Jesus Is Here!

"For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,To order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this".

- Isaiah 9:6&7





.

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=wJQMnB8K3rc



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnOIShNBJyw



MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND REJOICE!!!

~Royalbutterfli

Consider God

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths".

- Proverbs 3:5&6



Faith matters. Sometimes it seems hard to have faith. But is it really? Or are we being deceived? Sometimes our faith wavers. Should it really? We all need faith to accomplish goals in life. We all need faith to overcome life's challenges. With that, the answer to these two questions I posed is no. Though everyone struggles to hang on to it at times, faith shouldn't be hard to have nor should our faith waver. Why? Because we ought to always think about who God is and what He has already accomplished not only in our lives already but in the earth as well. No matter how great the challenge or opportunity we face, let's consider God. He wants us to remember who He is. He wants us to trust that He is able. With trusting in Him comes His promises. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Christmas is around the corner. I can't help but to think about all the gifts that will be given and received. I also ponder on how God our Father always has something ready for His kids. When we look to Him with regard, respect and expectation He always shows Himself as Abba Father, providing what we need just when we need it. Just like an earthly dad can't resist the look in His child's eye, when God looks at us as we look to Him in faith knowing that He will come through on our behalf, He is ready and willing to do just that. Consider God and just believe. Why shouldn't we believe? It's not like we can fix our issues or accomplish our goals on our own anyway. He has all dominion and power in His hand. Merriam-Webster has one of the definitions for dominion as supreme authority. Doesn't that sound just like God? When we consider Him these are the things we ought to remember. All of His attributes and characteristics are true. Faith becomes easier to embrace when we consider Him in all things and in every circumstance and on everyday.

I encourage you to just believe. Whatever it is that you are facing. God is the Author and Finisher of your faith, Heb. 12:2. Sarah in the bible had a hard time believing God so much that she laughed at Him when the promise for her to bare a child at her age was revealed but then she remembered. She considered who spoke to her. She considered God (Heb. 11:11), the AlL-Mighty one. The One that is true to His word. And so...Yes! She did bare a son to Abraham (Gen. 22:2). I implore you to consider God. He is able to not only do what He promises but also what you petition Him to do. 1 John 5:14&15 tells us if we believe He hears us we will have just what we have asked. Sickness, opportunity, goals, family, whatever the plight, ordeal, or needed direction, consider God.



~ Royalbutterfli



Let's pray...

Dear Father, we look to you in every circumstance. You are a good God therefore we believe that every good gift comes from You just as your word declares. We consider You today. We consider Your sovereignty, Your faithfulness and Your greatness. Have Your divine way in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Still Valuable After The Sifting

"...satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail: and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

- Luke 22:31



The word sift means to go through something very carefully in order to find something useful or valuable. With that definition we understand what the devil wanted to do to Peter in Luke 22:31. The devil asked God for him. Did you know that till this day the devil still asks? He petitions God for our lives. He does this, especially when we are in a place of purpose and destiny. He's the accuser of the brethren and he comes to steal, kill and destroy. In the Henry Matthew's Commentary it describes the devil as wanting to show God that Peter was nothing but chaff and not wheat. Wheat in the bible exemplifies true sonship/daughtership. Chaff exemplifies uselessness and worthlessness.

What do we do when we find ourselves in the middle of something that we didn't ask for? Many circumstances in life come when we don't expect them to, both good and bad. These things are out of our control. So what do we do when the unexpected comes? Prove to the devil our sonship/daughtership through Christ. It is him that we fight against. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Remember Jesus told Peter that He already prayed for him that his faith will not fail. Let's believe that He will do the same for us. God is a respecter of no person. He prays for us even now, Romans 8:34. Powerful!

Question. After the sifting will you still be in tact? Will you still want to serve and submit to God's Lordship over your life? Though we go through uncomfortable seasons in our lives we will still be the same person prior to going through just better and most likely more fit to be used by Him, like wheat. The value we possess on the inside will be exposed. We are not to worry about what others think about us because people base their approvals on their own biases and beliefs. Our value will be defined on how we come out on the other side of the sifting. Jesus said that we would come out stronger. Best of all is that we will be able to reach out to others with that very strength. It is wonderful when we are true followers of Jesus. A sifting can in fact validate our sonship/daughtership.

I encourage you. Hang in there because you are valuable. You are not chaff. You are wheat and will be useful to the Father. If the sifting seems unbearable trust God and His plan for your life. He knows what's best. There is a purpose for the discomfort. Whatever the problem know that you will get through it. Remember, Jesus told Peter that he would return. Know that God won't leave you in the wilderness but will bring you back to that place where the storms were past and everything was at a calm. Be encouraged, God bless you and love you. His promises are true.



~ Royalbutterfli



Let's pray...

Dear Father, help us to remember your promise of us being strengthened by You when it's all said and done. We declare that our faith will not fail us and when we return we will be able to strengthen our brethren with the strength that we gained during our time of discomfort. Get the glory out of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hallelujah Anyhow

"From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from east to west the name of the Lord is to be praised".

- Psalm 113:3



Ok. So hard trials are not the easiest to get through. They are hard, draining and painful. They make life seem as though the problem will be drawn out and will never end. We all experience tough times. So, if there's anyone that is reading this and may feel that you are alone in your fight know that there are others that have gone before you and have conquered. Our prime example is Jesus. We are able to conquer too. As long as we are in Christ we are more than conquerors. In Him we always have the victory. He is not a fairy tale nor a myth.

Jesus is real and He can be the alleviator of our pain. The opposition of deceit, finance, physique, the mental state or whatever it may be, it's never greater than God. The pain that these oppositions bring can be settled and ultimately removed by the blood of Jesus. When we call on Him with our Hallelujah He comes to see about us. His faithfulness in being our burden remover is sure and true. We are safe in His hand. As long as we remember where our help comes from we will be alright. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the disturbing things that are happening around us that we are tempted to believe who they are telling us we are. These problems can't define us because Christ has already done that on the cross. We are joint heirs with Him. Let us embrace the fact that God knows who we are. We are to embrace who He says we are.

I want to encourage you not to let opposition define who you are. Whatever you are facing the God of the universe knows and cares. He is more eager to deliver than you are desiring the deliverance. Let Him take away your pain and say Hallelujah anyhow.



~ Royalbutterfli



Let's pray...

Dear Lord help us to understand that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. We embrace what you say about us and walk into our purpose by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.