Tag: Isaiah 41:10

Minutes in Hell

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Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

As we remember September 11th, the iconic images float before us once again.

A tower on fire.

Screaming sirens.

Plane slamming into the other tower.

Confused faces.

Firefighters running towards the chaos.

Blackness engulfing as the towers fall.

Silence and death creeping towards more victims.

We saw it in real time. We witnessed the horror. We try to make sense of the evil we saw.

Can you imagine the terror overtaking those souls as they waited in hell?

47 minutes. How long Flight 11 was in the air before slamming into the North tower.

48 minutes. How long Flight 175 was in the air before crashing into the South tower.

34 minutes. How long Flight 93 knew they were hijacked before crashing themselves to the ground in PA.

56 minutes. How long the South tower was on fire before collapsing to the ground.

100 minutes. How long the North tower was on fire before collapsing to the ground.

Minutes that seemed like eternity.

Minutes lived in uncertainty and fear.

Minutes which became their last.

Those in the planes or towers suffered while waiting.

Waiting for certain death on the plane or the unknown in the tower.

In an instant all went to meet their Maker.

Were they ready?

Were they ready to meet God?

We never know when our last day will arrive.

Could be today, could be tomorrow.

Or maybe in a few years.

Guessing none of these precious people even thought about death that morning before events erupted.

But that didn’t matter, did it.

We must be ready today as God doesn’t guarantee our tomorrows.

As those precious people waited long minutes in hell, their life ended, quitting the turmoil surrounding their end.

But if we are appointed to meet God, and we’re not ready?

Our hell will last for all of eternity.

Those minutes will evolve into hours, days, months, years, and decades, turning onto forever.

Forever separated from God.

Forever living in agony.

Forever living in hell.

We try to imagine the hellish moments endured by those precious people on September 11th.

We cry out from the depths of our souls at the injustice of their suffering.

Yet it will be nothing compared to our eternity apart from God.

The choice is still yours.

Where will you spend eternity?

Choose wisely. God has already chosen you.

Photos by Martina Mainetti, Aidan Bartos, Tim Mossholder, & Ben White on Unsplash

No Match for God

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For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. 1 John 3:20

Ever realized something about fear?

When fear speaks into your life, it’s about the present.

Your current circumstances.

It fills you up with worry about what may happen when presented with your current situation.

Except it’s so sneaky, you begin to think fear can perfectly predict your future.

I know because we listen. We listen so well, we believe it.

We believe the lies of fear.

Why does the devil try to wrap you up in fear about your future?

Because the devil, who is fear, doesn’t know your future.

He likes to predict it for you, but he has no clue.

The future fears you dwell upon are simply fiction.

Made up to scare you.

Paralyze you from acting on the will of God over your life.

But you know what is absolutely real and complete truth?

God’s promises for you.

He knows the beginning from the end and God’s promises to you will not return void.

When God tells you in Isaiah 41:10 NOT to fear and He is WITH us, holding us up with His right hand, you can believe it.

Because He said it, He will do it.

Or in Jeremiah 29:11, God tells us He KNOWS the plans He has for us. And they are very good, FULL of hope and promise, not harm.

That flies in the face of fear’s lies, does it not?

Finally, God promises to NEVER ever leave us. Deuteronomy 31:8 also reminds us God will not forsake us.

God is with us always and He’s not turning His back.

So when fear whispers into your ear, turn your head towards the promises of God.

Fear is full of lies, and God is full of truth.

Fear plays to your weakness and God is your strength.

When we are weak, He is strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

Thank you, God, for being our strength.

Fear, your lies have zero chance anymore.

Photos by Virginia Marinova & Joel Muniz on Unsplash

Always by Your Side

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So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

He’s here.

Picture Jesus sitting right here.

In the chair beside you.

He’s as near as your very breath.

He’s waiting for you to need Him.

He knows you need Him, more than you even realize, but He gives you that choice.

He knows your heart belongs to Him, but sometimes it wanders away a bit.

When your heart wanders, it seeks after things of this world instead of God.

Jesus is seeking the Father on your behalf.

Always in prayer for you.

Your needs. Your health.

Your very life.

Anticipating your sigh, He looks at you.

Love and sympathy pour from His eyes.

He sees you.

He knows you.

