Category: September2017

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Going Through Dangerous Times

Yesterday afternoon I got to thinking about how good God is and the writing I had posted yesterday morning. The thought came up in my heart that you might think I am saying that when we live under the shadow of the Almighty that evil circumstances don’t even come our way. That’s not it at all! God’s hand of protection keeps us from some things and guides us through others. We’ll never know how many times we were spared from certain situations and that’s a testimony to God’s protection but when we do go through situations and recognize that God is bringing us through victoriously that too is a testimony.

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it won’t come near you.
8 Only keep your eyes open, and you will see how the wicked are punished.” Psalm 91:7-8 CJB

David had faced many battles. He had faced the Philistines when he was just a young man. Then as he grew older he faced many enemies and was engaged in hand to hand combat. He knew about enemies falling at his side. He even had King Saul pursuing him through the desert; Saul was jealous of David and even though David destroyed Goliath, Saul was set on killing David himself. Time and time again, David saw the Lord deliver him.

The Bible is filled with examples of those who followed the Lord, depended on His protection and were saved. First example would be Noah. He preached repentance the whole time he was building the ark but no one repented – only he and his family were saved.

Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abindego, Rahab, Esther, Peter, Paul, John and Jesus – now these are some folks with testimonies of God’s protection and power. Their stories are to be examples for us. Paul wrote in his letter to the Christians in the church at Thessalonica

“We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you.”

I Thessalonians 2:13 CEV

It’s important that we recognize and receive God’s word as exactly that – God’s word. There is no higher authority – there is no error. It is truth!

Jesus said that in the last days men’s hearts would fail them for fear. We are seeing so many things around us that can cause us to be fearful and anxious but when we look to God’s Word we find protection, peace, joy, hope – we find the God and Father of our salvation!

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We’re Protected – Under His Wings

Remember when you were little a thought there might be monsters under the bed? As a child, I was plagued with nightmares. Until one night I made friends with the biggest monster in my dreams. After that whenever I would have a nightmare I would just call on my monster friend and he would come scare off all the other monsters that were there to hurt me. When I saw the movie Monsters Inc, I was reminded of my friend because he looked a lot like Sulley.

But now I don’t make friends with monsters, instead I can rely on the Father and His Word.

“3 For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

4 [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.” Psalm 91:3-6 AMP

In this day of terror plots, road rage, random shootings and all the mayhem that is loose in our world, not to mention the daily dangers we are exposed to, living in the power of God’s Word is such a comfort.

These are the verses above from the Complete Jewish Bible.

“he will rescue you from the trap of the hunter and from the plague of calamities;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his truth is a shield and protection.

5 You will not fear the terrors of night or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the plague that roams in the dark, or the scourge that wreaks havoc at noon.” Vs 3-6

The way I see it, the Lord promises to protect us from hidden peril – from the things we can’t see. A bird doesn’t see the trap until it’s caught and plagues come without advance warning.

Then He also protects from disasters that can be seen. The picture in verse 4 is that of a mother hen or bird that sets herself down over the top of her chicks to protect them from danger. She risks her own life and cuddles her young under her wings. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? He gave His own life to protect us from the ravages of sin and its effects.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:31-35 KJV

No matter what time of day – night, daylight, or noon day, the Lord promises to be there and be our protection. When my children were little, Dave and I would pray with them and over them each morning before they headed out to school. We would pray these verses over them then and we still do now. But now we’ve added their spouses and our grandchildren. Just the other day our daughter was protected from being hit by a car as she was out jogging and I have no idea how many times our son has been protected as he has been at work, he’s a firefighter in a very busy city.

We have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, literally, in our vehicle without ever having an accident. We’ve been in the presence of danger many times and not even known it until later and then we saw how God’s hand protected.

We can take these verses as our own and use them to bring a covering of protection for our families as well. God’s word is true; He does not lie! But it doesn’t just come automatically we have to appropriate it – we have to believe it. Just like the electricity that comes into our homes; it’s there but we will sit in the dark and the cold unless we turn on the switch and put the power to work.

Turn on the switch in prayer and watch the power of God work in your life! Let me end with this. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours – His plan of protection is better than ours. As the rain is higher than the earth and comes down to cover the earth; God’s ways are higher than our thinking and He rains down His protection to cover us.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55: 8-12 KJV

God’s word will cause our lives to bring in a crop of good fruit – it will cause us to prosper and our lives to be filled with joy and peace.

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A Place of Protection

In the last few weeks we have been overwhelmed with pictures on the news: pictures of floods, fire and the devastation of hurricanes. This morning I heard of a large earthquake in Mexico and I’m sure there will be pictures from that as well. Seems there are disasters everywhere.

