Good morning,
Let us keep on talking about, "count it all joy". "Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and
do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully
developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4) How can we? Why should we? We know that the Word of God says this; "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and
frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be
confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have
deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" (John
16:33) Jesus overcame His trials and tribulations and He gave us the key and the pathway to do it too.
do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully
developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4) How can we? Why should we? We know that the Word of God says this; "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and
frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be
confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have
deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" (John
16:33) Jesus overcame His trials and tribulations and He gave us the key and the pathway to do it too.
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and
the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and
is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for
the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the
cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2)
(Jesus looked beyond the pain, the suffering, the trials, and trouble
of the cross and looked to you and I; the end results of what he was
going through, there he received the joy). Jesus looked beyond the
light momentary affliction and saw us, the joy of going through the
trial and the trouble. You see why now we can do the same. He lived as a
man of God to set the example for
us. Distract means to draw away or to divert the mind or attention; to separate or divide by dissension. Everything
that is trying to occupy your thought life has been sent to try and
divert your attention and mind from focusing on the "One" thing that
will bring you joy. The enemy is successful when he can divide your
thoughts, instead of you placing your mind on the joy of the Lord as
your strength, you spend your thoughts on his lies. We are not in faith,
but worry when our thoughts are spent on the "seen things". Despise means to disdain, or to think little or nothing of. Let's untwist that old thought pattern and set
our eyes on things above; refocus our thought life and have end result
thinking not momentary affliction. Remember Peter on the water, as long
as he focused on Jesus, kept his eyes on the
Promise he was able to walk on the water, which is doing the
impossible, but the moment he put his eyes on what was happening around
him, he begin to sink. "And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus, but when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]!" (Matt. 14:28-30) Just
like Peter as long as we look away from all that will distract; trials,
testing, tribulations, and stay focused on Jesus and the promises of
the Word, that's when our joy will be fulfilled! [that is real
water-walking] Fix your eyes on what God has promised you personally,
and in His Word, keep your eyes on that despite the loud turmoil, for God
cannot lie. His Word
to you is yes and Amen! Think little or nothing of what you are going
through in comparison to the Word of God and the promises you have! Then
we too can find ourselves doing the impossible, walking on the water!
Water walkers stay focused by counting it all joy, looking away from all
that will distract!
the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and
is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for
the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the
cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2)
(Jesus looked beyond the pain, the suffering, the trials, and trouble
of the cross and looked to you and I; the end results of what he was
going through, there he received the joy). Jesus looked beyond the
light momentary affliction and saw us, the joy of going through the
trial and the trouble. You see why now we can do the same. He lived as a
man of God to set the example for
us. Distract means to draw away or to divert the mind or attention; to separate or divide by dissension. Everything
that is trying to occupy your thought life has been sent to try and
divert your attention and mind from focusing on the "One" thing that
will bring you joy. The enemy is successful when he can divide your
thoughts, instead of you placing your mind on the joy of the Lord as
your strength, you spend your thoughts on his lies. We are not in faith,
but worry when our thoughts are spent on the "seen things". Despise means to disdain, or to think little or nothing of. Let's untwist that old thought pattern and set
our eyes on things above; refocus our thought life and have end result
thinking not momentary affliction. Remember Peter on the water, as long
as he focused on Jesus, kept his eyes on the
Promise he was able to walk on the water, which is doing the
impossible, but the moment he put his eyes on what was happening around
him, he begin to sink. "And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus, but when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]!" (Matt. 14:28-30) Just
like Peter as long as we look away from all that will distract; trials,
testing, tribulations, and stay focused on Jesus and the promises of
the Word, that's when our joy will be fulfilled! [that is real
water-walking] Fix your eyes on what God has promised you personally,
and in His Word, keep your eyes on that despite the loud turmoil, for God
cannot lie. His Word
to you is yes and Amen! Think little or nothing of what you are going
through in comparison to the Word of God and the promises you have! Then
we too can find ourselves doing the impossible, walking on the water!
Water walkers stay focused by counting it all joy, looking away from all
that will distract!
Love,
Pastor D.
Daughters of Z 