if you look around today many people are struggling someone somewhere is worried and anxious about a prodigal child a child who has lost their way someone else in this world has just received terrible news now life will never be the same again for them so let me ask you who do you depend on when life gets tough who do you depend on when you see nothing but trouble and Chaos around you who do you depend on when you have no strength who is it that you depend on when you are faced with circumstances that you
can do nothing about well today people of God I want to encourage you to depend on God depend on a God who has given us wonderful promises in the bible promises that should Lift us up when life tries to push us down promises that should bring peace to our hearts even if our external environment is tumultuous God's promises are what you and I should depend on because God is a faithful God he's a God who keeps his word because he is truth now I pray that this message will serve as a reminder to each and
every believer listening I want you to know that when you begin to trust in God's promises you'll realize that you are well taken care of you will lack for nothing and for those who may be wondering what are these promises allow me to remind you what the Bible says in Isaiah 41:13 the Bible says for I the Lord your God hold your right hand it is I who say to you fear not I am the one who helps you this is a promise a promise for those seasons in life when you feel as though you
can't get a break it's a promise that God alight will help you the Lord will come to your Aid he will be your support he will be your Pillar of Strength when the Bible says be still and know that I am gone it's really telling you to stop everything you're doing stop worrying stop fighting stop resisting and start yielding to God start listening to God there is something about Stillness and I believe that this verse is calling us to be still before the Lord because we need to direct all of our attention all of our
focus on the Lord you see when you spend time getting to know the Lord when you spend time in the presence of Jesus Christ you will truly be transformed and I encourage you to desire and hunger for these types of Rich Encounters in the presence of God because it's only in those onetoone intimate encounters that each of us can get a personal revelation of who God truly is it's only in those onetoone intimate encounters that each of us can be empowered and filled with Courage the courage to face the world and stand up for Christ
the courage to stand up to the devil and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord Isaiah 40:29 says he gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength this is a promise a promise for us to hold on to in times of weakness God will give strength to the weary he will help you to stand when times get tough he will help you to move forward when it looks like you are about to be overwhelmed in Exodus 14:14 the Bible says the Lord will fight for you you shall hold your
peace this is a promise for us a promise of safety God will fight your battles he will fight our battles and we need only to hold our peace and so there is no need to go back and forth trying to fight Here There and Everywhere instead let God work on your behalf because we have a promise that the battle you face Belongs to the Lord the Bible in Philippians 4: 19 says and my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus this is a promise for provision if you
have a need God can meet that need this doesn't mean you'll have everything you want but in Jesus Christ you will have everything that you can ever need so I encourage you to get to know God's promises get to know them and hold on to his promises the prophet Isaiah received a revelation that should inspire all of us to recognize God for who he truly is listen carefully to what Isaiah 45: 2 to 7 says I will go before you and make the Crooked places straight I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and
cut the bars of iron I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden Riches of secret places that you may know that I the Lord who call you by your name am the god of Israel for Jacob my servant's sake and Israel my elect I have even called you by your name I have named you though you have not known me I am the lord and there is no other there is no God besides me I will gge you though you have not known me that they may know from the rising of the sun
to its setting that there is none besides me I am the lord and there is no other I form the light and create Darkness I make peace and create Calamity I the Lord do do all these things this is a wonderful revelation of just who God is God is firmly in control God is all knowing god is Almighty Isaiah 45:22 to 23 says look to me and be saved all you ends of the Earth for I am God and there is no other I have sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth
in righteousness and shall not return that to me every knee shall bow every tongue shall take an oath in those moments where we are still before God we need to realize just how Mighty God is just how powerful God is the Bible tells us there is no one and nothing that can be compared to God we need to remember this nothing and no one is worthy to be competing for the number one spot of your heart God should be first have you ever had one of those days where it's just a fight where everything is
a fight your journey to work seems like it's a struggle you get to work and it's hostile that day you go home and something unexpected happens you get an unexpected letter or an unexpected bill then next thing you know there's an unexpected argument with your husband or wife I mean have you ever had a day where everything is a struggle everything is just a fight you try to read the word but that becomes a fight you try to pray but that proves to be a fight too you put some worship music on but you find
