Complete in Him

by Tammy Phillips
August 1, 2021

I love the Lord.  He takes me on some crazy train rides and treasures hunts through His word.  I was attempting to figure out who Asa was in the Old Testament, but instead I found the following verse. It captured my attention.

” And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.” (2 Chronicles 13:22 KJV) 

Abijah was faithful and important enough to be mentioned in the Bible along with Iddo, the prophet.  He was like Solomon, whose WHOLE story also did not make the Bible, but was recorded in the book of Nathan, in the prophecy of Abijah and in the vision of Iddo. (1 Chronicles 9:29) Honestly, in my ignorance, I never thought about the Lord using other prophets, other than the major and minor prophets in the Bible.  I thought they were it.  Clearly, Iddo was a prophet, as he was mentioned several times in that role.

Where did this lead me?  Humorous Holy Spirit use the obscure search and verse of 2 Chronicles 13:22 to show me that He performed perfecting edits even in making the Bible.   As Author and Editor, He allowed, Abidah and Iddo to make the cut with a few mentions in the Bible.  However, the rest of the story of Abijah can be found in the writings of Iddo, but not in the Bible.

The acts of Rehoboam were written in the book of Shemaiah.  (2 Chron 12:15) Shemaiah is called a man of God who the word of God came to, but He did not get his publication in the Bible, either.  Scripture mentions others who wrote books like Jehu and Nathan, but their records are not found in the Old Testament. Their works were important because the word of God mentions them.  God used these men, but when He made the final edit of the Bible, their books were excluded.

Interesting fact, although there is not a book in the Bible called Iddo, his grandson, Zechariah, made the cut. 

God is the Author and Editor of our lives, too.  “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.” (Psalm 139:16 CSB) He wrote our perfect stories with a perfect beginning, middle and end.  Along came choice and redirects our stories, accordingly.  The Lord when invited, then enters our wrong choices and difficulties. He works with Holy Ghost ink and edits our stories.  Instead of heart breaking, He writes healing on our heart.  Instead of discouraged, He writes be strong and courageous.  He hits the delete key, erasing sadness and despair.  He quickly types hope and joy.  Our names might night be seen in the printed Bible, but they are written in His book. He writes and edits our story, masterfully.

Edits are mistakes that need correcting or deleting in order to make the piece ready for public presentation. 

Edits are cutting and rearranging of pieces of the whole to bring it to perfection.  I know as a writer that I create a lot of mistakes, every day, in my blog. I have an editor that reads my story and makes the necessary perfecting changes.  I wish that she could do it before I publicly post but, time often does not allow.  (It is not like my current editor is a paid position.  She does if for free, as she is my Mom.)  

An editor also alters, adapts, or refines, a work, especially, to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose.

The Lord does all these things in our lives.  He deletes the dross in our lives to prepare us for his calling, to make us complete and to perfect us, His bride.  He refines us and aligns us to reflect His image.  He edits the choices we have made that were not aligned with His purpose to love us back to Him and the path of His perfect plan. 

I encourage you to trust the Author and Editor of your life.  He has written your perfect story.  He is writing and perfecting your chronicles.  He will continue write your masterpiece.  Allow Him to make the necessary edits in your life to align you with the great story that He already has written for you.

by Tammy Phillips
July 31, 2021

Kris and I have known each other for thirty years.  (Am I even that old?) Today, we celebrate our twenty-eighth anniversary.  I am thankful.  I am thankful for a husband who loves me, and I am thankful for a marriage that has endured.  I am guilty of taking are marriage for granted.  I am guilty of taking Kris for granted.  On the day that we married, we walked down the aisle, out of the church and had a private moment in the lobby.  Our first words to each other after our nuptials were, “This is forever.”  As married folk know, forever is a long time.  Newlyweds, newly engaged and about to be marrieds, forever is a long time.  We also made a declaration that divorce was not in our vocabulary.  We both have excelled, and we both have failed.  We have fought hard and not fought hard enough for our marriage.  Praise God together we have endured.  Love endured.  God is love and love is the enduring glue that holds our marriage together.

