your battles every fight you go into every enemy you come up against can only do one of two things to you they can either defeat you and consume you or they can indeed make you stronger and for a child of God this means that when you face a challenge it can either drive you to despair or it will be a stepping stone for you to reach a new level when you come up against an enemy they can either destroy you and discourage you or they can be your foot stol to greater things but the thing
to remember is that you alone can decide what you want to happen God has given us many many promises in the Bible that we can hold on to and make sure that we aren't defeated the wonderful thing that happens as you come across One Challenge after another is that as you gain victory over one trial as you overcome this adversity and that challenge you'll begin to see that you develop as a Believer you gain new qualities your faith grows stronger and stronger your prayer life will develop a higher level of intensity your understanding of God's
work will increase but all of these things can only happen through the testing of your faith people who have never really had their faith tested tend to be spiritually shallow this is because you develop a depth of understanding about God when you've been through a few things the problems you face aren't always bad problems in a sense the fights you find yourself in aren't always a bad thing I say this because God's greatest Miracles always happen when his people are in trouble Moses never knew God could part the Red Sea until he was in trouble
Daniel never knew how good God's protection was until he found himself in a lion's den you see every great Act of God almost always started with a problem so here's my advice to you don't always pray for your problems to go away start praying for the Lord to show himself in the midst of your problems don't always pray for your challenges to disappear but start praying for the Lord to empower you to overcome that challenge I encourage you to begin to see your problems as opportunities begin to see the fight before you as an opportunity
for you to see God move and act in a mighty way a challenge should not intimidate you a problem should not frighten you because you Are Not Alone the Bible clearly says in Exodus 14:14 the Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace every challenge is an opportunity for you to watch God fighting for you although it may not always be easy it may not always be enjoyable but it is necessary if you want to experience the mighty hand of the Lord working walking on water when I think of Jesus Christ walking
on water I get excited because logically it doesn't make sense scientifically it doesn't make sense the Bible says in Matthew 14: 26- 27 but when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified died and said it's a ghost and they cried out in fear but immediately Jesus spoke to them saying take heart it is I do not be afraid Jesus walking on water is an act of defiance it's him saying that the laws of nature apply to you as humans but they don't apply to me as God Jesus walking on water as
him saying physics are a boundary for you but the laws of physics don't apply to me Gravity May limit you but gravity has no impact on me Saints what I'm trying to tell you is that nothing is impossible for Jesus nothing is incurable for Jesus nothing is Out Of Reach for Jesus and I pray that this word would inspire you when you're in the middle of a tough situation it can be hard to see beyond the present but I want to encourage you to step out in faith reach out for the hand of Jesus Christ
and he will deliver you when you find that there is Darkness all around you and you find it difficult to smile you find it difficult to be happy reach out for the hand of the one who walks on water and he will save you and this message is for the ears of someone who really is going through difficult circumstances maybe you're in a dry season and you find yourself on unstable ground well Saints where we're limited the Lord is Limitless where we see challenges the Lord sees opportunities opportunities for him to demonstrate his love for
you opportunities for him to demonstrate his mind might and power to you don't ever become disheartened because you're surrounded by water and what I mean by that is in Matthew 14 when the disciples were in the boat they had nowhere to go they were essentially trapped if you got out the boat you're worried about drowning if you're in the boat you're still slightly worried about sinking or capsizing so the disciples were surrounded by water they were Bound by water but here came Jesus walking on the very thing that threatened the disciples the very thing that
restrained and limited the disciples is what Jesus used to demonstrate his Superior power so don't be discouraged because you're surrounded by water don't be frightened because you're surrounded by water call out to Jesus the one who walks on the water so even if you're battered by the waves of life you can call on Jesus now let us pray Lord Jesus I praise and I worship you I praise you because you are Unlimited in your power we may be bound by the laws of nature but you are not like man you are not bound or restricted
or limited by the things that that limit us Lord your word says in Psalms 147:4 to5 he determines the number of the Stars he gives to all of them their names great is our Lord and abundant in power his understanding is beyond measure be glorified Lord Jesus you are great and awesome I pray that you would help me step out in faith and trust you always I can't always change my circumstances but I will decide to trust in you fully Lord Jesus help me to fight and change my attitude and outlook on life so that
