Joseph Prince's Devotional

Do you sometimes feel like you are just a face in a crowd or a number in a system? You are identified by your social security number. Even when you see the doctor, you are called by your queue number. If you feel depersonalized and dehumanized, that is exactly how the devil wants you to feel - that you do not matter much to anyone, especially to God.
But you do matter to God! He calls you by name. He knows exactly what you are going through and where you are hurting. He sees you and cares for you, just as He cared for the people when He first walked on earth.
My friend, He will do for you what He did for the woman in Samaria. There was a shorter route from Judea to Galilee, but the Bible says that ‚"He needed to go through Samaria‚". (John 4:4) In other words, Jesus deliberately took a longer route, so that He could stop by Samaria to speak to the woman who had been searching for something in her life to satisfy her.
This woman had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband. Clearly, things had not been going right in her life. She was probably looking for answers and fulfillment, and must have felt ashamed about her failed marriages and current lifestyle.
Yet, in spite of all this, she mattered to Jesus! He needed to go to her to minister to her. And indeed, after she met Jesus, the perfect Man, she was transformed. She was no longer ashamed, and went into the city to tell the people about Him. (John 4:28-29)
Beloved, Jesus came a long way from heaven for you. You certainly matter to Him. He came to give you life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) You are not just a face in a crowd or a number. No, He knows you by name and has a personal love for you. And in spite of the mess which you might be in, He wants to meet your every need and make your life beautiful!
Thought For The Day
You do matter to God! He knows what you are going through and wants to meet your every need.

Abundant life

Letter from the heart of God

Dearly beloved, I want you to prosper in all things and be in health, just as you soul prospers. I want you to experience the abundant life Jesus promised to you. I want your cup to overflow, and your joy to be full. It is My great pleasure to give you My kingdom

As your Father, I want you to know that I care about every part of your life. Therefore, I invite you to cast all your cares on Me. I always want the best for you, and I am able and always willing to supply all of your needs according to My riches in glory through Christ Jesus.

I want you to be able to find your delight in the abundance of My peace. Therefore, I ask you to seek first My kingdom and My righteousness, and, as you do so, you will soon discover that everything in your life will be taken care of.

My joy is your strength. My grace will always be sufficient for you. Remember that My divine power has already given you all things that pertain to both life and godliness through My Son, Jesus. My child, receive the inheritance I’ve provided for you, and enjoy the abundance I give every day of your life. Receive it by faith.

With abundant blessing,

God, your Father

Conversation with Father

We have been emphasizing how important it is to not just speak when you pray, but to listen - to hear what your Father wants to tell you as well. 

Then, and only then you can say that there is a relationship between you and God, when there is two way communication and you are having a conversation with your Lord! 

Can you remember what Solomon asked God after He said Solomon can ask anything he wants to? Most of us will answer wisdom… And that is exactly what God gave him, but Solomon did not directly ask for wisdom… 

1 Kings 3:9(NKJV)

⁹ Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 

The Amplified brings out the original Hebrew meaning of an understanding heart: 

1 Kings 3:9(AMP)

⁹So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge and rule this Your great people? 

Solomon asked for an understanding, hearing heart that will help him to discern between good and bad. And God gave him wisdom! 

This says allot – the ability to hear God… is seen by God, as wisdom! 

God was so impressed by Solomon’s decision that He not only gave him a hearing heart in the form of wisdom, but even honor and riches beyond his wildest imagination. 

What would you ask God if you could only ask Him one thing? The most precious thing you could ever ask from Him is a hearing heart! Ask Him today, and have a conversation with your Father!  

Shalom!

Anina

How do we get faith?

Yesterday we saw that we need to pray with faith and that faith and prayer is inseparable. But if you feel you have a deficit in the area of faith the Bible gives us a way to obtain more faith! 

Romans 10:17(NKJV)

¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

This is one of my favorite Scriptures in the Bible! Firstly, if it feels as if you don’t have any faith, there is good news: “faith comes…” If you don’t have faith it can come to you! 

Secondly it is not something difficult you have to do, faith comes quite easy through hearing. But not any kind of hearing. It comes by hearing the Word of God! 

It is quite interesting to know that most people, when they spend time with God separate their Bible reading time and prayer into separate categories. For me it is more of a conversation that I have with my Father: He speaks through His Word and I respond in prayer at the same time! In this way I pray God’s perfect will and faith is coming to me. 