I hear people around us expressing their thanks and gratitude for living in an area that isn’t subject to such conditions. I agree completely. But there really is no place that is assured of safety, no place but one. Let me ask you, where do you live? Over the next few days I want to take you through the verses of Psalm 91. It’s there we find what God says about dwelling in safety.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].” AMP Psalm 91:1

If we live in the “secret place” we will remain stable and fixed but where is the secret place? Where is that place that God’s shadow falls on us and covers us with protection? Let’s see what the Bible tells us about a secret place.

Our time in prayer is called secret. Our time of communicating with the Father one on one, is a secret time of sweet fellowship. The time we spend meditating on the Word of God can also be a “secret” place. When we are in this place of close communion, His shadow covers us. It’s refreshing, like being in the shadow of a tall tree on a warm day or being covered by the shadow of a tent or canopy when the hot sun is beating down.

“But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.” Matthew 6:6 AMP

When we are spending time in the Father’s presence in prayer and “hiding” His word in our hearts we dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

“I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!” AMP Psalm 91:2

All through the Psalms, David talks about the Lord being a strong tower, a hiding place, a refuge, a fortress, a place of protection. And here he is emphasizing that again. David definitely knew something about the Lord being a refuge and fortress of protection – after all, he faced a lion, a bear and a giant – he was the underdog more than once but God miraculously intervened. David relied on Him completely.

So answer this question, am I dwelling where the Lord is my deliverer, my refuge, my fortress? If not, go to the secret place of your prayer closet, renew your relationship and put God’s word in your heart. There is the place to live, under the shadow of the Almighty!

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Don’t Quit!

Today we have a spelling lesson. How do you spell defeat? It’s spelled q-u-i-t. How do you spell quit? It’s spelled n-e-v-e-r!

Things come up in life and it looks like you’ll be defeated. The hard things make you want to quit but don’t! It could be a relationship, an illness, financial problems, a continued process of setbacks but don’t quit!!! Fight the battle – victory will come.

The Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians “But thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus”! ALWAYS!!!!!
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

I’m reminded of the story of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Pharaoh and Egypt. They had seen God do mighty things for them and now they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land. The Lord had told them they would go in and possess the land so they sent in spies to see what the land was like.

Do you remember the story? Twelve spies went in; they brought back clusters of grapes so big that two men had to carry them on a pole. It truly was a land flowing with milk and honey as God had said it was (He doesn’t lie you know). The land was lush and beautiful. A land to be desired but…the spies reported there were giants in the land.

Don’t you think God knew the giants were there when He said He would give them the land? Were the giants really any bigger an obstacle than the Pharaoh’s army or the Red Sea? If God had provided victory for them in the past, why would they doubt His ability now? The account goes on that the spies said they were as grasshoppers in the eyes of the giant and “we were but grasshoppers in our own eyes”. They took their eyes off of their God and looked at their own ability. They quit! They were defeated!

Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies tried to get their eyes back on the bigness of God but the Israelites were ready to stone them. Look at this!
“ It is a land filled with many good things. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us. 9 So don’t turn against the LORD! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land. We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the LORD with us, so don’t be afraid!” 10 All the people began talking about killing Joshua and Caleb with stones. But the Glory of the LORD appeared over the Meeting Tent where all the people could see it.” Numbers 14:8-10 ERV

Have you ever had somebody get mad at you because you wanted to trust God? It doesn’t seem rational or logical or make any kind of sense at all but that’s why it’s called faith! Trusting God isn’t “a way” to get things done, it’s “the way”. Jesus didn’t say I am “a way”, “a truth” and “a life” – NO! He said I am THE way, THE truth and THE life. You must be focused on what’s above – the greatness of our God or you’ll be like the Israelites and quit before you really get started. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones over the age of 40 that entered into the Promised Land. The rest of those who left Egypt and doubted God’s ability to give them victory in the Promised Land died in the desert.

I’m telling you this morning. I don’t know what your situation is or what battles you have been fighting but don’t quit! You’re not in this alone – God is there to fight the battle with and for you! Don’t quit – don’t give up – don’t accept defeat and you will ALWAYS TRIUMPH!

So I’ll say it again – don’t quit! As David said to Goliath “And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.” I Samuel 17:47

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Growing Like A Mustard Tree

Nearly every morning I am reminded of how much the Bible has to say about seeds, planting and growing. God intended for nature to be an example for us to learn from and live by. We see what good soil, the right amount of water and sunshine can do on a daily basis. The trees in our yards and parks flourish; the pastures grow and provide food for the cattle; the desert has its own beauty from the vegetation that grows there. Yes, it’s all around us!