This week, I was reminded to REALLY appreciate our union.  I have three sisters who are hurting.  One sister celebrated her anniversary with her husband who has dementia and is rapidly declining.  She was so sad because she said she felt like she was celebrating alone. Another sister was struggling in her singleness after her marriage of over twenty years ended.  Finally, a dear sweet sister had been battling for years to save her marriage and she sadly signed divorce papers just yesterday.  My heart was and is breaking for each of my friends.  I became sad because as they endured their individual pains, each of their situations made me realize how very blessed I was to be celebrating another anniversary.

Married folk, newlyweds, about-to-be-marrieds, newly engaged and looking to get marrieds, marriage is precious.  It is not to be taken for granted.  Marriage is forever.  Treasure it.  This week I was painfully remind to appreciate, love, and respect my husband, all the more.  I love you, Kris Phillips!  I am so very thankful for you, your enduring spirit, and our marriage. THIS IS FOREVER.

I enCOURAGE you, married folk, newlyweds, about-to-be-marrieds, newly engaged and looking-to-get-marrieds… Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Hold each other up.  Put up with each other.  Endure. Love is patient. Love is kind.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Do everything in love. (Ephesians 4:2, 1 Corinthians 13:4, Romans 12:10, 1 Corinthians 13:7, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 Corinthians 16:14)

P.S.  Please pray for my sisters in Christ who are hurting.  Earlier, I failed to mention the sweet Mom of a friend who buried her husband of 44 years this week.  Pray for them, too, please?  Know that  I will be praying for your marriage.  I ask that you pray for ours in that it will be all God intended.

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
July 30, 2021

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him IF you seek Him with ALL your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV)

Oddly enough, I had nothing today in the way of encouragement.  Nothing laid out before me.  Nothing planned in advance.  I read through a few short books of the Bible to see if there was a treasure hidden that I could share.  I heard…seek Me.  I was like I am Lord.  Then I heard it again, the soft whisper of the Lord against my neck.  “Seek me.”  I sought Him by typing into my Bible search ap…Seek the Lord… This is what I found. 

Seek the Lord. What does that really mean?

Seek the Lord.
Require. Desire.
Search Him out.
Find His face

Seek Him with all you heart and soul.
Resort to the Lord.
Go to the Lord.
Frequent the Lord.
Beat a path to the Lord.
Tread a way to the lord
Trample out a trail to the Lord
Track Him down.
Ask for the Lord
Inquire of the Lord
Study the Lord, repeatedly.
Follow the Lord
Search Him out
Seek the Lord.

This is not a one and done kind of thing.  This is not a once a week visit to church.  This is a continuing relationship.  It is a relationship of running hard after Him.  Seek Him you will find Him.

“Seek the LORD and His strength.
Seek His face evermore!” (1 Chronicles 16:10-11 NKJV)

Seek the LORD, set your heart and your soul. (1 Chronicles 22:19 NKJV)
Seek the LORD in going and praying (Zechariah 8:21 NKJV)
Seek the Lord in sickness. (2 Chronicles 16:12 NKJV)
Seek the LORD when you are afraid. (2 Chronicles 20:3-4 NKJV)
Seek the Lord in lack. (Psalm 34:10 NKJV)
Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth. (Zephaniah 2:3 NKJV)
Seek the LORD in rejoicing.  (Psalm 105:3 NKJV)
Seek the Lord in weeping (Jeremiah 50:4 NKJV)
Seek the LORD to understand. (Proverbs 28:5 NKJV)
Seek the LORD while He may be found. (Isaiah 55:6 NKJV)
Seek the LORD and live (Amos 5:6 NKJV)

“The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2 NKJV)

Woe to those who do not seek the LORD! (Isaiah 31:1 NKJV)

“Seek the LORD and His strength.
 Seek His face evermore!” (Psalm 105:4 NKJV)

I enCOURAGE you to seek the Lord.   “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV) Seek Him continually and in all things.  He will give you everything you need.  Seek Him, first and always.

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!”” (Psalm 40:16 NKJV)

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
June 29, 2021

“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (Proverbs 16:3 KJV)

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV) 

“Commit your activities to the LORD, and your plans will be established. ” (Proverbs 16:3 CSB)

My very best days are the days I begin by saying, “Lord, today is your day.  I commit my day to your way.”  It is that simple. 

Some days, I begun with a blurt:

• What do you want me to do?
• Show me the direction to go?
• Lead me and guide me?
• I need your help to get done all I need to accomplish.
• I don’t want to, and I need your help!

