Bible Commentary For People Who Hurt

Luke 7:21 At That Very Time Jesus Cured Many Who Had Diseases, Sicknesses And Evil Spirits, And Gave Sight To Many Who Were Blind.

2012-02-25T00:57:00.000-08:00

We will all be cured. Those of us who believe in the name of Christ, at the instant of our transformation into our new life in heaven will be cured. Until then, we must hope and pray for others even when we are in pain and need a cure ourselves. Some people are blessed with perfect health from birth. Other people are cursed with poor health from the beginning. Some people never experience chronic pain. Other people are in chronic pain for decades. If faith was the only way to perfect health the hospitals would all be empty and the churches would all be full. Perfect health may come to us for awhile but perfect health may not endure. Most importantly, the focus of our life whether we are in pain or not in pain must be upon Christ and Him only. Reaching out to Christ each day brings about a time when we will be cured, either on earth or definitely in heaven. We must not doubt our cure is waiting. We must not doubt we will see an end to our pain, sickness, and trials unending. We must not doubt!!!

Proverbs 12:22 The LORD Detests Lying Lips, But He Delights In Men Who Are Truthful.

2012-02-24T00:40:00.002-08:00

Telling the truth about our life circumstances can be difficult if we perceive we lack love because of our loneliness. Pain brings loneliness. Pain cancels out love. The pain of loneliness can be as intense as physical pain. No matter what kind of pain we experience, we must be honest. When we are honest about our pain or any of our life circumstances, we have a chance to take some kind of action on the issues we face. To speak the truth to ourselves begins to chip away at the stranglehold falsehoods put upon our heart, life, and soul. When we are honest and we surrender up to God all our problems and issues, we give Him a chance to pour His healing love into our life. We are to take action on every issue, especially the action of praying for others so others will not be negatively influenced by our pain regardless of our pain's source. To bring Christ and His healing love into our life we are to first express our love and gratitude to Him and for Him. Next, we are to find a way to send Christ's love out to others in meaningful ways.

Proverbs 13:5 The Righteous Hate What Is False, But The Wicked Bring Shame And Disgrace

2012-02-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

Facing or telling the truth about your life, even facing the truth about your pain is difficult. Telling yourself the truth means you have to tell yourself things that are painful, hurtful, or embarrassing. Sometimes living a lie, even about your pain or the consequences of your pain, can seem to be easier than telling the truth. However, living a lie takes away your freedom. Telling the truth, brings you freedom, even when the truth is hurtful. Telling yourself the truth can even put more pain on top of the pain you already have. Admitting we are helpless about our pain can be a difficult admission to make. Some of the pain of our life can be the result of our sin. To admit we cause some of the pain and darkness in our life and in the life of others can often be too much for us to bear. In response, we then lie to ourselves rather than telling ourselves the truth. However, there is a glorious and grand result from telling ourselves the truth about our life. When we tell ourselves the truth, we are set free from our prison. When we tell ourselves the truth, we are released from the prison of our lies, freed from the prison of our guilt, and set free from the chains of our denial.

Psalm 61:12 With God We Will Gain The Victory, And He Will Trample Down Our Enemies.

2012-02-22T00:12:00.001-08:00

The human soul is tortured in temptation when we are devout and resist the temptation. The human body is tortured when we are in physical or emotional pain. Pain and temptation reduce us and degrade us. We can and sometimes do believe God has forgotten us during our greatest trials of pain and temptation. Pain and temptation are Satan's weapons of mass destruction as Satan makes us the target. In this great battle with Satan, Christ does not leave us without resources. The Holy Spirit full of power to heal, restore, and preserve will guard you and keep you. We must never give up or give in to our trials. We must persevere no matter what the cost is to us. We must keep on keeping on so Christ in us empowers us to win.

When pain blinds you, you must remember, with God you can have a vision beyond what you physically see. When you feel the pain, you must proclaim God's love in your heart, even when your pain causes you to not feel His love. Your proclamation of Christ's love brings His presence. You must call upon God to break the chains of pain enslaving you. Christ's freedom and light bring you respite and relief in your pain.

