Acts 18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't be silent! (10) For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to Me."

Everyone needs encouragement. Even Gods most awesome servants. 1Th 2:2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare His Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. How about, especially, Gods most awesome servants. When you make the decision to go all the way and pour out your life for Gods service, it isn't all goo goo's and ga ga's of blessings, honor and glorious revival. Usually, and I say that so you will listen, all hell breaks loose in your life and the enemy has a field day attempting to destroy your faith. Usually! (2Corinthians 4:8) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. (9) We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Doesn't this just make you want to jump right into ministry? (2Corinthians 7:5) When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. Aren't these great word's for people who aspire for greatness in the Kingdom of God. Actually, yes they are!

Job 31:21 "If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side, (22) then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket! (23) That would be better than facing God's judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?

I would rather face the Devil in opposition any day than to be opposed by God. At least when you face Satan's host you know you have the victory, even over death. But I do not have the courage, after knowing the truth of Gods Word, to face The Great I Am in any manner of opposition. A prophet of God by the name of Balaam tried and first God used a donkey to stop him. But Balaam, being the jackass that he was, still went ahead and attempted to anyway. But he kept meeting God. Four time King Balak tried to get him to curse the nation of Israel and four times Balaam, who could only speak what God told him, tried but failed.

In Numbers 24 Balaam finally realizes the LORD was determined to bless Israel and if God blesses something no one, principality,power or dominion, can curse it. (Galatians 3:13) But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (14) Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing He promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. These words truly bring hope to every man, woman and child of God. No matter what the enemy of your soul does, he can not curse you. He can only make you think you are. (Ephesians 1:2) Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Do you see that? Grace and peace are yours. He has blessed us with “all” spiritual blessings and sets our lives in heavenly places. No matter what, we are the most blessed people on the face of the earth. Living and or dying for Christ brings on Gods blessing. Paul said to die is gain but to live is Christ. What have we got to loose.

All of the people who allow God to do and fulfill His will in their lives may not have it easy here on earth. But Oh the blessings, Oh the blessings of knowing you are living in His will and doing what you can to live your life fully for Him can not be described. Painful? Yes, sometimes very painful. Agonizing? Yes! Blessed? Double yes! I am listening to Ron Kenoly sing “ I bow my knee before your throne, I know my life is not my own”. What a great song that's so full of truth. To bow ones knee to the King of Glory and say, not my will but yours be done, to bring glory honor and praise to the God of heaven and earth. To seek the giver and not he gift, to live to bring pleasure to Jesus the Crowned King of Glory! This is why Peter, James, John, Paul and all of the other Apostles lived and died for Jesus. Men like John Mark, Timothy and Titus took up their mantel when it was time. Now it is our turn, Can you pick up where the last one left off? Can you carry the cross of victory until it is time for your journey home? This is the question to us all, including me.....

1Kings 19:4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died."

Have you ever lost hope? Everything in life, seemingly, closes in and culminates into one huge pressure of pain, despair and loathing. When your whole body feels as though you are under 200 feet of water, without air, and that pressure comes from within and from without. This was how Elijah felt at this moment of his life. He found the one and only bit of shade in the desert of his life, sat down under it and asked God to just let him die.

(Jeremiah 20:14) Yet I curse the day I was born! May no one celebrate the day of my birth.

(Jonah 4:8) And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. "Death is certainly better than living like this!" he exclaimed.

Here are two more dark examples of life in the fast lane of serving God. Two men, just like Elijah, who grew bitter in their hearts because they didn't get God. Jeremiah just wanted to see Judah saved. He preached exactly what God told him too and all it got him was the prison cesspool. Jonah didn't want to see Nineveh saved but they repented and turned to God. Elijah's great victory at Mount Carmel was overcast with threats of death from one woman, Jezebel. All seemingly hopeless, helpless and lost. But God! But God! But God has a plan that is always greater in scope than we could ever imagine. Look at what God told Jonah. (Jonah 4:9) Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?" "Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!" (10) Then the LORD said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. (11) But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" Do you think Jonah should have listened to God, gotten up and gone back into Nineveh and preached or was Jonah right in staying there swimming in his pool of self pity because God didn't do what Jonah wanted him to do? The book stops there and says nothing more about Jonah. Elijah left the cave and did what he was told. Later on he is replace by Elisha and taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire. Jeremiah is taken out of the prison cesspool, taken out of Jerusalem later on and never looses his properties or took any monetary losses when Jerusalem fell because they wouldn”t listen.

Mat 12:39 But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. (40) For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

Can you imagine where you would be today if Jesus would have told everyone to look for the sign of Jonah lying under that gourd plant and not getting up instead of the sign of Jonah coming out of that big fish. What if Jesus said I don't care what happens to the world I just want to die I'm so depressed and down about no one caring about me. They can just all go to Hell, I just want to stay in my tomb and feel sorry for myself. Do you think Jesus had something to be depressed about? But no! (Hebrews 12:2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus came up out of that grave with joy because of what was accomplished through His suffering and shame. Life can take a lot of swings at you and when it hits it can be painful. You can either lay there and mope or get up. You can make a lot of things your withered gourd plant and let it keep you down. But just as God talked about the bigger picture to Jonah let Him talk to you. Don't finish your book under the shade of a dead bush.

1John 5:21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.

