So Many Believers Need To Know This When They Go Through Hard Times

[Music] perspective what is your perspective as a believer in Christ I asked this question because at some point in your walk with the Lord as you know him more and more you have to shift your perspective from God take me here take me over there to Lord I Thank you for how far you've brought me I thank you because I am no longer where I used to be perspective yes every now and again all of us ought to take a moment and remember [Music] all that God has done because it's easy to forget what God has done for us especially when we Face challenging times or become preoccupied with our daily routines but do you know why it's important to look back it's important because you will begin to see how faithful God has been Time After Time you'll begin to see how God has watched over you and opened doors for you time after time when we reflect on the significant events and moments in our lives we can recognize how God has been with us every step of the way this is emphasized in Psalm 77 verses 11 through 12 where the Bible reads I will remember the Deeds of the Lord yes I will remember your miracles of long ago I will consider all your works and meditate on all your Mighty Deeds this verse reminds us that God's works in the past are worthy of our reflection and meditation by focusing on God's faithfulness in the past we can gain confidence in his promises for the future as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8 28 and we know for those that love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose secondly remembering the past helps us be grateful for what we have when we look back and see how God has provided for us protected us and guided us we can develop a heart of gratitude and God certainly loves a thankful heart when we are filled with Thanksgiving and gratitude this helps us to focus on God's blessings rather than our difficulties Philippians 4 verse 6 says do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God note how Paul said with Thanksgiving meaning it's an essential component if we want our requests to be heard by God by being thankful we develop a deeper relationship with God recognizing him as the source of our blessings a Puritan preacher by the name of Thomas Watson once said remembering the mercies of God breeds gratitude in our hearts in addition to this remembering the past helps us to share our testimony with others our personal testimonies are powerful tools for evangelism and can Inspire others to seek God as we reflect on what God has done in our lives we can share our experiences with others showing them how God has transformed us and guided us in conclusion I'd like to quote the words of a Christian Theologian by the name of J.I packer who said the past is a source of knowledge and the future is a source of Hope love of the past implies faith in the future Isaiah 45 22-23 says look to me and be saved all you ends of the Earth for I am God and there is no other I have sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return that to me every knee shall bow every tongue shall take an oath in those moments where we are still before God we need to realize just how Mighty God is just how powerful God is the Bible tells us there is no one and nothing that can be compared to God we need to remember this nothing and no one is worthy to be competing for the number one spot of your heart God should be first out of all the people we will ever come across in life there is only one who will never disappoint us there is only one who can satisfy our Soul's deepest needs there is only one who has ever uttered the words I will never leave you nor forsake you and was able to keep the promise his name is Jesus Christ there is none like him there is none who can rival him there is none on Earth or any person who has ever lived who can come close to Jesus Christ he loves with an unconditional love with unmatchable wisdom he is the Good Shepherd and his presence it casts out all fear all unclean things and anxiety have to leave his presence heals it renews and it restores at the sound of his name demons tremble on this Earth miracles happen Healing The Sick restoring sight to the blind unstopping deaf ears all those are part of his resume he is the way the truth and the life and so dear friend when you open your heart and embrace all that Jesus Christ has to offer this will impact your life this decision is the one that will radically transform your life if you really surrender and embrace the Lord not only does he bring eternal life but in this present day here on this Earth if you truly surrender to Jesus Christ he's able to bring you Joy [Music] many of us could do with a little more joy in our lives Psalm 16 verse 11 says you make known to me the path of life in your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand our Pleasures forevermore when Jesus Christ comes into your heart he brings Joy and you will discover that Joy is ever present in your darkest hour Joy is ever present in the midst of Chaos and that is simply because Jesus Christ is the source of joy so I ask you dear friends have you invited the Lord into your heart have you embraced him have you met the one who could offer Amazing Grace have you met the one who can heal your deepest scars have you met the one who raised Lazarus from the dead if you haven't met him you can you can accept him in your life today and he will come into your heart he is the one who can renew he can restore he can rejuvenate Jesus Christ the son of God he is waiting for you to seek him when the Bible says be still and know that I am gone it's really telling you to stop everything you're doing stop worrying stop fighting stop resisting and start yielding to God start listening to God there is something about Stillness and I believe that this verse is calling us to be still before the Lord because we need to direct all of our attention all of our focus on the Lord foreign you see when you spend time getting to know the Lord when you spend time in the presence of Jesus Christ you will truly be transformed and I encourage you to desire and hunger for these types of Rich Encounters in the presence of God because it's only in those one-to-one intimate encounters that each of us can get a personal revelation of who God truly is it's only in those one-to-one intimate encounters that each of us can be empowered and filled with Courage the courage to face the world and stand up for Christ the courage to stand up to the devil and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord the prophet Isaiah received a revelation that should inspire all of us to recognize God for who he truly is listen carefully to what Isaiah 45 verse 2 to 7 says I will go before you and make the Crooked places straight I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden 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