I will always walk by faith and not by sight James chap 1 verse 2-4 says count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you might be perfect and complete lacking in nothing as I pray that you would strengthen my faith I understand that the testing of my faith produces endurance help me King Jesus to have a faith that is strong and resilient help me Lord to have the faith that believes you will
Outlast my problem Lord Jesus you are a holy God you are a righteous God you alone are the one who moves mountains and causes walls to fall we know that regardless of everything happening around us regardless of the things going on in this world you are still in control you are still on your throne and you are still a good God one who will never leave us nor forsake us your word in Isaiah 43:16 says thus says the Lord who makes a way in the sea a path in the mighty Waters you Lord will make
a way in the desert you will create rivers in the desert you are still a God who makes a way where there seems to be no way when we are surrounded by the enemy you are a God who delivers I thank you I Praise You Lord because when it looks as though the Red Sea of the unknown will overcome us we will call out your name the name that is above every name and that name is Jesus Christ and we will ask for your help to make a way where there seems to be no way
we ask you Lord to split llit the Sea of uncertainty before us turn the unstable ground we're on into solid and steady ground Lord speak the words peace be still in the storms that we Face calm the seas in our lives Lord we trust in you to be the solution we are trusting you to be the chain breaker to be the way out for whatever it is that comes against us be with us as we continue to fight and strive to walk by faith and not by sight give us the strength to always hold on
to our Mighty savior that is Jesus Christ for in him and him alone we can find Deliverance you alone are our Rock and refuge so we run to you may the Holy Spirit help me to keep seeking things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God help me Holy Spirit to set my mind above and to keep focused on everything related to the kingdom of God help me not to conform to the things of this world help me not to be distracted by things that are on the earth which only
have temporal value and for me to even do this Lord I need your Supernatural strength and so I declare that you Lord Jesus you are my source of strength that leads me to overcome the devil you Lord Jesus are my source of strength that leads me to walk in Victory you are my source of strength that leads me to defeat sin be praised and glorified King Jesus continue to strengthen our faith in Jesus name I I pray amen before we get into today's prayer I want to share a few scriptures with you and as I
read the word of God pay attention to how often we're told to watch meaning our physical eyes must be alert and perceptive but also our spiritual eyes as well need to be alert and perceptive to all that's going on Revelation 16:1 15 says behold I am coming as a thief blessed is He Who Watches and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame take note of that there is a blessing in watching but watching for what you might ask well I believe the Bible is telling us that there is a blessing
to those who live their lives watching for the return of Jesus Christ Mark 13: 32-33 says but of that day an hour no one knows not even the angels in Heaven nor the son but only the father take heed watch and pray for you do not know when the time is and then 1 Thessalonians 5:6 says therefore let us not sleep as others do but let us watch and be sober first p Peter 4:7 says but the end of all things is at hand therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers and finally Matthew 26:
41 says Watch and Pray lest you enter into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but but the flesh is weak so today dear friends I want to encourage you to meditate on these scriptures and especially on this notion of watching The Bible repeatedly tells us to watch watch and pray Be watchful in your prayers why think about that why does the bible encourage us to Be watchful so often well I believe that when you're watching watching for Jesus Christ to come again watching for God's hand moving and intervening and leading us when you are constantly
watching both spiritually and physically it means your mind remains on God your mind remains steadfast on things of God if you're watching and praying you aren't distracted distracted by Temptation by the World by relationships even if you're watching and praying you're not giving room to the devil nor are you entertaining anything that will lead you to destruction one great piece of advice I received was this if you want to be distressed then look within yourself if you want to be defeated then look back at your past the devil will remind you of all of your
failures all of your mistakes and shortcomings if you want to be distracted then look around you if you want to be dismayed then look ahead because no one knows what the future holds for them but here is the essence of my message to you if you want to be delivered if you need to be delivered then look up look up to Jesus fix your eyes on Jesus focus on Jesus and so let me ask you dear listener are you watching and praying saints of God we need to guard our Spirits we need need to guard
our minds and our hearts we are bombarded with all kinds of influences all kinds of temptations there are all kinds of evil forces vying for our attention vying for an opportunity to enter our lives and wreak havoc we need to guard our hearts our minds eyes and ears because these are all gateways there gateways into our lives I believe we need the Holy Spirit now more so than ever with the help of the Holy Spirit we can have discernment we can identify that this is something deceptive with the help of the Holy Spirit we can
