Where are you Lord?

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others-- it only leads to harm .For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land .In a little while, the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.
Psalms 37:7-10

Where is God when we are hurting, wondering if we'll survive one more day? Where is He when the troubles of this life are pressing us down? Where is He when we are at the end of our rope, barely hanging? Does He see? Does He care? Will He deliver us? How much longer must we wait? Why must we struggle when the people who don't know God seem to be getting blessed?We ask ourselves such questions all the time.

God's people are depressed because they don't trust Him. God is always ready to bless and to give abundantly; we are the ones who are not ready to receive. God urges His children to come to Him with all request but what do we do? We complain instead of approaching Him in Faith. (Firm belief that we will receive what we ask Him for in prayers). "Faith" is what moves the hand of God. There is a difference between praying, telling your father your problems instead of complaining. God wants His children to love Him and loves give birth to trust. Sadly we are unable to trust Him because we don't love him enough. We have a giving father who proves His love by sending His precious son to die. Everything His done before, He knows how to do well and He will do again for you. He has the power to do for you things He never even done before. You have a father who does not need to clone. He creates anew. He wants to do things in your life that would make your mouth drop with amazement if you would just trust Him completely.

It is the will of God for you to receive your victory in all circumstances. He already told you the outcome of your enemies (read Psalms 37 again). Have the courage to trust Him. Will you wait on Him? Wait a little longer.

Friend, we are serving the living God of Abraham, Israel and Jacob, the Almighty God who brought His people from slavery into a land of milk and honey. We are serving the God of Daniel, The King of Kings. Nothing is impossible to Him. Open the door of your heart and receive is limitless possibilities this morning. You are His child, and He loves you. Embrace His love today and be blessed. You are His favorite child. He had "you" in mind when He sent Jesus to die on the cross. He loves "you"
yes even "you". He loves you that much. Let Him wrap His loving harm around you and carry you from victory to victory.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 39

 I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

4 Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

My Comforter....

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

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The word “weary” means no vigor, no energy and exhausted in strength. We often feel weary because of everything that’s going on in this world. We often find ourselves looking for comfort, looking for peace in all the wrong places. But God design a system for us to get blessed and to find rest from our weariness. We have the Holy Spirit. God understands that at times we would be weary. Jesus must have been weary on His way to Calvary.

The Holy Spirit is a real person who came to reside within the believer on the day of he/she is saved. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)

“Come to me” is an invitation, He will not intervene unless you invite Him in. We tend to tell our friends everything about our lives but we tend to be too polite when it comes to God. We don’t want to bother Him; we pray for a few second, we don’t spend the time to tell Him about all that is in our heart. He is omniscient, all knowing but you still need to tell me about your trouble because only God can give the rest, the comfort that you are looking for.

I can’t say it enough, come to God, and stop telling the people who are unable to help. Call on the true comforter, the Holy Spirit and get the real comfort. He will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), in addition to God real comfort.

Praise the Lord!

Arms of Love.......

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20  

“For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

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The Greek word for unconditional, unfailing, and self-sacrificing love is agape. Love is of great importance to Jesus. So much so that He decided to willingly offer His own life to save others. He left His kingdom for a period of time to be here on earth despite the humiliating death that He knew was waiting. Do you understand what sacrifice that was? Luke 22: 27 says, For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. Jesus the King of kings became a servant. Jesus forsook himself and all that heaven represented to Him for about 33 years. Just for you. Just for me. Hallelujah!

As great as His coming and dying was, it wasn't enough for Jesus. He could have easily lived in waiting for His death but He chose to heal the sick, feed the poor, and drive out demons. He even raises the widow's son from the dead. His compassionate and loving heart had and still has no limit. My dear friend, God loves you so dearly. His heart's desire is to live in yours. He gave His best (His life) as substitution for yours. He deserves you devotion. He deserves to have complete control of your heart. There is nothing more precious than the gift of love and in this world we strive for it. We look for it in all the wrong places and yet the "agape" kind of love that Jesus is offering is available to all who wants to receive it, and this is not the kind of love that make us weak in the knees. It is, however, the kind that builds you up and transforms your life. This is the kind of love worth finding. 