Honestly on a few occasions, I did not begin the day with a word to the Lord.  I just got up and went.  Those were not my best, nor most productive days. 

The best way to start the day is to commit it to the Lord.  The word commit oddly enough in this verse means to roll.  We roll things that are too heavy to carry, like a rock, a suitcase, or a cooler.  Lord knows that most days are too heavy for us to carry alone. So, when we roll our day, our works, our job, our business, our art, our craft, our skill, our activities, and really, anything we do, on to the Lord, our thoughts, whatever we meditate on, will be established.  Our plans, purposes and projects will be set up, prepared, arranged, ordered, formed, directed, determined, made firm and made ready by the Creator of all things.  Talk about taking a load off.

Have you ever been on a trip where everything was planned out for you and all you had to was show up?  That is what I am talking about. If we allow Him, He will do this for us every day. Obstacles will come but he will show us how to navigate around them if we permit Him.  We do not have to do one day alone.

I enCOURAGE you to begin the day the best way.  Roll everything you do onto the Lord.  He can take it.  Not only that, He will order your thoughts and establish your plans for the day.  Simply say, “Lord, today is your day.  I commit my day to your way.”  Then…trust Him.  Don’t try  back to take control of the day .    Have the best day in the Lord.

 

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
July 28, 2021

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh…” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NKJV)

Aren’t you glad that the word of God says there is “a time to laugh?”   Leviticus 23 describes seven different feasts/festivals throughout the Jewish year.  These were sacred, Holy Days of remembrance and celebration.   Jewish festivals were time of rejoicing, yet they were serious, too.  I would describe them as more of a serious time of joy.   When we think on a celebration, festival, or party, we think of laughter and dancing, but these were more serious times of remembering what God had done.  However, one of the feasts, Purim was established as a feast to commemorate the victory of Esther and Mordechai over Haman who plotted to wipe out the Jews of Shushan, Persia.  Purim was/is a time of extreme joy and laughter, celebrating victory over the enemy. 

I know God laughs. His word says He does.  I recently told my friends that I know that I give God a run for his money.  I know He ever laughs at me.  Do you know the only times the Bible speaks of the LORD laughing?

The three times the Bible mentions the Lord laughing are when He laughs at His enemies. I love it.  If we are to follow the example of our Father, we are to laugh in the face of our enemies.  Not only did God laugh at them.  He held them in derision.  Derision is not a word I frequently throw around.  Actually, I had no clue what it meant and had to look it up.  It means to mock, make fun of, laugh at in contempt and to speak unintelligibly.  Yes, the word shows us that the Lord literally made a laughingstock of His enemies.  

“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.” (Psalm 2:4 NKJV)

“The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.” (Psalm 37:13 NKJV)

“But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision.” (Psalm 59:8 NKJV)

Jesus defeated His enemy and ours, Satan, and all that he is, on the cross and provided us with salvation and deliverance.    In fact, the Lord made a public spectacle of them.  “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:14-15 NKJV)

The word of God tells us to do the same:

“Count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” (James 1:2 NKJV)   
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NKJV)
“Rejoice always,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 NKJV)

If we are to rejoice always that means in the face of our enemies.  In Him, we can laugh at sickness, disease, covid, cancer, lack, loss, fear, shame, guilt any obstacle that dares cross our path.  Can you hear Father God laughing back at Abraham and Sarah?  They laughed in His face when He told them that they would bear a child at the age of 100 and 90.  Although the Bible doesn’t say this, I know in my heart that the Lord chuckled when He responded, “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:14 NKJV)

When we believe the word of God for our life, we should be laughing in derision at our troubles.  Hannah was a great example of this.  She was childless, too, and desperately longed for a child.  In 1 Samuel, she poured her heart out to the Lord and petitioned Him for a son.  Her adversary had made fun of her because of her empty womb.   The Lord granted Hannah’s prayer in the child of Samson.  Afterwards, “Hannah prayed and said: ‘My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like the LORD, For [there is] none besides You, Nor [is there] any rock like our God.’” (1 Samuel 2:1-2 NKJV)

When faced with impossibilities, we can either despair, get depressed, distressed, discouraged, and disappear in defeat, OR we can boldly, courageously, resolutely stand in the face of our enemies, and laugh out loud.