discern if something appears to be of God but it really is glorifying other things other things that aren't of God like this world pride and pleasure we need guidance from the Holy Spirit on how to navigate this life while protecting our faith our joy our mind State even I say this because we have to be honest and we have to be real everything on television isn't good for your soul everything you listen to isn't edifying you everyone you come across is not good for you the deception of the devil is that he wants to lure
us into a false sense of security he wants you to see something that is evil but believe that it is harmless entertainment the devil wants you to see something that will plant seeds of lust but he'll want you to compromise and say that's just a movie that's not real well it may be just a movie but it certainly plants seeds in your mind Satan wants you to open the door so that the spirit of fear can enter your life but he'll never come out in the open about it he'll never call it fear instead he'll
call it a haunted house experience at an amusement park for example it seems small it seems insignificant but it is certainly a Gateway so we need the Holy Spirit to help us to help us discern and remain guarded Saints we need to pray for discernment spiritual discernment is a gift provided by the Lord to lead and guide you discernment is a gift a process that allows us to filter the deception of the devil from the truth of God and so I believe we really need to make it a prayer point that the Lord would give
us discernment may he remove the scales from our eyes may he reveal the spirit that lies behind the things we watch the music we hear and the places we visit may the Lord give us the spirit of discernment even when it comes to the people we allow to enter into our lives our prayer should be that God would reveal who is really for us and who has been planted by the enemy now let us pray Lord Jesus Christ we need you in our lives we need the Holy Spirit In Our Lives we need direction we
need counsel and we certainly we certainly need discernment the Bible says in 1 John 4 verse 1 beloved do not believe every spirit but test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world Lord teach me not to believe every Spirit but through the guidance of the Holy Ghost help me to test each Spirit may I be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Ghost when it comes to what I watch what I listen to where I go and who I spend time with I I pray that
the Holy Spirit would reveal to me the spirit behind the things that I watch the spirit Behind the Music I listen to and especially the spirit behind the person and the people that I interact with may he help me discern whether it's a spirit that's from God or if it is the devil plotting and scheming to destroy me Lord I need to discernment I need it concerning the people around me I understand that the devil can use people and plant people with the objective of discouraging me or leading me into sin I pray that you
would reveal these people in my life reveal everyone who is sent by the enemy I pray that you would reveal those individuals who have been sent by the devil to rob me of my peace of mind and so Discord and confusion Within Me Lord Jesus I need your guidance I need discernment I pray that you would expose everyone sent by the enemy to drain me of my strength to distract me from my calling your word says in Ephesians 5: 6-10 let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of Disobedience there therefore do not become partners with them for at one time you were Darkness but now you are light in the Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord Lord thank you for bringing me into the light I pray that I would have no Fellowship no friendship ship with those in darkness Lord right now I pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit when it comes
to the people I should allow in my life I need your guidance Holy Spirit when it comes to who I should allow close to me help me to identify those who genuinely love God and desire to please Him Father help me to identify them from the false prophets and from the those who work in sin God give me true discernment from the holy spirit so that I may be able to pick out a false prophet from a true man or woman of God in this world full of wolves and sheep's clothing Holy Spirit I ask
that you help me to see who is really speaking from God's word and who is speaking from a place of Doctrine mixed with deception help me to see who's speaking with a spirit of Pride and selfish gain versus someone who is speaking to glorify God lord I am aware that we wrestle not against flesh and blood I am aware that there are forces of Darkness that are out there seeking to influence my heart right now I rebuke those evil forces in my life in Jesus name I welcome only your truth King Jesus I welcome welcome
your light and I welcome your spirit it is in jesus' name that I pray this prayer amen time is the most precious commodity that we have however unlike other Commodities time is something that we all want more of but it's also something that we have no ability to acquire we can't negotiate our way to having more time we can't set up accounts that accumulate the interest of time we can't establish businesses or give ourselves to a job to acquire more time time owns us not the other way around we cannot control time time controls us
time restricts us even and as a result most of us have uttered the words if I only had more time I'm sure we've all said these words at some point if only we had more time to complete this or that task if only we had more time to invest in this or that relationship if only we had more time we would do this if only we had more time we would learn a new language travel more spend more time with family invest in our friendships not worry so much about work and money invest more in
