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keep praying
keep standing firm keep moving forward
and believing this will not
overwhelm you
have you ever noticed how life can
spring up on you with no warning
when you're least prepared that's when
the problem arises
when you least expect it that's when
hardship
knocks at your door now we can
wallow in our thoughts and get depressed
thinking if this had happened two months
ago i could have
dealt with it i had the money back then
i
had the time i wasn't as busy back then
i had access to those resources back
then if only
but thinking like this never helps
we all have to face our own tribulations
we all have to face our own hardships
and the fact is
we don't get to choose when
god is good all the time and all the
time
god is good and as true as that
is our life will not always be a bit of
roses
for all of us because we need resistance
we need challenges we need opposition to
push us
so that we can break through the shell
of being comfortable
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i have come to the realization
that i need jesus
i need him i need his love
his mercy his presence
i simply need jesus christ
in my life i need him to preserve me
i need him to provide for me and to
protect me
and i can say this now because once upon
a time
i tried to do things on my own
i tried to fight battles with my own
strength
but i failed i've tried
to find my own way through life but i
have gone round
and round in circles every time i tried
it
every time i tried to take matters into
my own hands
i failed i encourage you to be
all in for god i believe this is a time
a season for us to not just chase after
god
but to burn for him i believe that this
is a time for us as children of god
to burn with a pure and holy passion
this is a time to wait upon the lord
and renew our strength it is a time to
mount up with wings as eagles
to run and not be weary to walk and not
faint
keep praying keep standing firm
keep moving forward and believing
this will not overwhelm you
you see at times we all need to be
placed in a place of difficulty
we at times need to be placed right in
the middle of a storm
because it will bring out a deeper
intensity
in our prayer lives we need a battle to
keep us on fire
for the lord because there is a danger
in us
becoming comfortable
there's a danger in us becoming
complacent
if everything is good all the time
now don't get me wrong the only thing
constant is jesus christ
he is the same yesterday today
and forever help me lord
as i hold on to your word that says i
lift up my
eyes to the heels from where does my
help come
my help comes from the lord the lord who
made heaven and earth
my help to overcome adversity is found
in you jesus
my strength to conquer every demon and
every obstacle
is drawn from christ
we may not enjoy difficult times
we may not enjoy tough times or
challenges
however there is no denying that when
you are in the middle of great
difficulty
when you're in the middle of a storm
you pray with fire
you pray with passion imagine
being on the mount of olives when jesus
was praying
in luke 22. imagine
hearing the sheer intensity he prayed
with
when he said the words father
if you are willing remove this cup from
me
nevertheless not my will but
yours be done
this was just before he was betrayed
he knew the pain and suffering that was
to come
he knew the task at hand he knew the
size of the sacrifice
he was to make luke 22 verse 44
says and being in agony
he prayed more earnestly and his sweat
became like
great drops of blood falling down to the
ground
such was the weight he was under
such was a passion behind his prayer
that his sweat
became like drops of blood
or how about paul and silas
imagine listening to them as they prayed
they were in prison they were chained
it was cold it was uncomfortable
but they were still praying
they were still praising the lord can
you just imagine
the passion in their voices
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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
because first thessalonians 5 verse 17
says
pray without ceasing
and the amplified translation says be
unceasing
and persistent in prayer
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there is no condition to this bible
verse it's a simple
statement praying without ceasing
meaning whatever is happening whatever's
been said about you
whatever has happened to you never
stop praying
now 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 to 14 says brothers
i do not consider that i have made it on
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 christ jesus
in other words saints press on
and the final statement was this will
not
overwhelm you this won't overwhelm you
because
isaiah 40 verse 31 says they who wait on
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 faint
the bible is filled with men and women
of god who went through
trials trials that produced giant
prayers
trials that produced passionate prayers
burning prayers
to the lord when hezekiah became deathly
ill
and the prophet isaiah came to him with
a message from god
that he would die the bible says in
second kings chapter 20
verse 2 and 3 then hezekiah
turned his face to the wall and pray to
the lord
saying now o lord please
remember how i have walked before you in
faithfulness
and with a whole heart and have done
what is good
in your sight and hezekiah wept
bitterly can you begin to imagine
the passion behind that prayer
imagine being in the room and listening
to hannah
praying desperately for her son
imagine being in the vicinity when blind
bartimaeus was shouting jesus