that you're still fighting so in this case what do you do well I believe that when it appears to be impossible when life is at its darkest this is when you should call out to the Lord David experienced days like this quite often he must have because all throughout the Psalms there is this theme of calling out to the Lord I mean think about it how many times do we read something along the lines of in my distress I called upon the Lord to my God I cried for help or you might read something like
hear oh Lord when I cry aloud be gracious to me and answer me today dear listener I want to encourage you to call on the Lord the Bible says in Psalm 5: 1-2 listen to my words Lord consider my Lament Hear My Cry for Help my king and my God for to you I pray in the morning Lord you hear my voice in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly for you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness with you evil people are not welcome The Arrogant cannot stand in
your presence you hate all who do wrong you destroy those who tell lies the bloodthirsty and deceitful you Lord detest but I by your great love can come into your house in reverence I bow down toward your Holy Temple Lead Me Lord in your righteousness because of my enemies make your way straight before me not a word from their mouth can be trusted their heart is filled with malice their throat is an open grave with their tongues they tell lies declare them guilty oh God let their intrigues be their downfall banish them for their many
sins for they have rebelled against you but let all who take refuge in you be glad let them ever sing for Joy spread your protection over them that those who love your name May rejoice in you surely Lord you bless the righteous you surround them with your favor as with a shield saints of God there is a name that holds power there is a name that chases away demonic spirits there's a name that brings light in the midst of darkness and that name is Jesus Christ acts 2:1 17 says and it shall come to pass
in the last days says God that I will pour out of my spirit on All Flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see Visions your old men shall dream dreams God has promised to pour out his spirit on All Flesh in the last days now my prayer to the Lord is that I would not be left out of this outpouring promised in the Bible our heart's cry is that the Lord would pour out his Spirit upon us I encourage you to make sure your heart is not hardened to the call
of Jesus Christ how do you focus on God instead of the obstacles of life it's a valid question right we all have obstacles in this life we will all come face to face with things that will threaten our faith in the Lord we'll come up against opposition that may paralyze even the most courageous hearts with fear but you see over and over again in the Bible we're told not to worry we're told not to fear not to be dismayed not to be discouraged but instead to look to the Lord as your deliverer look to the
Lord as your rescuer look to the Lord as your help and source of strength the eyes of the Lord are seeking those who are fully committed in him those who are fully trusting in Him and so dear friend when You Face obstacles in life don't put your trust in people trust in God don't rely on people or things trust in God Almighty because he is seeking for the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the Earth just looking for the person who is fully committed and confident in him fear is a liar because
fear leads you to forget all that God has done one description of fear that I like says fear is false evidence appearing real fear creates a cloud that makes you think you are alone it creates a Cloud that makes you blind to God's promises and his word and one way fear manifests itself in today's society is in the prevalence of anxiety disorders stress related diseases and health conditions anxiety and stress are both the children of fear we fear the future we fear the past we fear things we cannot control and we don't want want to
admit that most of life is out of our control we are not in control of when we're born or when we die we are reminded of our lack of control when faced with an unwanted diagnosis or a natural disaster this is why Jesus invites us and commands us not to worry Matthew 6:25 tells us therefore I say to you do not worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing Jesus goes
on to say in verse 33 but seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you Jesus Jesus is telling us to let go of the illusion that we are the ones in control because while we are not in control God is Sovereign he's always in control while we don't know the future God is already in the future while we can't let go of the past God is already in the past working out your present and your future the devil is the father of fear but God is
the master of the future the devil is the Warlock of worry but Jesus is the Prince of Peace the devil is the architect of anxiety but the holy spirit is the conduit of comfort the Lord tells us in Isaiah 41: 10 so do not fear for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you and help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand as Believers Our Lives should not be dictated by fear but rather our faith our lives should not be crippled by worry but
rather empowered by encouragement you may be feeling tired and weary from the battles you fought and you may possibly be worried that those same B battles will be awaiting you in the morning but allow me to encourage you when you feel outnumbered when your problems look like they are an army marching in your direction do what blind Bemus did in Luke 18 veres 37-38 the Bible says they told him Jesus of Nazareth is passing by he called out Jesus Son of David have mercy on me and so should you find yourself in need of divine
