We Were Bought At A Price

This morning while praying I felt led to read from 1 Cor 6-7. There are several things that are in these chapters, but the one that stood out to me was 1 Cor 7:23:


(NIV)1 Corinthians 7:23
"You were bought at a price;..."


As I started meditating on this verse and the surrounding scripture, I got the sense that the Lord had something to say to those that have fallen, those that have back-slidden, those that struggle to hold onto their faith.


The message is quite simple really.  He paid the price for You! You are His!


The enemy would try to convince you that the Father won't take you back because of whatever you have done, or because you rejected or denied Him. The reality is that God paid the price for all your sins, everyone of them, those you commited before knowing Him, and those you committed after knowing him. This salvation that God has purchased is not a one shot opportunity, but rather meant to be eternal.


I was reminded of the parable of the sower and the seed ( Matt 13:3-23 ). We so often read this as a one time event, but the truth of the matter is a farmer sows seed every year, not one time. He also works the soil in between plantings, picking out rocks, killing weeds, etc. The next season he plants seeds he expects that more ground will be fertile and produce a good crop, because he has worked the soil, especially the areas that were previously unproductiive. In the same way, God offers us the opportunity to hear the word, respond to it and become fruitful, over and over.


I am reminded of the parable of the prodigal son ( Luke 15:11-32). Jesus told this story to illustrate the Father's heart towards those that have been in His house, but fallen away, or chosen to live their life outside HI house, pursuing whatever they set their hearts on. The lost son, had some idea of his Fathers heart, but had been listening to the lies of the enemy and was convinced that if he went back, he would never be able to walk in his previous relationship with his father, but at best be a servant. This story was told to expressly show that this is NOT how the Father loves us. He will always welcome his child back, will always restore them to relationship as a son or daughter. He will always be anxiously waiting for their return.


Going back to original verse - we were bought with a price, and we are His. I saw in my minds eye, a garage sale, where the enemy was trying to sell some of the people that had received salvation for next to nothing, convincing them that their worth was either insignificant, or that they were completely unwanted. I saw the Lord walk out, and reclaim each of them, saying very clearly, "This one is mine!"


He paid for each of us, while we were still sinners. We are His. We are always welcomed. It does not matter what we have done, how many times we might have rejected Him or hurt Him. He has already paid the price. He will never relinquish His relationship with us.

Psalm 33: God Sees Us All

This morning I was reading out of Psalm 33 and really like the following verses:


(NIV)Psalm 33:13-15, 18-22
From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; [14] from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth--- [15] he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.


[18] But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, [19] to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. [20] We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. [21] In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. [22] May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.


Yes Lord, you do see all of us, and everything we do. You consider us, our thoughts, our ways and the motives of our hearts. Your eyes are on those who fear You, who revere Your name, who listen to Your word, who are desiring to please You.


Lord we do hope in You. We put our trust in Your Name. You are the all powerful, almighty, omniscient, omnipresent Father, from whom all good things come. You are the God that saves, that redeems, that heals, that provides, that forgives, that acts on our behalf. You truly are our hope, in this age and eternity.

Meditations on Psalm 19

This Morning I was reading from Psalm 19, and these are a couple of thoughts I had as I spent time with God.


(NIV)Psalm 19:12-14
"But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. [13] Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. [14] May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."


As I was reading Psalm 19, the verses listed above stood out to me. Verses 12 & 13 talk about our sinfulness as I understand it. There is in me, hidden faults and sin that I am not yet aware of, things that will be revealed as I draw closer to the Lord and His divine light penetrates deeper into my being. There is also willful sin, that which I am aware of as sin, yet choose to do. 


 Lord, I ask that You would continue to help me become more and more like You. Help me to gain freedom, through Your forgiveness and grace, from all my willful sins and patterns of behavior, as well as those areas yet unknown to me where I am sinning. I want to be like You in all my ways. I thank You that You have paid the price for all my sin, both seen and unseen, known and unknown. You extend forgiveness to us all, for all our sins.


Verse 14 is also so important, that I not only pay attention to my words, but also to what I dwell on in my heart. You pay attention to these both Lord, so should I. Lord help me to put into my heart things that are pleasing to You. I want my thoughts and the things I dwell on to be the things that draw me closer to You. That all might be for Your glory - my words, my thoughts, my actions, my imaginations and my dreams.


I also like the second part of verse 8: "The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." As I think about this, it seems like the commands of the Lord are the illumination that allows us to see and make sense of our surroundings. In the dark, we mistake things, don't perceive things correctly, and generally fumble around. His commands area not only meant to guide us, but to enlighten us as well, help us to understand where we are and where we are going.

