God's Strong Hand Is Over Your Life | Blessed Morning Prayers | Pray First | Be Encouraged

at any point in your life have you ever felt alone have you ever felt as though you were backed into a corner and you looked left but saw no one you looked right and saw no one have you ever felt isolated well if you're familiar with this feeling I would like to speak a word of encouragement to someone today Deuteronomy 31:8 says 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 this is God's word to you the Lord

himself goes before you he will not leave you he will not forsake you so why are you afraid why are you discouraged if God is with you who can be against you who can come against you if you read acts 23 Paul was in a difficult situation he had been arrested he is in the cause of a massive uproar and then he's caught in the middle of a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees now there's a passage of scripture that I want to highlight acts 23: 911 says then there arose a loud outcry and

the scribes of the Pharisees party arose and protested saying we find no evil in this man but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him let us not fight against God now when there arose a great dissension the commander fearing lest Paul might be pulled to Pieces by them commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks but the following night the Lord stood by him and said be of good cheer Paul for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem so you

must also bear witness at Rome so Paul stands accused he stands in the middle of a very real threat of Danger on his life but verse 11 here says the following night the Lord stood by him now I'm not going to focus on what the Lord said to encourage Paul but I want you to focus on the fact that the Bible said the Lord stood by him what more do you need in this life than for God to stand by you why should you worry why should you fear or become anxious when you know that

God stands beside you isn't it remarkable that just when Paul might have been forgiven for thinking am I doing the right thing when the whole world seems to be against me just when Paul was in the Firing Line there was God standing beside him God was honoring his word which says in Deuteronomy 31:8 he will never leave you nor forsake you do not be afraid do not be discouraged everything the Lord has for us is contained in these simple words he will never leave you or forsake you so remember this because even when life puts

you through excruciating pain I understand that it can be hard to remain positive and mind you there are many kinds of pain physical pain emotional pain spiritual pain in these moments it can be hard to see how your circumstances could possibly turn out for the better because often times pain blinds you and there's no denying that pain is real there's someone listening right now and they're in pain there's someone listening right now and they are suffering in some sort of pain but allow me to encourage you and tell you that the longer you live the

more you come to understand that there will be times where it feels as though God is breaking you when in actual fact he's building you you may look at pain and suffering and heartache and say God where are you but perhaps that kind of perspective is wrong because I firmly believe that God can use pain to shape us to mold you to prepare you and even to build you think about the story of Joseph Joseph was a faithful servant of God yet was betrayed by his own brothers sold into slavery falsely accused imprisoned and forgotten

Joseph suffered setback after setback in his life even though he did nothing wrong and even though it might have felt like God was breaking him God was actually building him God was building his faith his tenacity and his strength so that at the proper time God might Elevate him to a possession he never would have thought possible the Bible says in James 1: 2-4 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

may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing the suffering that we know is temporary as children of God because the only suffering we will know is on this side of the Grave because in heaven there will be no pain where there is loss there will be restoration where there is defeat there will only be Victory where there are tears there will only be joy in God's presence do you know what Joseph said in Genesis 50: 20 at the end of his trials Joseph said as for you you meant evil against me but God meant it

for good what would happen if we had that same attitude towards our own suffering what would happen if we adopted the same mindset in times of tribulation I find it interesting that Romans 5: 3-5 says not only that but we rejoice in our suffering knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given given to us rejoicing in suffering does not mean that we enjoy pain on the

contr rejoicing in suffering means that we fully understand the size of our troubles but we trust that our God is bigger we know that through our suffering God is refining our character teaching us the value of Hope and making us more dependent on him none of these things are Pleasant in the moment but they are necessary for our maturity our growth and our ultimate Joy so if you're feeling like the weight of the entire world is on your shoulders God is right there beside you if you're feeling low anxious or worried take heart God stands

beside you the key thing for us is to believe it's to have faith in the Lord and He will take care of everything else let us pray Lord thank you for caring for us thank you for promising never to leave us or forsake us someone may be listening right now and they feel forgotten they feel down trotten and tired from the battles they face Lord Jesus I pray that you make your presence known to anyone who is on the verge of giving up remind them that you are still by their side May the Holy Spirit

remind the person who is weak and weary that there is strength in Jesus Christ May the Holy Spirit remind the person who is feeling like an outcast that Jesus Christ loves them just the way they are and he welcomes you into his arms may your presence go before us King Jesus may it surround us and cover us with you on our side we fear nothing we're not discouraged by what's going on in the economy or what's happening around the world our eyes are on you a God who will strengthen us rescue us help and Deliver

