God Is Really With Us

He shall be called Immanuel, God with us. God is really with us. God is really with you. There are times when we think to ourselves, 'is God really with me?', 'is He really here cause it doesn't feel like it'. We go through many situations that are both good and bad and in these bad situations, we begin to question our belief, we begin to question God's Word but we must remember that He is always with us.

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ^"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 (NKJV)

God sent His only begotten Son into the earth through a virgin birth. Through the birth of Christ, we have someone who is eternally with us. We have God, the Father, we have Jesus, the Son and we have the Holy Spirit. We have the Trinity who is continually for us and not against us and who is always with us. 

The Lord is with us. Jesus is with us. We don't have to question God's presence. He said that He would be with us always even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). We are not alone. A lot of times, the enemy puts negative thoughts in our minds and we believe those lies and then we live them out. The enemy says 'you are not worth it', 'you are all alone, no one wants you', 'your mother and your father forsook you and God has forsaken you' and ' He has forgotten you'. He wants to deceive us and wants us to believe a lie so that we lose faith in God, so that we no longer trust Him and we go further away from Him. In these times, we have to remember what God says in His Word. 

 

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 17:8 (NKJV)

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. Psalm 27:10 (NKJV)

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)

God is the Omnipresent God. He is with us wherever we go. We don't have to be afraid, we don't have to worry. The Lord is with us. David asked the question in Psalm 139, 'where can I go from Your Spirit?'. He asked 'where can I flee from Your presence?'. David realized that he was not alone. He realized that the One who created the heavens and the earth, was with him. Where can we run from God, where can we hide? No where.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:7-10 (NKJV)

In this Christmas season, remember that Jesus is with us. Immanuel is really with us. No matter how the situation may seem, God is really with us. No matter if you have bills to pay and you have no money to buy Christmas presents, God is still with you. He is the same God yesterday, today and forevermore and He is still here with us.

Is There Anything Too Hard For The Lord?

Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Is the hand of the Lord short that He cannot reach us or do what He said He will do? No!! Nothing is hard for God and nothing is impossible with Him. God is able to do more than we can even imagine. He is the uncreated who created all things. If He created the universe and all its planets, surely He can do anything for us, His children.

Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” Genesis 18:9-15 (NKJV)

Sarah was in her old age and she was barren being unable to bring forth a child. I believe that she would have been depressed, sad, angry and asking God many questions. She may have even wondered if something was wrong with her or if she was cursed. But in all of this, God made Abraham a promise, that he would be the father of many nations. When God promises us something, He will do it (2 Peter 3:9). God is not a man that He should lie and His Word will never return unto Him void.

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 (NKJV)

When the situation seems impossible to us, we lose hope and we lose faith. Sometimes we begin to have unbelief thinking that the situation will never be solved, that we will never have enough money to pay for our bills or that we will never get that job. We must remember that nothing is impossible with God. All things are possible with Him. Sarah had unbelief, she laughed when she heard that she would bear a son but we have to continually trust God and believe His promises. His Word is true and it will remain.  

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21). He is the All Powerful, All Consuming God!! Why worry when we have a God who said He will provide for our needs? In these times, we have to remember who God is and what He said in His Word. Reread verses that would have stood out to you before, remember how God brought you through those past situations and then believe. All we have to do is believe and have faith in God. All God wants is for us to fully trust Him. We cannot fully love someone if we do not trust them.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

 Everything is going to work out. He is going to make everything beautiful just in time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Just trust God, just trust in His ability to provide for you and your family. All things are possible with God (Matthew 19:27). 

  

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Jeremiah 32:26-27 (NKJV)

Five Minute Friday ~ Give

Give, give it all, surrender it all. I surrender all to Jesus. I surrender my life, my thoughts, my dreams. I surrender me. Have we fully surrendered everything to God? I know we sing those songs and we say those things but are we truly giving Him our all?

God wants all. He wants it all today. He wants us to give Him our desires, our pain, our thoughts and our entire beings. He wants us for Himself. I don't think that's wrong since He's the One who created us. 

Giving God all, is trusting Him. Trusting that He is more than able to solve the situation that we are in, trusting that He is more than able to provide for all of our needs and trusting that He will give us the desires of our hearts.

