A place to find Hope

Tag: prayer (Page 3 of 3)

We Need to Pray About Our Fears to Stop Panic

+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

WE NEED TO PRAY RIGHT NOW

Thre no way to avoid it, we are in troubling times right now. There is the pandemic, rioting, wild fires, etc. A bit overwhelming don’t you think?

I have made a prayer list for myself that I do every day before I lay my head down:

  1. Pray for all leaders. From the president on down to our own local government.
  2. Pray for those you have trouble with. Love you neighbor as yourself.
  3. Pray for peace. There are many “hot posts,” in this world.
  4. Pray that the gospel will reach out to many and they will be saved.
  5. Pray for things that pleases God.
  6. Pray for your family, and friends.

We have many fears:

  1. Marriage-It is hard to have a good marriage if you don’t try hard to help it out.
  2. Job-There is much turmoil in the world now. Many people laid off because of the pandemic.
  3. Having enough money. Single moms wonder where the money will come for their rent.
  4. People wonder if life has any meaning. Sharp increase in suicides since the pandemic started.
  5. Many fear they are not accepted by God.
  6. Some think they are a failure.
  7. Others feel rejected.
  8. The opposite of # 5. People are afraid they are too close to od.

__________________________________________________________

Jesus has got us covered my friends. He said it very clearly in:

Matthew 6:25-34 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed.

There is also a verse that shares these thoughts:

Philippians 4:6-7 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

___________________________________________________________

So where are you in your faith right now? Do you wonder if you are safe from disaster? Would you rather stay in bed all day then face the wolrd?

BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

Jesus is beside you 24/7. He will not sway. He will protect you and love you. He faced many more horrible things many times, and He never wavered.

Show others why you are not afraid or full of fear. Tell who has your back and that they should too.

_____________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

Bad Things Happen When you Least expect it.

+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

Had a very intersting weekend. Went and stayed in Portland for my niece’s wedding. Yes, that is the Portland that has had 101 straight days of rioting. Well, we hit it lucky. The smoke from the wild fires in Oregon was so thick, the rioters were too much of cowards to come out and play. Of course they were back in full force today.

Ted Wheeler, (Weak Man) told the Portland Police they couldn’t use tear gas anymore because it was too harmful. So the Federal Agents protecting the Federal buildings used it instead. I love it!!

I know this all sounds harsh, but people have died; businesses have been destroyed, and many police were hurt.

____________________________________________________________________

Let’s move on to happier moments.

Like I said, we were there for my niece’s wedding. It was a very beautiful wedding held in a very small church that is a histroical meusum. It had the old wooden pews with carvings on them. The walls were wooden, The platform was very small, but fit for this small wedding.

My grand Nephew carried the rings. He released the tension a little by dropping the rings not once but twice. His mom just laughed and kept doing her vows.

My wife lost one of her diamond ear rings, so there was some panic for a while. As I was out to the car checking there, I asked the lord to guide us to the ring.

When I got back one of the attendies found it outside in the rain. My wife was overwhelmed with joy. Thank you Lord.

_________________________________________________________

Then we went to the reception

It was held at the top steak place in town called, The Morton’s. There was much relaxing, and laughing during this time. People who didn’t know each other mingled, and we all were one by the time it was over.

There were some interesting things that happened during the gathering. I was the center of two of them. About half way through the toasting I knocked over my champaigne glass, and it went all over my shirt and suit pants. That was extremenly imbrassing, but my wife was very kind and consoled me.

Then a few mintues later, I knocked over my water glass. It spilled all over where the wine had spilled. I joked, ” I did that on purpose to wash out the chanpaigne!” I was very silent much of the rest of the time, because I felt so badly about what I had done.

_____________________________________________________________

We eat the wedding cake, said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel.

I was beyond exhausted at that time, and got ready for bed immediatley. My wife was busy getting cloths back to her sister we had stored for them.

Finally got into bed and concked out fast. Half way through the night I fell out of bed and hit my head on the end table by the bad. Got a bump on my head, but I am OK now, because I am back in my lovely home resting up.

__________________________________________________________________

Have you been through sudden stress like I went through heavy stress three times in one day?

Have you wondered why me? I did. I kept asking the Lord to help me through everything, and he did. Everytime I had a crises someone came to me to give me encouragement. When I fell out of my bed, Charlotte was right there helping me.

______________________________________________________________

We all face stress.

There will be stormy days where it seems nothing is going right. You may even feel like you should have stayed in bed on those days.

God is always there for you.

He never leaves you. He is just a prayer away. Don’t be discouraged. God will not let you go through anything He feels you can not handle.

______________________________________________________________

Be strong. Do not let the dark side overcome you. Seek the light at all times.