Us in times of trouble as your children we firmly believe that you are able to do exceedingly above anything we could imagine or think Lord we would never be put to shame when our trust is in you I declare Hebrews 136 so we may boldly say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me you are our helper Lord Jesus the only one who can uphold each of us with your righteous right hand whatever we need we trust you to supply it you keep us secure Lord you are the

answer to every Challenge and difficulty in this life we praise you for always being there for us looking out for us loving us and protecting us we praise you because you are a God who forgives all of iniquities we praise you because you are a God who heals restores and makes me whole again we praise you because you are a God who has saved us from destruction and shown us loving kindness and Tender Mercies I will bless your holy name as long as I live I will will lift up my hands in Praise Only You

Lord Jesus Holy Spirit help me to have a heart filled with praise so that when things are good I will bless the Lord with all my soul and all that is within me I will praise His holy name and when life is challenging or difficult I will still bless the Lord with all my soul and all that is within me I will praise His holy name I Praise You Lord Jesus because you are the one who can quench my thirsty Soul you are the one who Faithfully loves me you are the lifegiver and you alone

are the one who can make me feel new and refreshed again it is in your presence that I am made whole I praise you because of your abundant and unfailing mercies for as long as I am alive I will lift up my heart voice and hands to worship you I give you praise for your faithfulness I thank you for listening to this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray amen one of my favorite verses in the Bible is in job 13:5 where he says this about God though he slay me yet will

I trust him even so I will defend my own ways before him think about what Measure of Faith what measure of assurance you need to have to be able to say the words though he slay me yet will I trust him those are fighting words those are strong words no matter what comes no matter what happens happens to me I will trust in Jesus I pray to have faith like job faith that stands in the face of total despair total loss and destruction but still say though he slay me yet will I trust him how

I desire to reach that level of maturity as a Christian how I pray that when my season of testing comes Lord help me to plant my feet to square my shoulders roll up my sleeves and boldly confess though he slay me yet will I trust him I look at the story of job as a unique example of Faith Under Fire here he was wealthy and upright a man who had everything going for him but the devil entered the picture job experienced some fairly extreme conditions in chapter 1 and vers 13- 22 it gets pretty intense

we're told about job's righteousness how there was none like him in all of the land he was a man of character and who feared God eventually Satan is allowed to test job and here enters a hardship like many of us will never experience first a messenger comes to tell job that the sians attacked and stole all of his livestock and then killed his servants with them next before that servant can finish another comes and tells him that fire fell from heaven and burned up all of his sheep and killed the servants with them then another

comes to say to him that Raiders have stolen his camels and killed those servants and then the last straw a great wind comes and causes the house to fall on all of his children and they are killed so here is a man who is considered righteous and God-fearing this was just a man with Integrity but in a few minutes he had his entire world turned upside down just imagine for a moment if you lost your job lost everything dear to you your life savings your home and from an Earthly perspective lost any hope for the

future at that moment there would be an understandable temptation to enter into a great depression and many have for lesser things but if you look at job's response in verse 20 and 21 it says at this job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head then he fell to the ground in worship and said naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart the lord gave and the Lord has taken away May the name of the Lord be praised what an example of Faith through all of this job did not

sin nor did he blame God and this kind of attitude and perspective this is the answer to Victory job recognized that God In His Infinite goodness has everything under control that somehow this is what was best he conceded that his life is in God's hands he acknowledges that God gives and sometimes takes away and chooses to worship god with a grateful heart job had the assurance that said my life is in God's hands and it's that faith that belief that got him through that difficult [Music] time it got much worse for job for a season

as he even lost his own health but in all of this horrific loss job never left God and turned elsewhere but here's what the Bible says about what became of job in the end job 42:12 says so the Lord blessed job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning for now he had 14,000 sheep 6,000 camels 1,000 teams of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys everything was restored to job more abundantly than what he had before he had remained faithful and could do so because he knew that God was in full

control and would work things out for his good and God's glory that is our big step to take that's the key for us too if you want to have victory of emotional trials we must focus on the fact that God is in control and have faith in that he will work things out for our good and His glory your life is in God's hands a few more thoughts on this job was understandably driven to a very dark place and many of us can relate we've been there we've all been at a point where our faith

