Finding Hope in the Wilderness

[JesusCoffee]

If your being tossed in the wave of life and trying to survive the storm, well its not finished yet!
We all have to face the storms in our life at some point of time. Life is not always a smooth road to walk on and neither is it a bed of roses at all times.
So don't be discouraged. You maybe groping in the dark but God has not done with you yet. God wants us to find the light in the darkness. Jesus is that Light. You see how the Israelite journeyed from Egypt to Canaan through the wilderness? God wanted to take the Israelite by a longer route instead of the shorter one, due to their hardened hearts. They wanted a shorter route to reach Canaan, flowing with milk and honey. But God wanted them to have Faith in Him and to move on without fear, doubts or unbelief. He wanted them to trust Him wholeheartedly that whatever may come He is with them and will take them home to Canaan. Today we are travelling in this life's wilderness journey to our heavenly Canaan. We must trust Him for He is our hope. Soon we will reach home. All our troubles and sorrows will be gone. what was lost will be gained double fold. So Trust Him and wait for His timing. For He makes all things beautiful in His time. God has a purpose for our life. He is the potter. We are the clay. He molds us according to His will. So we need to submit to His will and wait patiently for Him to act for greater blessings in our life.
Humble yourselves into the mighty hand of the Lord, He will lift you up at the right time. Christ in me is the Hope of Glory!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
He says Fear not , for I am with you.
So brothers and sisters in Christ. Be encouraged. Jesus walks with us in every moment of life. Just as a mother comforts her child Jesus comforts us. Jesus is our comforter. He knows our sorrows and pain. For He went to Calvary to suffer for us on that cross. He demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us to give salvation unto eternal life.
For by Grace through Faith we are saved not by works that any man should boast. If God be for us who can be against us?
We have victory in Jesus!! Amen.

 

[tourist]

I agree that life indeed does have it's share of ups and downs. If God places a hedge around you protecting you from every hard or bad thing you will never grow spiritually. You are right in saying that the Lord will lift us up at the right time. I'm in agreement with your entire posts and looking forward to your future posts too. You have a real neat screen name too because coffee is often in discussion in the forums along with Jesus. Coffee consumption always makes for amusing threads in the forums. Glad to have you as a member of our community. Welcome to CC.

 

[JesusCoffee]

Blessings!
I am so glad that you have read my post and agree to it. Thank you for your comments about my screen name and yes coffee is often discussed in the forum. The reason i chose the name coz of the mnemonic
Christ. Offered. Forgiveness. For. Everyone. Everywhere - C.O.F.F.E.E

More of Jesus and lil bit of Coffee makes my day!
Jesus and Coffee..
Jesus first, Coffee second.

 

[Deuteronomy]

Hi @JesusCoffee, your OP reminded me of a quote I love, so I thought I'd post it here.


.................................

~Deut

 

[JesusCoffee]

That's an amazing and a beautiful quote. Thank you. God bless.

Hi @JesusCoffee, your OP reminded me of a quote I love, so I thought I'd post it here.


.................................

~Deut

 

[Deuteronomy]

While I'm at it, here are two more of my very favorites that again, seem to fit in to a degree with the theme of your thread.

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process." --Elisabeth Elliot, Missionary/Author​

​

"Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the blesser Himself." --Arthur W. Pink, Pastor/Theologian​

~Deut

 

[JesusCoffee]

Blessings!
I am so glad that you have read my post and agree to it. Thank you for your comments about my screen name and yes coffee is often discussed in the forum. The reason i chose the name coz of the mnemonic
Christ. Offered. Forgiveness. For. Everyone. Everywhere - C.O.F.F.E.E

More of Jesus and lil bit of Coffee makes my day!
Jesus and Coffee..
Jesus first, Coffee second.

I agree that life indeed does have it's share of ups and downs. If God places a hedge around you protecting you from every hard or bad thing you will never grow spiritually. You are right in saying that the Lord will lift us up at the right time. I'm in agreement with your entire posts and looking forward to your future posts too. You have a real neat screen name too because coffee is often in discussion in the forums along with Jesus. Coffee consumption always makes for amusing threads in the forums. Glad to have you as a member of our community. Welcome to CC.

 

[JesusCoffee]

While I'm at it, here are two more of my very favorites that again, seem to fit in to a degree with the theme of your thread.

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process." --Elisabeth Elliot, Missionary/Author​

​

​

"Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the blesser Himself." --Arthur W. Pink, Pastor/Theologian​

~Deut

That's another awesome quote you shared. I love it. Praise God!
Nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ. Amen.

 

[Didymous]

Good stuff! Praise the one true living God!