______________________________________________________________

+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

____________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Finding Encouragement in Discouraging Times

We have had a rough road to ride on for the last several months. The COVID-19 virus is causing havoc on our country. It seems to be getting worse then getting better.

The rioting, burning of businesses, shootings, beatings, that are going on in our big cities is not only frightening, but very sad.

It seems the all these cities are run by democrats. Don’t know if that means something.

_________________________________________________________________

Encouragement for the discouraged.

The Pastor of my church had a message on this. The title was From Brokenness to Blessings.

He said he understands all of us who are fearful, and frustrated. We have battles every day, and to have this be on top of it all is hard, at best.

What are his answers?

  1. God guarantees victory. Pretty simplistic right? However, we often forget that. We forget that God is in charge and He won’t give us more that we can handle.
  2. The best is yet to come. Hard to see that right now, but I bet we look back at this a few years from now and feel we are so blessed at that moment.

Do not go into hiding.

We do not need to hide in our basements. We need to be out there helping those who are overcome with fear, and depression. This is the perfect time to show our love for them.

We have the love of God in our hearts. We need to let others know how that feels.

_______________________________________________________

How do we hold on?

How are you doing? Are you having trouble getting up every morning because the world is crazy right now? Do you dread turning on the TV, because there is so much negativity? Are you struggling because the virus is closing down your work?

You certainly are not alone.

I feel your pain.

I am in total lock down. Haven’t been in retail store in four months. No restaurants. Only drive up, and take out. Can’t see my children. I text them and call them a lot.

Why am I in lock down? I am afraid I have three underlying problems with my health. If I was to get the virus, I am gone.

Am I crying and frustrated? At times I am close, but I am suppose to be the father figure, and show strength and perseverance.

Again, God is with you. Jesus is with you. They are just a prayer away.

Lean on them for your strength. They are you fortress. They are your protectors.

____________________________________________________________________

+If you like this site please subscribe. You can do that by clicking on the “subscribe” button at the top of this page. If you know of someone else who may benefit from this site, please let them know as well.

_____________________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

If You Found Proof that There was a Heaven How Would you Change?

How do we really know there is a Heaven? We read and hear about it all the time.

I have read the now famous book by Don Piper Called, 90 Minutes in Heaven. I have two copies in my library. One is signed by the author who wrote the book for Don, Cecil Murphy. I met him at a writer’s Conference. He was a really nice guy, and enjoyed talking to me. I was curious as to why he will help with a book like this. I wondered if it changed his a own life.

He answered both of my questions with, Because I totally believe there is a Heaven and we needed to get the word out.

If you haven’t read this book I encourage you to get it. It is a real eye opener.

Pastor Don Piper was on the way home from a conference. He was hit by a semi truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. However, a pastor friend was there praying for him even though they kept telling him it was too late.

The Pastor had been praying for 90 minutes when, Don came back to life. He was overjoyed and excited which amazed the EMT’s. He was excited That he saw Heaven while he was “Dead.”

Don’s life was hurtful, at best, during his recovery, but he kept telling people what he had seen. The rest of the story is found in his book.

_____________________________________________________

I saw a movie last night that was inspirational. It is call, Heaven is Real.

It is about a little boy who had a ruptured appendix and had to have emergency surgery.

His parents were told that he may not make it. The father, who is a Pastor, went to the hospital chapel and appealed to God to help. He shouted, Are you going to take my little boy away from me?

The mother was out of control in the waiting room. She too thought they were going to lose their son.

Then the doctor came in and said had he made it and to please come to be by his side. The relieved parents ran to their son and hugged him and held him close.

While he was recuperating he started telling he parents he was in Heaven. They decided he was just a little child of seven, and could be making this up.

However, as time went by he told them about things he couldn’t have ever known about. He talked about seeing his sister. He mom said that your sister is alive. He said, “No my other sister. “ The wife had a miscarriage before the little boy was even born. He even told them it was a girl, and the parents didn’t know what sex the child was. They asked him what was her name, and he said,”You never named her because she wasn’t born.”

Then the boy told his dad that he had seen Grandpa The dad said he died before you were born. The dad ran to get a picture of his father and showed it to the boy, and asked if that was who he saw. The boy said no, because he didn’t have glasses.

The father went up into the attic to find some old family pictures and found one of his dad when he was young. He took it bad to his son, and asked Is this who you saw? The boy said “YES!” People aren’t old in Heaven daddy. They all look young.

______________________________________________

These two events makes it very clear to me there is a Heaven.

Do you need proof? Are you skeptical? I can understand that. If you believe there is no Heaven, then you life has an end and you will rot in a grave. (I am so sorry that I am so abrupt here, but that would be the truth if you are right.)