2 Corinthians 8:2 Out Of The Most Severe Trial, Their Overflowing Joy And Their Extreme Poverty Welled Up In Rich Generosity. 3 For I Testify That They Gave As Much As They Were Able, And Even Beyond Their Ability.

2012-02-21T00:58:00.001-08:00

Our greatest test of faith is giving in pain. Our severest test of faith is not giving till it hurts. Our severest test of faith is giving while it hurts. Giving is easy when we are free of pain and trials. Giving can be excruciatingly difficult when we are in pain because pain turns us inward, making us selfish. In pain, our faith is eroded as the underpinnings of our heart, mind, and soul are eaten away. In the midst of our great test of faith as we experience painful trials, Christ understands. In our pain Christ will come to us and be with us so we are empowered to give through Him. Christ will give us His power of love so we may give to others as we overcome our trials even when our pain persists. The satanic power of evil tries to block out the healing light of Christ. In the darkness of pain, we can get lost, we no longer give, and we lose our focus upon Christ. Yet, we must not be dismayed or discouraged. We must not be dismayed or discouraged because we are the victors over darkness, pain, suffering, and evil. We are the victors because we have won eternal life through Christ.

Psalms 136:26 Give Thanks To The God Of Heaven. His Love Endures Forever.

2012-02-20T01:09:00.001-08:00

When you are in the love of God, even in your pain, His love shall never end. His love shall help you win every personal war with evil even when battles are lost here on earth, even in pain. The love of God cures every sickness now or later in heaven in spite of your pain. Even in pain, His love shall defeat every enemy. Even in pain, His love shall illumine every darkness. Even in pain, His love shall ban every grief. Even in pain, His love shall touch your heart. Even in pain, His love shall heal every wound. Even in pain, His love shall bring every peace. Even in pain, His love shall bring you comfort. Even in your pain, His love shall turn your every moment into glory.

Psalms 121:3 O Israel, Put Your Hope In The Lord Both Now And Forevermore.

2012-02-18T01:06:00.000-08:00

Heaven is full of hope. Since heaven is infinite, how much hope is there? When the pain comes upon you, your hope can slip away. When pain comes upon you, Christ is ready to pour His hope from heaven upon you. In pain or at any other time, you need hope to fuel you and keep you going. Your heart and soul need hope to keep you moving forward. When hopelessness is trying to destroy you, Christ will come and intervene for you. Christ will come to you in your darkness and give you the power of hope. The light of Christ is the hope of the world. The light of Christ is your personal hope for living each moment. The devastation of pain is erased by Christ's hope. When the pain within your heart seeks to destroy you, the comfort of Christ and His hope give you renewed vision and purpose in spite of the pain. The hope of God falls down upon you to give you new visions of His work He calls you to do.

Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, Brothers, Since We Have Confidence To Enter The Most Holy Place By The Blood Of Jesus, 20 By A New And Living Way Opened For Us Through The Curtain, That Is, His Body, 21 And Since We Have A Great Priest Over The House Of God, 22 Let Us Draw Near To God

2012-02-17T01:16:00.000-08:00

Whether you know it or not, you walk with God every moment. When you think you are alone, you are not, for God is with you. When you think no one cares about you, He is with you and caring about you all the while. When you think God is far off, He is close by. When it seems God has died, He is yet living within you. When you cannot reach Him because of your pain and suffering, He is within you still. When you think there is no hope, the love of God is burning and alive within you while giving you unlimited tomorrows. When you think everything has come to an end for you, Christ's eternal glory is just ahead. When you are dismayed and disappointed in the actions of others, God's power and force of unfailing love can touch their life. When you are dismayed at the strife and destruction in the world, the gentle touch of Christ soothes your pain and brings joy where joy seems impossible.