our relationship with God or do more for the cause of Christ if only I had more time we have all uttered these statements at one time or another the tragedy is that many people come to this realization late in life and for some it'll be far too late when they realize how precious time is too many people realize the importance of time when they're in a desperate situation it's the man on his deathbed or the woman who's been diagnosed with an illness that truly appreciates time several biblical authors knew of this human tendency to feel
like we have more time than we do Proverbs tells us do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring James 4: 13-15 says come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring what is your life for you are a Mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes instead you ought to say if the Lord Wills we will live and do this
or that we must not presume that we have more time or put off developing our relationship with God because tomorrow is not promised and time could come to an end at any time time Jesus implores not to be in a mind state of getting ready but being ready in other words we should always be ready we should always be working on improving our relationship with Christ and on utilizing our gifts for his glory if we are always in a state of Readiness we will not have to worry about time so dear brothers and sisters use
the time that you have wisely invest in the things of the Lord invest in your relationship with the Lord time is precious have you ever really searched for something important if you lose something that you need what do you do you retrace your steps or you go to the last place you remember seeing it and if you can't find whatever you're searching for you end up looking anywhere and everywhere but it's different when you're searching for answers whether you're a scholar an academic a scientist a detective or a doctor if you're searching for answers you
don't just look anywhere and everywhere you're particular about where you look you're particular about who you listen to everything concerning your search for answers is very specific it's measured you filter out any sources that aren't credible it's interesting when you look at the lengths that we as humans will go to in search of answers now in the Bible there's a man who had a request that God would search him he wanted God to search every part of him from his mind to his heart to his emotions he wanted God to uncover everything and remove anything
that was Unholy and impure Psalm 139 verses 23- 24 says search me oh God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any Grievous way in me and Lead Me in the way Everlasting David had six requests to the Lord the first was God search me then it was know my heart find out everything hidden in my heart the third request was God try me put me to the test number four was know my anxieties in other words know my thoughts the fifth request was that God would see
if there is any wicked way in me meaning identify or reveal the sin that's in my life and finally David said Lead Me Lead Me In Your Way in a way that pleases you I'm fascinated that David wanted God to search him so thoroughly because truth be told a lot of us hide things or at least we think we're hiding things from God but let me tell you Saints nothing is hidden from the sight of God so I encourage you have a desire to be purified by God have a desire for him to search you
and if he finds any hate within you ask him to remove it ask God to search you and if he finds any bitterness within you ask him to remove it too many times we're holding on to things that hurt us when in reality we should be saying Lord search me search my motives my mind search my being know my heart remove all of the impurities the unforgiveness the hurt try me test me God because it is through the testing of our faith that we grow stronger that we develop and that we mature as Christians pray
that God would be the focus of your thoughts and perhaps the most important place to begin is for God to see if there be any Wicked way with you may he reveal that hidden sin the thing that we make excuses for when in reality it really is just sin once God reveals it then pray that he may take your hand and Lead You In His will now let us pray King Jesus your word in James 4:8 says draw near to God and He will draw near to to you cleanse your hands you Sinners and purify
your hearts you double-minded I've made a choice Lord I want to draw near to you I desire to draw near to you because you've promised to draw near to me and so I pray that you would search me and know my heart make me clean Lord let sin be absent from my life father God you are the strength of my salvation and I give thanks to your Holy Name dear Lord I desire to draw closer to you and I begin by repenting father forgive me for my sins forgive me for all that I've done wrong
I know that it's sin that Separates Me from you so I pray that your blood would wash me clean may I live a life that's consecrated in you may the Holy Spirit strengthen and convict me to separate my s from the world because your word says that I should not be conformed to this world but I should be transformed by the renewing of my mind forgive me and wash my conscience clean help me to keep my eyes looking unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of my faith in you Lord is everything I want
and in you Lord is everything I can ever need Lord Jesus I desire to to draw close to you because 1 John 4: 19 says we love because he first loved us God you loved me before I ever knew you and I thank you for that I thank you because your word even says in Jeremiah 1:5 before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I set you apart I appointed you as a prophet to the Nations God God I thank you for such a deep love father I thank you
