Passing The Tests

God tests us with stress before He trusts us with success.

Some prayers are answered immediately, but others take weeks months, or even years. You probably already know this to be true. But the good news is while we’re praying for God’s answer, you’re going to learn some things that we can’t learn any other way.

In the waiting, there is a blessing. I prayed for my marriage to be successful for years. But he answered. One thing I’ve learned over the years is God will heal us spiritually before He will heal any other part of us. While I was working on the prayer, God was working on me.

When you are going through trials, do ever why are your ever going through it? It’s for testing and purification. As you pray about your situation over and over again, you face tests that reveal more about you.

God says in Zachariah 13:9, “I will refine them like silver and purify them like Gold.”

Gold is tested by putting it in a big vat and heated until it gets so hot that all the impurities are burnt off. Metalsmiths know when gold and silver are put when they can see their reflection in them.

God can see His reflection in you when all the impurities have burned out of your life. After you have been through the fire, He says that, He done the testing and purification.

“They will call on my name and I will answer them” – Zachariah 13:9

Answered prayer comes after the test. Before the blessing, there is testing. God tests us with stress before He trusts us with success. These are the principles of persistent prayer.

During the tests we learn a lot about ourselves. If we give up praying, we’re never going to learn the lessons that help us become more like Jesus.

It’s not until we pass the testing, that our blessings will come.

My Biggest Challange

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

My biggest challenge will be to become the best version of myself. To stay true to myself and my values. And make sure I’m doing what brings me a sense of happiness, purpose, and meaning.

My biggest challenge will be to get myself out of my comfort zone. Which includes flying. My son is working 500 miles away, instead of 2000. I am excited that I will get to see him.

Not Peace, But A Sword

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is described that way prophetically in Isiah 9:6. He gives us “peace that surpasses under“ (Philippians 4:7). However, we must understand that being His disciple will not always be a peaceful life.

Mathew 10:34-39 says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household; He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who does not cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

The Prince of Peace came to bring conflict on the earth.

We are soldiers in the Lord’s army. 2+Timothy 2:3 says, “You, therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

“It is a soldier’s job to fight. We must be willing to wage the good warfare” -1 Timothy 1:18.

Faithful disciples are engaged in an ongoing warfare with the forces of darkness.

The American people have been told that we are now in a war against terrorism that we should not expect to be over any time in the foreseeable future. We all have enemies in the world and we will have to be prepared to deal with them at home and abroad.

It’s the same way in the believer’s war against Satan and the forces of evil in the world.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.

War between morality and immorality

War against truth and error

War between God’s will and Satan’s devices

Believers should expect opposition. Something is wrong with us if we do not encounter resistance from the other side.

“Woe to you when all me speak well of you. For solid their fathers to the false prophets“ -Luke 6:26

Jesus’s love for the church gives us a patten for the way a husband should love his wife.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the assembly, and gave Himself up for it” -Ephesians 5:25.

If we follow Jesus’s teachings, we have a perfect recipe for happiness in the home.

Families often interfere with a person’s choice to follow Jesus.

Parents object to children becoming believers in Christ. This is especially difficult when the child is young and still lives at home and is dependent on parents for care and support.

Partners try to interfere with spouses faith.

Hostility and mistreatment sometimes comes. Members of our own families may become our enemies because of Jesus. It is hard when you’re young and are forced to choose between the Lord and loved ones in their own families.

When conflicts come God must come first.

To be worthy of God, we have to be willing to bear our crosses for him. Cross bearing means enduring heavy burdens because of God.

“Come to Me, all who labor, and are heavily burdened , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls”- Matthew 11:28-30.

This is true with regard to the burden of sin. However, Jesus did not say that being a Christian wad without cost…or even that the price was small. Every Christian must pay a price to follow Jesus, but the price that it paid is nothing in comparison with the cost that Jesus paid in purchasing the church with His blood (Acts 20:28).

“He who finds his life will lose it and he who loses it for My sake will save it“ – Matthew 10:39.

The first life is what is found by the person looking for success and accomplishment in the here and now.