Would you give Jesus your heart today? He is longing to be in your life. He wants a relationship with you. He says that He would not turn you away.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20

And Father, I grateful I am for your love! Thank you for seeking me when I voluntarily hide from you. Thank for the sacrifice at Calvary. I honor you and praise you for only you are holy and only are worthy and only you are God

Praise the Lord!

In the Arms of Love.............

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20  

“For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

www.bibletourwithjoline.com

www.bibletourwithjoline.blogspot.com

The Greek word for unconditional, unfailing, and self-sacrificing love is agape. Love is of great importance to Jesus. So much so that He decided to willingly offer His own life to save others. He left His kingdom for a period of time to be here on earth despite the humiliating death that He knew was waiting. Do you understand what sacrifice that was? Luke 22: 27 says, For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. Jesus the King of kings became a servant. Jesus forsook himself and all that heaven represented to Him for about 33 years. Just for you. Just for me. Hallelujah!

As great as His coming and dying was, it wasn't enough for Jesus. He could have easily lived in waiting for His death but He chose to heal the sick, feed the poor, and drive out demons. He even raises the widow's son from the dead. His compassionate and loving heart had and still has no limit. My dear friend, God loves you so dearly. His heart's desire is to live in yours. He gave His best (His life) as substitution for yours. He deserves you devotion. He deserves to have complete control of your heart. There is nothing more precious than the gift of love and in this world we strive for it. We look for it in all the wrong places and yet the "agape" kind of love that Jesus is offering is available to all who wants to receive it, and this is not the kind of love that make us weak in the knees. It is, however, the kind that builds you up and transforms your life. This is the kind of love worth finding. 

Would you give Jesus your heart today? He is longing to be in your life. He wants a relationship with you. He says that He would not turn you away.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20

And Father, I grateful I am for your love! Thank you for seeking me when I voluntarily hide from you. Thank for the sacrifice at Calvary. I honor you and praise you for only you are holy and only are worthy and only you are God

Praise the Lord!

The Lord is my Hope!

O Lord, you alone are my hope. I've trusted you, O LORD, from childhood. Psalm 71:5

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.  Psalm 62:5

David, a man after God’s heart, was jealous. He could not understand why people who don’t love God prosper while those who honor God were facing hardship, and David said, “When I thought about this it was too painful for me.” Think about it for a second, does it make sense to you that people who have no sense of love, dedication or commitment, those who make fun of you for going to church, or for waiting on God to meet that special someone, to get the perfect job, and to buy your first home, those people are married, or switching girlfriends/boyfriends on a regular basis. They own the apartment you are renting and unable to pay for. They enjoy excellent health, while you have been dealing with various health challenges. It just doesn’t seem fair, does it? David says, “They are blessed, they have more than their heart can wish” David continues, “I just can’t take it.” And God says, “You are looking at them at the wrong time. You are looking at them in the morning. It’s morning in their lives. Like in nature in the morning the flowers bloom, but when the hot sun starts beating down, they wither and die.”

Friend, there is no need to be jealous, David realized that and he saw the light later on and he admitted in Psalm 73. One day, you too, will come to the sunrise of your life. Every moment, every sacrifice, and all challenges are bringing you closer to that sunrise. What good is money? What good is power? What good is a great relationship? What good is any of it when the sun goes down?  What we hope for apart from God can be wonderful, positive and life but what if it doesn't come to pass?  What if we never get it? What do we do then? Do we go crazy? You see, hope in God never disappoint. Friend, you should focus on Christ. He went to prepare a place for you. If you think those who don’t love the Lord are having a great time now, you should see what the righteous are going to enjoy in heaven. 