for such an everlasting and eternal love that knows no bounds I desire to draw close to you because when I read Psalm 27: 1 to5 I'm filled with confidence I'm filled with hope and peace because your word says the Lord is my light and my salvation Whom Shall I Fear the Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid when evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh my adversaries and foes it is they who stumble and fall though an army encamp against me my heart shall not fear though War rise
against me yet I will be confident one thing have I asked of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his Temple for he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble he will conceal me under the cover of his tent he will lift me high upon a rock I bless your name Lord and I thank you for being the strength of my life I pray that
just like David I may have only one desire and that is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my my life because if I abide in you I am kept safe and well I am hidden in your Pavilion and set high upon a rock Holy Spirit I pray that you would birth an appetite for the word of God in my life birth a hunger in me which will draw me closer to God birth in me an appetite for prayer and worship I come to you Lord Jesus in recognition of your
great might and Power in recognition of your love and your mercy I'm seeking a closer relationship with you a relationship that yields good fruit within me a relationship that I know will bring peace and protection to my life I worship your Holy Name Lord I Adore You Lord Jesus your blood is living and it's powerful and I pray that it will transform me daily I pray that it will transform me totally do not let me stumble oh Lord help me to overcome in the name of Jesus you oh God are full of compassion and I
Surrender my life I Surrender my family into your caring hands may your name be blessed and worshiped forever thank you for hearing my prayer in Jesus name I pray amen Hebrews 12: 2 reads looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God we should always have our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ he's the only one worthy of our devotion he's the only one worthy of our worship Jesus
Christ is the only one worthy of our praise and our adoration he's the only one who should be right at the center right at the top of our priorities and I want to encourage you today to pray with more intensity have a deeper hunger for God I encourage you to seek and Chase the presence of God with an urgency in the Book of Matthew 16:4 then Jesus said to his disciples whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me now let me ask you do you have the
desire to follow Jesus Christ do you have a willingness to deny yourself of the temporary pleasures of this world I urge you to examine your heart and ask yourself am I willing to take up my cross and follow Jesus now the cross was never meant to symbolize something easy or simple it symbolizes a place of pain a place of purging or Affliction but it also symbolizes salvation and hope it symbolizes the love of Jesus and the power of his blood the cross is symbolic of a place where flesh dies where sin is defeated and Jesus
Christ wins and so we need to be mindful of the words of Jesus deny yourself take up your cross and follow Jesus Now 1 Timothy 4:8 says for bodily exercise profits a little but godliness is profitable for all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come A True Believer of Jesus Christ will strive to live a Godly life but if you look at the world today godliness is not a priority for a lot of people godliness is not sought after by a lot of people today even in
the church and you see the devil has clearly deceived a lot of people to believe one particular lie a lie that we can be righteous on our own the enemy wants us to believe that we can operate independently the enemy has lied to People by telling them that they can live independently of God but this isn't true living in such a manner is called self-righteousness in the Bible the Pharisees and Sadducees opposed Jesus Christ so fiercely because they thought they were righteous they were self-righteous they were righteous in their own eyes and Jesus was a
problem to this group of people because he taught about repentance he taught about righteousness according to God's standard not man's standard and so every True Believer of Jesus Christ strives to live a Godly life a life according to the word of the Lord not their own personal standards now let me go further to clarify some of the Hallmarks of a True Believer a True Believer in Jesus Christ exercises practical faith meaning that they walk by faith and not by sight and Faith doesn't mean you ignore facts no faith means that you trust in God despite
what the facts say A True Believer in Jesus Christ perseveres in prayer because prayer to a Christian is like blood to the body that's our Lifeline that's why the Bible tells us to pray always and to pray without ceasing when our Lord Jesus Christ hung on the cross when he who was without sin was crucified he took our place as Sinners he literally carried the weight of the world the sins of every person who would ever live Jesus Christ paid the price for it all and satisfied God's Wrath and so when Jesus Christ who is
the Son of God says no one can come to the father except through me he is telling us that he covered our sins he covered our shame and through the shedding of his blood through his sacrifice we are adopted as children of God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior Ephesians 1: 6 and 7 say to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the Beloved in him we have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace once again
