In Seasons of Discouragement, Remember God Is Still with Us

 "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" in their spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:15-16 KJV), (emphasis added). 

Greetings,

Have you looked around lately? News reports of increasing crime, suicide, depression and economic woes abound. Hearing and seeing this awful news make it easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. Notwithstanding the bad news, even when things are going well, the enemy uses these opportunities to play on our insecurities and weak confidence in God's ability to keep us grounded in His love. 

The enemy's tactics are not solely for the spiritually weak but also target the Christian leaders we depend on for encouragement and spiritual direction. In a nutshell, seasons of discouragement fall on the weak Christian and the strong Christian. The enemy does not discriminate against whom he targets!

 A scripture worth remembering when and before discouragement sets in our spirits recorded in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me."

                                           Do you trust God's Word?

Seasons of discouragement will come, but we do not have to entertain its intrusive and dangerous outcomes that only set us up for spiritual failure. Remember the words of Paul concerning discouragement. Paul encountered many discouraging situations, but he never gave up and hindered the work that God had called him to do. At the end of his life, he was able to write these words in 2 Timothy 4:6-7: "For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!" 

What insight can we gain from Paul's declaration? In particular, his encounters required spending time with the Lord, encouragement from friends, and a healthy attitude toward the work God had called him to do. That is the formula for defeating the enemy's game plan.

Too often, when discouragement presents its ugly head, we make the mistake of relying on ourselves instead of taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.     Your armor is defenseless against the enemy's fiery darts. They are called fiery darts because the enemy has designed them to blind you to what God has promised, leading to your spiritual death. Don't let disappointment and discouragement lead you to defeat.

                             Scriptures to strengthen against discouragement:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged" (Deuteronomy 31:8).

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

                       Remember: Stay Encouraged and defeat discouragement!

Prepared for the Battle,

Minister Sylvia Joyner                            

Midnight Shifts

 Greetings,

We can also rejoice when we encounter problems and trials, knowing that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. -Romans 5:3-5 NLT

Late one night, a knock on my door revealed two police officers on the other side. Just imagine suddenly awakened to blinding red and blue lights flashing outside your window, loud hard knocking on the door, eyes full of sleep, mind clouded, and police asking and informing me that someone had made a 911 call from my house after midnight. 

As they talked, images of how this could've happened began to take shape in my mind, and in my heart was the increase of an approaching heartbeat. My response was no; everyone was asleep, well, until this event happened (LOL). My mind swirled at the thought of seeing the police at my door and asking questions about a possible 911 call coming from my house after midnight. Yes, aware that this was a critical follow-up because someone may have been in trouble. The two police were friendly, said they were sorry for waking me at midnight and thanked me.

Rejoicing is the last thing we think about when facing these situations.

Instead, my mind was trying to diagnose what had just transpired. However, after their departure, I regained my composure and thanked God for keeping me safe. The lesson, God is at work in our lives, even in midnight events; God loves us. And remember that our midnight experiences are not always happening at midnight (time) but are midnight experiences that we suddenly experience.

Our lives are composed of "situational shifts, or midnight shifts" that is to say, there are times in which we experience events that have the propensity, the magnitude, to either propel us forward or backward depending on the event's severity. Even though the shifting is shifting us from one sphere to the next, we can't allow the shifting's objective to annihilate God's plan to develop our endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. 

The Apostle Paul experienced a midnight shift too. Acts 16:25-26 records, about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, a strong earthquake shook the prison's foundations. All the doors flew open at once, and everyone's chains came loose.…

What can we learn from our own midnight experiences and others: 

Prayer is essential,

Praises keep the heart cheerful,

Prisoners heard them (others will come to our aid),

What's holding us will be shaken,

Doors will be opened suddenly,

What's holding us will be loosed from us,

Others will benefit from our midnight experiences as an open door for their salvation, 

We will not be disappointed because God loves us.

Confidently Trusting in God,

Minister Sylvia Joyner

Slave or Servant: Bondage or Liberty? Galatians 5:1-17

Greetings,

Liberty. Freedom. Familiar terms and language most people like to talk about, especially in the United States, "the land of the free." However, Paul's use of the words liberty and freedom differ from what most consider liberty or freedom, and why are the words necessary to the Christian faith? Do they matter that much to one's Christian faith?

Galatians 5:1-17 focuses on how individuals should view and maintain their freedom in Christ. Paul points to two critical lessons: our liberty should be closely guarded, especially from those that mislead the truth of God's salvation in Jesus Christ. Secondly, not to use our freedom to participate in selfish desires instead of serving each other in love.

Paul was writing to Gentile believers in Galatia who false teachers from Jerusalem intentionally misled them to embrace the rite of circumcision in that they might become new believers in Christ. The summation of what the false teachers expressed was that their faith in Jesus Christ was not enough to seal their salvation experience; instead required, especially for men, the act of circumcision. 