intervention do what this man did and call out to Jesus Christ when you feel cornered and your back is against the wall when the enemy looks to have you surrounded then open your Bible to 2 Kings 6: 17-8 and draw strength from the fact that when Elisha's servant became fearful because they were so surrounded by their enemies here's what the Bible says about Elisha's response then Elisha prayed and said oh Lord please open his eyes that he may see so 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 and when the syrians came down against him Elisha prayed to the Lord and said please strike this people with blindness so he struck them with blindness in accordance to the prayer of Elisha so I encourage you to pray that God would open your eyes so that you would firstly not be afraid and secondly when God opens your eyes and you begin to see the hedge of protection around you and you begin to see the angels that encamp around you you can begin to draw strength
from that from the fact that Jesus Christ is on your side when you feel tired and frustrated cry out in prayer cry out in Praise there is only but one God who can give you rest only Jesus can lead you beside Still Waters only Jesus Christ can renew your strength so don't be discouraged with what you're facing don't be disart heartened at the events of today nor should you be preoccupied and worry about what could come tomorrow instead call unto Jesus Christ today in this very moment whatever situation you face this day God wants you
to call on him because his word in Isaiah 65 verse 24 it says before they call I will answer while they are still speaking I will hear Psalm 50:15 in the Bible says call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver you and you shall glorify me and so I want to encourage you when you look at God's word when you look at his promises he says trust me in your times of trouble and I'll rescue you he says abide in me and I will restore you he says come to me all who
are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest so let your hope be found in God he has the perfect solution each and every time so call on him whether it's day or night whether you're in a season of Darkness or light Acts chap 2:1 17 says and it shall come to pass in the last days says God that I will pour out of my spirit on All Flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see Visions your old men shall dream dreams God has promised to pour out his
Spirit on All Flesh in the last days now my prayer to the Lord is that I would not be left out of this outpouring promised in the Bible our heart's cry is that the Lord would pour out his Spirit upon us I encourage you to make sure your heart is not hardened to the call of Jesus Christ make sure your schedule is not so busy that you will miss your Divine appointment with God in your prayer closet blind bmus refused to let Jesus just pass him by in Mark 10:47 the Bible says when he heard
that it was Jesus of Nazareth he began to shout Jesus Son of David have mercy on me we too must have that same attitude we need to be crying out to the Lord don't pass by without pouring out your spirit over my life over my home over my family do not pass me by oh gentle savior we should be yearning for Jesus Christ of Nazareth to have mercy on us what does the Christian of today look like and what should the Christian of today look like these are two very different questions which can have two
very different answers depending on who you ask now the Bible says in 1 Peter 2: 21 to this you were called because Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps listen to this closely because Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps I believe that this is true Christianity following the example of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ left heaven for Earth to die for our sins he put the church before himself he obeyed God's will he lived a life of purpose a purpose
that can be summed up with his words in Luke 22:42 which says father if you are willing take this cup from me yet not my will but yours be done when we get to such a place this is what I believe to be true Christianity now I would like to encourage you to take the following steps so that you can make sure you are Marching forward and living a life that pleases the Lord to begin with we all need to live lives where God is first you and I need to live a life that places
God above everything Place God before everything the Amplified translation for Luke 9:23 says and he was saying to them all if anyone wishes to follow me as my disciple he must deny himself set aside selfish interests and take up his cross daily expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come and follow me believing in me conforming to my example in living and if need be suffering or perhaps dying because because of faith in me this reminds me of the song that says Jesus in the morning Jesus in the noon time Jesus when the Sun goes
down and to me this means living a life where you are completely consumed by the Lord's Presence by his word by the Holy Spirit and no it doesn't mean you neglect your day-to-day responsibilities because you're praying 24/7 no it simply means that your mind is constantly fixed on Jesus Christ you're either quietly meditating on a verse as you are making breakfast or you're worshiping and praising as you are driving whatever it is have the presence of mind to ask yourself am I connected to the Lord am I glorifying the Lord now the phrase put God