the Bible says in him in Christ we have been redeemed that means that the penalty for our sin was settled on the cross and my final scripture is Ephesians 1:13 it reads in him you also trusted after you heard the word of Truth The Gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise dear friends from these few verses I've read do you see what God has done for us he has blessed us he has chosen us he has adopted us as his children he has accepted us
and redeemed us and if that wasn't enough God has gone a step further and sealed us with the Holy Spirit how rich we are in the Lord and so with all that we've learned from Ephesians 1 in mind let's express our gratitude to God for his loving kindness towards us so now let us pray father your word in Matthew 21:22 says if you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer I thank you for such a promise a promise that you God Almighty the Eternal Father will answer our prayers if we ask and
believe I'm thankful that you are in affectionate God a God who has an infinite wisdom and power I am grateful that in all your power and Glory you can still take the time to hear and listen to our prayers for this privilege I Will Rejoice I thank you Lord Jesus for all that you do for the goodness and mercy that you've shown us as your children we thank you you're a God who is so good and so caring your word tells us that you have numbered the hairs on our heads because of your great love
for us I thank you for loving us so strongly Lord I long to abide and dwell in your presence I desire to have close communion with you to be in close fellowship with you Lord because it's only in you that I can be revived and refreshed in my soul Holy Spirit help me to always live a life that gives God all the glory and all the praise I pray that I will have a demeanor which is humble and thankful for all that you've done for me I know Lord Jesus that you work within my circumstances
you work even within the troubles I face and you deliver me I Rejoice today because of you my father you are in absolute control of everything thing every aspect of my life is within your control so I choose to abide in you because that's where I'm safe I'm secure in your presence there's nothing that takes place in my life that you my God have not allowed to happen Lord I find strength in the understanding that the most high God is working all things together for my good I submit to your will King Jesus I yield
to all of your ways although I may not know each and every detail about what will happen tomorrow or even today I will trust you my king I will trust you with all my heart and I choose not to lean on my own understanding I choose to reverence you and to acknowledge you father in all my ways you deserve all the glory you're a God who will make every crooked path straight and so I praise you the God of all creation a God who never sleeps nor Slumbers I will forever sing your praises and I'll
adore your Holy Name Lord Jesus I Rejoice because you have removed the power of Sin from my life you have clothed Me In Your Love and in your grace you are the alpha and omega the same yesterday today and forever father I thank you for hearing this prayer it's in the mighty name of Jesus that I do pray and I give you thanks amen before we get into today's message in prayer I want to speak to someone who needs hope or maybe you're there in a season where you have more prayer requests than you have
faith well to you I say hold on a little longer don't give up just yet the Lord sees you you see God intervenes in his time not ours God knows the future and has everything planned out the problem for us is that we want to know everything why didn't this happen what caused that to happen when will this come through how do I make this work but may I remind you that Jeremiah 29:11 says I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to
give you a hope and a future and oh how sometimes we all wish he would share his plans with us but let me encourage you to trust God he knows the obstacles that will stop you from achieving the good he has in store for you he knows and he sees the actions of others towards you both good and bad he knows the decisions you will make that will lead you down the wrong path he knows the Peaks and valleys which lie in your path and that the ultimate destination he is guiding you to will be
one of Glory if we're left to decide for ourselves then we might get it wrong but here's the perspective you should have I don't have to know the plan because I know the planner I don't have to know the why if I know the one I don't have to know the how because I know him though it's uncomfortable I don't have to escape the dark when I can say the name that brings light with that being said said let's get into today's message when you have Jesus Christ you have joy because Joy is rooted in
who the Lord is and joy is not just a feeling because feelings fade feelings can be shortlived and the other thing is that Joy is not based on what's going on around you Joy is rooted it's embedded in Jesus Christ you see Joy is the absolute Assurance the conviction and belief that God Almighty is Sovereign meaning that he alone is in control he controls every fine detail concerning your life he's in control when we're on top of the mountain and he's still in control when we're walking through the valley of the shadow of death Joy
can be described as a quiet confidence one that cannot be shaken by external circumstances and so it's with this assurance with this confidence knowing that God is in the driver's seat that we can be joyful in all situations and praise God always now Psalm 146 offers a brilliant expression it says praise the Lord let all that I am praise the Lord I will praise the Lord as long as I live I will sing praises to my God with my dying bread don't put your confidence in powerful people there is no help for you there when