son of david have mercy on me
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imagine being there in jonah chapter 2
verse 1
where the bible says then jonah prayed
to the lord his god
from the stomach of the fish all of
these are examples
of hard tough and challenging situations
but equally they are all occasions that
produce
passionate prayers to the lord
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 fervency 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
he 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
keep god first and you will lack for
nothing
let him rearrange your priorities and he
will rearrange your life
change starts from the heart and god is
interested in the heart
not in your looks or how much you're
giving
give god the throne to your heart
and he will change your desires and
enable you to be truly satisfied
in him take a moment to think about
what's important
in the grand scheme of things everything
on this earth is temporary
and fleeting none of it will last
but god's kingdom will never end
for that reason he is the only one
worthy of our devotion
he is the only one we should be focused
on
no matter what everyone else is doing
keep god first no matter what season of
life you're in keep god first
because the treasures of this earth are
passing away
all of our earthly pursuits will let us
down
in the end so store up your treasure in
heaven
where nothing can be destroyed
jesus said seek first the kingdom of god
and the rest will be added to you he
will provide for your ever need
so what do you do when you are in a
season of peace and blessings
you call on god you thank him and you
praise him
how about when you've lost everything
when you've been disappointed or feel
rejected
you still call on god regardless of the
season you are in
god is still god
hebrews 13 verse 8 says that jesus
christ is the same yesterday
and today and forever
one of the descriptions i love about him
says
i am who is who was
and who is to come so he
is a good god he will restore you
he will deliver you call
on god
the fact that you are in difficult times
or difficult situations
may not be your doing but it is the
strength of your faith that will get you
out of it
i pray that you have the kind of faith
that can deal with ambiguity
what if the worst thing that can happen
happens
what if you don't know what if you can't
see
what if you don't have the answers what
if there
is no cure i pray you have the faith
that can withstand the attack of what
ifs
i pray you have the type of faith that
can withstand the stormiest seasons
the word of god in romans 10 17 says
faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of god so let me ask you
what are you spending your time and
listening to podcasts aren't a bad thing
but will they grow your belief the radio
sports commentary talk shows what will
that all do
to and for your faith what you
feed will grow what you feed always
grows
it is a principle of god feed your
faith grow your faith
make a conscious decision to starve all
doubts
starve insecurity starve fear
don't dwell on those thoughts but focus
on feeding your
faith imagine hearing this daily
ephesians 6 verse 10 finally
be strong in the lord and in the power
of his might
luke 10 verse 19 behold i give unto you
power to tread on
serpents and scorpions and over all the
power of the enemy
and nothing shall by any means hurt you
exodus 14 verse 14 the lord will fight
for you
and you shall hold your peace imagine
what that could do
to and for your faith if you were to
meditate on it
and hear it daily faith is
vital for a believer faith pleases
god in the book of hebrews it says
without
faith it is impossible to please god so
faith is important to all of us as a
child of god
you have the word of god available to
you so tap
into that build your faith so that it
moves
mountains imagine getting to heaven and
realizing that the faith you had
available on earth
was so powerful but you never truly
tapped into it
so from today make a decision a decision
to grow your faith
a decision to be blind to what you see
and use the faith of god to be your
vision
it may look hopeless now but have faith
that jesus christ delivers
you may be desperate now have faith god
will provide
maybe there looks to be no way out have
faith that god will make away when there
seems to be no way
when the doctors give you a report that
isn't what you want to hear
have faith that god is your healer when
you're emotionally wounded
god the holy spirit is your comforter
live by the words of the song that says
on christ the solid rock i stand
all other ground is sinking sand
grow your faith live by
faith
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we all have our flaws but rather than
beat yourself up about your
imperfections
your weaknesses your shortcomings i want
you to see yourself through the eyes of
god
god sees you and considers you to be
precious
so precious that he sent his son to
provide the way for you
to give back to where you belong which
is in right standing and sweet
fellowship
with him god sees you not only as what
you are
but as what you are becoming the command
is to walk
or live by what god has to say about you
not by the opinions of man
in jesus you should see yourself living
free of guilt and shame from the enemy
free from condemnation in jesus
you should see yourself living free from
confusion anger and fear
but instead live in peace with boldness
and self-control
see yourself healed and restored and for
anyone struggling to see themselves
through the eyes of the lord take jesus
to the place your heart was broken