is tried we've all been to a place that has left us in some kind of distress a place where you feel as though this is completely rock bottom and job felt as if life had no meaning he felt as though life was not worth living anymore even his friends judged and condemned him by implying that he was not a Godly Man and that he deserved what happened to him even his wife told him that he should just curse God and die talk about feeling truly alone but I admire job for ignoring those around him I

admir job for taking a stance of saying though he he slay me yet will I trust him something many of us need to start practicing job didn't listen to any naysayers or the discouragers nor did he take their advice he remained strong in faith although he was feeling down in Despair and depressed he remained strong in faith although he had so many questions for God although he fully didn't understand why God had allowed all this to happen to him job still feared the Lord job still trusted in the Lord now will you have the same

approach will you have the same stance as job will you remain strong and firm in faith when your faith is under Fire now let us pray father you alone are worthy of my adoration each and every day Lord Jesus you are ever faithful you are my Hiding Place at this present time I ask for your protection and covering over my life and over my family's life so Lord help me to guard my heart help me to fill my heart with your word help me to be vigilant against every force of evil and every cunning lie

of man help me to be in the world but not of it help me to be in this world but not to love it Empower me to be a strong Godly influence in this world rather than for me to be influenced by this world help me to be salt in this earth help me to be a light in the darkness guiding my friends and my family and neighbors and strangers alike to the Glorious cross your word calls me in Philippians 4:8 to say finally Brothers whatever is true whatever is Honorable whatever is just whatever is

pure whatever is lovely whatever is commendable if there is any Excellence if there is anything worthy of pra ra think about these things Lord I pray that I would not be a sponge that absorbs all the filth of this world no instead let me be like a mirror reflecting your goodness for all to see let me be like a mirror that reflects your love Lord like David wrote in the Psalms create in me a clean heart renew in me a rightous spirit I know that such a heart is pleasing to you more than sacrifices or

good works you desire a heart that is broken over sin and one that humbly seeks your forgiveness I pray that the Holy Spirit would continuously be tugging at my heart and soul teaching me how to be obedient to the Lord teaching me how to stand in faith and to fully trust in God give me a passion to Seek You Lord give me a passion to hunt for your presence the last thought in my mind before I sleep should be you and let my first thoughts each and every morning be you I submit to you and

align my spirit to your will and purpose for my life open my ears so that they will be sensitive and receptive to your voice Lord I pray that your word would not depart from my mouth but instead I will read and meditate on it day and night so that I may be careful to do everything in accordance to your Will 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 you have said

in your word that in the last days you will pour out your spirit on All Flesh and so I welcome you Holy Spirit spirit I invite your presence to encamp around me and to fill me help me to realize the promises of God promises for peace that surpass human understanding Promises of a sound mind Promises of protection I pray that you would move with me Holy Spirit walk with me and speak to me be the still Small Voice that guides me and leads me I praise your Holy Name King Jesus be glorified I thank you

for hearing my prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray amen therefore my beloved brothers and sisters be steadfast immovable always excelling in the work of the lord always doing your best and doing more than is needed being continually aware that your labor even to the point of exhaustion in the Lord is not feudal nor wasted it is never without purpose there must come a time when you as a Believer must decide I will stand strong and follow the word of God regardless of what I will have to give up and who I

will have to let go of there comes a time when you have to decide I will stand and do The Godly thing I will forgive even when it's hard to do even when I've been hurt there will come a time when you will have to decide to stand in faith even when you can't see a way out of the situation that you're in now today you may be under attack in some area of your life you have tried everything to resolve it but nothing is working nothing is changing dear friend this is the time you

ought to take a stand and believe believe in the power of the blood of Jesus it will break you out of that bondage believe in the power that's in the blood of Jesus Christ it can set you free it can give you Victory and it can loose you from any evil hold it's time to take a stand with the word of God against the forces of evil stand firm stand in confidence stand in righteousness Psalm 56:3 says when I am afraid I put my trust in you in God whose word I Praise In God I

trust I shall not be afraid what can flesh do to me we need to be men and women who put their trust in the Lord and mind you you will only ever be able to stand firm when your trust is secured in the Lord so if you feel stuck if you feel under attack remember that the Bible says in Psalm 31: 24 be strong and Let Your Heart Take courage all you who wait for the Lord be strong Saints and stand in faith as you do this the Lord is sure to rescue you and so

as children of God I believe I believe that it's time to stand stand up and lift High his Royal Banner you are an ambassador of the most high stand up to the lies of the enemy stand up with the truth of the Gospel stand up with the strength of the Holy Spirit stand up in God's strength and I encourage you as you stand in faith pray and ask the Lord to be with you as you stand now let us pray Stand By Me Lord Jesus stand with me Lord I need you with me always I

need you close and always by my side I need the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit I need the companionship of the Holy Spirit Lord Jesus I need you in this life on my own I know that I am lost and I am condemned but with you with you Lord I have a purpose my life has meaning my life has Direction because my steps they are ordered by you father on my own I am vulnerable I am confused and without a home however that changes when you are in my life when you are with me Lord