Matthew 24:1 Jesus Left The Temple And Was Walking Away When His Disciples Came Up To Him To Call His Attention To Its Buildings. 2 "Do You See All These Things?" He Asked. "I Tell You The Truth, Not One Stone Here Will Be Left On Another; Every One Will Be Thrown Down."

2012-02-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

Peace and joy in the middle of searing pain are possible because God is always present in the middle of searing pain. When we lose contact with God in our pain we must remember God has not abandoned us. We must continue to hold on to Christ’s reality even when Satan has destroyed our contact with the Lord. How we can experience the Lord’s peace in the middle of our pain is not known. However, we accept the reality of God's peace because we know we have had this experience of peace. In pain, the Lord’s love is above us, below us, and all around us. We live in God’s love, even when we are attacked with pain. No power in the universe can ever separate us from the love of God…even if we are in pain and we realistically believe God no longer exists because of our pain. In every darkness, in every trial unending, in every devastation, the power of God is the most certain reality in any reality.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

2012-02-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

How can we build a life when we are in pain? Answer: We can build a life in humility when we are in pain when we turn to Christ for wisdom and guidance. He will help us. Christ will give us the plans and guidance we need to live our life in spite of pain and suffering in our present hour. The choice you make this moment, in spite of your pain, must reflect Christ’s love in the world. Think before you act because many of the choices you make today will have eternal consequences. Your forgiveness today lasts forever. Your letting go of hurts caused by others resounds across eternity. When you choose to love in spite of your pain your choice spans the eons of time. When you surrender your will to Christ, He will bring His healing love and comfort upon you. Your humility in Christ will bring down His power to fill your heart.

1 Peter 1:3 In His Great Mercy He Has Given Us New Birth Into A Living Hope Through The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ From The Dead, 4 And Into An Inheritance That Can Never Perish, Spoil Or Fade--Kept In Heaven For You, 5 Who Through Faith Are Shielded By God's Power Until The Coming Of The Salvation That Is Ready To Be Revealed In The Last Time.

2012-02-14T05:29:00.000-08:00

The power keeping you living and breathing is not your power, but God’s power. The power of God in you cannot be seen or heard. This same power of Christ, the power keeping you alive, can also give you a shield against the plague of pain upon you. For reasons we do not always know or understand, the power sustaining you does not always protect you in this life. What the power of God within you does do is give you a spirit refusing to quit until you see Jesus face to face. When others might give up when they are under attack, the power of God within you keeps you strong so you finish the race. The power of God giving us sustenance gives us the ability to commune with God on the deepest possible level. This same power of God gives us the ability to absorb the love God infused in all of His creation. When Satan attacks you, the love of God keeps you positively going in positive directions. Satan’s purpose is to destroy you by making your heart cold so the love of God does not exist within you. With Christ, you can resist. With Christ, you can always come back against every adversity to do God's will.

Hebrews 4:12 For The Word Of God Is Living And Active. Sharper Than Any Double-Edged Sword, It Penetrates Even To Dividing Soul And Spirit, Joints And Marrow; It Judges The Thoughts And Attitudes Of The Heart.

2012-02-13T01:02:00.001-08:00

In a world full of pain, we can often starve to find a source of wisdom, truth, and love. Others may not understand what a life of pain is all about. There is a source of wisdom each of us can use whether we are in pain or not. The source is the Word of God, The Bible. For many people there is a huge disconnection with the Bible. People in pain may find the words of the Bible do not apply to them. People in pain want relief and words on a page do not always bring the relief needed. However, if a person in pain will open up his or her heart to the love of God found in every word of the Bible, every word will touch the heart and the pain. We must consider how much God loves us. We must consider how much God wants us to know Him and know His truth. If you have ever had a relationship with someone who gave you “the silent treatment” then you should know God is the opposite of a person who does not want to talk with you.

John 8:12 When Jesus Spoke Again To The People, He Said, "I Am The Light Of The World. Whoever Follows Me Will Never Walk In Darkness, But Will Have The Light Of Life."