He has a plan for all your days.

Good things, hard things, and everything in between.

He longs to hear your heart.

To carry your burdens, big or small.

As you labor through this life, reach out to Jesus.

Tell Him your joys.

Your sorrows.

Your hopes and dreams.

By the way, He already knows them all.

Reach out to Him afresh today.

He’s right here waiting for you.

Photos by Joshua Lawrence, Andrew Shelley, eduard, & Ben White on Unsplash

Weeping

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When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. John 11:33

Jesus was fully human and knew sorrow.

He wept with us.

He was filled with compassion.

Sorrow moved Him deeply.

Just like you and me.

Our weeping friends or loved ones move us deeply.

Sometimes we are the ones weeping and others are moved to compassion for us.

Weeping signals sorrow.

That something is deeply broken.

Wrong.

Needs to be fixed.

That’s when God moves in, if you’ll let Him.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.“

Weeping can bring fear, as one usually cries when feeling alone.

Suddenly by themselves.

But God reminds us that He is with us.

We are NOT to be dismayed, because God is our God.

He promises not only to be with us, but to strengthen us.

He wants to help us, holding us up with His righteous right hand.

Weep.

But bring it to the feet of God.

Tell Him all of your sorrows.

He will listen, as a compassionate faithful friend.

And then He will take your sorrow, turning it into His peace.

Sometimes it takes time, especially if the wound is fresh.

But if you faithfully keep giving all of it to God, He will continually strengthen you, holding you upright with His righteous right hand.

Photos by Ksenia Makagonova,  Jordan Whitt,  Annie Spratt, & Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Worry and Dread

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Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

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Ever work yourself into a worried frenzy?

Consume your thoughts with worry and then your body simply shuts down?

Worst case scenarios play out in your brain and you are completely convinced all heck will break loose?

Think about the very worst case scenario.

Is it really that bad?

Probably not.

You might have a few days of angst, a few years maybe, but in the end, will it really matter?

From the balcony of heaven, will it matter if this worst case scenario happened?

How does one practically stop themselves from dwelling in the flesh?

How do you keep your brain from worrying?

Sometimes a worry keeps me frozen in fear.

Filled with dread.

Yep, I’m not perfect.

So how do you stop the train wreck?

Refuse to participate with worry and fear.

Wait a minute.

How do you do that?

When you play a thought over and over in your mind, it cements the thought as fact.

You literally trick your brain into thinking a false reality.

Whoah. Really?

Yep.

Reverse it.

Throw your worries back to God.

After all, He’s the one in control, not you.

If you make a mistake, own it, and move on.

Don’t dwell in worry or fear.

Won’t do a bit of good.

Won’t change a thing.

Except your peace.

That will be gone.

Worry and fear.

Not a way to live.

Daily submit yourself to God.

Pray for His guidance to walk you through life.

Then when life throws you a curve ball, you can put on your glove and throw it straight back to God.

He’ll catch it and you’ll be on His winning team.

Photos by Chang Duong & Helena Lopes on Unsplash

Entertaining Doubt

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Why do you doubt me?

Why do you doubt my love?

Why do you doubt my goodness?

Why do you doubt my plan for you, 

my personal love story written just for you?

Are you scared?

Lonely?

Trust me.

Completely.

Perfectly.

Wholly.

You must use My strength to do just that.

But I’m here ready to help.

Do not doubt me.

I am faithful to you right up through the very end of your story.

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Why do we entertain thoughts of doubt?

Because we don’t really believe God holds our life in His hands.

That He has our back.

Little moments of life stir up whispers of fear.

We listen to the whisper.

We think about the whisper.

Doubt creeps back in through our open door.

When we listen to the whispers, we unknowingly fling the door wide open, inviting doubt and fear to join us.

Sigh.

Make a list of your fears.

Now answer each one with God’s matchless truth, breaking the power of each fear.

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The LORD is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.  Exodus 15:2

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.                            Isaiah 41:10

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.   Isaiah 40:28-31

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The next time doubt whispers in your ear, whip out the list and speak the written truth.

Immediately switch doubt into certainty.

Then go on your merry way thinking about something entirely different.

We mustn’t doubt God.

He’s been faithful to me in countless ways and He has been and will continue to be faithful to you.

No doubt in my mind.

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