How would you respond if you lost your husband, your dreams, and found you were plagued with cancer? 

Would you humbly cling to your Heavenly Father or shake your fist at Him demanding something more?  

One of the gals on my prayer group is living the scenario above and has chosen to cling to her Savior and bless thousands of others with a quiet, gentle, and obedient spirit.  Her faith is an inspiration to all.  This is one of 3 tools that she created for herself that will now bless many others.  Thank you Marcia for all that you have endured for the sake of the gospel!

ABC’S OF HOPE IN THE SEASON OF DIFFICULTY

We walk by faith not by sight -2 Cor 5:7

A: Anxious: Do not be anxious about anything , but in everything by prayer, supplication, and with thanksgiving make your requests know to God and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 

Phil 4:6

B: Believe: I believe, help me in my unbelief. 

Mark 9:24

C: Content: for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 

Philippians 4;11-13

D: Dismayed: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Isaiah 41:10

E: Eyes: I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

Psalm 121:1

F: Future: 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. 

Jer 29:11

G: Grace: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 

2 Cor 12:9

H: Hope: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:11

I: Instruct: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 

Psalm 32 :8

J: Jesus: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

K: Keep: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. 

Isaiah 26:3

L: Lamp Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path. 

Psalm 119:105

M: Mercies Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 

Lam 3:22-23

N: Needs: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

Phil 4:19

O: Outweighs: 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 Cor 4:17-18

P: Paths: Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 

Psalm 25:4-5

Q: Quiet: The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save, He takes great delight in you and will quiet you with his love and rejoice over you with singing. 

Zeph 3:17

R: Rock Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. 

Ps 62:2

S: Sustain: Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, who will sustain you.I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:4

T: Thoughts: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

U: Understanding : Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Prov 3:5-6

V: Vine “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing

John 15:5

W: Wait: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

Isa 40:31

X: Anxious: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23

Y: Yoke: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Z: Zion: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. Isaiah 28:16

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

                                                                Micah 6:8

The post ABC’s Of Hope In A Season Of Grief first appeared on Brian Friedl.

As I was completing my reading this morning.  It hit me that there seem to be 3 G’s of the Christian life before Glory.  They are Grief, Guilt, and Gratitude.  While they appear to be progressive, they are also concurrent.  Said another way, One leads to another but all are always present on this side of glory.

Grief is a curious thing.  It seems we can go through life for a while not really grasping it until we come face to face to the evils of this world, then we can’t remember what it was like before it.  We are constantly affected by it based on our own sin, the sins of others, and the overall fallen state of our world.

Progressive

The grief is a reminder that this is not our home and that we have fallen short of the glory of God.  By its very nature grief leads us to our understanding of guilt before the Father and our need for a Savior.  Our minds don’t like to think about this.  We ask the question: God, isn’t there a better way that only includes Joy?  It prompts me to ask these questions:  Would we really understand our need if this world was too comfortable and didn’t have grief?  Would we have a choice to love if he had not given us free will to sin?  Would we see how great the gift of Christ is if we did not experience our depravity without Him?

Concurrent

After placing your trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, one would hope all the grief would subside because of the joy in Christ.  While Jesus does manifest truth in us that our Joy may be full, the grief still has a place.  As we invest in the lives of others and look at ourselves with honest eyes, we see as Paul did.  There is another law at work in our members waging war against our minds.  We see evil as evil.  We desire that day when every tear is wiped away and then we realize we are not there yet.

So how do we live in such a dichotomy of extreme opposites like grief and joy?  The same way Christ did:  With our eyes fixed on God and our hearts given in complete submission to Him.  May you fix your eyes on Christ today, cast off sin, and run the race that is marked out for you.  Be not ashamed of the Gospel, it is the power of the joy you seek!

#grief, #joy, #jesus

The post The 3 G’s of the Christian life – Day 1 first appeared on Brian Friedl.