 

[BillG]

 

[Krumbeard]

Blessings!
I am so glad that you have read my post and agree to it. Thank you for your comments about my screen name and yes coffee is often discussed in the forum. The reason i chose the name coz of the mnemonic
Christ. Offered. Forgiveness. For. Everyone. Everywhere - C.O.F.F.E.E

More of Jesus and lil bit of Coffee makes my day!
Jesus and Coffee..
Jesus first, Coffee second.

Now I have a reason to like coffee! Thanks!
Awesome opening post. It's sometimes so easy to long to be free from from our troubles/ pain/suffering that we forget that God has a purpose for it.
Honestly, it's hard for me to wholeheartedly offer myself to God and be willing to give my all to him because of the refinement that is to come. I shudder at what that might mean in my life.
Yes. I know he will provide the grace to get through and I know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, and I know that even if I lose everything I love or care about in this life, I will still have everything because Christ has me.
It's just hard to get that from my head to my heart, from knowing to believing.
Thus the suffering-to turn us to Him.
AMEN! To your op.

 

[Krumbeard]

While I'm at it, here are two more of my very favorites that again, seem to fit in to a degree with the theme of your thread.

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process." --Elisabeth Elliot, Missionary/Author​

​

​

"Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the blesser Himself." --Arthur W. Pink, Pastor/Theologian​

~Deut

Great quotes! Thanks!

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “He’ll Still Deliver Me”

Some Christians seem to think and teach that the only time that faith is genuine is when the believer is experiencing no problems, no adversaries, and no obstacles. However, I would beg to disagree. True faith has to be tested in order to be proven genuine. True faith maintains its course even when that which one hoped for is not the conclusion of the matter. Honest faith looks defeat right in the eye and says, “I still believe what I believed before." Genuine faith is authored by the Lord, not by man’s foolish mechanisms, and makes its home in the depths of the heart of the believer. Even though one cannot see it with the natural eye, faith maintains a viable substance in the spirit. That belief way down on the inside rises up against opposition and says, “Somehow I know that I know that I know that what I believe is the truth. Faith evidenced and maintained, even in the wake of perceived failure, is the evidence of genuine faith. Real faith says like those famous Hebrew three, We know that our God can deliver us, but if for some unknown unseen reason He doesn't, we still believe in His delivering power. Genuine faith refuses to bow, even in the seeming face of defeat!

Daniel 3:17-18 - If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. (18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Pastor Loren Larson

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

That the trial of your Faith (all Faith is tested, and great Faith must be tested greatly), being much more precious than of gold that perishes (the emphasis is the testing of our Faith to show whether or not it is genuine; the Holy Spirit says such is more precious than the testing of gold, which is the most precious commodity in the world; is our Faith really in the Cross or not?), though it be tried with fire (the fire of temptation, trouble, etc.; such are meant to show the weakness), might be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory (which can only be done if the Cross of Christ is the sole Object of our Faith) at the appearing of Jesus Christ (we are being prepared by the Holy Spirit as fit subjects for the appearing of our Lord, as it regards the Rapture): 1 Peter 1:7

JSM


The Vicissitudes Of Life

Luke 6:46-49 NKJV - Jesus said , it will be "vehement," i.e., strong with every attempt to destroy.

Build on the Rock
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.[h] 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.[i] And the ruin of that house was great.”

According to the scripture, this will come no matter how much faith a Christian will have. All faith will be tested. And greater faith will be tested more. All character will be refined (Isaiah 48:10 NLT, Psalm 105:19 NLT).

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “The Journey of Faith”

Faith must make its journey from the head to the heart. The truths that we hear and initially believe must be tested for their genuineness. If they pass the test then we have faith that can be put to use in our everyday life. If it is not genuine it will not endure the rigors of the test and will fade away under the pressure brought against it. To the believer this is known as the trial of our faith. The test usually comes as a gut wrenching, heart crumpling, mind blowing event, or even a series of events, that seems both impossible to bear up under and more than just a little unfair. But as always, God is working something together for our good. He's building something that will last, something that will assist us through our long and difficult journey here below. If need be, if He deems it best, this trial may be lengthy and exhausting. But as the song says, in the end, it will be worth it all. So hold out and hang on! God is doing something great! Always remember, the greatest opposition always comes right before the greatest blessing.

1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Pastor Loren Larson

 

[love_comes_softly]

This is so full of truth and encouragment in a time that many people are struggling and facing battles. I love your opening line and find it to be such an accurate portrayal of life. God is so good, He is with us through it all, we just need to trust Him. Thank you for sharing! God bless!