Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians…
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:12-13
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while driving through Colorado)
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while visiting Pike’s Peak in Colorado)
The Lord said while speaking to Joshua…
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:6-9
(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving the north shore of Maui)
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at Hoover Dam)
So often in life we begin something with the best intentions…as time goes by we try to push ahead on our own…”I can do this”…”I know what I am doing”…it is based on ‘I’ and any of us can only do so much alone. We have to learn that our obsessive focus on ‘I’ eventually leads to sadness, helplessness and loneliness.
One of the hardest things I have ever done is admit that my life is not about ‘me’, ‘myself’ and ‘I’…we are not controlling every single aspect of our daily life. The loss of a young friend to suicide sealed it for me. That was the last event in a series of lessons that made it very clear to me there is so much more in life than what ‘I’ was focusing my attention on. The world and Satan are not encouraging us to surrender to Jesus and that makes it even harder to see and understand but when we commit to spending time with God and we surrender our belief that we our in charge…we begin to understand a whole new level and perspective of love, joy, peace, mercy and grace. This is not an easy commitment and like anything worth doing it takes perseverance but once you start God provides strength and best of all he gives all of us courage to over come our greatest fears…
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7
(This photo was taken in the summer of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)
No matter where you are, what you are doing or how you are feeling right now God is with you…
The cross in the photo above shows that all areas of our life are connected to our faith even if we don’t think about them that way. Every act and interaction is on a string somewhere on the cross. The hardest part of faith sometimes is courage…courage can be rare in this world. You can come across many people and sense only fear, anger and bitterness. I am learning that courage…real courage is truly an act of faith. Believe God is on your side and no matter what you face each day trust him to hold you in the palm of his hand.
There is a song by a group called “Love & The Outcome” that is entitled He Is With Us and the message in their lyrics state this truth very well. As usual, I also have a bible verse to share regarding how God is with us…
“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
As the song states He is with Us, Always…Always.
Peace be with you.
Take Your Faith With You 