There are people who rejected Christ and yet still enjoying His mercy and goodness but there will be a time when it will all come to an end. They will know no more mercy and grace. They will know the wrath of God, while we enjoy His love. What else do you need when you have Jesus? You have His peace (financial, marital). When you have Jesus, you have someone to love you unconditionally (will never leave you), you have someone to own you (handle all your challenges). When you have Jesus, you have total acceptance. Your days of getting rejected are for ever gone, you now have acceptance. When you have Jesus, you have someone who will be able to find you in the midst of your darkest hour; in your deepest loneliness, you will have someone to comfort you. Psalm 23:3 says, when you have God, you have someone to restore your soul. Glory! The hurt, pain, hardship, rejection, loneliness, are all temporary. 

Friend, don’t worry that you haven’t come across all that is in store for you. The joy of the fact that you are a child of God should be present in your life. That joy should remain in you until the appointed day when you are with your savior face to face. Now the world may not know it, but you have something that can’t be taken away. You have a seat in the kingdom of God, and if you are in the middle of a storm right now, don’t worry. You are not alone; Psalm 23: 4 assures us that He is with us. Those who have God have it all, and the best is yet to come. 

"No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame" (Psalm 25:3)

Praise the Lord!

Warning....This song is one of my all time favorites. It might reduce you to tears.

Prayer for Rescue From Enemies

Psalm 35

1        Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;

    fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield and armor;
    arise and come to my aid.
3 Brandish spear and javelin[a]
    against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
    “I am your salvation.”

4 May those who seek my life
    be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
    be turned back in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7 Since they hid their net for me without cause
    and without cause dug a pit for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—
    may the net they hid entangle them,
    may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
    and delight in his salvation.
10 My whole being will exclaim,
    “Who is like you, Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
    the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

11 Ruthless witnesses come forward;
    they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good
    and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
    and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14     I went about mourning
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[b]
    they gnashed their teeth at me.

17 How long, Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their ravages,
    my precious life from these lions.
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
    among the throngs I will praise you.
19 Do not let those gloat over me
    who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
    maliciously wink the eye.
20 They do not speak peaceably,
    but devise false accusations
    against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we have seen it.”

22 Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent.
    Do not be far from me, Lord.
23 Awake, and rise to my defense!
    Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
    do not let them gloat over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
    or say, “We have swallowed him up.”

26 May all who gloat over my distress
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
    be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication
    shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
    who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
    your praises all day long.

Peace I Leave You.........

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

How true is that! God does keep all His promises. Many years ago, I thought I would never experience peace again. After my mother died, I promised myself that I would never smile again. I made the decision to be miserable.  It is ironic how we are sometimes our own enemy! But, in the years since my mother's passing, I have smiled, and I have even  laughed. God has blessed our family in ways that I never thought possible. We now have peace. Thank God for His goodness, mercy and grace. God has a way of working with us through our hardship and pain and little by little restore the joy in our hearts. God is good. He does not give up on His children. His promises of peace, like all the others, is a promise we can rely on. God expects us to know that he keeps his promises, and can be trusted. You and I must believe that God can and will do what He says will do. Friend, God keeps his promises. It may have been two years or  twenty five years since the promise had been given, but at the appointed time the promise will be fulfilled. God can be relied upon, he can be trusted, and believed on, to do that which he has promised to do. The challenge comes with waiting. We simply do not like to wait. We want it all today and now.

We live in the "microwave era." We want immediate gratification of our wishes and desires. How hard is to wait? Very. Both prophets Isaiah and Malachi talked about promises of God, but the gap between the prophecy of Malachi and its fulfillment with the birth of John was more than four hundred years; whereas the prophecies of Isaiah and the birth of Jesus was about around eight hundred years. God fulfills his promises, and has always proven himself faithful in the past, and He will continue to be faithful. You can and should place your trust in Him. Times are really hard but we can trust God. He promises of peace; therefore, peace is ours.He promises to never leave us alone; therefore we are never alone. Whatever the challenge my dear friend, you can trust God. let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid, is a command. Live in peace. Have faith in God. Remains faithful no matter what comes your way and be blessed!

Father God, thank you for who you are, all you have done, and all you will do in my life. I praise you. I honor you. Amen. 

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 89

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,

4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lordlike unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.

13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

18 For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:

21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.

24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;

31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;

32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.

37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.

41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.

42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.

44 Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.

45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.

46 How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;

ached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

Praise the Lord!