Faith

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hope comes from our faith in God. Our faith increases, as we spend time in a relationship with Jesus. Hope gives the strength to face the future. Faith is hoping in something, but there is no evidence in the physical or in the natural. Like Moses, our faith is in the Invisible God.

God says he will lead us out of our miseries, yet our physical eye senses nothing. Seeing only happens with our spiritual eye, our eye of faith fixed on the Lord. “Hope” is "A strong and confident expectation of good". Good things will ensue as we exercise our faith in God.

The future is uncertain, yet we have hope and we know it will be okay. Accordingly, the waters of turmoil recede away with the help of God. God writes our name and life story in the palm of his hand and he is always thinking about us.  (Isaiah 49:16). You are so precious that he thinks about you and hopes you will think of him.

Wait for My Help

God says “Wait for my help, I will not disappoint you" (Isaiah 49:23). 

Waiting for God, is a state of expectancy, that God will surely help us with our daily problems. We trust in God and wait for his help.

In every situation of financial provision, career, relationship issues, sickness, anxiety, depression and need, we wait for the Lord's help by fixing our eyes on him and dwelling in his presence. God himself says he will not disappoint those who wait for his help. A promise fulfilled to those who fix their eyes and wait on Jesus.

First and the Last

Revelations 22:13 GNB I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Everything starts and ends with the Christ. So, no matter what problem, issue, crisis or emergency, Jesus knows the beginning and the end. We walk by our faith and not by our sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our eyes of faith on Jesus and he helps us through all our worriment, whilst holding our hand tightly.

Taken from Practice the Presence of God

The Battle Belongs to Jesus

By our centering on the face of Jesus, in our everyday issues, we hand over the battle to God, because the battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15). God’s angels ready to fight the battle for you.

In (2 Chronicles 20), the Moabites and Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat for battle. His people cried out “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom”.Jehoshaphat was afraid when he heard the enemy was marching against his Kingdom, however he set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast. 

Further on in the story Jehoshaphat said, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

As Jehoshaphat continued to pray for his nation, the Spirit of the Lord fell on Jahaziel and he said, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but Gods” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

God's children need not fight battles, for God will fight our battles. “Our job, is to seek the Lord and keep our eyes on his face”. The problems left with him as we abide in his presence. 

Besides praying to God, fast for a season. (Fasting builds our spiritual battle and the flesh is chastised, telling the flesh “Hey, you are not in control I am”). The flesh and the Spirit are always at odds with each other. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Psalms 91:11 GNB God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go.

Solutions will come, as the Lord becomes our refuge and shield, the God whom we trust. The Lord's angels guards us in all our ways and they are in charge. No evil shall befall us and neither shall any plague come near our tent. With God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).

Taken from Practice the Presence of God - Conrad Noronha

Forget about Self and Take up your Cross

Luke 9:23-24 GNB And he said to them all, “Anyone who wants to come with me must forget self, take up their cross every day, and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their own life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it.

The cross is a burden for most, they find it difficult to pick up their cross. The weight of their cross will sometimes crush them. They cry out, "God, why have you forsaken me". God never forsakes anyone who dwells on his Son.

Overwhelmed by the cross, Jesus said the same thing. He experienced the unbearable pain of our sins on him. Jesus had to carry his cross, because nobody else had the qualification of Son of God, Sinless and born of a Virgin birth.

Yet, if we think about it, God never totally abandoned Jesus, but did send Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus carry his cross up to Calvary. In the end, Christ carried the ultimate cross that would redeem all of humanity. Jesus experienced his cross (Our sins paid by him) and he has the green light from the Father to help you carry your cross.

As we fix our eyes on Jesus, God’s Spirit lightens the weight of our cross. Christ is next to us, helping us to embrace our cross. His arms around us, lifting us out of our burdens. We forget self and remember the Christ who leads us into all things. The burden released, inadvertently, we have lost our lives in the Christ and in turn, we will save it. God never intended for us to carry our cross alone, he sent his Son to help us.

Taken from Practice the Presence of God - Conrad Noronha