I enCOURAGE YOU to laugh, chuckle and snicker.  Laugh at the mountain before you.  Laugh at the trial you ARE going through.  Mock at the mayhem in this world, and in your world!  In the middle of all the chaos…crack up!  Knock out your opponent with a little giggle.  Sing lalala in the presence of your adversary.  Live amazed by our Father and always laugh in Him.

“Now thanks [be] to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV)

by Tammy Phillips
July 27, 2021

“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].” (1 Peter 5:10 KJV)

A home is not built over night.  A foundation has to be laid before the house will stand. Every single piece of the house has to be carefully designed, thought out, constructed, and set in place before the house can reach its completion. The building process can be painful.   Obviously, there are obstacles along the way. There are delays and storms. How good does it feel to walk into a new home or a newly renovated home when it is complete?   Allow the Lord time to complete what He started in you. 

BUT GOD!
It is always God!
It is God of ALL GRACE. 
It is God of all…
Good-will
Lovingkindness
Unmerited favor
Kindness that bestows what is undeserved
It is God.

God has called us…
God has invited us…
God has called us by name…
into His eternal glory
by Christ Jesus

After you have suffered…
Been affected
Been afflicted
Undergone

Awhile…
A little
Small
Shortly
Slightly
Briefly

God of all grace will…

Perfect you
Put you in order
Mend what was broken
Repair you
Restore you
Make you what you ought to be
Complete You

God of all favor will…

Establish…
Confirm
Strengthen
Firmly Place
Fix
Steadfastly set your face
Turn you resolutely in a certain direction

God of all loving kindness…

Strengthen…
Make you strong body and soul

God of all unmerited favor will…

Settle…
Found
Ground
Lay your foundation

I enCOURAGE you in the middle of your passion, suffering and waiting to hold on. You are under construction.  God has got you in His mighty right hand.  He is an amazing project manager. Your current suffering is only going to last a little while on His construction timeline.  He will use it to perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle you.  You are complete in Him.

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
July 26, 2021

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.” (Proverbs 4:25 NKJV)

Focus is fire and I can prove it. 

1. Our word focus is a derivative of the Latin word focus, which means fire, fireplace, or hearth.By meaning alone focus is the place of fire. Focus is fire.   I could stop here, but I will continue.
2. A magnifying glass lens can take the sun rays coming from every direction, gather them and concentrate them on one central point.  The focus of the light rays on  that center point creates enough heat to ignite a fire.  Focus is fire.

Focus is a point in which rays of light meet, after being reflected or refracted.  Focus is the convergence on a perceived point of concentration.  Focus is having clear visual definition.

When we seek God, He lights our path, clears our road, and gives us clear vision to walk the right way.  When the Lord wants us to focus on something specific, He sheds His light into the darkness of our life through a variety of light rays.  It can be through reading His word, praying, talking with other Christians, listening to a sermon, a song or just about anything. Those light rays enter through one point, our God-given lens, and create a fire inside of us.  Then, as we concentrate on what the Lord has told us to accomplish and keep our eyes looking straight forward with laser focus, we can fulfil His will for our lives.  This God kind of focus extinguishes the distractions the enemy sets before us.  Focus is fire. 

3.  Here is a perfect example:  The Lord directs me to lose weight.  He shows me how.  He teaches me the right food to eat and the exercises to do.  When I focus on what He has told me and I am not distracted by the bad food, a fire is fueled.  When I center in on eating the correct food and drink, my targeted actions fuel a literal fire inside me.  Calories are burned and weight is lost.  When I add another light ray of knowledge, exercise, to the plan laid before, I am adding focused fuel to the fire and more weight is lost.  As I keep my eye on the prize, stayed focused on what the Lord has told me to do and put blinders on to the distractions of life, I will eventually attain my goal.  Focus is fire.

I enCOURAGE you to “let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you!”  Do not be deterred by the distractions the enemy put in your path.  Walk by faith around, over, or break straight through them.  Godly focus will fuel the fire for you to achieve your destiny. Remember, focus!  It is fire in your life.

