FAITH!!
life
According To His Will
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NASB
Prayer works! Prayer makes a difference! May we never take it for granted, but may we see it for what it is. Prayer is our communication with Almighty God AND it is His communication with us.
We should always be praying with an open heart and a listening ear as we position ourselves to hear from our Lord and pray HIS will and desire for every situation. Praying HIS will and not our own is what will result in answered prayer.
As a follow-up to prayer, we may be called to declare and decree God’s Word out loud over a situation or over a place. We are God’s voice on the earth!! He uses us to PRAY His will, to SPEAK His will, and to DO His will!! HALLELUJAH!!
Father God, what a blessing to be able to join You in holy conversation! What a joy to be in Your presence and hear Your voice! Oh Lord! Help us to speak Your will boldly and with the authority You have given us!! May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! In Jesus’ Name! AMEN!! ~~Tina K. Roach
FOLLOW ME!
I hear the Lord saying:
“I am looking for people who will put aside everything and follow Me. I am looking for people who will wholeheartedly seek after Me. I am looking for people who are willing to lay aside their plans for their lives and seek My plans. I am looking for people who will lay aside their insecurities and step out in faith into their calling and purpose.”
Are you one of those people?
“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26 NIV)
Lord, we know that Your plan for our lives is better than our own. Help us to let go of what WE think is best and step out in faith and follow You and Your will. We desire Your spiritual gifts to be manifested in and through us for Your glory! We desire to walk in Your calling! We put aside those things that would hold us back from being all that You are calling us to be! We love You, Lord!
Following after Him, Tina Roach
Do it NOW!
I don’t know if you are like me – but there are times looking back when I realize that I missed an opportunity to do a kind act. I might have thought, “It would be nice if I …” but, then somehow the moment passed and I didn’t follow through. Can anyone relate?
I have found that if I allow time to pass between the thought and follow through – there’s a good chance it won’t happen.
So! I am challenging myself and you to be quick in doing that kindness, in speaking an encouraging word, and in giving a helping hand.
“…do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16 NIV
“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”
2 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV
Your Sister in the Journey, Tina K. Roach
Focus on the Eternal!
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 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 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
As time goes on, I observe my hair turning gray and wrinkles appearing deeper and more pronounced. My eyesight has dimmed and my body has changed. Yes, outwardly there is a “wasting away.” Time does indeed affect our physical bodies.
BUT, we are told to not “lose heart” – to not get discouraged. Even as our physical bodies may let us down, our spirit is not getting weaker, it is getting stronger as we are being renewed day by day! Hallelujah!!
As we go through challenges and troubles, the Lord reminds us that in and through them we are receiving an eternal glory that outweighs them all!
So, I won’t focus on the changes of getting older. I won’t focus on COVID-19. I won’t focus on all the turmoil that is raging around us. I will remind myself that all that I see is temporary.
Brothers & Sisters! May we not focus on the problems, but focus on the SOLUTIONS. When we pray, may we not bring a list of everything that is wrong to the Lord, but may we seek His vision, plan, and purpose and join Him in praying that!! God knows what we need in our lives. God knows what we need in the world. As we seek Him, and move our focus from the seen to that which is unseen – we will be focusing on the eternal!!
Oh God!! We join You in speaking Your will, plan, and vision for our lives, our church, and our world. Help us, Lord, to get our eyes off of the problems and onto YOU! We join You in the midst of it all! We want to be a part of the solution that You want to bring to a hurting world. Speak to us, Lord! We are ready to be Your hands, feet, and mouth. Pour through us and touch this world for Your glory! In Jesus’ Name. Amen! ~Tina K. Roach
Positive Changes From COVID-19
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NASB
God loves us so much! We have all had to journey through some very challenging times during this COVID-19 pandemic.
It is such a blessing to know that not only has God been with us 24/7 during it all, but He actually is using it to transform and mold us into a stronger and more effective vessel for His presence in the world. I do not believe God caused this pandemic, but He is using it for our spiritual growth.
I believe that as we transition back into our communities, we will definitely not be the same!
What is a POSITIVE change that has happened in your life, family, job, community, church, etc. because of this pandemic season of time?