I would keep on reading my daily passage until I feel God speaks to my heart. Then I would pray that Scripture and let it linger in my heart for a while and ask the Father if there is anything else He would like to reveal to me. 

In this way my time with God is dynamic and there is not one conversation that is boring or where God does not speak to me. If I don’t understand I tell Him and share my heart with Him. It is also important that when you receive a Scripture and you feel it is not applicable to you, to ask Him for who you are supposed to pray this Word. It is not always meant to be given to the person, sometimes you just need to pray that Scripture over that person’s life. 

In this way your faith will be growing and you will be exited to spend time with your Father! 

Shalom!

Anina

Praying with faith

We are still busy with the dynamic subject of prayer! 

This week I shared another requirement for prayer with our congregation: 

Hebrews 11:6(NKJV)

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

It is impossible to pray without faith. Hebrew teaches us that faith is to first believe that God exists and that He also rewards each and every one who seeks Him diligently! 

If you show me a man of faith, I will without a doubt know that he is a man of prayer. And if you show me a man of prayer, I will know he is a man of faith! Prayer and faith is inseparable! 

But it is more than only to believe that God exists. It is to trust in His character – believing that He is good, reliable and faithful! That He is able to deliver on His promises and that He is ultimately in control.  

If you know His character in this way, you will be able to pray like Jesus in reverential submission: “Lord… not as I will, but as You will”. Because you will know that He is indeed good, that His will for your life is better that your own and that His plans are better than your own. 

If you have this kind of faith, you will receive what you pray for: 

Matthew 21:22(AMP)

²²And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive. 

Shalom!

Anina

The Power of Prayer

Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had been seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same time talked to him about the Lord Jesus Christ. I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home without incident. Two weeks later I repeated my journey. Upon arriving in the city, I was approached by the young man I had treated.

He told me that he had known I carried money and medicines. He said, "Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But, just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards."

At this I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone out in that jungle campsite. The young man pressed the point, however, and said "No sir, I was not the only person to see the guards. My five friends also saw them and we all counted them. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone."

At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell him the exact day that this happened. The missionary told the congregation the date, and the man who interrupted told him this story:

"On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here and I was preparing to go play golf. I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong, I called men in this church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you. Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?"

The men who had met together to pray that day stood up. The missionary wasn't concerned with who they were - he was too busy counting how many men he saw. There were 26.

This story is an incredible example of how the Spirit of the Lord moves in mysterious ways. If you ever hear such prodding, go along with it.
--- Author Unknown --- Sent in by Patricia T. Love --- California

What is God’s will?

Yesterday we said that if you want to be heard when you pray, you need to pray in reverent submission and submit your will to God’s will! But how will we know what is God’s will? 

It is interesting to note that the Bible says that reverent submission is actually the first step to knowing God’s will. But it is not only an attitude. It starts with giving your body, your whole self over to God: 

Romans 12:1-2(NIV)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

His good, pleasing and perfect will is not three levels of His will – it is one position in Him: a position of total submission. A position of saying: “Lord you know what I want, but I choose Your will above my own will. I belong to you, take my life as a living sacrifice!” 

The moment you say: “Lord Your will!” you offer your body as a living sacrifice to Him! 

There is a beautiful example of this attitude in Luke:

Luke 5:12(AMP) 

While He was in one of the towns, there came a man full of (covered with) leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cure me and make me clean

He fell on his face – reveal his humility and submission and his words reveal his heart: “if You are willing.” 

Jesus’ answer is very clear to an attitude like this:

Luke 5:13(AMP) 

And [Jesus] reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him. 

You see God gives grace to the humble. Grace is to receive something that you don’t necessarily deserve. Whether this leper deserved his healing or not, Jesus was willing to heal him because of his reverent submission! 

Shalom!

Anina

Pray to be heard

Most of us want to believe that God hears each and every prayer we pray. The Bible however makes it very clear that our prayers can be hindered: 

1 Peter 3:7(NIV)

⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.  

I do think it is not only husbands that must be considerate, but it is all in the attitude we treat others and the attitude we enter into prayer. The Bible makes it very clear how to pray so that the Father will hear our prayers: 

Hebrews 5:7(NIV)

⁷ During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.  

Jesus was heard because of one reason – His reverent submission! The definition of submission is the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.  

Jesus fully submitted His will to the Father. He made His own will known to the Father, but His attitude was, “…not as I will, but as You will.” 