Jesus taught parables about farmers growing seeds and protecting what they had planted. In one of my favorites He warns of birds coming to eat the seeds that are unprotected and of weeds that choke out the plants while they are young and finally He tells of the harvest that comes when the seeds are well cared for and allowed to grow. And then He makes this correlation:

“ This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message, 12 and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

14 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything. 15 Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.” Luke 9:11-15 CEV

The seed is good and will grow anywhere but it must be protected to bring a harvest. And as the seed grows it provides life, protection and safety. Just like a tree provides a place of nesting, shelter from storms and a perch for watching for food God’s word will do the same in our lives and the lives of those around us.

“ Then Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what God’s kingdom is like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that you can plant. 32 But when you plant it, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants in your garden. It has branches that are very big. The wild birds can come and make nests there and be protected from the sun.” Mark 4:30-32 ERV

A mustard seed will germinate in about 5-10 days if the soil conditions are right. The black mustard tree, referred to in the verses above, will grow to an average of 3-5 feet tall and can continue to grow up to 10-15 feet tall and just as wide. (see the picture)

When we allow God’s word to grow in our lives we can be a blessing and a place of rest and safety to those around us. A mustard seed amount of faith can move mountains but the day to day cares of life can cancel the effects. Today live by the words of a man in the Bible, “Lord, I believe. Help thou, my unbelief”. Keep focused on God’s ability and not your inability. Be blessed and grow!

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Getting a Bumper Crop

Yesterday morning I told you about my garden from years ago. The hard ground and briny water made it difficult to produce a good crop. Any gardener knows that you have to prepare the soil if you want a good harvest. The rocks need to be removed and most of the time the soil needs to be fertilized to restore the nutrients.

Our hearts are the same.

“If you plant goodness, you will harvest faithful love. Plow your ground, and you will harvest with the Lord. He will come, and he will make goodness fall on you like rain.

13 But you planted evil, and you harvested trouble. You ate the fruit of your lies, because you had trusted in your power and your soldiers.” Hosea 10:12-13 ERV

The last few weeks I have been reading through the books of I & II Kings in the Old Testament. Some valuable lessons to be learned from those books…good rulers were replaced by selfish, power hungry, godless rulers who divided the nation and led the Israelites to their defeat and captivity. We can learn from their history.

They planted evil and harvested strife – it brought confusion, trouble and cruelty. Kings no longer sought God but did whatever seemed right at the time. One king even said he didn’t want to consult with the Lord’s prophet because he knew that the prophet would disagree with the king’s plan and tell him he was wrong.

We need to learn from their example and plant good seeds so that we have a harvest that honors the Lord.

“13 Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do. 14 But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don’t brag or lie to cover up the truth. 15 That kind of wisdom doesn’t come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself. 16 Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. 17 But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:10-18 CEV

Take time today to evaluate what’s growing in your heart’s garden. If need be, plow it under and replant. There’s still plenty of time to bring in a good crop!

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Growing A Successful Garden

“Our vineyards are in blossom; we must catch the little foxes that destroy the vineyards.” Song of Solomon 2:15

In my case it was the gophers that spoiled the vine. Years ago I made a serious attempt to plant a garden. It was a difficult task because we lived in an area where the soil was good but the water wasn’t. We had to keep the water slowly running in the garden because if it stopped the surface of the ground would become dry and a salty crush would form.

But I took good care of my garden and protected it from the varmits with a rabbit fence and it discouraged the coyotes as well. I watched as the watermelons developed and could hardly wait to cut one of those delicious dark green beauties open.

The kids kept asking if they could pick them but I said they weren’t quite ready – I was checking everyday and then the day of harvest came. We went to the garden, with mouth watering we bent down to pluck the melon from it’s vine. And to our shock and great disappointment the melon was ruined.

It looked beautiful – a rich, dark green – big and round. It was going to be the best melon ever and it would have been if the gophers hadn’t have come up from underneath and eaten a hole in the rind and devoured the middle!

A life lesson here – as christians we are to bear fruit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith. But if weren’t not careful, the little foxes and the gophers (varmits), will come in and destroy the fruit. We know them better as worry, fear, self-reliance, peer pressure, overwork, laziness, etc. These varmits will try to destroy the fruit that God wants us to produce.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor to my Father…
“I have loved you as the Father has loved me. Now continue in my love. 10 I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and he continues to love me. In the same way, if you obey my commands, I will continue to love you. 11 I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy. 12 This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 The greatest love people can show is to die for their friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do. 15 I no longer call you servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. But now I call you friends, because I have told you everything that my Father told me.
16 “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:5-17

If we stay connected to the vine, Jesus, we will produce the fruit that He has commanded of us and that is to love each other as Christ has loved us.

Don’t let the little foxes spoil your vine and eat your harvest!

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Dinner Guests

I always like having company for dinner. It’s fun to plan and prepare a menu that I know they will like. We have certain friends and family who come for dinner and I always know what I will fix because I know their likes.

