…Consider taking in an encouraging message today, “Watch What God Will Do,” by Rachel Shafer, on walking through even seemingly impossible situations. It’s found, in written or video form, at: http://www.givehim15.com
Regarding any difficulty, a prayer…
I don’t know how, Father, that You can take care of this; but if I were to doubt Your Word, I would be remiss.
I can remind You of a chosen promise, as found in Your Word. It prospers as You send it forth over any anxious thoughts I’ve heard.
For any matter that requires my patience, I leave it in Your hands. I don’t know how You work miracles—I only know they’re in Your plans.
Jesus Christ, the same—yesterday, today, and forever. There’s no weapon formed against me that Your power cannot sever.
Thank You, Father, that You’ve already taken care of things. That’s what Your Word says, and that’s what faith in its integrity brings.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Psalm 55:22 NASB
“…I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” 1 Corinthians 14:15 NKJV
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV
“Then said the Lord unto me, ‘Thou hast well seen; For I will hasten my word to perform it.’” Jeremiah 1:12 KJV
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19 NKJV
“‘No weapon that has been made to be used against you will succeed. You will have an answer for anyone who accuses you. This is the inheritance of the Lord’s servants. Their victory comes from Me,’ declares the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17 GW
“Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.” Philippians 4:6 GW
“Turn all your anxiety over to God because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 GW
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 GW
“Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV
“Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’
“So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:14-16
When troubles surround, look to the beauty of a flower. Its magnificence reminds us of our creative God of power, who stands with us against those who would seek to defeat us. At the point of our need, God and angel armies meet us!
There are more who are with us than those who oppose– and our deliverer is the King. From the grave, He arose! There’s no other name under heaven higher on which to call. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, Mighty God, and Lord of all!
P. A. Oltrogge
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2 KJV
“I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears… The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” Psalm 34:4, 7
“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Psalm 103:20 KJV
“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.” Psalm 104:1-4
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:15-23
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. Thus is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” from Acts 4:8-12
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” Revelation 19:16
“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:1-5
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
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In the midst of troubling problems that can’t be ignored–that’s when it’s so vital to say, “Jesus is Lord!”
He’s Lord, whether in peace…Or if adversities are attacking, we hold to faith in the Word, in the name and shed blood of Jesus, which have God’s absolute backing.
We’re strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, using the authority given to us by Him, the Christ, our Redeemer and Light.
We enforce the devil’s defeat which, for our benefit, was won…by the victorious Lord of the universe–Jesus, God’s Son.
JESUS IS LORD!
P. A. Oltrogge
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” …said by Jesus in Luke 10:19 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”
“For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee’? And again, ‘I will be a Father to Him, and He shall be a Son to Me’ And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship Him.’ And of the angels He says, ‘Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.’”
“But of the Son He says, ‘Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His Kingdom.’” Hebrews 1:1-8 NASB (Ryrie Study Bible)
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
“And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” Colossians 2:6-15 NASB “Now Jesus cried out and said, ‘The one who believes in Me, does not believe only in Me, but also in Him who sent Me.And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness. If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the word which I spoke. That will judge him on the last day. For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.'” John 12:44-50 NASB
As told in John, chapter 9, Jesus’ disciples questioned Him one day, about a blind man they’d passed by who’d been born that way.
That he or his parents had sinned was their initial thought. Jesus said it was neither, but that a work of God should be wrought.
Then He spoke of doing God’s work before the coming night–and that while He was in the world, He was the world’s light.
After that, Jesus spit on the ground, to make some clay for the man, which He applied to his eyes, as the first step of God’s healing plan.
Then, washing in the pool of Siloam would turn out to be freeing. The man obeyed Jesus and washed there, and he came back seeing!
Those who’d known the man wondered if he could possibly be…the same beggar they had known, who’d been blind, but now could see.
When he said, “I am the one,” they questioned him as to how…such a thing could have happened, for his total blindness to “bow.”
Well, it bowed to “the man who is called Jesus,” was his immediate reply. “Where is He?” they asked; but he didn’t know, for Jesus had passed by.
Then he was brought before the Pharisees. It was a Sabbath day. He told them, also, about the pool and Jesus having applied the clay.
Because Jesus had done this on a Sabbath, His divinity was dismissed. Keeping that law was a matter on which most of them would always insist.
Other Pharisees said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was a division among them as they considered this in their minds.
Again, they questioned the formerly blind man, calling for his parents, too. The Pharisees doubted he’d been born blind and asked them if it was true.
They confirmed that he was their son who’d been blind from even day one. But how or by whom he’d been freed, they couldn’t say–“Just ask our son.”
They were afraid of being put out of the synagogue by giving laud to Christ. But their son said he only knew this–that Jesus’ healing touch had sufficed.
The synagogue leaders kept questioning him, to the extent that he, in turn, asked if they were wanting to be Jesus’ disciples–a notion which they spurned.
Calling him a disciple of Jesus, they said that they followed Moses of old. At that point, the man who’d been healed made statements that were bold:
“Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
That was enough for the Pharisees to berate him as being a sinful man. “Are you teaching us?” they said, and made him subject to a synagogue ban.
Jesus heard of this and then found him and asked him a question of His own. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” But of that title, he hadn’t known.
So he asked the Lord who that was, so that he could, therefore, believe. Jesus said the Son of Man was Himself. (By God’s Spirit, He’d been conceived.)
“Lord, I believe,” were the heartfelt words of the man who had been born blind. Then he worshiped Jesus, who is the Son of Man and the Son of God combined!
Conclusion: “Then Jesus told him, ‘I entered this world to render judgment–to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.’ Some Pharisees who were standing by heard Him and asked, ‘Are you saying we’re blind?’ ‘If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,’ Jesus replied. ‘But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.’”
(Scriptures from John 9, NKJV and NLT)
P. A. Oltrogge
…additionally:
“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’” John 3:1-8
“Fresh as a dewdrop,” My Word is to you. Go to it daily and find things new. You’ll find the familiar in it as well– Of comfort, wisdom, and truth it will tell. At times, for direction, it gives a faith hint, Bringing light to your path like a dewdrop’s glint. Fresh as a dewdrop, I want to impart More of its treasures into your heart. Like finding the dewdrops, you can depend On My being there always to instruct and befriend.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV
“I will never forget Thy precepts, for by them Thou hast revived me.” Psalm 119:93 KJV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort….” 2 Corinthians 1:3
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NKJV
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26 NKJV
“Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17 KJV
“…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” Isaiah 26:3 AMP
“Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 AMP “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Romans 8:31-34
(Scriptures NASB or as noted)
I pray that God will give you a specific verse or verses to cling to, to give you the hope you need today…
The Porch of the Lord 