If you want to be heard when you pray, pray in reverent submission and submit your will to God’s will! 

Shalom!

Anina

Breath of a Christian

For how long can you hold your breath? I struggle to hold my breath for 30 seconds! 

Apparently the average person can only be without oxygen for about 3 minutes before losing consciousness. This is assuming you are not moving, this time is much shorter if a person is struggling as your brain and tissues will require more oxygen. After about 8 minutes of no oxygen to the brain, there can be permanent brain damage.  

For me prayer is like the breath of your spirit. Without prayer your spirit will slowly suffocate! It is even more important to pray when you minister, because just like your body needs more oxygen when it’s moving – your spirit needs more prayer to minister. 

Please don’t misunderstand me – I am not trying to put people under the law again by forcing people to pray. There is no law to force me to breathe physically; it is something I do naturally. 

It is the same way with prayer – it is something that must be naturally part of a Christian’s life. 

Ephesians 6:18(MSG)

In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.  

We keep our spirit and the spirits of others up when we pray. So make a choice today to make prayer a part of your life just as breathing is part of your life! 

Shalom!

Anina

Father wants to meet with you!

At the beginning of each year, the Lord usually directs me to preach certain series. One of the areas I felt in my heart must be touched this year is the one of prayer. So a few weeks ago we started a new series on prayer.  

For some people prayer is seen as an obligation, a ritual that must be done to please God. For others it is like a counseling session, pouring out your heart and feeling better afterwards. For most of us it is a list of requests that we hope God will grant us so that we can experience happiness! 

But what is prayer for God? I found the best answer in the Old Testament: 

Exodus 25:22(AMP)

There I will meet with you and, from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the Testimony, I will speak intimately with you... 

Prayer for our Father is to meet with us. A meeting off course implies relationship, but not any kind of relationship - a close relationship. A relationship where He wants to speak with you intimately! 

Just ponder about this thought for one moment… the Creator of the universe, wants to meet with you! No matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been. He wants to meet with you above the mercy seat! 

In the Old Testament the mercy seat was in the Holy of holies, behind the closed veil and only the high priest could enter one a year. That veil was torn when Jesus died on the cross. Today the holy of holies is inside of our heart. The moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, a veil is lifted and you have direct access to Father, every moment of the day. To meet intimately with Him in prayer! 

What a privilege! 

Shalom!

Anina

A Story of Determination: Glenn Cunningham

by Burt Dubin

The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. A eight-year-old boy named Glenn Cunningham had the job of coming to school early each day so that he could use kerosene to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived. One cold morning someone mistakenly filled the kerosene container he used with gasoline, and disaster struck.

The class and teacher arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed in flames. Terrified on realizing that Glenn was inside, they rushed in and managed to drag the unconscious little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital.

From his bed, the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy faintly heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that her son would surely die – which was for the best, really – for the terrible fire had devastated the lower half of his body.

But the brave boy didn't want to die. Glenn made up his mind that he would survive. And somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. Yet when the mortal danger was past, he again heard the doctor and his mother speaking quietly. The mother was told that since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of his body, it would almost be better if he had died, since he was doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower limbs. His mother refused to let the doctors amputate.

Once more this brave little boy made up his mind. He would not be a cripple. He would walk. But unfortunately from the waist down, Glenn had no motor ability. His thin, scarred legs just dangled there, all but lifeless.

Ultimately Glenn was released from the hospital. Every day afterward his mother and father would massage his little legs, but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. Yet his determination that he would walk was as strong as ever.

When he wasn't in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. Glenn pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him.

He worked his way to the white picket fence bordering their lot. With great effort, he raised himself up on the fence. Then, stake by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence, resolved that he would walk. He started to do this every day until he wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the fence. There was nothing he wanted more than to develop life in those legs.

Ultimately through his daily massages, Glenn's iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability first to stand up, then to walk haltingly with help, then to walk by himself – and then miraculously – to run.

Glenn began to run to school. He ran for the sheer joy of running and being able to run. He ran everywhere that he could. The people in his town would often see him run by on his way to who knows where and smile. Later in college Glenn made the track team where his tremendous determination paid off. He eventually received the nickname the "Kansas Flyer."

In February 1934, in New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run – this determined young man, Dr. Glenn Cunningham, ran the mile in four minutes and eight seconds, the world's fastest indoor mile! Later that same year in a prestigious outdoor track meet, he shaved another second off his record to run the world's fastest mile to that time.

