Tag Archives: inspirational words for living

Sep6

Strength that Endures the Unendurable

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“We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—
not the grim strength of gritting your teeth
but the glory-strength God gives.
It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy…”
Colossians 1:11 (MSG)
 

Are you enduring something today that seems “unendurable?”  Perhaps you are suffering through pain or heartbreak that feels unbearable, like you don’t have the stamina to take another step. Or maybe you are living through oppressive circumstances that seem impossible to tolerate, and you are completely depleted of your own energy.

The great news is that God gives “glory-strength” to His children, which allows us to endure the seemingly unendurable. The strength of the Lord will support you and carry you through your time of suffering. His divine power source gives you the inner fortitude to stick it out over the long haul, and it’s a source of energy that is readily available and constantly renewable.  Each one of God’s children has a direct pipeline to this heavenly power supply, so there will never be an energy crisis with God’s children!

The truly beautiful thing about the uplifting strength that God’ provides is that it spills over into joy. Once you tap into the glory-strength of God, you realize that with Him, you can endure anything! And that wonderful realization brings about a pure joy which bubbles up from inside and spills into all areas of your life. Your circumstances might not have changed one bit, but you have been infused with a glorious strength to endure the unendurable!

“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. ”
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
Jun30

Your Hiding Place from the Storms of Life

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You are my hiding place from every storm of life;
You even keep me from getting into trouble!
You surround me with songs of victory.
Psalm 32:7 (TLB)

Are you weathering a life storm right now?  Do you feel that unrelenting difficulties are battering your daily activities, knocking you off course?  Has an area of extreme turbulence settled in over your home? Are fierce waves of heartache rolling incessantly?

As a child of God, His protection of you is limitless and takes many forms.  During stormy periods in life, He is your hiding place…your storm shelter.  He is a refuge that surrounds you and protects you while the crisis rages on around you. He’s the place you run to until the danger has passed over, and He’s there to calm and comfort you, hiding you in the safety of His presence…surrounding you with songs of victory. So if you need protection from a life storm, run to the loving arms of your Heavenly Father. Imagine Him holding you securely, shielding you from harm, and singing songs to calm your anxieties and quiet your fears until the tempestuous difficulties are over. He is your hiding place from every storm of life!

How wonderful are the good things
    you keep for those who honor you!
Everyone knows how good you are,
    how securely you protect those who trust you.
You hide them in the safety of your presence
Psalm 31:19 – 20a (GNT)
 
The Lord will keep you from all harm— He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  
Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV)
Feb21

A New Perspective

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The Lord helps the fallen

and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.

Psalm 145:14 (NLT)

As I awaited departure for my flight home, I worried that my trip would be delayed or cancelled due to the ominous appearance of the brewing winter storm.  The dark, billowing clouds matched my dreary mood.  Thankfully, the flight took off as scheduled, and we ascended through the turbulent mass of clouds.  For a while, I saw nothing out of my window seat view except gray wisps of thick foggy vapor mixed with icy rain droplets streaking across my window.  As the plane punched through the cloud ceiling and reached its cruising altitude, I was blinded by the glorious light of the setting sun.  My spirit instantly brightened, and it amazed me to think about the stark contrast of this majestic site above the cloud canopy, compared to the gloomy conditions below.

This experience reminded me of how often we allow burdensome circumstances in life to weigh us down and make us feel that we are “bent beneath our loads.”   Our outlook is gloomy because we only focus on the worrisome details of our lives, and we lose sight of the fact that the Son is up above us watching over every moment of our day.  He cares about our burdens and wants to lift us up and give us a new perspective.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came to His ears.  He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under His feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His canopy around Him— the dark rain clouds of the sky.  Out of the brightness of His presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.”  2 Samuel 22:7,10-13,17

Your distress might be in the form of financial struggles, a health crisis, career concerns, parenting issues, addiction battles or relationship strife.  But regardless of what load you are carrying, it can be overwhelming.  God listens to each whispered prayer, and your cry for help reaches His ears –He loves you and He wants to help.  He will lift up those bent beneath their load.  He doesn’t always completely remove the burden, but by lifting your focus from doom and gloom to His majestic glory, your soul is strengthened, and you will have renewed stamina to keep moving forward.

“…the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.”

Psalm 146:8 (NIV)

Jan20

Heavenly Hugs

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Beloved

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him,
for He shields him all day long,
and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.”

Deuteronomy 33:12b (NIV)

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him:

As a child of God, you are dearly loved and cherished by your Heavenly Father.  You are a treasure to Him, and in Him you can rest peacefully and securely.  He will never leave you alone, and His faithful love for you will never end.   No matter what your age, this is God’s promise to His beloved child,”Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4

He shields him all day long:

God is a shield of protection for His children.  In His protective care, we have nothing to fear.  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 (NIV)   “But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3 (NIV)

The one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders:

As a child you might have run into your father’s arms if you were hurt or afraid, or even when you were tired and sleepy. In his arms you felt safe and secure, as though nothing could happen to you in that place of refuge. You could lay your head between his shoulders an totally relax, seemingly without a care in the world.  If you are going through a difficult time right now, imagine your Heavenly Father holding you in His loving arms.  Relax in His divine embrace and feel His heavenly hug. ~ His beloved child rests securely between His shoulders:

  • If you are afraid, He calms your fears.
  • If you are in pain, He comforts you.
  • If you are sick, He heals you.
  • If you are heart-broken, He consoles you.
  • If you are in danger, He protects you.
  • If you are weary, He gives you rest.
  • If you are discouraged, He encourages you.
  • If you are weary, He gives you rest…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” ~Jesus  Matthew 11:28(NIV)

“…and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”  Deuteronomy 1:31

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11

Sep15

Butterfly Wings

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Orange Butterfly dry brush copy

“Yet God has made everything beautiful in its own time.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11a (NLT)

The wondrous transformation of a grubby caterpillar into a graceful butterfly is one of the most fascinating processes in nature.  The last important phase of the complete metamorphosis includes the newly formed butterfly’s struggle to emerge from its gauzy cocoon.  As the new creature works to free itself from the cocoon encasing, fluid is pumped into its delicate wings.  If someone from the outside tries to “help” the butterfly by ripping open the cocoon, the butterfly’s wings will never be fully developed, nor strong enough, for flight.  So the struggle to emerge from its protective covering is perhaps the most critical step in the butterfly’s preparation for its new life of flight.  Without the struggle, the butterfly will never be capable of flight.

Compare this process to your own life.  Are you struggling through some sort of difficulty right now?  At the moment it is impossible to envision any sort of “beauty” that could emerge from the ugliness of your circumstances.  Perhaps you long for an easy way out of your problems.  You wish that someone would come along and make everything “right” again.

But remind yourself that as you work though your challenges, you are becoming stronger.  Your “faith muscles” are being groomed and strengthened.  God will use this hardship to transform your development as a believer, and you will emerge from your trials with stronger faith than you ever would have experienced without the struggle.

Remember that you are not alone during this rough time.  God promises to be with you through every difficult circumstance.  Turn to Him and seek His guidance to help you solve your problems.  Ask Him to give you the strength to endure the trial.  Trust Him completely and know that you will come out on the other side of the challenge as a well-developed child of God, ready to face a new phase in life.

Most of all, remember that God makes everything beautiful in its own time.  Wait patiently to see the beauty that will emerge from your struggles.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.
You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.
So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.
Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. “
James 1:2-4 MSG