The Greatest is Love

(NIV)1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 13
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.


[13] And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."


Part of my morning meditation today and yesterday has been on Love. I think the last line of verse 13 is so important, "But the greatest of these is Love." I am reminded of Jesus statement in John 15:


(NIV)John 15:12-13, 17
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends...17] This is my command: Love each other."


And in John 13:


(NIV)John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”


The Lord clearly communicates the importance of love, not emotional love but sacrificial love, being of utmost importance. Our love is meant to be the primary sign of our following Him. Its meant to bind us together, and fuel our every effort. We are called to love our spouses, love our children, love our parents, love those around us, both in the church and outside the church. We are called to grow in love, even to the point of loving our enemies. This love is meant to be real, pouring out of heart and actions, not just warm and good feelings, but sacrifically laying down our lives - our wants, plans, time, needs, and attention - and turning our focus on those we are meant to love.


As I read these verses I am reminded of the opportunity for growth I have in this area. My tendency is to focus on my own needs and wants, grasping tightly to my life, rather than laying it down.   Lord, I pray that You will help me to live out Your words, putting into practice what I hear.

God Breaks In

This morning I was reading the following section from Acts.


(NIV)Acts 16:22-34
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. [23] After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. [24] When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.


[25] About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. [26] Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. [27] The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. [28] But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” [29] The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. [30] He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [31] They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved---you and your household.”


[32] Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. [33] At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. [34] The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God---he and his whole household.


As I read this, I am amazed at how God chose to work in and through Paul and Silas. Here they are attacked, beaten severely and locked in prison, wounded and bleeding. Yet, in the midst of that severe suffering, Paul and Silas are praying and worshiping God. Their attitude and focus in this situation is amazing, for its because of their following God's direction that they find themselves in jail. If I were in that situation, I would probably be yelling at God, telling Him how I didn't sign up for this type of treatment. 


Its important to note that God didn't put them into this situation, but rather they were being attacked because they had cast a demon out of a woman.  This was an attack from the enemy.


In spite of the situation, its in the place of prayer and worship that God intervenes and sets them completely free from their chains and prison doors. Rather than being concerned about their freedom, they are concerned more for the life of the jailer. In the midst of their suffering, they are concerned for the one who is keeping them captive. As a result of this, the jailer and his whole household are saved.


What an awesome example of how God can intervene in the darkest situation, set us free and then turn the situation into a time of salvation and redemption! No matter how deep and dark a place we find ourselves, God can reach in and completely turn the situation around. His call is to keep our eyes focused on Him, continue to be thankful, and believe Him for complete restoration and glorious salvations.

Practice What We Hear

This morning I was thinking about how I, so often, don't follow God's Word in my daily walk. I was reading in Ezekiel and was captured by the following verses.


Ezek. 33:30-32
“As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."


I know that I have been guilty of this exact thing.  Lord, please forgive me for my lack of reaction to hearing Your words!  Lord help me to hear and put Your words into practice.


Your words are meant to guide, direct and nourish me. If I only listen, but never put Your words into practice, I will miss out on all that You desire to do in my life. Help me to recognize the idiocy of this - that I would think that I know better than the one who sees all, knows all, and loves me more than I can ever imagine. I know that You have the words of life, to whom else can I go? (John 6:68)

Difficulty, Suffering and Freedom

This morning as I was praying I was thinking about God's incredible grace and mercy. I was reminded of how Jesus came to those who were hurting, experiencing many types of difficulty and how He set them free. Here are several verses that came to mind.


Matt 9:12-13
12 "On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”


If we are feeling weak, sinful, downtrodden, etc. Jesus came for us!


Matt 9:35-36
35 "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."


He sees our condition and has compassion on us, in the midst of our struggles.


Romans 5:1-5
1 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."


As we turn to God in the mist of our sufferings, He transforms us! Instead of weakness and suffering, we can instead experience hope and His love.


Romans 8:1-2
1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."


Jesus came to set us free!


2 Corinthians 6:2
"For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation."


Today is the Day! We don't have to wait! We can turn to Him and experience His compassion, grace, mercy, hope and love today! Today can be the day of our salvation!

The Father, the Gift Giver!

This morning I am looking at a couple of verses that talk about God the Father giving us gifts because of  His love for us.


John 3:16-17


16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."


Matt 7:7-11


“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."