Note: . Cunningham was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974

Never give up!

Blessed when you believe

Yesterday we saw that God is determined to bring to pass His purpose for your life.  

I do however believe that you have to allow God to work in and through you to fulfill His purpose in your life. This process starts by you believing that God has a purpose and that He can fulfill His plans for your life. 

In Luke 1 Mary, the mother of Jesus believed that nothing is impossible for God (verse 37) and she made herself available for God’s purpose (verse 38). Because of that she was called blessed: 

Luk. 1:45(AMP)

And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from the Lord. 

You don’t only have to believe that God has a plan, but you also need to believe that there will be a fulfillment of that which was spoken to you from the Lord! 

Maybe you don’t know what God has said about you. 

In Jer. 29:11 the Word says that the plans He has for you, are good plans. If you realize this God says the following in verse 12 and 13: 

Jer. 29:12-12(AMP)

Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.

Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

 If you accept in faith that His plans are good for, then you can call upon Him and He will hear. You can seek Him and you will find Him! And in Him you will find the purpose of your life!

 Shalom!

Anina

Determination

For me determination is to finish what you’ve started, pushing through obstacles and keeping your mind on the goal.  

Og Mandino said: “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”

If you are a determined person, it is something you’ve inherited from you Father. Sometimes we forget that we are created in the image of God, that is off course not that we physically look like Him, but that we are created with His characteristics! 

Have you ever thought of the fact that He is a determined God? Yesterday we saw that He will finish the good work He started in you!  

There are many Scriptures to show that our God is a determined God – especially when it comes to His children! 

Ps. 57:2(AMP)

I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!  

He is determined to bring to pass His purposes for your life! Sometimes He will even have to take you through a dessert, but it is all for one reason, to get you in a place where He can fulfill His purpose for your life! 

So take heart, He is busy with you and if you allow Him to take control of your life – you will accomplish His dream over your life!

Shalom!

Anina

Jesus finishes what He started

As parents we try to teach our children good values. We teach our seven year old daughter Christian values like honesty, integrity and respect. 

Another value we try to teach her is that if you start something you need to finish it 

The other night she was watching some TV and when it was time to for her bath I called her, but I got an abrupt “no, not now!” I was quite upset by her response and wanted to know why she was so disobedient. Her response: “Mommy, this story is not finished yet, and you always tell me to finish what I started!” Well, at least I know that she listens when we teach her! 

I know Somebody else that also finishes what He started: 

Philippians 1:6(NLT)

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  

The day you decide to make Jesus part of your life, He starts a good work in your life. This is however a life-long process.  

The promise that He gives us is that this process will be continued until it is finished! He will not stop working in your life until the good He wants to see in your life is accomplished.  

Thank God I am not where I have been, but thank Him even more that He is not yet finished with me! 

Shalom!

Anina

The Real Meaning Of Peace

	There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace. Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

We must still bring sacrifices today

Some people that will only read the heading of today’s blog will crucify me and say that I am preaching deception. 

But according to the Bible we must still bring certain sacrifices! Praise God it is no longer sacrifices of bulls, goats and doves! 

The Bible is however quite clear about the sacrifices we need to bring: 

Heb. 13:15(AMP) 

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.  

A sacrifice of praise is to praise God even when it is going difficult. When in spite of losing something, you still glorify His Name, because you trust that He still is in control! 

Another sacrifice we need to bring: 

Ps. 50:14 – 15(AMP)

Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High,

And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.

Sometimes it seems that there is nothing you can be thankful for. But if you can still find something to be thankful for, you can call on Him and He will deliver you! 

And then maybe the most difficult of all sacrifices: 

Rom. 12:1(AMP) 

I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.  

We need to give ourselves as living sacrifice… this means you give yourself over to God. He can do as He pleases with you, because you no longer belong to yourself, but to Him. 

It is only when you’ve learned to give yourself over to God in this manner, that you will experience Godly peace, no matter what your circumstances! You trust Him enough to know that no matter what happens, He will cause everything to work together for the good!

 Shalom!