And if that is not enough, “Our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29 KJV)

by Tammy Phillips
July 25, 2021

Has the Lord called you to Him?  Are you following Him?  Has He told you to do something and you have not been obedient?  Sadly, I can answer yes to this question.  I have tried on and off for years to lose weight, but have I done it?  I can say I have started, like Israel, but I have not finished the job.  I have known for years to exercise self-control.  I have “tried,” but I have not exercised sound mind.  I just haven’t done it, but I am doing it… now!   Israel had been directed to rebuild God’s House.  They had been slacking for fourteen years.  They also knew what to do, but like me, they gave God a lot of excuses.  Haggai under the direction of the Lord encouraged them in the right way to go to accomplish His will.   Following are the guides of Haggai that pointed Israel and in the right directions.  They will do the same for us.

HAGGAI 1:12

1. FOLLOW RIGHTEOUS LEADERS
2. HEAR, listen, answer, attend, AND OBEY THE VOICE/call of the LORD
3. And the word of the prophets sent by the Lord
4. FEAR THE LORD. Revere and stand in awe of  the LORD.  Be amazed in the presence of God.

HAGGAI 1:13

5. LISTEN AND KNOW THAT THE LORD IS WITH YOU!

HAGGAI 1:14

6. BE STIRRED. It is the LORD who stirred up everyone’s spirit.  Do you feel the Lord stirring your spirit?   We can do nothing without the Lord and all things with Him. Nothing like the God of the universe to stir things up. The Hebrew word for stirred up is ʿûr and it means:  to be hot, ardent, alert, watchful, awake, aroused.  It is the idea of the eyes being opened and wide awake. 
7. GET TO WORK. The Lord told them what to do and stirred them up. They listened.  They went to work on the house of the Lord.

Haggai 2:3

8. SEE WORK AS IMPORTANT AND DON’T COMPARE. They compared their work to Solomon’s work on the Temple and thought it was nothing.  If God calls us to do or give anything, IT IS NOT INSIGNIFICANT!  IT IS SIGNIFICANT work for the kingdom.  We have to do our part, plant the seed, and trust Him to grow it.

Haggai 2:4

9. BE STRONG.  BE COURAGEOUS!  BE FIRM! HOLD ON!  BE RESOLUTE!  
10. WORK. Do it. Make it happen.  Commit.  Execute.  Keep it going.  Get after it.
11. The LORD says: “I AM WITH YOU.” We are doing His work with Him.

Haggai 2:5

12. NOT STANDING OR WAITING ALONE   According to His word and His blood covenant, the Spirit remained in the middle with Israel.  According to His word and the new blood covenant in Jesus, His Spirit remains in the middle of us. He was with them, but He is in us. He remains, stand, endures, continues, and waits with us. 
13. DO NOT FEAR. Do not be frightened by anything.  Don’t be frightened by the obstacle nor  task ahead. We are not alone. If the Lord calls you to it, He will help you through it. 

Haggai 2:8

15. HIS RESOURCES ARE UNLIMITED.   All the gold and silver are His!  All power is His.  All might is His. All authority is His. He will supply us with everything we need to get the hob done.

I enCOURAGE you to listen to the word of the LORD.  He is calling.  Fearlessly, follow the word of God for your life.   He will instruct you and teach you the right way to go. (Psalm 32:8).  In summary, Haggai gave great consult to Israel to get the job done:  Listen. Obey. Fear the LORD. (It is the beginning of wisdom.)  Know the LORD is with you and stirring you.  Do it.  Be strong!  As always, be resolute and just do it with the LORD.  He will give you all you need to get you going the right way.  You cannot go the wrong way with the LORD. 

 

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
July 24, 2021

” Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5 KJV)

Now, it is so easy to get from place to place.  We enter our beginning and end point in our GPS (Global Positioning System …which sounds like something from Star Trek).  We push a button.  We are given turn by turn instructions and even have a voice to guide us if we wish.  If life was only that simple!  What if we could enter a starting point as single and destination as married? Push a button and then receive turn by turn directions to our perfect mate.  The LORD knows I made so many wrong turns and went down so many dead-end roads in an attempt to find my husband. 

The LORD had told His people to rebuild His house two years after they came out of Babylonian captivity. They worked on it for two years and stopped.  Fourteen years later, enter Haggai, again.  His people had stopped work on the temple, but had taken time to build themselves nice, new homes.  They had said that the time had not come to work on God’s house and offered up a lot of excuses.

