II Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 4 - "You've Always Been"

I woke up this morning to a song Unspoken sings called You've Always Been and was blessed in abundance. The lyrics say exactly how I feel about my Heavenly Father.

You've been my savior, sustainer
When I'm at my end
My healer, redeemer
Again and again
My mother and my father
Brother, sister and friend
Everything I've needed, Lord
You've always been
Everything I've needed, Lord
You've always been

Yes! He is and always will be everything we need. Sometimes we feel like our life is falling apart yet He is there to get us through such times. There are days when we feel like we can't put one foot in front of the other but His strength not only gets us through but blesses us in abundance. Some seasons of life feel like they will never change but they always do. The biggest thing we need to do is allow Him to be there for us. We must allow Him to work in and through us. We must stand upon His Word such as II Timothy 1:7 in His love and empowerment in order to have His wisdom as Proverbs 3:5-6 speaks of and His strength as Philippians 4:13 speaks of. This morning I am reminded of words spoken by Paul in Philippians 4. He encourages us to stand firm in our faith. He was the perfect example as he stayed in relationship with God through many tough seasons of life such as imprisonment. Paul learned how to live in a lot of different circumstances. He learned that doing so strengthened his faith. I'm sure Paul became physically, mentally, and emotionally tired but he continued to be spiritually strong. That is exactly what we need to do when we are living in a challenging season. How can we follow Paul's example? By following his teaching from this chapter.

• Rejoice (vs 4)
• Pray not just with requests but with a heart of thankfulness (vs 6)
• Remember the 'junk-in/junk-out' concept (vs 8)
• Be content no matter what (vs 12)
• Allow Him to be your strength (vs 13)

If/when we follow Paul's example, we will be blessed in abundance with God's peace just as Paul. God's love will ooze out of us when we are not focused on ourselves but rather on Him. That is the desire of my heart. I want people to see/hear Him instead of me through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. But for this to happen I must allow Him to live in and through me.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for another good night of rest! Thank You for the way You continue to meet my needs! Thank You for being with us in this season that is so, so hard with the cancer in Doc's pancreas! I pray for a better day for him today. I pray today is the day he not only feels better but is able to be up and around functioning. Lord, go before us as we go to see the doctor today. Protect us as we are in his office. Lord, I also pray for protection over Terri with her appointment. I pray for doctors to have wisdom. Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me up with You! I pray for You to ooze out of me in a new, different way today! Thank You for being with the Caskey Family and the Wagner Family as they continue to mourn the loss of loved ones! I pray You will continue to be with ones going through tough seasons in life. Jeremiah's brother diagnosed with stage 4 cancer; Melinda Kennard; Robert and Naomi; Little Finn and his family; everyone dealing with COVID19--those who have to make decisions that effect everyone, front-line workers, teachers, etc.; widows/widowers who are so lonely; and so many others. I praise You for Vance being discharged from all of his doctors! Thank You for being All That I Need! Amen.