Anina

The King of peace

Three years ago when we prayed about the name of our new congregation, there were a few options. One of the options was off course “Salem”. We asked God for conformation and without searching the Lord confirmed it with the following Scripture: 

Hebrews 7:1(MSG)

^1-3Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Highest God. He met Abraham, who was returning from "the royal massacre," and gave him his blessing. Abraham in turn gave him a tenth of the spoils. "Melchizedek" means "King of Righteousness." "Salem" means "Peace." So, he is also "King of Peace." Melchizedek towers out of the past—without record of family ties, no account of beginning or end. In this way he is like the Son of God, one huge priestly presence dominating the landscape always. 

Through this Word of confirmation God also showed us the mandate of our congregation - the reason He is placing us in the community of Danville: to bring His Peace to the people of Danville. His Shalom Peace that means nothing missing and nothing broken. His Peace that no matter how bad your circumstances might be, you still experience stillness inside of you! This can only happen when the King of Salem… Jesus Christ is your King!  

The Amplified states it so nicely: 

Philippians 4:7(AMP)

⁷And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

God’s peace is something that our human mind cannot comprehend. It is when our world falls into pieces, but we still stand tall in Him! When the world says: “How can he still praise God?” 

This is a peace that even exceeds anything we can understand. This peace guards our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus, the King of Peace!

 Shalom!

Anina

Worship displaces worry!

This Sunday we were privileged to have one of our local Gospel artists – Julius Magan – minister at our morning service.

 From the start of the service there was a tangible experience of the Spirit of God. God kept on ministering through prophetic singing that He is our Shalom, our Salem and our Peace! It was as if God’s peace just displayed all worries, uncertainties and fears.

This made me think of the following verse in the Message:

Phil. 4:6-7(MSG) 
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

 We had this exact experience on Sunday! Christ - through worship - displaced every concern and He became the center of our lives.

When He is in the center of your life, it is as if everything else becomes less important. Even if there is raging a storm on the outside, there is peace on the inside. You just know that no matter how bad the situation – God is on control and everything will work together for the good!

 His wholeness enters onto your life, in spite of a broken world! Even the broken pieces of your own life are seen through His eyes and it forms into an understandable picture, almost like a collage or puzzle that comes together.

If you are worried, concerned or broken, start worshipping Him – He will display the worry with Himself and you will experience inner peace!

Shalom!

Anina

 (Thanks Julius, for ministering His peace and love to us!)

God's Plan

Some things are beyond planning.

And life doesn't always turn out as planned.

You don't plan for a broken heart.

You don't plan for a failed business venture.

You don't plan for an adulterous husband

or a wife who wants you out of her life.

You don't plan for an autistic child.

You don't plan for spinsterhood.

You don't plan for a lump in your breast.

You plan to be young forever.

You plan to climb the corporate ladder.

You plan to be rich and powerful.

You plan to be acclaimed and successful.

You plan to conquer the universe.

You plan to fall in love - and be loved forever.

You don't plan to be sad.

You don't plan to be hurt.

You don't plan to be broke.

You don't plan to be betrayed.

You don't plan to be alone in this world.

You plan to be happy. You don't plan to be shattered.

Sometimes if you work hard enough, you can get what you want.

But MOST times, what you want and what you get are two different things.

We, mortals, plan. But so does God in the heavens.

Sometimes, it is difficult to understand God's plans especially when His plans are not in consonance with ours.

Often, when God sends us crisis, we turn to Him in anger. True, we cannot choose the cross that God wishes us to carry, but we can carry that cross with courage knowing that God will never abandon us nor send something we cannot cope with.

Sometimes, God breaks our spirit to save our soul.

Sometimes, He breaks our heart to make us whole.

Sometimes, God allows pain so we can be stronger.

Sometimes, God sends us failure so we can be humble.

Sometimes, God allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves. Sometimes, God takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything He gave us.

Make plans, but understand that we live by God's grace.

God’s presence brings success

What is your picture of success?  

The dictionary says that success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose or the attainment of popularity or profit. This is exactly the way the world view success - what you have accumulated in this life and the way it brings you popularity with your peers. 

God’s picture of success looks a little bit different: 

Gen 39:1-2(NLT)

When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.  

Joseph was a slave, he didn’t own anything and had no aim or purpose at that stage of his life. According the world’d definition of success he was a definite failure. But according to God’s definition, Joseph was a success. 

He was successfull just because of one reason... God’s presence! 

It isn’t the right adress of fancy car that makes you successful. Success isn’t what you have, but rather Who you have! 

If you accepted Jesus, you are the temple of God and He lives inside of you.  

His precense inside of you, makes you a success!  

Shalom!

Anina