Seek the Kingdom of God............

Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33) 

www.bibletourwithjoline.blogspot.com
www.bibletourwithjoline.com
www.bib letouravecjoline.blogspot.com

Striving for the kingdom of God means to always stand for what’s right, but it is a difficult thing to accomplish; it takes determination because when you are in the process of changing, you have to expect opposition and so coming from unlikely places. As you are changing family and friends may turn their backs on you. People fear the unknown and the person you’re becoming is unknown, a stranger to them and they will be afraid and they may even call you a few names such as weirdo, extremist, just to name a few. The truth is you will also be puzzled by the transformation. You will lose interest in certain familiar things because you are “under construction”. The old you will start dying in order to make room for the new anointed you. It can be a very lonely place to be but I am urging to keep on and move forward by continuing to follow God. It may be confusing now but it’s going to make sense soon. You are going to find out that you are indeed an extremist: extremely blessed, extremely prosperous, extremely smart, extremely excited and extremely changed and anointed child of God. 

When you are saved, turn your life over to Christ (born again), the Holy Spirit begins to work within you and brings the best out of you. Your perspective on life changes because you will learn to walk by faith and not by sight. It will not matter what you are going through in life. You will learn to trust the word of God and you will always have peace in the midst of your storm. It is an exciting transformation and the people who are close to you may become intimidated because as you spend more time reading the word of God and growing spiritually, you end up spending less time with your family and friends and it’s going to take some getting used to. You have to find a way to communicate to love ones what’s happening to you and hopefully they will understand, but if they chose to forsake you or ridicule you, don’t panic. God has a way of accepting those who are forsaken and He certainly bless those who put Him first. When you give God’s word your full attention you will find true happiness and fulfillment you never thought possible and you can be assure that you will never face another lonely day in your life because the Holy Spirit will always be with you. Friend, embrace who you are becoming in Christ Jesus. Enjoy the person God created you to be, and savor the transformation, don’t resist it. Find balance in the word and be blessed. 


Praise the Lord!

Psalm 44

We have heard it with our ears, O God;
    our ancestors have told us 
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago. 
² With your hand you drove out the nations
    and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish. 
³ It was not by their sword that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm, 
    and the light of your face, for you loved them.

⁴ You are my King and my God, 
    who decrees^[c] victories for Jacob.
⁵ Through you we push back our enemies;
    through your name we trample our foes.
⁶ I put no trust in my bow, 
    my sword does not bring me victory;
⁷ but you give us victory over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame. 
⁸ In God we make our boast all day long, 
    and we will praise your name forever.^[d]

⁹ But now you have rejected and humbled us; 
    you no longer go out with our armies. 
¹⁰ You made us retreat before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered us.
¹¹ You gave us up to be devoured like sheep 
    and have scattered us among the nations. 
¹² You sold your people for a pittance, 
    gaining nothing from their sale.

¹³ You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, 
    the scorn and derision of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ I live in disgrace all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame 
¹⁶ at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

¹⁷ All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; 
    you covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 
²¹ would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart? 
²² Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

²³ Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? 
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. 
²⁴ Why do you hide your face 
    and forget our misery and oppression?

²⁵ We are brought down to the dust; 
    our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us;
    rescue us because of your unfailing love.

Psalm 43

Vindicate me, my God,
    and plead my cause 
    against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
    deceitful and wicked. 
² You are God my stronghold.
    Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning, 
    oppressed by the enemy? 
³ Send me your light and your faithful care, 
    let them lead me; 
let them bring me to your holy mountain, 
    to the place where you dwell. 
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God, my joy and my delight. 
I will praise you with the lyre, 
    O God, my God.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.