I am protected and my feet are on high ground when you are with me Jesus I have Clarity there is no Spirit of confusion that can cloud my mind my heart heart or my spirit when you are with me I have a home I have citizenship in heaven in fact I hold on to the promise that you spoke in John 14:3 you said and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am you may be also my need for you is great

Lord Jesus my need for you is clear I need you more than I need silver and gold or the riches of this world I need you Jesus more than I need a new car a new house or more money Lord I cannot save myself I cannot heal or redeem myself I need you Lord Lord I need you because I can't give my myself eternal life nor can I overcome sin on my own it's you that I need Master Lord I have realized that in this life it is impossible to win it's impossible to overcome or

have Victory by myself father there are strongholds that I cannot break there are problems that I can't overcome on my own Jesus I Need You I need the Good Shepherd I need one who can speak peace and Stillness into the storms of life Lord I need you to stand by me calm my emotions let my heart not be troubled father there are giants that I'm facing giant oppositions which follow my family bloodline and Lord I can't fight them with My Own Strength I need divine intervention I need Supernatural strength to overcome so I pray father

Hear My Cry as I ask that you stand by me God be with me always because if I try and do things on my own if I try and live life with My Own Strength it simply won't work without your grace everything is out of my reach father my prayer is that you would always be with me be with me as I face the storms of life be with me as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Stand By Me in the fiery furnace Stand By Me When I can't see a way

out when the enemy comes at me like a flood raise up a standard Lord I pray that you would not allow the challenges that I face to overwhelm me Lord Jesus when problems appear to be daunting give me Divine strength father your word says in John 24: 18-2 I will not leave you as orphans I will come to you yet a little while and the the world will see me no more but you will see me because I live you also will live in that day you will know that I am in my father and

you in me and I in you I thank you Lord for such a promise you have promised never to leave us alone when the odds are against us we will not fear for you are with us whether I I am in the Lion's Den or in the eye of a storm I trust and believe that you will always be faithful and Stand By Me Blessed Be Your Name King Jesus amen for you are great and perform wonderful Deeds you alone are God not teach me your ways oh Lord that I may live according to your

truth grant me purity of heart so that I may honor you with all my heart I will praise you oh Lord my God I will give glory to your name forever for your love for me is very great you have rescued me from the depths of Deb what motivates you you in life when you look at your behavior or rather the intent behind your behavior what is it that truly motivates you what truly drives you some people are driven by the attention and praise of others there are some of us who are motivated by money

but the Bible teaches that there is a far greater reward than the approval of man there is a far greater reward than the riches of this world the approval of God is what we should Chase above any accolades in this world the lord should be the motivation behind everything we do he should be the reason for everything we do Colossians 3: 23- 24 says and whatever you do do it hardily as to the Lord and not to men knowing that from the Lord you will receive receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the

Lord Christ and Galatians 1:10 says am I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of God or am I trying to please people if I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of Christ what a comforting thought that nothing we do for God is in vain no one act of kindness goes unseen or unnoticed by him in this life there are many Pursuits that ultimately lead to Nowhere worldly success material wealth the empty Applause of strangers those things won't get us anywhere every Journey eventually has an end

and that end is often more disappointing than we would like but try as we may we can never stretch the boundaries of God's love there is truly no end to our walk with Christ in fact as we go on life with him gets sweeter every day God should not just be one part of our lives that we're dedicated to on Sunday mornings he should Define the totality of Our Lives God should be the center of everything we do even mundane things like eating and drinking can be done to his glory how well the key is

the spirit of gratitude we are meant to do all things with an attitude of love and obedience towards the God who gives us the ability to enjoy all of life's blessings when we are motivated by worldly things we end up constantly trying to prove ourselves we become constantly anxious self-conscious and often disappointed but when Jesus is the underlying motivation for everything we do our lives will overflow with joy and peace his grace supplies us with the ability to fully enjoy this life as well as positively impact the lives of those around us so listen whatever