One of the hardest things in our lives to do is to not replace God. I have, in the past and in the present, replaced Him with just about everything you could imagine. In the King James and several other translations of this scripture, it says, little children keep yourself from idols. Here we have classic God. We will always be little children in Gods eyes. Little children are a great example of us. Little children, when they are first born, rely and truly need their parents. Especially mom! They have a need that has to be fulfilled. The need to be fed, changed, held and loved. Then in a few months they begin to walk, talk, feed themselves liberally and want their own way. When they get a booboo they come running and want Mommy or Daddy to fix it and make it all better. But then, when it is better they run back and do their own little thing. Soon parents are replaced with Sponge Bob and Patrick, Phineas and Ferbe, Miley Cyrus and American Idol. But Mom And Dad are still there to take care of the booboo's. Then one day they want to get out on their own. Take the challenge of life in their own hands. But Mom and Dad are still there when they get hurt. In life it is hard to understand these things until you experience them yourself, because children grow up, become parents and the cycle continues. But in Gods eyes we are always little children trying to replace Him and we can't.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."

God wants us to know Him as the #1 Dad but He also wants us to know Him as LORD. He says,”know I am God!” (Psalm 11:4) But the LORD is in His holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. Do you see this? He still rules, He watches “everyone” closely and He examines every person on earth. Our own parents, even if you had the strictest parents on earth, could not do this. But Our Lord knows every intent and desire of our heart. He knows the number of hairs we have and he knows when we loose one. So why is it God calls us children? Because we won't sit still long enough to get to know Him. We are like 5 year old's on a long trip, are we there yet, are we there yet. We can't stand waiting. Do you know what? God doesn't like waiting either but He is always waiting for us. He is waiting for us constantly for one thing or another. But mostly He waits for us to respond quietly to Him and say, yes Father, not my will but yours be done. Do you know why it only took Jesus 331/2 years to accomplish His Fathers will? Because He simply made His Father Lord and did what His Father wanted Him to do without coaxing, prodding, turning Him around in the right direction and disciplining His life because He wouldn't. Jesus spent hours alone with His Dad, being still, listening and waiting on Him so He could walk in the path Father wanted Him to go.

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Are you tired of trying to figure out Gods plan for your life? Go to Him and sit down, have a few words with Him and just tell Him. But don't just jump up after 5 minutes of you telling Him, sit there until He talks to you. If you get nothing else out of this time with God than rest, it has accomplished something. But if you spend more than a few minutes a day with Father God, you can find out a whole lot about His plan and purpose for your life. Or you can be a typical human child, grow up and get out on your own, then call on the Father just to get you out of trouble. (Isaiah 55:6) Seek the LORD while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. (1Chronicals 16:11) Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him. Put these two scriptures to work in your heart now and allow Father God to speak to you. You will know when it is God, because you will know His voice. But if you do nothing neither will He.

Psalm 34:6 In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; He saved me from all my troubles.

I am sitting here in my recliner, at home alone, listening to Mercy Me sing their song “ I can only imagine”. Maybe it is because of turning 60 or maybe it is because of the circumstances that are in my life right now, I don't know. But life seems so very long and extremely dreary to me right now. The Word of my God assures me of so many things that we are to receive by faith and there comes a point of time in our lives, especially lately, where you, or is it just me, would really appreciate it if God would just kick it into high gear and do something. I don't care which, what or how, just do something spectacular for all to see and be glorified in it throughout the world. Times are very desperate right now and we are seeing first hand with our own little eyes some of the harder words our Jesus told us were going to happen.

(Matthew 24:6-13) And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. (7) Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. (8) But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. (9) "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are My followers. (10) And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other. (11) And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. (12) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. (13) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Do you see that? Verse 14? Sin will be rampant, and the love of many will grow cold. I know, wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, people arrested and persecuted, killed but why would so many brothers and sisters turn cold in such desperate times as these? Doesn't desperation drive us to Christ? Isn't that what the Psalmist said, In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord heard me and delivered me out of all my troubles.

(Luke 18:8) I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?"

Is this what our problem is? Jesus is looking all around the world trying to find FAITH? I don't think our faith stops Him. I think our unbelief stops Him. Wait a minute, isn't faith and belief the same thing? No! Jesus said if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed we could speak to a mountain and it would be removed. But we don't believe it or there would be a whole lot of earth shaking going on. We speak to much without power. Power comes by believing.

(John 12:37) But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him.

(Mark 9:23-24) "What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes." (24) The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"

Look at those scriptures. Miracles didn't make people believe and the dad of the epileptic boy cried out help my unbelief even when I do believe. Did Jesus do everything He could to build faith or do we just grow cold in unbelief? Did Jesus heal the epileptic boy? Yes! Why? Because the dad admitted lack of belief! Lord I believe help me to believe more! Do you think dad believed more after the son was healed? I would like to think he did, but it doesn't say. It just says Jesus helped the boy up and he stood up. Nothing more said, nothing more done, just simply got up and left. No big deal, except, the disciples saying why couldn't we do it? Jesus said, pray and fast more. Pay the price. Why are people cold and falling away, they don't want to pay the price. Belief and continued growth costs. And with all the world, especially the free world, has to offer, they say Oh well, it didn't work, I guess it isn't real, so they quit. Cold Stone Ice cream cold. Sin on a cone. Death on a stick cold.

So this is why I cry out in desperation for God to do something awesome to show people all He is! Will He do it? I don't know. Do I believe enough? I believe He is able, I believe that all right. But do I believe He will? You and I have got to not only believe he is able, that's faith, but believe God is doing it, that is belief! So Lord help my unbelief so I can see the desires of my heart. So I do not loose any more friends to the cold cruel world.