Taking up our cross daily does not seem fun. We ask ourselves, “What must I give up for this menacing God who created this universe?” Maybe the questions we ask ourselves are scarier than that. “What if there is no God?” we ask ourselves. Who or what can we turn to then? I have seen man treat his fellow man in most horrible ways. I have seen wars and rumors of war. I have seen men riot and destroy property and people. I have seen children mistreated and abused. Did they not even kill Jesus, the Son of God? Yet, I have seen the Amish community come together and raise a barn for their neighbor. I have seen people come from different states to help victims of natural disasters who have lost everything. I have seen people give to telethons to help people attend college. I have seen people who jump into the water to save people who are drowning.
If you have been mad at God for a long time, ask yourself "why"? Whatever happened or did not happen, did God really cause it? God so loved this world that He sent His only begotten son, Jesus, to die on a cross, so that we might be reconciled to Him. Is this the kind of God who puts sickness on a child? Why would God do that? The Bible tells us in Matthew 7: “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!” How much more does our Heavenly Father know how to give than our earthly parents? When God gave us His son Jesus, there was nothing else comparable with that gift.
The Bible describes Mary pondering the things she had been told in her heart. Mary, the mother of Jesus, would suffer as her son suffered. There was great rejoicing in Mary's life as well when Jesus arose from the grave and came and met with her and the disciples. Everything Mary pondered came true. We serve a God who knows the end from the beginning. Perhaps God has told you of wondrous things to come: ponder them in your heart. This Christmas have a Mary Christmas. Remember that God can use you to accomplish great things. Sometimes great things are acknowledging the person begging for money on the side of the road. Helping feeding the homeless is pretty amazing. Giving coats you no longer wear can be a great thing to a person with no coat facing a freezing night.
God is telling us to trust in Him and he will protect us. God will deal with all of your enemies, if you let Him. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you! When we forgive and pray for our enemies, we are clean, we are set free, and we have God's forgiveness. God said He would forgive us as we forgive others. Forgiveness, prayer, and love for our enemies are radical ways of living!
The Bible tells us that our Father in heaven collects our tears in a bottle. It is interesting that we have the ability to cry and even more amazing that our Father thinks enough of our tears to collect them. You cannot solve every problem in this world, but you can solve some of them. Do not become paralyzed by the enormity of the problems of this world, help the starfish you can. Become an ambassador for Jesus to someone today.
Prayer and fasting will produce incredible results in your life. It will produce incredible results for this nation, for your city, for your friends, and for your family. Fasting is a restriction of food for a spiritual purpose; however, there are many ways of restricting food and several books on the subject. God will lead you to the one that is appropriate for you. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from fasting, then I am sure God will show you an alternative if you seek Him.
What is the greatest fear of most people? Death. What if I told you that you no longer have to fear death? Does it sound to good to be true? What else do I have to sell you maybe some desert land and call it ocean front. I tell you truly that you do not have to fear death or anything else. Jesus through death destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Jesus delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The Bible tells us, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God". The Bible continues, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father"
How God must be exasperated with us, His creation. We, being Christians, sometimes act with disrespect for God and His word. Sometimes, when watching us in our daily lives, it might be hard to differentiate us from the heathens. Paul, the Apostle, asked, "who will deliver me from this bondage"? When Paul wanted to do right, he would do wrong. If you fit this description, then take courage because you serve the God of second chances. God not only wants us to have eternal life with Him but to walk on this earth with Him.
Imagine you are alive in 1941 and Japan attacks your nation. Imagine the different emotions you must be feeling: anxiety, doubt and most certainly fear. At that time the war had been proceeding in Europe and America was watching. Many people did not want to join the war: they were called isolationists. After the attack on Pearl Harbor we were drawn into the battle. President Roosevelt gave a speech to the American public and told them that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. How true those words were and are today. We are blinded with a media assault of nothing but fear. We have certain church leaders whose central message is fear. Hollywood likes to join in as well as professors claiming destruction is at our doorstep.
Finish Strong Never Quit 
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