you do do it for God and now with this in mind as we go to God In Prayer let us pray and ask him to help us make him our number one Focus today and always now let us pray father God touch our hearts May our actions be driven by the desire to praise you Lord May our love for you be the driving force behind everything we do dear Lord Jesus help us not to seek the approval of man or any plot itss from people it's you master who gives our lives meaning and purpose purpose

we declare your word in Psalm 34: 1-3 the Bible reads I will praise the Lord at all times I will constantly speak his Praises I will boast only in the Lord let all who are helpless take Heart come let us tell of the Lord's greatness let us exalt his name together father teach us to boast in you and you alone help us not to boast in the talents and gifts that you've given us but instead I pray that my soul boasts only in you King Jesus in our weakness we will boast of your strength in

our difficulty we will boast of your saving power in our lack we will boast in your provision father in all that we do we will continually boast only only in you not in people not in our ability or resources but only in you my God your word says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 therefore my beloved brothers and sisters be steadfast immovable always excelling in the work of the lord always doing your best and doing more than is needed being continually aware that your labor even to the point of exhaustion in the Lord is not feudal nor

wasted it is never without purpose help us to always be steadfast in faith help us to always be immovable in you to always be abounding in the work of the Lord let everything we do God Be Done For Your Glory help us to do good works not to be seen by others but to please and Obey you and and to point others towards your goodness father forgive us for any time where we have sought the approval of man above your approval let us never crave the admiration of others but teach us Lord to crucify the

Flesh and to Humble ourselves father you deserve the highest praise you alone are the Creator the Healer the Savior Lord help us to live for you and not for the fleeting pleasures of this world I pray that you would be my first and greatest motivation in any decision or in any Pursuit let me be so moved by the love of Christ that I can't help but glorify you in all of my actions be the driving force behind everything I do Holy Spirit strengthen us to flee from sin convict us to repentance come into our lives

Holy Ghost with a Wind of Change a wind that will sweep away all secret sins and Unholy desires help us to cast off every weight that is hindering us anything that's hindering us from following and trusting you fully Romans 11:36 says for everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his Glory all glory to him forever amen all the glory be to you Lord for the works of my hands all glory be to you for all of the gifts and the talents that you've placed over us may you get all

the glory we declare your word Lord as it says in Psalm 86: 10 through1 13 for you are great and perform wonderful Deeds you will alone Our God teach me your ways oh Lord that I may live according to your truth grant me purity of heart so that I may honor you with all my heart I will praise you oh Lord my God I will give glory to your name forever for your love for me is very great you have rescued me from the depths of death father in all that I do give me an

attitude of humility may I decrease as your glory increases father I thank you for hearing this prayer it's in Jesus name we pray amen now someone may be listening right now and they find themselves in the middle of a discouraging season I may not know who you are or what your exact situation is but one thing I do know is that the Bible in Hebrews 10: 23-2 says let us seize and hold tightly the confession of Our Hope without wavering for he who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful to his word and let us

consider thoughtfully how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds not forsaking our meeting together as Believers for worship sh ship and instruction as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more Faithfully as you see the day of Christ's return approaching the Bible tells us to encourage one another and that's what I would like to do today whatever it is you are going through leave it in God's hands the Lord has the final say over your life and you need to hold on don't give up Don't

Let Go don't give in and don't be discouraged I pray that the holy spirit will block you from looking to the left and to the right so that your eyes can only look up to Jesus Christ Romans 8:37 says yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us you are more than a conquer through Jesus Christ so keep believing that God will see you through keep believing that God will strengthen you don't be discouraged don't be defeated but stand stand on God's word and on God's promise because he has

said I will never leave you nor forsake you one of the most remarkable things that Jesus said while he was here on this Earth can be found in joh John 15:1 15 the Bible reads no longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing but I have called you friends for all things that I heard from my father I have made known to you when I read this verse I think back to when I was a young man and I first heard the song what a friend we

have in Jesus it was one of those songs that lifted me up during a very discouraging season in my life allow me for a moment to just recite the lyrics to This uplifting song what a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear and what a privilege to carry Everything To God In Prayer oh what peace we often forfeit oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry Everything To God In Prayer have we trials and temptations is there trouble anywhere we should never be discouraged take it to