9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"


Luke 11:13


13 "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”


Lord I thank you that You have given us gifts beyond comprehension. You desired to show Your love to us for all time, so You sent Your only Son to make a way for us to be in relatinshp with You. You send us Your Holy Spirit to dwell with us, so that we might constantly know Your intimate love, Your care and encouragement. 


Clearly, we don't fully comprehend the awesomeness of Your gift, but we are grateful. We know that every good gift comes from You, and every good deed is just a shadow of how good You are really. If we gathered every good thing together in one place, the sum total of all that goodness wouldn't even come close to your actual goodness.


Thank you for your love!

Staying On The Path

This morning I was reading from Nehemiah 9 & 10.  Nehemiah was a leader of the Israelites who helped lead the nation back to Jerusalem, from their place of captivity in Babylon.  Chapter 9 contains a great prayer of confession of sin, which is really common to all of us, and recognition of God's incredible mercy and restraint in dealing with a people who constantly disobeyed. I especially think verses 33-35 are so telling:


Neh 9:33-35


"In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways."


Lord that is so true, everything we have that is good is from You. Yet so many of us, myself included, live as if You had nothing to do with it, and we blindly follow our own thoughts and ways. You are so good to us, and in the midst of our sin, You have acted faithfully. We thank You Lord for not treating us as our actions would require.


Nehemiah 10 is a solemn commitment that the people make to God to re-establish His laws, and to walk in them fully. The chapter finishes with the statement " “We will not neglect the house of our God.” In Nehemiah 13, he returns to Israel after a few years and finds that already people have stopped following the precepts and laws they had committed to following in Neh 10, and had already started neglecting the house of God.  I find it so amazing, yet recognize the same tendency in my life, that they so quickly fell away from commitments they made to God and to each other, and instead wandered away from the path they had committed to stay on. 


Lord, You know our weak human condition, and seeming inability to stay on course or stay focused for any period of time. I am so grateful that You have sent us the Holy Spirit as a counselor to live with us. We thank You, Holy Spirit that you provide power, encouragement, counsel, and direction. Lord help us to keep our hearts and our minds inclined towards You at all times.  Help us to stay true to our commitments to You and each other!

Choose the Path of Life

This morning I was reading from Psalm 16 again.


Psalm 16:9-11


"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,  nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 11 You have made  known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."


Yes Lord, you have made known to me the path of life, I just need to learn to walk in it. I need to choose to walk in this path. When I choose this path, You will be present, and in that place of closeness I find joy. In that place of closeness you also distribute eternal pleasures... things that last and are of value in eternity. The joy and eternal pleasures are so much more valuable than any earthly possession.


This morning we were talking about how our western / American mindset and situation make it difficult for us to have an eternal mindset. We are so distracted by the here and now, and our situation is such that we are satisfied with what we have. Its not like we have terrible lives so that a  hope of a life in Heaven helps us through the difficulty of our situation. Most of the time, I am not really in need, so I don't set my mind and heart on anything else.


I guess we are like the church in Laodicea. Rev 3:17-18 describes them as follows:


17 "You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."


Lord help me to recognize my true state, and see the value of what I have, versus what You offer - joy in Your presence and eternal pleasures. You make known to all of us this path of life, through following Jesus. We just need to choose to walk in this path. As John wrote in his first letter:


1 John 5:11-12


11 "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."


Amen!

Entering God's Rest - II

Yesterday I was reading and thinking about entering God's rest - in this case the Promised Land. This morning I was rereading and doing a bit more research. When God first described the inheritance of the promised land, it was in Gen 15:7-8 and Gen 17:7-8


Gen. 15:7-8. "He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” 8 But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”


Gen. 17:7-8  "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”


In these verses - the Hebrew words that are used, refer to family lands, inheritance, and taking possession. Specifically the verse in chap 15, the word is yaras and it includes an element of taking or gaining by force or right... in the case of the Land of Canaan, it would be both. It would take many years, the Israelites were in Egypt 430 years, and before that Israel / Jacob had lived 130 years - so we are talking about at minimum 600 years = 130+430+40 to experience the actual beginning fulfillment of this promise and entering into their inheritance.


Much of that time was spent on the growing of the people to be able to take possession of the land. When they went into Egypt, they were only 70 people. When they came out they were a nation of over a million (603,500 men over 20, plus 22,000 Levite males - see Numbers 2-4) They needed to grow and expand, enabling them to not only possess, but keep the land. Clearly in the same way, God calls us to grow and mature into a place where we can truly possess all that He has planned for us.