The rich farmer in Luke 12: 19 found this kind of life.

“And I will say Tony soul, Soul you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”

That kind of life will eventually be lost.

Wealthy people don’t all lose their wealth and die penniless.

The attitude which causes a person to put earthly things above heavenly things cause them to lose out on the most important kind of life -spiritual life. Such a person may die surrounded by a large loving family, a bunch of helpful friends, and a great collection of material things -but they are lost without God.

Many people in the early centuries of the church’s existence literally gave their lives for the cause of God. From Stephen onward through the years, people held firmly to the cross of Christ even when it cost them physical life. God’s people in the Asian city of Smyrna were encouraged to be faithful unto death and promised “I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10). They traded physical -this world life for spiritual, eternal life.

Jesus does not require that we die physically because of persecution. Anyone who does in the Lord is blessed (Revelation 14;23), no matter whether the death is violent or from natural causes. But Jesus does require that we crucify self and let Jesus live in us.

In Galatians 2:20 it says, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I but Christ that lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself to for me.”

Self-satisfied church members who are at ease in Zion, are not worthy to be Jesus’s disciples. Christ must be living in us and be the controlling force in our lives.

We can’t be intellectually lazy so that we do not want to study and learn. Contrary to some people’s thinking, we don’t have everything figured out yet. And we still need to be learning.

We can’t be emotionally lazy because being in Christ requires an investment of the heart as well as the mind. Even when we gather for worship it isn’t enough to do the job as a matter of routine. God must be worshipped in spirit and truth. (John 4:24).

We can’t be physically lazy because being a true believer requires action. We must be doers of the word (James 1:22). We must always be ready to do Jesus’s work on earth.

The End Time Jesus

The most common impression of Jesus is that of a loving, tender, compassionate Savior. But there is another side to the “coin” -the one portrayed in Revelation 19:11.

The is one of the most awesome scenes in the Bible that reads as follows:

I saw the heaven open up, and behold a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness, He judges and makes war. His eyes are a flame of fire and on His head many crowns. He has names written and a name written no one knows but He Himself. He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” The armies which are in heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen. Out if His mouth proceeds, double-edged sword, that with it He should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the time press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. He had on His garment and on His thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD of LORDS.

This sense begins with John using the expression which asserts that his message is of divine origin. He saw “heaven opened” (Revelation 4:1; Ezekiel 1:1). The events of earth are under the sovereign control of Him who orchestrates His will from heaven, and the apostle John was given a preview of the final conflict.

John uses his characteristic “behold” 26 times in Revelation to get our attention to the narrative, and to awaken us to what he is about to describe.

The Holy Warrior

The main subject of the vision was on the “white horse. “White” in Revelation suggests either purity or victory. In this case it stands for victory.

The rider is no doubt Jesus as He is the designated as the “Word of God, who John identifies as the Lord Jesus. In John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1, Jesus is the divine Word because He is the thought and voice of heaven to humanity (John 1:28; 14:8). The will of God for mankind cannot be ascertained apart from th mission of Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus is further characterized as “Faithful” because He was loyal to the will of His Father. It was Jesus’s perfect life that qualified Him to be the atoning sacrifice for sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). He is “True’ as a witness of the Will of God to our blighted face (Revelation 1:5; 3:7, 14).

The Purpose Of His Mission

John sets forth the mission of Jesus (the heavenly warrior). In righteousness, He judges and makes war.

When Jesus came the first time, His purpose was to inaugurate the redemption for Adam’s fallen family. As He Himself said, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the works through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Once that mission of mercy was implementedeed, no further plan was to be offered. Aside from Jesus, there is no other sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26).

When Jesus comes again, He will not come on a mission of mercy, but He will arrive for judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. It’s important to know the connection between “judge” and “make war.” These two things occur simultaneously. The war is the day of judgment. (2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7).

The wrath of God will be poured out as a prelude to a holy war. The major enemies of truth are the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet will be gathered “unto the war of the great day of God” (Revelation 16:14). Designated as Armageddon the most famous battlefield in history. Which becomes a symbol for the conflict that is to take play on the final day of this world’s existence.