I like unexpected guests too. I like the fact that they feel comfortable enough to just “pop” in and even if it’s at meal time it doesn’t matter because they won’t complain. We’re good enough friends that they help prepare and clean up and we visit and enjoy each other’s company – we’re just friends!

I always have more than enough so a few extra feet under the table aren’t a problem. There was a period of time that a friend of the kids would appear each evening at dinner time. The first night he was invited to stay and ate well. Then a pattern began to occur and we realized he was coming each night just as we were sitting down to dinner. He needed to be a part of family and have a good meal so he was always welcomed.

Another friend comes frequently too. Sad to I don’t always hear Him knocking. He has a slow steady knock. And when I get to the door I am so pleased at who I find.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.
21 “I will let everyone who wins the victory sit with me on my throne. It was the same with me. I won the victory and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22 ERV

He is smiling so warmly – I am so glad to see Him. I know He has taken time from His extremely busy schedule to come and have lunch with me. I open the door, we hug and I invite Him in. We laugh and talk, I share from my heart and He shares from His…we laugh some more and then we cry as well.

We cry over disappointments and heartaches. We cry for those who He has stopped to visit and they are too busy to invite Him in. We cry over those who have been praying for Him to come and then didn’t recognize His knock so never went to the door.

Many times I have heard the verses above used when referring to Jesus knocking at our heart’s door, waiting to be invited in as Savior. But this verse is for those who have already accepted Him as Savior; it’s for those who need to find Him as friend.

We visit some more. We never run out of conversation and He’s always with me – He never leaves me or abandons me. However, He said He has some more doors to knock on. He has some more visits to make so if you hear that knocking on your door today – answer it and let Him in. It will certainly be time well spent.

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Make Every Thought Count

I think I told you once that as a child I was plagued with bad dreams. Well, I had a bad dream last night however, now there is a difference. What once were dreams filled with monsters and boogie men have now turned to situations and circumstances that would seek to destroy my peace and rob me of the ones I love. They seem more real and at times harder to deal with BUT…the exciting part is that now I use God’s Word in my dreams to dispel any sense of fear and danger!

In fact, I’ve really started using these night time situations to gauge my stand in the Word. Jesus said to his disciples, “In this world you will have tribulation, but we of good cheer I have overcome the world”. My dreams let me see how I would react to a situation – do I run and hide and let fear overtake me or do I stand firm, established on God’s word and remain at peace?

In II Timothy 1:7 we have a promise that all of us can hold on too.

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 ERV

King David said in Psalm 4:8
“When I go to bed, I sleep in peace, because, Lord, you keep me safe.” ERV

If God isn’t the one who sends fear but power and we are confident that the Lord keeps us safe then we can sleep in peace. So what to do with those bad dreams that creep in –

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” II Corinthians 3:3-5 NKJV

Use your dreams as spiritual training ground. Make them line up with God’s word! The spirit man is always awake and alert – although the physical man needs rest the spirit of man is ready to fight if we keep him energized with God’s Word.

Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Every thought – not just the waking thoughts but every thought. Let the Word of God bring you to victory – speak it out with your mouth, let it control your heart and your actions.

The Apostle Paul says that we are to stand in the full armor of God in Ephesians 6. Part of the armor is the helmet of salvation – the helmet protects the head, the head is where these disobedient thoughts come from. So the helmet of salvation protects our minds from thoughts that don’t line up with God’s word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God – the way we get saved is by hearing God’s word, the way we have our mind renewed is by hearing God’s word.

“Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:17-18 ERV

So whether you’re awake or asleep live in a constant state of prayer – prayer is communicating with the Father. Talk to Him about the things in your life and about things that are in the lives of those you love and then things that are going on around the world with people you don’t know.

Take every thought captive as you do fear will be gone and you will be filled with love, power and a sound mind.

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God Is Faithful

God is faithful. That’s His nature, His character! When we stop to wonder “if” God will come through this time – remember His faithfulness. “Will” he be there for me?

Not sure who woke up this morning questioning and wondering if God was still there, if He could still be trusted, but whoever you are let me tell you that He is – He is the great I AM.

““So remember that the LORD your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations, ” Deuteronomy 7:9

So many changes in our modern lives, it’s hard to imagine that God is ALWAYS faithful, He is ALWAYS the same.

” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8


God is not a liar – His word is always true, you can count on Him! You can depend on His promises.
” God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Since the beginning of time the sun has come up every morning and set each evening, the tides ebb and flow, the seasons change but as constant as those things are they won’t last forever but God’s word will always remain the same.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

You can depend on God’s faithfulness. He has always been there and will always continue to be!

“The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.[b] I am the one who is, who always was, and who is coming. I am the All-Powerful.” Revelation 1:8 ERV

Trust in Him today!

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