2012-02-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Pain creates a condition in us where we get lost. We lose our bearings. We lose our moral center. We even lose Christ. When we reach a point in our pain where we are deep in darkness, Christ understands. In our darkness of pain, we can call upon Christ and He will lead us back to Him. Christ will lead us home. Christ’s love and grace will always be with us, no matter what. Christ’s love will always be a comfort to us. Even when we are far from Him, He is always near to us. Christ is never far away, because He lives within our heart. Christ’s presence in your life enables you to deal with every kind of pain, trial, and affliction. As much as our pain blinds us, Christ’s power within us removes our blindness. Christ gives us our sight, even in our blinding pain. When Christ restores our sight we no longer live in any kind of darkness. We may always have our pain. Yet, even if we have our pain, we shall see clearly how Christ is standing next to us every hour.

Mark 15:34 And At The Ninth Hour Jesus Cried Out In A Loud Voice, "Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?"--Which Means, "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

2012-02-11T02:56:00.001-08:00

Every person knows what it means to be alone, even feeling forsaken. When you are alone and perhaps even feel forsaken, Christ understands. Christ was forsaken like us. We have all been lost. Satanic evil or Satan wants us to be lost and unable to find our way home. Pain makes us feel lost. Pain makes us feel separated from others even when these others are in the same room. Perhaps you feel forsaken and lost at this moment. If so, remember Christ knows every ounce of what you are feeling and experiencing. Christ is not just with us, He is within us in ways we do not always understand. When our pain runs so deep we seem to have lost our soul, Christ within us despises the pain we feel. Although we may think we are alone, especially in our pain, we are deceived because with Christ we are never alone.

Matthew 28:20 And Surely I Am With You Always, To The Very End Of The Age.

2012-02-10T02:46:00.001-08:00

In times of pain, you must trust in Christ’s wisdom and grace. Whatever Christ does for you, He does to help you. What Christ does for you is of the utmost help to you. In your pain-filled loneliness, when you are alone and you need Him, Christ will show Himself to you in ways you can understand. He will be present with you and you will know about Him. In the present hour or any hour, when you need others who cannot be there for you, Christ lives within your heart. Christ lives within your heart to touch you to ease your pain of loneliness. When you are isolated and cannot move about as you want, Christ will touch your heart and heal you from the pain of your isolation.

John 5:7 "Sir," The Invalid Replied, "I Have No One To Help Me Into The Pool When The Water Is Stirred. While I Am Trying To Get In, Someone Else Goes Down Ahead Of Me." 8 Then Jesus Said To Him, "Get Up! Pick Up Your Mat And Walk." 9 At Once The Man Was Cured; He Picked Up His Mat And Walked.

2012-02-09T02:00:00.001-08:00

Loneliness is one of the worst pains in human experience. Loneliness is especially painful when we encounter a time in our life when we need help. All of us come to points in our life when we need help. Some of us come to lonely points in our life where we have no one. The distress of loneliness is a part of being alive. The pain of loneliness can often be devastating. In loneliness, when you meet utter distress and find you have no one to help you, you can call out to Jesus. Christ Jesus is always listening. Jesus is always present with you. Jesus always wants to help you. Keep in mind, for your ultimate benefit, Christ may not help you in the way you want to be helped. Christ may not help you in the way you want because He knows what is best for you, even if you do not. There are times when Christ may help you in ways you might think are no help at all because He can see your life and what you need in ways you cannot see or know.

Luke 19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

2012-02-08T01:23:00.001-08:00

Jesus was not weeping over the streets, buildings, and other physical attributes of Jerusalem. Jesus was weeping over the hearts of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jesus was weeping over the hearts of the inhabitants of earth…then and now. As we weep for others, as we hurt for them, we must take our weeping and hurting to the heart of Christ. He knows our heart pain, for He has hurt like we hurt. When another person is hurting, we may not be able to take away their pain. However, Christ brings them the comfort no one else can bring. When we are suffering with the hurt we feel for others, we can open our heart and life to Christ so He can use us in whatever way He wills. Let Christ lead you. Christ will help you be a healing witness to others in His name. When we open our heart to Christ, when we hurt for others, He is then able to give us the ability to speak words of comfort, words of solace, and words of enduring love to soothe the pain of the person we hold in our heart.