Jesus came like a lamb, but is coming back as a Lion

My Teenage Self

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

If I wrote a letter of advice to my teenage self. I would tell her to get better grades and stop partying so much. So, I could go to college and fulfill my dreams, instead of working at minimum wage jobs. And not get married so young. That I have so many opportunities at my young age, and not to waste those opportunities.

Our choices determine who we become. It’s important to think about the consequences of our actions.

Self-Abandonment

Are you the type of person who is always trying to make other people happy even at the cost of your own happiness, needs, or feelings? Are you someone who says “Yes,” even though you really want to say “No.” Are you a person that does things that you actually don’t agree with?

I was taught by my mother, that my feelings didn’t matter. I had to go a long with whatever everyone else wanted. To say yes when I wanted to say no. This is called self-abandonment. I lived this way for many years because that’s what I was taught to do. The problem is that this type of living, drains you of happiness. You get exhausted and weary.

Self-abandonment refers to a set of self-destructive behaviors. It’s a rejection of your own thoughts, feelings and desires in favor of the ones of other people. They are usually learned behaviors that stem from childhood and negatively affect your mental health. It leads to anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues.

There are some common signs and characteristics of self-abandonment.

1. Dismissing your needs

The first sign is if you constantly dismiss your own needs. People who self-abandon tend to distrust their own instincts. When something does not sit well with you, or does not feel good, you tend to dismiss your gut feeling and go along with someone else needs or priorities. You probably second-guess yourself, overthink, and tend to reframe things at your own cost and detriment.

2. Seeking external validation

As a person who self-abandons you probably seek external validation. You do not think that you are enough, important, successful, smart, or lovable, and you ask for validation from others. It is important for you that other people approve of you. But, of course, as you might already know, any external approval, if it is not accompanied by internal acceptance and approval does not stay long with you. It just stays temporarily and then you keep seeking approval over and over.

3. Hiding yourself

Another thing that you might be doing is hiding some part of yourself. This means that even though you might like or dislike something if it does not resonate with the people around you, you hide it. So, you are essentially living in a relationship with your fake self or with only part of yourself, and not with your true authentic self. You give up hobbies, interests, goals, dreams, passions, feelings, and needs. All the while making space for those of another person not for the ones that you truly and authentically connected with.

4. Being a perfectionist

Being a perfectionist with yourself, and holding yourself up to high standards that you can never meet. You might think that you are never enough for other people and you always need to try more. This eventually leads to exhaustion or to feeling resentful. A person to self-abandons themselves make extreme sacrifices for other people, but in many cases, the people around might not appreciate or even see your efforts and sacrifices you make for them.

5. Sup pressing your feelings

The last sign of self-abandonment is suppressing your feelings, especially the uncomfortable feelings. This happens because you probably think that there is no space in a relationship or in the moment for these feelings, so you hide them under the rug. You might feel like you are asking too much from others, that you will be a burden, hurt someone, or bring them into an uncomfortable situation. So, you decide to put all these emotions in a box and hide them somewhere deep within you. You decide to only show a happy and positive facade because you think this is what other people want or need. As you neglect and abandon a big part of your feelings you forget how important these feeling are at your core.

Self-abandonment did start yesterday. It stems from childhood. It usually begins the moment we realize that there is no space for us, our needs, and our feelings. It starts when you reach our to a person from the family and did not get support. When we don’t receive validation in some cases it returns with abuse., or rejection. That’s the moment we realize that our needs are not important. So, we start giving more space to others and suffocate or emotional needs.

Self-abandonment becomes a way of surviving. But as adults it is a way of attracting toxic relationships or developing codependency and other unhealthy patterns that are undesirable for mental wellbeing.

We must learn how to untangle these unhealthy patterns and stop self-abandoning ourselves.

Learning to reconnect our needs and feelings, practicing self-compassion and learning to say no are good practices to master.

What Bores Me

What bores you?

What bores me is small talk. I get bored when people are talking about small things, “How’s it going? What are you doing for the holidays? Do you see what so and so did?