first has become very popular in this day and age but in Practical terms what does it mean well when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he answered in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment this says to me that your love for Jesus Christ supersedes everything it's a love that prioritizes the Lord God first really means means God first now another point that I'd like to highlight about a
real follower of Jesus Christ is that they fear the lord and to fear God isn't to say that you're terrified of him no to fear God is to realize who he is how big he is how Mighty and all powerful he is and this leads you to have a deep respect reverence and awe for God's power and authority prover BS 1:7 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge fools despise wisdom and instruction the fear of God is what motivates Godly Behavior the fear of God leads one to repent and pursue a
holy life the fear of God keeps you on the straight and narrow when you fear God you do not take sin lightly because you know that God is Holy and pure pure and he does not tolerate unrighteousness and impurity further traits of a real follower of Jesus Christ are that they serve wholeheartedly all they do is to the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31 says so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God I encourage you to do all that you can in God's kingdom but do it
to bring bring glory to him and not for yourself serve for the glory of Jesus Christ serve so that unbelievers and those who are lost may see the goodness of God through you serve with pure intentions serve with Godly intentions a lot of us need to be obedient to Galatians 5:13 which says for you were called to Freedom Brothers only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but true love serve one another when you serve for the glory of God this I believe is when you are truly imitating Christ now my
final point is closely linked to this matter of serving a true follower of Jesus Christ is humble and humility doesn't mean you allow yourself to be used and abused it simply means you don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to and you don't think any less of others than you ought to and to be honest this is a matter that's all to do with pride pride says I can do this on my own Pride says I'm self-made I am successful and I did it because I worked hard Pride says look at me look
what I have done however humility says in my weakness God strength is made perfect humility says God will give me strength God will renew my strength I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me do you see the difference Pride says look at me but humility says look at Christ Pride says look at what I have done but humility says look at What the Lord Has Done James 4:6 but he gives more grace therefore it says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble you find favor in being humble you
find blessings in being humble so I encourage you to be someone who puts God first whether it's day or night Come Rain or Sunshine put God first be someone who lives with the fear of the Lord in their life rever and honor our Lord Jesus Christ always and finally be humble always be humble in everything you do seek to serve others all for the glory of God people of God I want to ask you something when was the last time you publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ as your lord and savior now it may have been to
a co-worker that you see every day or to someone you just met and struck up a conversation with but overall I believe that every single one of us during the course of Our Lives we will have at least one opportunity to publicly declare what we believe and who we believe in the Bible says in Matthew 10:32 therefore whoever confesses me before men him I will also confess before my father who is in heaven now I don't know about you Saints but here's my confession I believe in Jesus Christ I believe that he is the way
the truth and the life and no one can get to the father except through Jesus I believe he is the bread of life he is the one who can sustain us I believe that Jesus Christ is the prince of peace and in him him you will find peace beyond all human [Music] understanding I believe Jesus Christ is the light of the world and the Good Shepherd I believe he was a Healer and a miracle worker when he walked here on this Earth and I also believe that he is still able to do the impossible even
today I believe he died on a cross for our sins for my sins and I believe that he rose back to life after 3 days and ascended on high and right now he is Seated on the right side of the father listen to me in the name of Jesus there is power Jesus Christ is the name above every other name he is the author and the finisher of our faith he is the Risen one the almighty one when we speak that name the mighty name of Jesus Christ every sickness has to Bow every disease has
to leave every chain has to loose and so here is my word to you as Believers we should not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we should never compromise the word of God so that we can fit into this world we should not be ashamed of the gospel because the devil in the world oh they are aggressively spreading a message of deception the devil in this world is aggressively trying to lead people away from the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and so it's time that we as Believers of Jesus Christ it's time for
us to stand up and to declare to the world that there is a savior there is someone who can set you free if you're bound there is a redeemer and his name is Jesus Christ Saints we should not be ashamed of the Gospel but as Christians we must stand up and fight for the gospel we must rise up as Sons and Daughters of the most high and Proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord
