants to be who you turn to.

The change that my mom referred to is making different choices. People think change is some huge mountain that is nearly impossible to climb. But the simple truth is that real change is make different choices. Like choosing an apple over a candy bar when you want a healthy life style. It’s a small choice that can lead to major changes. Mix in consistency with your choice and before you know it you have made a real change.

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” Making different choices takes practice. So keep working at it.

Don’t worry. In everything give thanks. If you thank God during the tough times, it will be a breeze to do the same in the easy time. It is God’s will concerning you!

We give thanks because our situation could be worse. We give thanks because we know it won’t always be like this. We give thanks because even when the worst happens – we understand God will not put more on us than we can bear. We give thanks because God’s goodness and mercy follows us daily.

Don’t worry…just give thanks!

Have a blessed night!

John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Life is crazy. It is full of stuff designed to pull us in all directions. Needless to say we can easily be rerouted from the plan God has for our life. This happens very subtly that we can spend years rerouted before we even realize what has happened. When it happened, or how it happened.

But through it all God has not forgotten. He has not changed. His plan (will for your life) has not changed. We are the one who feel the pressure. We concern ourselves with failing God. We wonder how we got so far away from where God was leading us. We stress over that thought that God has probably changed his mind. That he cannot trust us to be faithful to the call. So many misleading thoughts invade our mind and take over.

We have to remember that God never changes.

• Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
• For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God (Ezekiel 12:25).

Our issue is that we can be very short sighted and we tend to have a very narrow view of things. 1 Corinthians 13:9-12, tells us that we know in part. That we see through a glass, darkly. And this is so true. But this is also by design. God gives us just enough to hold on and walk by faith. For if we knew the full story, what would be the point of faith?

Our duty is to remember.

The Bible tells us repeatedly to remember.

• Joshua 4:1-24, tells of the stones that were taken out of the river Jordan.

Just as Joshua used the stones as a memorial to the miracle God worked for the people. We too need to do whatever is necessary to remember what God has brought us through. To remember what God has spoken. To remember what we have dedicated to God.

The tough road we had to take was full of many lessons. Where is the profit to us if we forget those lessons once we come out of the battle? Each successful faith battle teaches us about God (draws us closer), but it also teaches us about ourselves. We learn how to walk by faith. We learn how to trust God. We learn to hear God’s voice. So many lessons learned. But if we don’t build a memorial as Joshua did, we will forget.

We go through a lot – pain, heartache, loss, heart break, disease, death, etc. If we are not careful, we will get overwhelmed. This burden, this sense of drowning can be debilitating. We can find ourselves forgetting who we are and who we serve.

God shared something with me the other day and it has changed my life. He told me I set you free. You chose to forget that and go back into bondage. You can be free, you just have to choose it – everyday.

God has not forgotten you. But he has done the complete work at Calvary. The blood is still working everyday, all the time. We just have to accept and embrace all that God has given. Salvation is the beginning, after receiving it, we must endure to the end. We must live a life of faith, according to the word of God. It is during this everyday living that we must depend on the memorials we have built to remind us of the goodness of God.

Life is about choices. We have to choose to believe God. We have to choose to be free. We must make this choice everyday. This choice is evident in the way we live, in the people we hang around, and in the places we go. Our choices are seen by the people who watch our lives. And yes, people are watching us every day. Many are routing for our downfall, but there are also many who want to see you succeed. For your success provides them with hope.

God has not forgotten you. But you must remember who you are in Christ, and act accordingly.

Have a blessed day.