A discussion about random irrelevant rubbish serves no point and is boring. It is mentally draining, I prefer deeper conversations. I see small talk as a waste of time. I would rather talk about things like where they would like to be in 10 years, or What has God told them to do lately. Small talk makes me uncomfortable.

When Tough Isn’t Enough

Building Mental Strength

There are times when we feel like we can handle anything life throws at us. And then there are times when even the smallest setback throws us into a tailspin.

It’s not the circumstances we face. Many of us know what it’s like to be upset by something that wouldn’t ordinarily bother us. Or there are times when we can then turn around and brush off a major setback as just being a part of life.

The difference isn’t what’s happening to us -it’s our mental strength. Our mental strength helps us to resist being derailed by negative thoughts. It helps us get back into the ups and downs of life day after day.

Just like physical strength, it’s a kind of muscle that we can develop and improve our overall well being.

Mental strength doesn’t mean you never cry, complain, or have doubts. And it’s not mutually exclusive to mental illness. In fact, because people who suffer work very hard to develop coping mechanisms, many of these people have ADHD, depression, and other mental health conditions are incredibly mentally strong people.

Instead of having one static idea of what it means to be mentally fit, we should ask these questions,

  • How do you respond to negative emotions or setbacks?
  • Do you start thinking of solutions, or whine about bad luck or do you let them roll off your back?

When we understand that mental strength is a cognitive and emotional skill of reframing negative thoughts and adverse circumstances. Being mentally strong helps us resist both internal and external influences that weaken our self-confidence and well-being.

There is a metaphor of physical health to understanding mental strength. Just as physical strength is a component of physical fitness, mental strength is a part of mental fitness.

Mental fitness is a complete set of practices that enable us to maintain and improve our mental strength. Being mentally strong helps us to stay focused at crucial times in our lives.

For example, mental toughness helps us perform under pressure. But it is not sustainable for the athlete who needs to drown out the crowd to score a win. Even Olympic athletes under extreme pressure can damage their mental health.

Mental strength balances the extreme, it’s our ability to function effectively and sustainably in the face of challenges and stress without sacrificing our own health., sense of self and mental well-being.

Resilience, mental strength and mental toughness are all components of mental fitness. Mental toughness helps us to tune out distractions and negative self-talk. Resilience helps us revolver from setbacks. Mental strength helps us persevere, and mental fitness builds all of these practices.

For example, if you’re excited about a presentation that you’re going to give in the company you work for. You would rehearse your slides and a co-worker would point out a flaw in you’re strategy that you’ve not thought about after putting in weeks of hard work in preparing. Do you have time to rethink your entire presentation?

All isn’t lost in this case, heating the potential pitfalls can help you prepare for a well-rounded presentation. When we imagine the worst-case scenario, helps get you into a solution focused mindset instead of panicking it requires mental strength.

Instead of throwing the whole presentation away or calling in sick before the whole presentation maybe try and add another slide.

In many ways mental strength and mindfulness is the other side of anxiety in action.

When you think about what anxiety is and why it exists, those uncomfortable emotions do serve a purpose. Anxiety is designed to alert us to potential threats so we can find ways to overcome them. But it becomes unhelpful when those feelings paralyze us.

Mental strength helps us resist paralysis and push back against the forces we fear and anxious feelings. When we build mental strength we are better able to reframe the anxiety and hear what it’s trying to tell us. What outcomes do we need to think through, what’s the worst-case scenario and how to prepare for it to maximize out chances of success.

When become mentally strong we have less stress, as well as motivation, poor mental strength zaps our energy and motivation.

Becoming mentally strong gives us better discretion in life. Part of being successful in life requires us to know who to listen to and who not to listen to. It’s easy to get thrown off by both internal and external criticisms. When we are mentally strong its easier to stay focused even when people disagree with you or your anxious.

When we are mentally strong we are less afraid of failure. Even when we become worried it’s easier to shift into problem-solving mode. And we become more adaptable to look for solutions which make us more agile. We spend less time dwelling in what’s going well and more time focused on how we can achieve the desired outcome.