The answers are in the Bible. Heaven is described. It is mention many times by Jesus. The Lord’s Prayer has it in it.

Some people fear this is a heaven. Others fear there is not a heaven.

Where are you? Do you fit into one of these groups, or are you like me and know for sure there is a Heaven and know you have eternal life, because of Jesus dying on the cross and coming back to life? Just like what happened in these two stories.

Take an inventory of where you are and take the right path.

__________________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

This Pandemic is Causing Pain and Fear

With this Pandemic causing much pain and fear, we need to know that God is here for us.

The power of prayer comes to mind when I read that first sentence. We need to put out a plea to God to calm our spirit and help us keep strong.

My prayer last night was short, but very powerful:

“Thank you God, that you are good. Thank you for being with me during this chaos.”

This brings to mind about Biblical events where God was with someone and saw them through a storm.

Paul had every bad thing possible happen to him. Snake bites, ship wrecks, and of course he was put into prison. Did he curse God and become angry? No he didn’t. While in prison he converted several guards, and refused to have a pity party.

He knew God was with him and that he would do many great things in his paths ahead.

Did he have down times? Of course! Did he wish he could be freed to continue his mission? Yes. However, was he afraid? No. He knew God would take care of him, and see him through this storm.

Fear is a huge mean demon that over takes us far too often. It is said that 99% of what we worry about never happens, and we should turn the rest over to God. Make sense doesn’t it? God has huge shoulder, and will calm the storm.

What about this Pandemic in our lives right now?

Fear is rampant in the world today. People are hunkering down in their own homes, with no relief in sight. Some are becoming angry and wanting to be allowed to go back to work. They fear they will lose their homes and never recover.

Jesus said, “Fear not!” Only two words, but the most powerful two words in the Bible. He also said, ” I will be with you , and you will be with me.”

One thing we need to remember is to trust. Trust in God during this Pandemic makes the fear fade away.

+ If you like what you see here, subscribe at the link above. When you do, all future posts will go directly to your in box. Please tell others about this site to give hope.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

How do We handle the Pandemic?

This Pandemic is causing many problems for many. People feel the sky is falling.

I had an interesting day yesterday. Got our daily walk in. It has been difficult for me. Something wrong with the legs. Got to go to Walmart and buy some new ones. 🙂

Charlotte and I also went on a drive. We went through downtown Salem, where I live. It was eerie. No one walking on the sidewalks. Not many cars. Stores closed. It almost looked like a ghost town. We have a population of close to 200,000 and they are all in lock down.

I never have seen anything like it, I hope I never do again.

So what can we do??

  1. What a perfect time to work on your yard, and flowers.
  2. Get a book off of that huge book shelve you have and read.
  3. Check on your neighbors. Keep that six foot distance though.
  4. Call your family and see how they are doing.
  5. Find some movies that are uplifting, and fun.
  6. Clean out that closet, or what ever area you have been forgetting about.

I gave some other suggestions on my May 8th post.

So, are you troubled? Do you wonder what may be happening next? Is what happening in our world overwhelming you?

Remember you have support through our Heavenly Father. He is there where ever you are. We cannot hid from Him and that is a good thing.

Go to Him in prayer and ask for His protection and love. He will listen to your plea, and answer you according to what He feels is best for you. We may not always agree with the outcome, but again it is what is best for you.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Looking Back at the Holidays

The holidays are past, but I have had time to reflect and thought I would share some thoughts.

We should have joy around the holidays, but some don’t think so. They have to face their relatives.

From that I learned that we need to have a family mentality.

We need need to be related by faith, family, caring. If we do that and more, we are a family that is glorious.

Yes, we have some relatives that we have differences with. When they come to visit it seems like they know what buttons to push to make us angry.

How do we deal with that?

Even if there is a problem with one of the relatives, we need to know that they have needs just like we do. We need to calmly sit with them and seek out the problems and try to find ways to help.

This should cause a miracle. They will be glad someone cares, and they will look at you in a whole new way.

I Have learned to pray for them.

I am so angry sometimes that this is very hard. If I can just spend 30 seconds praying for them that would be a good start. Then stretch it out to 35 seconds, and so on. I realized the more I prayed for them the less I was angry. It should be like daily exercise. The more you pray the stronger you become.

Try this out and let me know how it goes. Show me other ways I can reach out to those I sometimes find unpleasant.

______________________________________________________

There is much happening causing me to roll fast on finishing my second book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the trenches of Life.” All I have left are a few interviews with veterans who have been in the trenches. Their stories will warm your heart. They will cause you to cry, and wanting to help them.

You can go to http://www.dougbolton.com to see the progress.

You should always remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Newer posts »

© 2024 Daily Signs of Hope

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