the Lord in prayer can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share Jesus knows our every weakness take it to the Lord in prayer now let us pray Lord Jesus my hope is in you my faith is in you my trust is in you when I feel anxious I pray that the Holy Spirit would teach me to cast my burdens on Jesus teach me to lean on the Lord for strength teach me not to carry the load by myself but remind me that in Jesus I have a friend that sticks closer

than a brother in Jesus I have a God who has said come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest give me Rest In Your Arms Lord take away everything that tries to discourage me if I should fall pick me up Lord if I should get knocked down Lift Me Up Lord Lord I pray for each and every person under the the sound of my voice those who are discouraged those who are tired and weary I pray that they may know you to be The God Who restores and

resurrects may they find you to be a God who renews and revives father your word in Psalm 18 verse 1-6 encourages me as it reads I Love You Lord my strength the Lord Lord is my rock my Fortress and my deliverer my God Is My Rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the Horn of my salvation my stronghold I called to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I have been saved from my enemies the cords of death entangled me the torments of Destruction overwhelmed me the cords of the Grave coiled around

me me the snares of death confronted me in my distress I called to the Lord I cried to my God for help from his Temple he heard my voice My Cry came before him into his ears you are God who helps me in my distress when I cry out You Hear My Cry and you are the Good Shepherd who Rescues Me Lord I am reaching out to you because you are the one who controls all things and rules over all things you know my beginning from my end you know that which strengthens me and what

my weakness is Lord Jesus I cannot face this life without you you are the one who helps me to overcome you are the one who lifts me up from a pit of despair I will trust Ed you forever because your word in Jeremiah 17: 7-8 says blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is the Lord he is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought for

it does not cease to bear fruit my heart does safely trust in you King Jesus because you mean for me to lie down in Green Pastures and you lead me beside Still Waters you restore my soul and for this I give you thanks and offer Praises up to you thank you for hearing my prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray amen let us seize and hold tightly the confession of Our Hope without wavering for he who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful to his word and let us consider thoughtfully how we

may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds not forsaking our meeting together as Believers for worship and instruction as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more Faithfully as you see the day of Christ's return [Music] approaching yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us no longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing but I have called you friend friends for all things that I heard from my father I have made known

to [Music] you I love you Lord my strength the Lord is my rock my Fortress and my deliverer my God Is My Rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the Horn of my salvation my stronghold I called to the Lord who is worthy of of praise and I have been saved from my enemies the cords of death entangled me the torments of Destruction overwhelmed me the cords of the Grave coiled around me the snares of death confronted me in my distress I called to the Lord I cried to my God for help from

his Temple he heard my voice My Cry came before him into his ears at any point in your life have you ever felt alone have you ever felt as though you were backed into a corner and you looked left but saw no one you looked right and saw no one have you ever felt isolated well if you're familiar with this feeling I would like to speak a word of encouragement to someone today Deuteronomy 31:8 says 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 this is God's word to you the Lord himself goes before you you he will not leave you he will not forsake you so why are you afraid why are you discouraged if God is with you who can be against you who can come against you if you read acts 23 Paul was in a difficult situation he had been arrested he is in the cause of a massive uproar and then he caught in the middle of a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees now there's a passage of scripture that

I want to highlight acts 23: 911 says then there arose a loud outcry and the scribes of the Pharisees party arose and protested saying we find no evil in this man but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him let us not fight against God now when there arose a great dissension the commander fearing lest Paul might be pulled to Pieces by them commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks but the following night the Lord stood by him and said be

of good cheer Paul for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem so you must also bear witness at Rome so Paul stands accused he stands in the middle of a very real threat of Danger on his life but verse 11 here says the following night the Lord stood by him now I'm not going to focus on what the Lord said to encourage Paul but I want you to focus on the fact that the Bible said the Lord stood by him what more do you need in this life than for God to stand by you

why should you worry why should you fear or become anxious when you know that God stands beside you isn't it remarkable that just when Paul might have been forgiven for thinking am I doing the right thing when the whole world seems to be against me just when Paul was in the firing line there was God standing beside him God was honoring his word which says in Deuteronomy 31:8 he will never leave you nor forsake you do not be afraid do not be discouraged everything the Lord has for us is contained in these simple words he

will never leave you or forsake you so remember this because even when life puts you through excruciating pain I understand that it can be hard to remain positive and mind you there are many kinds of pain physical pain emotional pain spiritual pain in these moments it can be hard to see how your circumstances could possibly turn out for the better because often times pain blinds you and there's no denying that pain is real there's someone listening right now and they're in pain there's someone listening right now and they are suffering in some sort of pain