Developing mental strength means cultivating practices in the following ways:

1. Mindfulness

When you practice mindfulness, you improve your ability to respond rather than rear. It empowers you to slow down the stimuli-reaction loop so you can choose a response that works for you. Over time, this skill will become second nature when you least expect it, but most need it.

There are many kinds of mindfulness practices, like mindful breathing, walking mediation or listening to mindfulness meditation online or by cd. Or meditation for anxiety and relaxation. I personally listen to the Jewish guided meditations on YouTube. They seem to work the best for me.

2. Work with a life coach or counselor.

I usually don’t recommend professional help because it’s experience. But if you can’t seem to work things out on your own. It’s the best thing for you. They can be helpful in developing mental strength. The battle were most often fight happens in our heads.

3. Keep a journal

If you want to check in on your mental strength on a regular basis. Keeping a journal is a great idea. It can help you keep tabs on your personal growth over time and build self-esteem. This method helped me the most out of everything I’ve done to build mental strength.

There are no rules for what you can put in your journal. Free writing for several minutes lets you dump everything that’s stuck in your brain. You can set goals, or make notes of any stressors that a overwhelming. Writing things down helps our brains begin to work through our challenges.

4. Practice self-compassion

Many people think that they’ll somehow be more productive if they beat themselves up, but that’s not the case. Building self-compassion actually helps build resilience. Focusing on what we do well, instead of our failures keeps us in a growth mindset while avoiding a downward spiral. It helps us to say, “That didn’t go well, but here’s what I learned, and how can I do better next time.”

5. Get out of your comfort zone

I’d you want to know if you’ve developed core skills of mental toughness. Throw yourself in the deep end. Like many skills, mental strength can’t be mastered without practice. There comes a time when you have to do something new, unfamiliar, or scary, and that’s a good thing.

It doesn’t matter how small it is, sign up for a class, or go for coffee with someone who intimidates you. Whatever it is pay attention to how you respond when the scary feelings come up. Then respond to them as you would respond to a good friend. Learning that you are capable of doing hard things and might enjoy them is a plus.

6. Develop a daily routine

If you were building physical strength requires you to go to the gym. Just as building mental strength helps us reinforce new skills that you practice. Take some time to build mental strength as you would building physical strength.

7. Keep your connections strong

One of the strongest predictors of life satisfaction is our relationships with others. Don’t try to build mental strength alone. We need support to get through anything life throws at us. It’s important to have some fun in life and spend time with the people who make you happy. Joy insulates us against stress and keeps us going when we want to give up the fight.

Mental strength isn’t just about pushing forward, just as physical strength isn’t about working out all the time. It’s about finding a balance of work and play.

Drinks

What is your favorite drink?

What is my favorite drink? It’s a toss-up between Coffee and Iced Tea

Strength For The Journey

Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions in life, without a clear sense of what you’re good at? Everyone has unique strengths that can bee uncovered with a little effort.. But, there are a few strategies to discover your strengths during your journey through life. And discover what you truly love to do.

Here are a few strategies that I think will help.

    Effect on your past successes.

    One way to uncover your strengths is to reflect on your past successes. Think about the times when you’ve felt proud of yourself or accomplished something that came easy for you. Whether it be being a natural leader, a skilled communicator, or a creative problem solver. By identifying these strengths you can learn to build on them.

    Ask for feedback.

    Sometimes it’s hard to see our own strengths because they can seem so natural to us. Ask family, friends, or co-workers. You might be surprised by what they say,

    Try new things.

    Sometimes we don’t know what we’re good at until we try something new. Exploring hobbies, taking on challenges, or volunteering for new projects can help discover the strengths you never new you had.

    Take personality and strength assessments.

    You can find assessments everywhere on the internet. Just do a search. Some of the assessments are designed to provide insights into your natural talents and preferences along with your personality traits. Well-known assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Clifton Strengths assessments can provide valuable insights.

    Pay attention to your passions.

