Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan for each one of us and that His plan is to prosper us, to give us peace, to give us hope, and above all, to give us a blessed future.  This is a promise from God, but the only way we will inherit that promise is to completely submit our will to the will of God.

The Bible tells us that God’s ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts the same as our thoughts, and this truth was evident in the biblical story of Gideon when he fought the Midianite army.  Gideon’s battle plan was based on having an army of 32,000 men, but God ultimately reduced that number down to just 300 men.  In the natural, God’s battle strategy looked hopeless but it wasn’t Gideon’s job to question God’s plan, it was Gideon’s responsibility to obey and do what God commanded him to do.  Because of Gideon’s submission and obedience to God, Gideon and his 300 men were victorious.

You might find yourself in the middle of something that looks humanly impossible to overcome, but God has a plan for you – a better plan, and if you will surrender, submit and possess an unwavering level of faith in Almighty God, you will see God begin to work everything out for your good.  Whatever Satan has meant to use to do you evil, God will turn it around.  There is nothing impossible with God.  Do not lose hope.  Do not settle for less than God’s best for you.  Trust your heavenly Father at all times and be confident of this one thing – that God loves you and He expects you to have the future that He has planned for you – a future better than you can even imagine.

Most of us want to do things the way we want to and when we went to, but the Bible teaches us that the mark of a true Christian is to do all things according to the will of God regardless if we agree with God or not.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ showed us that we have the power to submit to God’s will even at the most difficult times.  Jesus understood his purpose; he knew that his mission on earth would end at Calvary.  When the time came for him to make the ultimate sacrifice, and after asking his heavenly Father if this cup could pass from him, he submitted by saying ‘nevertheless, not my will but your will be done.’

If Jesus submitted even unto death, how can we, as children of God, refuse to obey God?  We must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.  That is what God desires from each of us – total obedience to His will.  It will not always be an easy thing to do, especially when God’s will conflicts with your own, but if you are to enjoy the blessings of God, you must submit to the will of God.

The ‘not my will’ mantle that Jesus left for believers is not to be taken lightly.  It is important to God, so it should be important to you and I.  If you have a heart for God, you will make this a priority in your life, and when you are faced with making a choice whether to pursue your own desires or to obey God, your response should echo that of Jesus Christ ‘nevertheless, not my will but your will be done.’

Parents go to great lengths to teach their children how not to fight.  It is a sign of maturity when you are able to walk away without fighting.  This rule has its merit in our society today, but as Christians we learn that in this life you will have to fight but the key is to fight the good fight of faith.

Adversity will come – it is a certainty, but the Bible tells you that you will be able to overcome any adversity if you stand firm in your faith.  The evil ones wants the child of God to lose his/her faith in God so he sends fiery darts into your life to make you doubt God and His Word.  God’s Word tells us to submit to God and to put on the whole armor of God in these evil days.  You will not be able to fight if you lose your faith.  Faith is the key and if you stop believing, Satan has got you right where he wants you.  That is why it is important that Believers spend time meditating on God’s Word.  When Satan tries to deceive you, you must speak God’s word; resit the devil and he will flee from you.  If you try to fight in your own strength, you will not win because we are not fighting flesh and blood.  You must fight using the weapons of warfare that your heavenly Father has given to you and when you have done all, stand firm because faith will cause you to be an overcomer every time.

Everything God has promised, He is faithful to fulfill that promise to you.  You are not in this fight alone because God has promised never to leave you.  He is with you 24/7 and whatever you are involved in, believe that He is also involved.  Keep the confession of your mouth positive and believe what God says because you walk by faith and not by sight.  Let no one steal from you.  God’s Word will encourage you and remember, the fight is fixed – because of Calvary you have already won.  Fight the good fight of faith until you hear ‘well done thy good and faithful servant.’

There is a distinct difference between what you wish for and what you hope for.  A wish is a desire that something you want will take place, but with hope you are expecting your desire to come to pass.

Abraham was given a promise by God that one day he would become a father of many nations.  He believed in that promise, and lived in hope because he was fully persuaded that if God made the promise, He would keep His word and perform it.  If Abraham had simply wished that God would keep His promise, somewhere during those 25 years that he had to wait on God, he would have come to the conclusion that God had forgotten about him.  The fact that he continued to believe in spite of the physical condition of not only his body but also of his wife Sarah, is evidence that he did not stagger at the promise of God.  Abraham grew strong in his faith, and because of his faith in God, he received what God had promised.

Abraham’s story was written for our benefit.  If the children of God can become fully persuaded that God is faithful and will keep His promises, within the fullness of time, they will receive what they hope for.  Your hope, your faith in God will not only bless your life but it has the capability of blessing your children and your children’s children.  The question you must ask yourself is “am I willing to wait on God?”  Waiting is one of the hardest things you will have to do in this life, but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can and must do it.  If your faith is strong enough that you are fully persuaded that God will do what He has promised to do, the wait will be a small sacrifice compared to the glory that will be revealed to you all in God’s time.

Most of us have found out one of life’s truths – you will not always get what you want when you want it. Sometimes you will have to wait for success but delayed gratification has its own reward.  You cup will run over with joy when you receive something that you have longed for and worked so hard to achieve, so it is important that we always remain hopeful.

The law of expectation means that you have done all that you could do and now you are living in hope, expecting God to bless the work of your hands.  Your success in life depends upon your living in faith.  You must choose to believe or not to believe; you can believe for the better or you can believe for the worse, but God wants you to have an abundant life so you must expect more.  The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God, so a lack of faith will only limit God whereas faith releases God to act on your behalf. Faith is like a muscle – it grows stronger the more you use it.