but allow me to encourage you and tell you that the longer you live the more you come to understand that there will be times where it feels as though God is breaking you when in actual fact he's building you you may look at pain and suffering and heartache and say God where are you but perhaps that kind of perspective is wrong because I firmly believe that God can use pain to shape us to mold you to prepare you and even to build you think about the story of Joseph Joseph was a faithful servant of God

yet was betrayed by his own brothers sold into slavery falsely accused imprisoned and forgotten Joseph suffered setback after setback in his life even though he did nothing wrong and even though it might have felt like God was breaking him God was actually building him God was building his faith his tenacity and his strength so that at the proper time God might Elevate him to a possession he never would have thought possible the Bible says in James 1: 2-4 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 may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing the suffering that we know is temporary as children of God because the only suffering we will know is on this side of the Grave because in heaven there will be no pain where there is loss there will be restoration where there is defeat there will only be VI Victory where there are tears there will only be joy in God's presence do you know what Joseph said in Genesis 50: 20 at the end of

his trials Joseph said as for you you meant evil against me but God meant it for good what would happen if we had that same attitude towards our own suffering what would happen if if we adopted the same mindset in times of tribulation I find it interesting that Romans chapter 5: 3-5 says not only that but we rejoice in our suffering knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who

has been given to us rejoicing in suffering does not mean that we enjoy pain on the contrary rejoicing in suffering means that we fully understand the size of our troubles but we trust that our God is bigger we know that through our suffering God is refining our character teaching us the value of Hope and making us more dependent on him none of these things are Pleasant in the moment but they are necessary for our maturity our growth and our ultimate Joy so if you're feeling like the weight of the entire world is on your shoulders

God is right there beside you if you're feeling low anxious or worried take heart God stands beside you the key thing for us is to believe it's to have faith in the Lord and He will take care of everything else let us pray Lord thank you for caring for us thank you for promising never to leave us or forsake us someone may be listening right now and they feel forgotten they feel down trotten and tired from the battles they face Lord Jesus I pray that you make your presence known to anyone who is on the

verge of giving up remind them that you are still by their side May the Holy Spirit remind the person who is weak and weary that there is strength in Jesus Christ May the Holy Spirit remind the person who is feeling like an out Outcast that Jesus Christ loves them just the way they are and he welcomes you into his arms may your presence go before us King Jesus may it surround us and cover us with you on our side we fear nothing we're not discouraged by what's going on in the economy or what's happening around

the world our eyes are on you a God who will strengthen us rescue us help and Deliver Us in times of trouble as your children we firmly believe that you are able to do exceedingly above anything we could imagine or think Lord we would never be put to shame when our trust is in you I declare Hebrews 136 so we may boldly say the Lord Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me you are our helper Lord Jesus the only one who can uphold each of us with your righteous

right hand whatever we need we trust you to supply it you keep us secure Lord you are the answer to every Challenge and difficulty in this life we praise you for always being there for us looking out for us loving us and protecting us we praise you because you are a God who forgives all of iniquities we praise you because you are a God who heals restores and makes me whole again we praise you because you are a God who has saved us from destruction and shown us loving kindness and Tender Mercies I will bless

your holy name as long as I live I will lift up my hands and praise Only You Lord Jesus Holy Spirit help me to have a heart filled with praise so that when things are good I will bless the Lord with all my soul and all that is within me I will praise His holy name and when life is challenging or difficult I will still bless the Lord with all my soul and all that is within me I will praise His holy name I Praise You Lord Jesus because you are the one who can quench

my thirsty Soul you are the one who Faithfully loves me you are the lifegiver and you alone are the one who can make me feel new and refreshed again it is in your presence that I am made whole I praise you because of your abundant and unfailing mercy meres for as long as I am alive I will lift up my heart voice and hands to worship you I give you praise for your faithfulness I thank you for listening to this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray amen 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 [Music] discouraged then there arose a loud outcry and the scribes of the Pharisees party arose and protested saying we find no evil in this man but if a Spirit or an angel has spoken to him let us not fight against God now when there arose a great dissension the commander fearing lest Paul might be pulled to Pieces by them commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him

into the barracks but the following night the Lord stood by him and said be of good cheer Paul for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem so you must also bear witness at Rome