How many of us have nice, new, decorated homes?  However, we have not spent any time on the temple of the LORD.  “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and [that] the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV) Yes!  After we follow Jesus, we are the temple of God, and He lives in us.  We have some restoration, renewal and transformation that needs to take place on the inside.  We are washed and perfected by the word of God.  The only way that this happens is to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  (Romans 12:2 NKJV) Sadly, we do not have an easy GPS directing us which way to turn, but if we listen to God, He will teach us the way to go. 

Where are we going?  What are we doing?  Which direction is our life going?   Have we come to the Lord?  If we have, are we following Jesus?  Are we being obedient to His word?  Are we doing what He has asked or called us to do?  Are we going the right way? 

This is what the Lord said to His people in Haggai 1:5 and 7:  Now!  It is time.   Consider your ways!  The Hebrew figure of speech means “put your heart on your roads.”   In other words, think about where you are going.  Set your mind on the path of your inner man.  

The Lord tells them later through Haggai that they had not lived their best lives because they had been going the wrong way.  They had been living their own lives as they pleased, doing what they wanted to do and not what the LORD had told them to do.  They had been running around building and decorating their own homes, while His laid in waste. 

I enCOURAGE you to “consider your ways.”  Put your heart on the road.  Are you obedient to the calling of God on your life?   Are you following Jesus as Savior and Lord?  Are you working on your temple?  Did you begin the process eighteen years or forty years ago and it is still incomplete?  ARE YOU GOING THE RIGHT WAY? What would the LORD have you to do?  Tune in tomorrow.

by Tammy Phillips
July 23, 2021 

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2 KJV)

Early in our marriage, when Kris and I would go through difficult circumstances and begin to become discouraged, I would firmly say, “This will not defeat us!”  It became a banner flying over our marriage in our early years.  I am thankful that God reminded me of the proverb that He gave us.  I need to confess it more often.

Are you at wits end?  Are you drowning, sinking, floating, swimming or standing on the Rock in the sea of life?  Are you overwhelmed or overcoming?  Many of my friends and family are enduring some really stressful things, as well as their friends and family:

• The unexpected passing of a spouse
• The premature loss of a child
• Fighting cancer, the virus and other crippling diseases
• Battling aging and dementia
• Divorce
• Wayward children
• Unexpected pregnancies or troubles getting pregnant
• Chaos at work
• Not enough employees to keep their business running

Some are drowning.  Some are swimming.  Some are standing on the Rock, and some are walking on the water.  Two individuals could be experiencing the exact same thing but look at it differently.  One could be drowning by focusing on the problem, while the other could be standing on the Rock, focusing on the One, Jesus, who has the answer, strength, and power to help them overcome. 

We all go through life and experience tribulations.  WE MUST STAY FOCUSED.  It is too easy to become engulfed in trials.  By definition overwhelmed means to be crushed beneath something violent and weighty, that covers up or encompasses the whole; to be immersed and to bear down upon; to overlook gloomily.   The word whelm means to cover with water or other fluid; to cover by immersion in something that envelops on all sides; to cover completely; to immerse deeply; to overburden.  This sounds like drowning to me.  As Christians, the only thing that we should be totally immersed in is the word of God, not the cares of life.  It is the word of God that will help us float and walk on water, whether stormy or calm.   The LORD tells us:

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)

When life tries to crush and crash in on us, do we turn to the problem, or do we turn to the Lord?  David said, “When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.”  (Psalm 142:3 NLT).  Our enemy is always in pursuit of us trying to steal, kill and destroy us… our marriage, our children, our life, our jobs, and our country.  When we feel swamped and covered up, turn to the Lord.  Cry out to Him. He will lead you through it.  He will be the saving rock on which you can stand.

I enCOURAGE you not to be overwhelmed with all the chaos that is spinning around in the world today.  Allow the Savior to save you.  Surrender to Him. Stop flailing around.  He has a saving word and direction for you.  Seek Him.  Call Him.  He will save you.  “Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (Romans 8:37 NLT). Through Him, you are more than a conqueror and can victoriously declare, ““THIS WILL NOT OVERWHELM, NOR DEFEAT ME!”

I am saved and covered by the Lord!” 

“I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10 NLT)

My mom’s response to this post:  

“So much going on in people’s lives.  Breaks my heart for them.  I am so much older, wiser, and knowledgeable of God’s Word than I was, and it increases daily.  God IS the Answer!!! Without Him, where would “I” be?? With Him, I have hope, confidence, and assurance for today, and tomorrow!”-Marie Poon