    Your passions can often be a gateway to discovering your strengths. Think about things that truly excite and energize you. What are you naturally drawn to? What can you spend hours doing without feeling drained? Your passions can indicate where your strengths are.

    Don’t Quench The Spirit

    Have you ever sensed the Holy Spirit leading you to do something, but because of fear you were afraid to do it? Even though you were sure it was God’s Spirit who was speaking to you, did you grit your teeth, dig in your heels, and decide you would not do what He was leading you to do or say?

    If you answered yes, it’s time for you to stop doing that. The Holy Spirit is trying to use you to help someone or to accomplish something according to His plans and purposes. Don’t let Satan or a spirit of fear talk you out of experiencing the joy of being used by the Holy.

    The word “quench” in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 is taken from the Greek word sbennumi. This word means to extinguish, smother, suppress, douse, put out, or to quell. It means to evaporate or dry up.

    “Don’t quench the Spirit” – 1 Thessalonians 5:19

    There is no doubt about what Pauk is trying to tell us. If we ignore the Holy Spirit’s voice long enough we will become spiritually hardened and will no longer be able to hear Him when He tries to speak to us. It will be like His voice evaporates or dries up, and we will hear it no more.

    Our own actions, fears, insecurities, and disobedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit can thwart the plan of God for our lives. The Holy Spirit is willing and able to give you a divine assignment, but you hinder His plans by ignoring and denying His right to use you time and time again.

    If you’ve ever seen a campfire, you know that its flames can burn very bright and got. But what happens if someone keeps throwing water on the coals? Initially, it will only dampen the heat of the flames. But if the person continues to throw water on the flames, eventually that water will quench, smother, or put out the fire altogether.

    Has the Holy Spirit been speaking to your heart, directing you to do something? Have you obeyed Him and done what He has prompted you to do, or have you turned a deaf ear to His voice?

    Don’t throw water on the flames until you quench the Spirit.

    Instead of continually shutting your ears to the Holy Spirit’s voice and dousing the flames of the Spirit in your heart, it’s time to say, “Yes, Lord, I will do what You say. I will go where You send me, I will obey what You tell me to do.

    When you adopt this attitude, you start putting fuel back on the fire again. Every time you say, “Yes Lord” and follow through with obedience, you stone the coals and cause the Holy Spirit’s fire to burn more brightly in your life.

    The Holy Spirit will never lead us to do something that is wrong or harmful. He will never fail us or let us down.

    We Are Not Alone

    Have you ever asked God where He is? Or why He has forgotten you. And wonder how you will ever get through a situation.

    No matter what we experience in life, God knows there will be times when we will be enveloped in fear and uncertainty that we may lose sight of His presence, He knew there would be circumstances so difficult we would question whether He really loves us and is with us in our suffering.

    The Bible tells us we are not like in our circumstances -no matter how difficult they are.

    Isaiah 43:2 .tells us,

    “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overtake you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.”

    No matter how difficult and no matter how dark the season you find yourself walking through, God is with you. He promises to meet you in your pain and to help you,

    Isiah 42:10 tells us,

    “Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with my right hand of my righteousness.”

    There is no reason to fear, because we are not alone. God is and always will been there for every tear and every sorrow.

    When I think back to my younger years. I can see God was there all the time. But when I was going through it, I felt like I was alone, but I wasn’t. I’ve been in some situations that could have led to disaster yet I had God’s protection through it all.

    There are moments in suffering when we are certain is it the end, that latest painful experience that leaves us a knockout blow. But that is never the case. Because if it’s not good, God’s not done,

    Isaiah 43:18-19 tells us,

    “Don’t remember the former things, and don’t consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, it springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a wat in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

    God sees the devastation left in our past and the perilous journey of the future. At every turn, God is working to make a way through the wasteland that was made of our lives and our hearts. Even when cannot see it. Often our greatest danger is giving up before His deliverance unfolds.

    No matter what we’ve lost, God is working behind the scenes to restore our lives and hearts more than we ever thought possible.

    Ephesians 3:20,

    “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.“

    It is not the end of the story, only an intermission, and the best is yet to come.