In Galatians 5:3, Paul expresses that partaking in circumcision, "Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law." In other words, an individual participating in circumcision puts himself under impossible bondage. Circumcision in and of itself is not wrong but can do nothing to add to what Christ has already done for them through their faith in him (Galatians 3:25–29) and threatens the individual's freedom in Christ. 

What law is Paul citing? Paul says that anyone who chooses circumcision to be accepted by God is signing up to follow the entire law of Moses and asking God to judge him according to his works and not according to Christ's works and death in his place on the cross, suggesting that such a person does not trust Christ for their salvation (Bible Ref.com). 

Individuals in Christ are free and no longer bound under the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). Remember these words: Paul's point was straightforward and still holds today when the desire to replace God's grace and faith in Christ with works takes precedence in a Christian's life.

Moreover, works do not produce salvation; instead, works (spirit led) are evidence of trusting in God's plan of salvation.

Servant Led,

Minister Sylvia Joyner

Nothing Lasts Forever! It Is Always Comeback Season

 Greetings,

Predicting outcomes in life is filled with an infinite number of possibilities. Historic comebacks in many settings, from baseball to dead plants, testify to its revival spirit. But do you know there are comebacks experienced in the Christian life too? Remember Samson; according to the Biblical narrative, in Judges Chapters 13-16, Samson performed incredible feats of superhuman strength. (Please take a moment to read about it). Samson was born a Nazarite. According to Nazarite rule, commitment is in the unique service of God, usually through a vow of abstinence from solid drinks, shaving or cutting one's hair, or contact with a dead body (Brittannica.com). 

The Biblical narrative also expresses that he was one of the last leaders who judged Israel before the institution of the monarchy. When the final bell had rung for him, or so his enemies believed, God revealed a more excellent plan for Sampson, a comeback among comebacks. 

So what makes Samson's story so interesting? In particular, Samson trusted a woman named Deliah, who he loved, a woman of ill repute, the secret of his strength, his long Nazirite locks. The biblical narrative expresses that when Deliah learned of his secret, while he slept, she had his hair cut and betrayed his confidence. 

Although Samson is a mighty fortress in God, the moral lesson for contemporary Christians warns about putting out trust and hope in others. God explicitly reminds us that we are weak, but He is strong. However, the story doesn't end with Samson's loss of power and seemingly defeat. 

The narrative in Judges 16: 28-30 reveals the incredible comeback. It says that after his enemies cut his hair, the Philistines saw it growing back, and they blinded Samson because they wanted to mock Samson for personal entertainment. 

Because Samson lacks confidence in his ability and strength of his secret uncovered, he says and does this in verses 28-30:

28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand and the other with his left.

30 And Samson said, let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords and all the people therein. So, the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Now that is a comeback! 

But more importantly, Samson's story teaches that our dependence on God is not a dependency operating through our own strength and power but requires God's strength and power.

More insight reveals that even when we stray from God's plan, He is still in our corner, waiting for us to ask again for His help. 

                                                     Remember these words from Proverbs 3:5-7.

Trust in the Lord with all thine Heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Servants Heart,

Minister Sylvia Joyner

Suffering Is About Knowing Jesus Greater

 What or how does one learn to embrace Suffering? What does it mean to suffer? The biblical definition is expressed in countless biblical accounts of people like us today. The Biblical narrative cites several scriptures by which the believer can draw an understanding and subsequent strength. 

Listed below are some scriptures chosen to help you: 

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin (1 Peter 4:1). For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17). Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church (Colossians 1:24). When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2).

Are there any lessons one can learn through Suffering? 

Jesus sets the example of Suffering and its importance to understanding for Christian believers. Jesus Christ's calling by God as our Great High Priest, above all other Priests, sets the truths about suffering in motion. The Great High Priest duly anointed as both human and divine and "cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was tempted like we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:14- 15). 

Furthermore, His humanity is essential to His identification with those He represents (2:17), and His deity is vital to transmitting His power and conveying His righteousness for the believer's forgiveness. Jesus has identified with us through our struggles and temptations. One thing that sets Jesus apart is that in His identification with us, He remained without the tarnish of sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). These truths should encourage us to gain a better perspective of Jesus's sharing of human experiences, which enables Him to "have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way" (Hebrews 5:2). 

Words expressed in Randy Alcorn's article tell the story of Joni Eareckson Tada, who has lived for forty years as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, contemplates her journey in her new book, Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls, she says, "I've learned that suffering is messier than I once thought" and that it is about pressing us up against Jesus. It's not so much about us; it's about how I can hear His heartbeat and identify with Him in His sufferings." And "My paralysis is about knowing Jesus better." 

Alcorn's article also references C. S. Lewis's famous quote: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." 

The Bible admonishes believers that "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luke 16:10). We must hold fast to our confession of the truth so when the hard times come, we will be able to withstand the rigors of its mighty hand. Be diligent in your profession of faith in God so that you can fight the struggles of life. 

I leave with this truth: Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1:12)

Blessed Beauty To You,

Minister Sylvia Joyner