Thoughts for Life: A Barrier in Times of Trouble

Deborah Chase-Lauther: "In times of difficulty, when it feels as if trouble is
washing away your foundation like a tsunami, it is easy to let your flesh begin to dominate your thought life.

Feelings of resentment and anger may trigger old wounds that the Lord would desire to heal us of; things that we thought we were "over" can so easily surface when the right wave comes along and pounds relentlessly along those weak stones in our foundation. We find out quickly in times of trouble the areas where we need to grow. (Google image, Hoover dam).

Often it feels like there is a "real" world, and our spiritual life is set apart, but the two are so intimately entwined. Our physical conditions as well as human relationships can trigger great spiritual warfare; then all we can do is stay focused on the Word.

Sometimes what may not seem like a large matter to the "perpetrator" of the trouble can irrigate old scars and cause flare ups of not only fleshly desires but lies of deception we may have believed about ourselves at one time.

"You're not good enough," "The Lord can never use you,"
"You will never overcome this problem."

However, there's good news for the believer.

"When the enemy comes rushing in like a flood, the
Lord will raise up a standard (barrier)."

What a wonderful image. When we are overtaken by torrential pain, and we feel helpless against assault, the Lord is between us and the flood. Much like the Hoover Dam, the Lord's presence and love separates us from ruin.

What is the key? Being on the right side of the standard. When the Lord goes before us, we are protected. When we keep our eyes on the standard we are kept in peace. When we do this, we can then truly rejoice not only in our future restoration from present troubles, but also in the peace and joy that we can experience right now in the midst of deep waters.

May we learn to praise in all circumstances, rejoicing in the hope of salvation and the peace that is ours for the receiving right now."
Submitted by Deborah Chase-Lauther.

What does the Bible say?

Father, we sometimes feel as though our troubles, and those of our family and friends, may be used to weaken our foundation of faith.
We may find that it's easier to just let our flesh begin to dominate our thought and prayer life, and to allow feelings of resentment and anger to trigger some old wounds we thought were dealt with.
We learn quickly that in times of trouble, we have need to grow in our understanding of God's enablement to protect and to help.
When our focus is on God's love for us, and intercede in the Spirit, we can rejoice in the future restoration from the present troubles, and be at peace, which can come right now in the midst of our "deep waters."
Oh, to keep believing in the Ability of the Spirit of Jesus to bring answers for us, and for others, who are experiencing difficult times!
Lord God, we ask for Your guidance and help in the precious name of Jesus, our Savior, that we keep our eyes upon You and Your involvement through the Spirit, to solve problems; the "deep waters" we find ourselves in. Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

Isaiah 59:19 (KJV)"So shall they fear the name of the

Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the

sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the

Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."

Ps. 27:1 (NIV)"The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my
life—of whom shall I be afraid?"

Isaiah 43:1 b-3 a (KJV) “Do not fear, for I have redeemed
you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when
you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze. (v. 3) For I am the Lord

your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . ”

Romans 5:3-4, (KJV)“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing
that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance
produces character, and character produces hope."

Today's quotes-

~ Jill Savage- "Big or small, the hard parts of life can suck the joy right out of our hearts. So how do we love our life when life is hard? When life doesn’t go as expected? When our best laid plans get turned upside down?
What I have learned is that we don’t have to love our circumstances, but we can love how God grows us through our circumstances."

~ Ron Hutchcraft- "I finally woke up to the simple but neglected secret of spiritual power and vibrancy. Making my time with Jesus the non-negotiable of my personal schedule. If I can only do one thing today, it will be this thing - to "sit at His feet, listening" to what He wants to say to me." (Taken from his blog post, Olympic Glory and a Thousand Mornings).

~ Mary Southerland - "No matter where you are, no matter how
hopeless your circumstances may seem, no matter how deep and
dark the pit – He is at work in and around you. Just give up and
surrender the wheel of your life, trusting Him to make a way
where there is no way. (As found in her blog post, Surrender the Wheel
to God. Get Mary’s book, Escaping the Stress Trap)

When Life Is Hard appeared first on Jill Savage.

God is with Us in Dark Times [My blog posting 8/24/13]

Dr. Charles Stanley tells us that "The life of Joseph, [Gen. 39], teaches important principles about challenging times.Here are

three of the lessons we can learn from the adversities he faced:

1. Difficulties will continue until God's purpose is accomplished . . . ."

List of recent sermons of CFC ministers. CFC Potsdam church has a live service at 10 am Sunday's for shut-ins. If for some reason you can't make it to the church you usually attend, click on the above link, and still get fed!