God rewards those who put their trust in Him.  Live with expectancy.  Live in faith.  God is a faithful God and His Word tells us that ‘according to your faith it will be done unto you.’ Never give up and never stop believing God for your miracle.  It may not come when you want it to but as long as you have hope all things are possible.

Jesus has told us that in this world we world have trouble.  He also told us not to fear because he had overcome the world.  If you believe the Lord, and if you trust God, you too will live as an overcomer.  The secret is in trusting God at all times and in all things.  People change; circumstances change and yes, even you will change as you grow in the Lord, but there is one thing that will never change and that is Almighty God.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever and you can count on Him to do exactly what He has said He will do.  The Bible contains over 1000 promises, and just as that great cloud of witnesses experienced the truth of God’s word, so shall you as a child of God.

In this life you will find that not every one can be trusted and if you have been hurt in the past because you put your trust in someone who turned out to be untrustworthy, you might be reluctant to trust anyone.  But being unable to trust is a form of bondage.  The enemy of your soul would love for you to live your life alone, relying totally on yourself.  You need a new beginning and trusting your heavenly Father is the best way to learn to trust again.  You have a friend who will never leave you, and above all, you have a friend who has loved you all of your life whether you were aware of it or not.  The Lord Jesus Christ is a present help in the  time of trouble and he wants to be a part of your earthly journey and he will be with you in your time of trouble even if he has to carry you during the dark times in your life.

Trust God.  Open your heart and let Him show you what so many other Christians already know – that He is faithful and true.

Do you have an unfulfilled dream?  Are you getting out of your boat at Jesus’ bidding to do something remarkable?  If so, you are a believer.  A believer is someone who has heard the voice of God, believes God, and then does what God has told him/her to do.  Even if their circumstances do not line up with God’s word, they pursue because of their faith in God. Other people hear from God, but they do not believe what God has told them will come to pass. Therefore, they will do nothing and miss out on God’s best for them.

If you are struggling with believing God, first visualize your dream – see it. Next, believe that God will guide you and open doors for you that no one else could have opened.  Then you must act.  You must do whatever you need to do to accomplish your goal, and when times get tough, remember your past victories.  God was with you then and He is with you now.  Finally, you should share your testimony.  The Bible says that we overcome by the word of our testimony.  You just might be the inspiration that someone else needs to push them to the next level.

Never doubt God or His word no matter how difficult the journey gets.  There is no prize for unbelief.  Never give up.  Greatness comes through struggle – just ask any of the gold medal Olympians.  Anything worthwhile has to be fought for, so keep your eyes on the prize.  Live your life as a believer and not a doubter and you will reach the destiny God has planned for you.

The gospels tell us the story of Peter denying Jesus three times in one evening. After Jesus told him prophetically that this was going to happen, Peter could not accept this because of his love for his Lord. Yet, it happened. Peter was sorrowful but he could not take back what he had done. He had made a big mistake and had hurt someone he loved very much.

There are many ways to deny Jesus Christ and it doesn’t matter how much you love Him,our flesh can get the better of us and we, too, can wind up hurting our Lord and Savor. Christians living an ungodly lifestyle are denying the Lord. Disobeying God and His commandments is also a form of denying Jesus. Not loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is denying the one who gave His life for all of mankind.

God looks at our heart. God looks at the reasons why we do the things we do, and if we really search our hearts, we probably will find some area of our life that is not totally surrendered to God. Don’t allow Satan a place in your life so that he can cause you to deny someone you love very much. Peter regretted his actions, but we can avoid this type of pain by letting the world see the light within us. Don’t be ashamed to stand up for what is right, even if you are the only one standing. Be willing to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. We are in this world but not of this world. We are spiritual beings having this natural experience. Hold steady and remember that your actions speak louder than your words.

Fear is a state of mind that is common to both young and old, rich or poor and all nationalities. Children fear being alone; young people fear rejection and adults fear death but God has told us 365 times in the Bible not to fear. God knew that we would be tempted to fear, so He made it a point to remind us that fear does not come from Him. Fear comes from the enemy of our soul, but because of who we are, the children of God have divine assurance that they are never alone. God is always with us. Psalm 34:4 tells us that when you seek the Lord, He will hear you and He will deliver you from all of your fears. Psalm 91 tells us to dwell in the secret place of the Most High and we will have no fear.

The condition of our world continues to deteriorate, so it is important that we have a relationship with our heavenly Father. God is our shield and our protector, therefore, by His mercy and His grace we can live out our lives in total peace being fully pursuaded that if God be for us, who can be against us?

Remember, it is the Lord who goes before you and He will help you in your time of need. Take God at His word and no matter what, trust Him. You have nothing to fear.

Confidence is praying for rain and then walking around with an umbrella.

Hope is planning for tomorrow because in reality tomorrow is not promised to anyone.

Trust is watching a child jump into his father’s arms knowing that he will be caught.

Every Christian should live in confidence knowing that God hears you when you pray.  Jesus Christ is your hope because of his sacrifice on Calvary, you have an eternal future with God.  You can put every one and every thing you love into God’s hands and trust Him to know what is best for you and for them.  God is God and has been God for a very long time.  He loves you more than you can realize, and He wants to give you life and life more abundantly. God has a destiny for you and if you have a personal relationship with Him, He will help you to stay on the path that leads to His plans for you.

The condition of our world today can cause you to live in fear or you can live in the freedom that the Lord wants you to have.  The Word of God tells us about the awful conditions this world will experience as we move closer to the end times, and you can see that what God said is coming to pass.  God is your anchor and you will have peace if you put your confidence, your hope and your trust in Him.  God has promised that ‘those who endure to the end will be saved.’  Draw closer to God and He will draw closer to you.  Nothing in the world is certain; actually it will all one day pass away, but there is one thing for sure and that is God is with you.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.