~Tina K. Roach
Acceptable Words & Thoughts!
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Psalms 19:14 NASB
I have been thinking alot about my words lately. I have to admit that with everything that has been going on during the last 3 ½ months, sometimes my words may not be acceptable to the LORD. I have allowed words of negativity and complaining to flow from my mouth. Forgive me, LORD!
As I look at the meditation of my heart, I see the same problem. My words are connected to what I am thinking – to what is in my heart. God’s Word tells us that out of the heart the mouth speaks.
What words do we find ourselves speaking to others and even to ourselves? Are they words of life…words of encouragement? Or are they words of discouragement and discontent? What do we meditate on during the day? What do we allow our thoughts to dwell on?
LORD, may Your Holy Spirit help us to filter our words and our thoughts. May we lift up and encourage all who we come into contact with. May we take every thought captive and bring our thoughts into alignment with You and Your life-giving truth. May we be vessels of reconciliation and peace. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. AMEN!
~Tina K. Roach
DON’T STOP!
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer – a day when we are called to unite our hearts as one and pray for our nation, our leaders, and our communities. I love that we have this set aside time to join together as a nation! It also is a reminder that prayer is important. It makes a difference. It is needed.
But, I also would like to take this time – the day following this National Day of Prayer – to remind us that EVERY DAY is a day of prayer! Prayer makes a difference and is needed every day of our lives. It is an ongoing, continual communication with our Lord. We are to “pray without ceasing.” In other words, DON’T STOP!!
Don’t stop praying just because we may not feel like it. Feelings have nothing to do with it. We pray because God desires us to do it and also because it is through prayer that our lives and circumstances can be changed. WE are changed!!
We are to rejoice (feel joy, celebrate, triumph) and be thankful in all circumstances! We may not feel joy or be thankful FOR the circumstances…but we feel joy because God is with us IN the circumstances. He is within us to enable us to GO THROUGH and to COME OUT victorious and stronger! HALLELUJAH!!
May we come into alignment with the WILL OF GOD:
1) rejoice always
2) Pray without ceasing
3) Give thanks in all circumstances
Thank You, Lord, for always being with us to enable us to carry out Your will. We do not have to rejoice, pray, and give thanks apart from You! YOU give us the words, YOU give us the strength, YOU give us the desire to walk in obedience to You. We join You in our journey… day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute. AMEN!!
~Tina Roach
MOVING FORWARD
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NRSV
As I was seeking the Lord about what my devotional would be for today, I felt that He was nudging me to not focus on what has happened and is happening in this time of COVID-19, but to look FORWARD to what He is calling us to.
I know you have probably heard, as I have, people saying that they can’t wait for things to get “back to normal.” Well, I don’t think that as we transition through this season, God is calling us BACK to where we were before. I don’t believe He wants us to just pick-up where we left off.
Brothers & Sisters! The Lord wants us to go FORWARD into a new season, a new reality, and a new “normal.” It can be a little scary and a little unsettling not to know what to expect as we journey into the remainder of 2020 and beyond.
BUT! We are reminded by the Lord in Jeremiah that we have a FUTURE WITH HOPE! The Lord has plans for us – and they are plans for our welfare. When I looked up welfare in the dictionary I was given the meanings: health, happiness, and well-being.
WELL-BEING! I am encouraged to know that the Lord desires for my being – my body, my mind, my soul, and my spirit to be well. His plans are not to harm us! When life throws us an unexpected “curve ball” the Lord still can use use it to work for our good!! HALLELUJAH!!
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NRSV
LORD, we are so thankful that You have plans for us – plans that are in no way abolished because of what is happening around us. We put our whole trust in YOU, knowing that You desire our health, happiness, and well-being. We continue to journey forward knowing that You have already gone ahead of us preparing the way. We are ready to embrace the “new normal” and we know that YOU are moving in and through it all manifesting Your good and perfect will! ALL GLORY AND HONOR AND PRAISE IS YOURS NOW AND FOREVERMORE!! AMEN!
~Tina Roach
Celebrate Him!!
God is Good!! I celebrate Him today! So much to be thankful for….
