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have you ever noticed how life can
spring upon you with no warning
when you're least prepared that's when a
problem arises when you least expect it
that's when hardship comes knocking at
your door
now we can wallow in our thoughts and
get depressed thinking oh if this had
happened two months ago I could have
dealt with it I had the money back then
or I had the time or I wasn't as busy I
had access to the resources back then if
only
but thinking like this never helps
we all have to face our tribulations we
all have to face our own hardships and
the fact is
we don't get to choose when and so today
I want to offer you encouragement if you
do find yourself in an unexpected storm
or in a place of difficulty
I'm going to begin by making a few
statements which I pray will resonate
with you in whatever situation you find
yourself in
keep praying
keep standing firm
keep moving forward and believing
this will not overwhelm you
now I don't simply want these statements
to become empty affirmations so let's
pair them up with the word of God
keep praying
why because first Thessalonians 5 verse
17 says pray without ceasing
and the Amplified translation says be
unceasing and persistent in prayer
there's no condition to this Bible verse
it's a simple statement
pray without ceasing meaning whatever is
happening whatever has been said about
you whatever happened to you never stop
praying
the second statement is keep standing
firm keep standing firm because
Ephesians 6 verse 11 says
put on the whole armor of God that you
may be able to stand against the schemes
of the devil
now in order to stand firm you need the
belt of Truth to stand firm you need the
breastplate of righteousness you need
shoes prepared by the gospel of peace
you need the shield of Faith the helmet
of salvation and the sword of the spirit
the third point was keep moving forward
and believing
Philippians 3 verse 13 and 14 says
Brothers I do not consider that I have
made it my own but one thing I do
forgetting what lies behind and
straining forward to what lies ahead
I press on toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Jesus
Christ
in other words Saints Press On
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and the final statement was this will
not overwhelm you
this will not overwhelm you because
Isaiah 40 verse 31 says
they who wait for the Lord shall renew
their strength they shall Mount up with
wings like eagles they shall run and not
be weary they shall walk
and not the thing
never be too quick to fall and be
discouraged when you're faced with
adversity
it could very well be the thing needed
to light a fire
in your faith
adversity and pain is a catalyst for
some of us
it moves us from being lukewarm to
praying with fluency
and for your prayer to be effective
it needs passionate Faith behind it
have you ever noticed how the fire and
intensity you pray with when everything
is good and comfortable in your life
it's very different to how you pray when
you are in a testing season
at times we need to have the presence of
mind to realize that the Lord allows
he allows certain things to happen to us
you allows certain events to take place
all so that we can tap into the next
level of Prayer
our next level of faith
so what you're going through may not be
designed to destroy you
but instead to build you
what you're going through isn't intended
to ruin you
but instead it's all to strengthen you
I pray that the Holy Spirit Will convict
you at this time
may he speak to your heart
may he open your ears and your eyes
I encourage you to begin to speak the
name that is above every other name
that's the name of Jesus Christ
if you can only get his name at the
center of your heart
if you can only get his name
on the throne of your mind
that's when things happen
for those who hunger he's the bread of
life
for those who thirst he is the Fountain
of Living Water
and so begin to confess and declare Lord
Jesus Victory belongs to you Lord Jesus
I am triumphant in you I will overcome
because of you my God
Jesus you're the Cornerstone of my life
you're the Bridge Over Troubled Water
begin to confess his name and declare
who he is
he is the light of my salvation my great
Banner of hope my healer the Waymaker
the Holy One the lion of the tribe of
Judah Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the
Omega he is the author and the finisher
he is Almighty the Everlasting father
no I want you to also be aware that
being in Christ and chasing
righteousness that does not make you
immune from troubles because the
scripture says in Job 14 verse 1 man who
is born of a woman is a few days and
full of trouble
when I read this it hits home
these troubles spoken of are the
troubles that God is saying bring to me
and I will help you
these are the troubles that God is
saying bring to me and I will help
deliver you
as long as you're in your rightful
standing
you will see the hand of God deliver you
as long as you are in your rightful
standing
as long as you are in him in Christ
you will see the hand of God reaching
out and delivering you
I've been fighting season after season
and I'm not just talking about Warfare
in a single area of my life no
I've faced battles within my family
I've had to fight battles concerning my
help
I've even faced battles in my mind
all of these different areas have been
under attack at one point or another
but let me tell you something
I am still standing
I'm standing because of Jesus Christ
I still have strength because the joy of
the Lord is my strength I haven't given
up I haven't thrown in the towel because
I serve an awesome God I serve a big God
an all-powerful and mighty God
perhaps this year has been tough on you
maybe it's been tough for you
perhaps the enemy has been fighting you
in multiple areas but Saints I want to
encourage you to get to the point where
you say enough is enough
tell the devil no more
tell him that this struggle is not your
portion
and I'm talking to the person who's
tired
you're tired of being defeated you're
tired of feeling as though as though you
cannot overcome the mountain that's
before you
if you're at this point
I want you to know that God said I am
who I am for a reason thank you
if you need to be rescued
God says I am your rescue
if you need to be healed
God says I am your healer
if you need your family back together if
you need your marriage restored
God says I am the one who restores
I am the one who mends broken hearts and
I make them whole again
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thank you
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