take him to the place where you were
hurt take him to that place
where you heard the stinging criticism
that cut you to the core
because the bible says he makes the
broken hearted well
and puts oil on their wounds
there's no pit so deep that god can't
lift you out of it
and dust you off there's nothing so dark
that god's light can't shine into
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remember who you are saint of god the
devil is busy and wants to eliminate you
however he can
it is so easy to fall into the trap of
negativity and toxic experiences
it's all around us every day from the
songs we hear on the radio
to the evil things that come on
television it infiltrates our home
work and ears sometimes before we can
even catch it
it latches on to us like a parasite
sucking the very essence of god's glory
from us
it can make you feel sick depressed or
even angry
pay attention to what is taking up space
in your life and causing toxic
vibes if it is negative we must rid
ourselves of it
our father wants us to be at peace and
fulfill our purpose for his kingdom
he wants us to be a cheerful people the
bible says in john 14
verse 27 peace i leave with you
my peace i give to you not as the world
gives do i give to you
let not your heart be troubled neither
let it be afraid
we cannot be at peace when we allow
negativity to block our destiny
sometimes we have to cut stuff off
so know when to walk away saints of god
cast your cares upon the lord and he
will take care of you he will provide
new
relationships finances that job
friends or whatever it is that you need
trust his word and stand in
faith knowing that you cut down those
toxic weeds of negativity
before they had a chance to choke out
god's plan for your life
there's nothing more powerful than your
faith
when you believe that's what activates
god's power
so have a heart that is filled with
expectancy for god to do
something the key is your faith
when you believe when you expect
tell yourself my breakthrough is coming
my healing is coming say it speak it
believe it it will
change god has all power
reach out and touch him release your
faith
opposition might be there but fight
through
fight for your faith
look at the woman with the issue of
blood she had to fight through the crowd
to get to jesus
that was her belief and expectation
that gave her the strength to fight
through that crowd
that crowd for you might represent
past broken dreams past hurt
past pain or guilt that you have to
fight through
you need to activate your faith and
believe
that things are turning in your favor
you may not see a way
but trust god will make a way
can your faith be seen do you talk like
it's going to happen
do you act like you're expecting it to
happen
activate your faith
faith is your perspective one of the
most common phrases we hear today
is walk by faith and not by sight
walk by faith not
by sight this actually means
i by myself am blind
and faith is my vision
faith is your perspective i once was
blind
but now i see that's faith
not my will but thy will faith
letting go and letting god that's faith
casting your burdens onto jesus
releasing your doubts
your insecurities your worries troubles
and situations to god that's
faith spiritual conviction
rather than proof that's faith
the assurance of things hoped for with
the conviction of things not seen
faith is your belief have
the faith to believe that provision
is on its way abundance is
on its way so make a decision
to take god at his word and believe that
nothing is impossible for him or
through him this belief the sort of
belief that
leads to experience begins with the
knowledge of the word of god
we know that faith comes by
hearing and hearing by the word of god
have the faith to believe god's word in
the book of jeremiah that says
for i know the plans i have for you
declares the lord
plants to prosper you and not to harm
you
plans to give you hope and a future
you see the secret to faith comes in the
release
when you decide to keep holding on to
your problems holding on to your worries
your fears and frustrations then god
cannot intervene how can he touch your
situation
when you're holding on to it how can god
intervene when you are taking ownership
of it all
so release it releasing all those things
means releasing your faith
that's what it takes to be more than a
conqueror
that's what is necessary handing it over
to god
that's why jesus said not my will
but thy will that means releasing
all fear all anxiety
all worry all stress and saying
god here it is
you deal with it i can't handle it but
god you can
release it turn it over to god
when you reach the point where you say i
can't fix this i can't move this
but god you can that's faith
now listen to this carefully faith is
the only time
you are allowed to quit quit
on trying to do it all tell god about it
and leave it to him your reality
is created through your faith abraham
had faith
he was called to willingly sacrifice his
only son
because he had faith that god would
provide
the woman with an issue of blood
released her problem and had
faith after trying everything she knew
after trying all the medical practices
available
she had faith so even now
in this moment have faith
believe even now
despite what life looks like in this
moment
have faith even now believe that god
will
intervene with your family your son your
daughter
your marriage your finances your job
even now healing is yours
peace is yours
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keep praying keep standing firm
keep moving forward and believing
this will not overwhelm you
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you