II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 1; II Thessalonians 3:1-5 - "Never Stop Fighting"

God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control... Sometimes I have to say this repeatedly to have His peace. There are things that come my way that are so overpowering they allow fear to creep in. But I cannot allow the enemy an open door. Instead I will stand upon these words to be empowered to stand in His strength against whatever is put before me. I am grateful when I feel the Lord is the One putting things in my path because I know He loves me so much and is wanting to take me deeper in my faith. I also am grateful knowing He could stop the enemy at any time but allows him to cause chaos in my life because He knows I will lean into Him instead of allowing the enemy to win. I am in tears this morning with the way God works. He told me to ponder upon Psalm 1. It reads:

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Wow, God! He is so good at encouraging me! This Psalm encourages me to continue keeping on! It encourages me to stand upon His Word! It encourages me to stay planted in the firm foundation of His love! As I do, I will be rewarded with eternal life with Him! I must get better at living out His love! I must get bolder in my witness! I must lean more into Him when the trials of life come my way! He reminded me this morning of the words of II Thessalonians 3:3...But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. He continues to amaze me on the ways He uses His Word to encourage me. Paul wrote these words as He talked about the need for prayer for the Gospel to be spread rapidly. Yesterday I shared in church about the need for all of us to not just say we are Christians but to live out a Christ-like life. Spreading the Gospel as Christ desires can only be accomplished through people who are living a sold-out life to Him. We have nothing to be afraid of but instead need to stand in His empowerment. I love verse four and five of II Thessalonians 3. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. Wow, God! Yes! We can have confidence in Him! As we lean into Him, He will protect us! As we allow Him to empower us, His love will flow from us even more than ever. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for Your Word that encourages me so much! Thank You for the song You have given me these last few days that reminds me You never give up on me! Thank You for the way You give me Scripture and music that go together! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me more than ever before! Be greater than my humanness! Be greater than the fears that are trying to creep into my being! May You be seen and heard through me today in a new, different way! May You be greater than anything that comes my way! Lord, I pray for Doc to be empowered by You in his physical body today. I pray You will be greater than the fatigue that is trying to overtake him. I pray for 'good' blood work results so he can do chemo Wednesday. But if that is not what is in Your plan, I pray You will give us what we need in our spirits to accept Your will. Lord, once again I want to thank You for the way You encourage us so greatly whether we are having a 'good' day or a 'tough' day! You are so good! I also pray for a healing in Mike's foot as he was in so much pain yesterday. Encourage him, Father! Thank You for being My Encourager! Amen.