Lord help me to trust in You, knowing that You know the right timing, and You judge rightly my level of maturity, as You see my heart as it is. I desire to walk in the fullness of all You have set aside as my inheritance, for surely it is delightful (Psalm 16:6)!

Entering God's Rest

This morning I was reading through Psalm 95.  The second part of that psalm that always gets me is Ps 95:10-11:


"For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.”  So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”


This verse is discussed by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews in chapter 4:1-12. Here are verses 1 & 2 from the Amplified Bible:


1 THEREFORE, WHILE the promise of entering His rest still holds and is offered [today], let us be afraid [ [a] to distrust it], lest any of you should [b] think he has come too late and has come short of [reaching] it.


2 For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with [c] the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; [d] neither were they united in faith with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe).


In other words, God had a plan, but the Israelites didn't enter into that plan due to their lack of faith (believing the God would deliver the land into their hands) even after He had already done significant miracles in their presence.  I wonder how long it would have taken them to enter fully into God's rest (the land) if they had entered the land at this time, rather than reacting in fear to the inhabitants of the land.


Exodus 23:20-30 talks about God's original plan.  Here are verses 27-30:


“I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. ²⁸ I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land."


I could imagine the people of Israel being upset that it was going to take time, rather wanting to take possession of the whole land immediately.  God had a better idea.  He knew that they couldn't occupy the land and hold the land in their present condition.  They were too small and would ultimately be overcome, and experience no rest at all.  God's plan, while taking effort and time, would enable them to not only occupy but maintain their hold of that which God gave them.  


I know I can learn much from this, as I always want God to move immediately.  I want to see the complete fulfillment of His plan, not recognizing that I need to grow, mature and put forth effort to really possess the land that God is giving me.  


Hebrews 4:11 says it well:  "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."


Amen

Freedom

This morning one of the themes of my prayer time was freedom.  The following two verses came to mind as I was thinking about this theme.


2 Corinthians 3:17
'Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."


Galatians 5:1
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."


As I was praying, I felt encouraged to review the place of freedom in my walk with God. Both the Holy Spirit and Jesus are committed to our freedom. The question I need to put to myself, is whether or not I am experiencing this freedom. Am I free to worship, am I free to share, am I free to express my love for Christ, am I free to pursue the things that I am being called forward into? Am I feeling constrained, am I feeling chained down in some area of my life?  Am I giving someone or something power over me in my life?


Jesus came to proclaim freedom over our lives. In Luke 4:18-19 He said,  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”


We need only to cry out to Him for He purchased our freedom with His life, He will certainly lead us to that place of freedom, freeing us from any chains, or prison that we find ourselves in. Let us trust in Jesus and take Him at His word. He was sent to release the oppressed.

Freedom

Setting Our Affections Above

This Morning I was reading from Col 3:1-5:


"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your [a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.


5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."


These verses are challenging in their other-worldness. Paul says to set our hearts and minds on things above - heaven. We have such a hard time grasping anything that is on earth but out of our area or sphere of experience, to set our hearts and minds on heaven is very difficult.


The reality that we can a fix our heart and minds to is Jesus! He dwells there in Heaven, and by setting our affections and heart upon Him, we are able to live as Paul encouraged us. Truly part of our life, the eteneral component is now hidden in Heaven with Jesus. We are eternal beings, and that reality is still hidden in its fullness.


So, because this is true, we should now put to death, or die to those attractions of our earthly bodies, and earthly lives. Our lives are now much more than our appetites and wants, but are now eternally significant.

Overcoming in Difficult Circumstances

This morning I was reading Romans 8:37-39:


37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, [a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."


As I read this famous verse, I am drawn to the first statement - being more than conquerors. One of the biblical commentators says it this way:


"they have more than overcome, they have exceedingly the better of it; for they not only patiently bear afflictions and persecutions, but they glory in them; their experience, faith, and joy, are often increased by them; they have sometime solicited, and even wearied their persecutors; they have got the victory with ease, over Satan and his hellish emissaries, by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony: but this is not owing to themselves, or through their own strength, but through him that loved us;" New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible


I like the thought of how they basically turned the tables on the circumstances and situations, turning what was meant to cause them pain, frustration, and separation into something that drew them closer to God and gave them greater confidence in Him. I was listening to a preacher recently who calls this "flipology" the ability to take something meant for bad, and turning it into a blessing and something that encourages us in our Christian walk.


Amen! Help me Lord to be more than a conqueror in all situations!