they breathe their last they return to the Earth and all their plans die with them but joyful are those who have the god of Israel as their helper whose hope is in the Lord their God he made Heaven and Earth the sea and everything in them he keeps every promise forever he gives Justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry the Lord frees the Prisoners the Lord opens the eyes of the blind the Lord lifts up those who are weighed down the lord loves The Godly the Lord protects the foreigners among us he cares
for the orphans and widows but he frustrates the plans of the wicked the Lord will reign forever he will will be your God o Jerusalem throughout the generations praise the Lord there are so many reasons to have joy in the Lord we ought to be joyful because there are promises in the Bible that are directed to me and to you promises that say surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life we ought to be joyful because our Lord Jesus Christ he's alive we we ought to be joyful because we've been
given the Holy Spirit who is our comforter during tough times he's our counselor during uncertainty and he's our teacher when we need knowledge I would even go so far as saying the fact that you woke up this morning is reason enough for you to be joyful if you have ears that can hear my voice you've got reason enough to be joyful because even what we call the smallest things those things that we often take for granted actually they are Abundant Blessings Now let us pray Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may your name be lifted high
above every other name you are the alpha and omega the one who holds the key to life and death we praise you today we rejoice in the fact that you Lord are our bridge over Troubled Water other emotions may be present in our lives but I pray that the joy of the Lord would overrule everything else that I might feel your word says in Psalm 20: 6-8 now this I know the Lord gives Victory to his anointed he answers him from his Heavenly Sanctuary with the Victorious power of His right hand some trust in chariots
and some in horses but we trust in the name of the Lord Our God they are brought to their knees and fall but we rise up and stand firm I Rejoice because my savior holds all power in his hand Lord I know you can save me you're the one who listens to all of my petitions you listen to all my prayers and I pray that you grant me my heart's desire according to your will people all over the world Place their trust in so many different things some in chariots some in horses as your word
says but King Jesus I trust in you I have joy because you are our God who works my circumstances to your glory I Rejoice at your promise in Deuteronomy 20 verse one it says when you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours do not be afraid of them because the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt will be with you I worship you Jesus and I find comfort that you are my Defender regardless of whether the odds look to be against me or
not regardless of whether I am outnumbered or not I will not be afraid because I can call on the name of the one true true and living God you're a God who's proven time and time again that you're capable of Defending protecting and leading your children to safety you did it for Moses and for the children of Israel as they crossed the Red Sea you did it throughout the life of Joseph you protected Daniel and the three Hebrew boys and so I pray and I believe that you'll do the same for me you will defend
me and you will lead me you will protect me as I hold on to your word because it promises me that you will fight for me God I thank you and I praise you for being an Almighty keeper and a provider I pray that my reality will be your goodness your favor your love and your grace I trade my sorrow and my weakness for strength and joy in you Lord take away the voids that are in my life those feelings of emptiness and father make me whole instead may I be satisfied by the treasure that's
in your word I pray for peace a peace that surpasses all understanding and I declare that that peace is mine through Jesus Christ I declare that the joy of the Lord is my strength and I Praise You Lord For The Glorious Grace that you've poured out on us you are worthy to be adored you are worthy to be praised oh God you are worthy to be worshiped both now and forever thank you for hearing our prayer in Jesus name we pray amen praise the Lord let all that I am praise the Lord I will praise
the Lord as long as I live I will sing praises to my God with my dying bread don't put your confidence in powerful people there is no help for you there when they breathe their last they return to the Earth and all their plans die with them but joyful are those who have the god of Israel as their helper whose hope is in the Lord their God he made Heaven and Earth the sea and everything in them he keeps every promise forever he gives Justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry the Lord frees
the Prisoners the Lord opens the eyes of the blind the Lord lifts up those who are weighed down the lord loves The Godly the Lord protects the foreigners among us he cares for the orphans and widows but he frustrates the plans of the wicked the Lord will reign forever he will be your God o Jerusalem throughout the generations praise the Lord now this I know the Lord gives Victory to his anointed he answers him from his Heavenly Sanctuary with the Victorious power of His right hand some trust in chariots and some in horses but we
Trust In The Name Of The Lord Our God they are brought to their knees and fall but we rise up and stand firm it says when you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours do not be afraid of them because the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt will be with you I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future