Give it all to Him, the One whose burden is light and whose yoke is easy. Give it all to Him, release every care and every worry. God has not created us to carry baggage and burdens. He created us so that we can be free from all oppression and be able to live this life and to live it more abundantly.

What is it today that you haven't given Him? What is it that you are holding onto? What is it that can make you free today if you would just give it to Him.

Give it all to Him.

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Intercession Through Prayer

What is intercession? Intercession is where we pray on the behalf of another person. It is when we pray for someone because of their situation or for any other reason. Intercession is what we are called to do as Christians. It is a part of who we are.

When we intercede, we demonstrate the love of Christ. In Matthew 22:39, it says to love your neighbour as yourself. By loving our neighbours, we pray for them, we bless them and we show the love of Christ towards them. By praying for others, we take self out of the equation and put our neighbours and their needs into it. We no longer consider ourselves and our wants but we consider theirs. By doing this, we show the character of Christ. We show His selflessness and we become more like Him. 

When we intercede, we stand in the gap and we become participants in the spiritual war. God looks for someone who would stand in the gap for persons, governments and nations. God wants us to use the authority that we have through prayer to change what is happening on the earth. We rule through intercession. 

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God. Ezekiel 22:30-31 (NKJV)

We become watchmen on the wall, having eyes to see and ears to hear (Isaiah 21:6-9). We begin to discern what is going on and we are then able to pray more effectively. We are able to block future attacks by the enemy.  As we are watchmen on the wall, we hear the Father's heart and we hear what His will is. Interceding is a serious task as through our intercession, many things can be implemented within the earth and many attacks of the enemy can be hindered.

I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the Lord answered me and said:“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:1-3 (NKJV)

When we intercede, we pray for the will of God to come to pass. When we pray the Lord's prayer, we pray that God's will be done (Matthew 6:9-15). Intercession is praying the heart of the Father and praying for it to come to pass in the earth (Revelations 22:17). We must remember that when we intercede, that we have power. The effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much (1 Kings 13:4-6).

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:“Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel. Joshua 10:12-14 (NKJV)

There are many examples in the Bible of people who interceded. One of the greatest examples is that of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great intercessor. He continually intercedes on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34). We have an advocate and a mediator who prays for us continually night and day, day and night (1 John 2:1). Another example is that of Daniel who interceded for the people, repenting on their behalf and asking for mercy and forgiveness (Daniel 9). Other examples are Moses and Abimelech in Genesis 20:17-18 and  Moses and the Israelites in Deuteronomy 9:11-29.

Intercession must become a part of our daily lives. It is what we are called to do. We are called to exercise our kingly authority and one of the ways of doing that is through intercession.

We rule through intercession.

Five Minute Friday ~ Notice

Sometimes we do so many things and we think that no one notices us, that no one really appreciates what we do and how we do it. Sometimes we think we are doing it for nothing because it all goes unnoticed.

But what we do is not going unnoticed, it is not being taken for granted. God notices us. God sees our efforts. God sees our hardwork. He sees the effort that we put into it. Even though we think that no one appreciates us, God does.

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV)

God appreciates us and He appreciates our serivce unto Him. That's what it is! It is service unto Him and not unto man. When we recognise that what we do is for God, we no longer need to search for appreciation from man. Everything should be done for His glory and for His name.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10 (NKJV)

Don't grow weary in well doing. Don't get tired of what you are doing. Don't say that it is not worth it because it is worth it to God. He sees it as important and He sees it as a demonstration of the love that we have for Him.

Don't give up because you think no one is noticing you. 

God notices you.

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Five Minute Friday ~ Still

What love is this? What love indescribible and uncontainable? What love is this that even though we were sinners, You still loved us. You still chose us inspite of our imperfections, in spite of our sin. You still chose us.

You chose to love us and to send Your only begotten Son to die on the cross for us so that we could have everlasting life, so that we could have an opportunity to know this love and to encounter You.

Still You thought of us and considered us. Still You listened to our prayer, ever inclining Your ears unto us. Still You sit on the throne, ever making intercession for us. Still You love us.

Yet still we may fall or stumble but You are still there for us, You are still faithful to forgive us of all our sins, You still are there to heal and make us new again.

You are still here, You are still with us, You are still God.

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.