Very often Christians pray against the devil as if he had some power. But the devil only has tricks, wiles and deception! He tries to allure people into his trap, getting them to believe something contrary to the Word of God. “…the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Very often people think God has a huge office and a lot of work to do, and because He is so busy He has absolutely no time for them. They look at the sky wondering, “What will God do for me? He is so far away. He is so great, so mighty and powerful!” BUT, God does not say “No” to you! God’s answer to everyone is “YES!” He is reaching out to you today. “If you are hungry, come to Me, and I will feed you! If you are thirsty, come to Me and drink! If you are in need, come to Me, open up your heart and give Me your problems!”

One nugget of wisdom can instantly bring clarity to any difficult decision. Wisdom is the picture of new hope and a new possibility for the situations that stand before us.  We are to ask for wisdom knowing that God will respond with the answer, idea, or nugget of truth necessary to scale our mountain!

What difficulties are you facing today? Difficult times require strong faith, and difficult times produce champions! I think of Noah who built an ark when no one understood rain or recognized the flood ahead of them. We can build an ark through our prayers and communion with God. When all things seem difficult, remember our heroes of faith!

God is a partner in our labor working things together for us. What a pleasure it is to trust in HIM, knowing that He is working behind the scenes on our behalf!

Why do people fear if they believe that the Creator of the universe lives inside of them? Why do people expect the worst when all things are possible to those who believe, as Jesus has spoken? Why do people think they will be in isolation, when Jesus said I will never leave you nor forsake you?

I can with confidence predict that we are more than conquerors in every situation as the scripture declares. Our greatest days are right ahead of us as we navigate the waters in these rapids of the river of life. Every river has a little rough water but no concern. The boat was designed for the rapids. This is when it performs its best!

Relax in God’s boat. Jesus is in the boat with you, so enjoy the ride as it carries you through some twists and turns this coming year. You will be the better for it!

I have walked the overcoming fear pathway for many years with nothing more than the Word of God in my heart, a positive confession in my mouth, and a small band of committed partners! I have seen His miracles and I know that God will not fail us! He is true to His Word! He is with us!

As we step into this brand new year set before us, remember what God has promised to His people: “Fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them (the obstacles of life): for the LORD will be with you!” Joshua 10:25 (emphasis mine)

We find people today are looking for more than a job. They are looking for a life of meaning and a work they can commit themselves to. At a young age with a certain degree of success and friendship, I had a question in my mind: “Is this all there is?” What I found was beyond my wildest dreams! A life without limits was being offered to me! This same life is offered to every person. Today people are chasing after jobs and are glad to have one, but security is not satisfaction.

The good news is that every job is a joy if you see it tied to something bigger and significant for your quest of life. Jesus came into this earth from the Father and Creator of all things. He said you can have life like My Father and I have life. You can let go of your limitations and enter a place where the source of all things is not limited by economy or government or education or country.

Jesus opened the door when He said: “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.  I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”  Mark 11:22 NLT

The possibility stands before you. Go for it!

Thomas Edison overcame adversity many times in his life. A classic example of this occurred in 1914, when a fire ravaged the phonograph factory at his West Orange, New Jersey complex. The 67 year-old Edison lost approximately $5 million that night – the equivalent of $75 million today. His son Charles raced to his father’s side, thinking the sight of the blazing factory would be too devastating for him. Instead, Charles was amazed to see his father smiling. He told his son, “Go get your mother! She’ll never have a chance to see anything like this again in her entire life!” Edison then called a meeting with his key staff members and immediately began organizing the recovery campaign. He urged his team to focus on rebuilding the phonograph factories in a way that “took advantage of the latest improvements in factory design.”

Edison’s response to the fire demonstrates his irrepressibly optimistic nature. As biographer Dr. Paul Israel describes it, “Where others might see disaster and failure, he was always optimistically looking for opportunities and seeing the possibility of new directions for improvements.”