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, As God's Chosen People, Holy And Dearly Loved, Clothe Yourselves With Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness And Patience.

2012-02-07T01:12:00.000-08:00

We may have our pain. However, our pain felt because of ourselves can be minor compared to the heartbreak we feel for others. Our heartbreak for others can be so deep and so intense we do not have words to express our pain. When we have a hurting heart for others, we can have every confidence Jesus is standing with us, experiencing our pain, pouring His healing love over us. In deep heartbreak, we must see Jesus in our mind's eye and in our heart enveloping us in His love. In the times of our weeping for others, we must see Christ holding them in the palm of His hand. Praying for a person for whom we hurt can be a miraculous gift to the person who is suffering. When it seems we are helpless on our own, God is not helpless to act.

Proverbs 18:14 A Man's Spirit Sustains Him In Sickness, But A Crushed Spirit Who Can Bear?

2012-02-06T00:59:00.001-08:00

Most people face times of illness or sickness. Some illnesses or sicknesses can be a major circumstance lingering on for years. Other illnesses or sicknesses can be relatively minor and may go away in a few days. When we feel sick, we may not feel like praying, reading the Bible, or meditating upon the Lord's love. Even when we do not feel like praying, we must remember He is still with us. Even when we feel really, really awful physically, God is still with us. When we are ill, we still need to remember to pray, whether we feel like praying or not. When we pray during a time of illness, it may not seem like we are contacting Christ, but in faith, we know His is listening and working on our behalf. When we speak to the Lord in prayer, we must ask Him to keep our attitude positive. A positive attitude in sickness helps us defeat the darkness. When we rest our sickness in the Lord's hand, His love will temper the pain.

Psalms 72:19 Praise Be To His Glorious Name Forever; May The Whole Earth Be Filled With His Glory. Amen And Amen.

2012-02-05T00:12:00.001-08:00

Christ is with you in your pain, even if you do not ask Him to be. When you feel unloved and deserted because you hurt, give Him praise for even the smallest of things in your life. Give Him praise for His pouring His love into your heart. When others do not understand you because of your pain-filled afflictions, Christ understands you. When the pain has cut you off from others in ways only you can understand, you are not truly alone for Christ is with you. You may not know it now, but you have great reasons to praise God because He gives you new eyes to see and new ears to hear. You will have another life beyond the pain-filled life you have now. Praise God, for God the Father sent His son into the world to die for you, a lowly sinner. Praise God, for in the times of your most intense pain and deepest darkness He is there for you, comforting you, because He is your friend.

Psalms 72:18 Praise Be To The Lord God, The God Of Israel, Who Alone Does Marvelous Deeds.

2012-02-04T00:40:00.001-08:00

In pain, we want someone to make our pain go away. As difficult as it may seem, Christ wants us to give Him praise, even in our pain. In our pain, to be immersed in His healing love requires we produce an outpouring of our spirit in praise before Him. When we empty our heart and soul to Christ in praise, Christ gives us His joy and power in return. When we pour out our heart and soul to Christ in praise, we draw near to Christ and He draws near to us. Even in your pain, you can draw near to Christ when you thank Him for all the blessings, both seen and unseen, in your life. When you can say "thank you for this moment in my life," even in your pain, you are then able to receive back the full measure of the Lord's love. When you love the Lord, He instantly loves you back and He makes your pain bearable. When you express your gratitude to Christ, you are instantly drawn to His side. Whether you are in pain or not, gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise are warranted from you for He is always with you when you need Him.

1 John 2:17 The World And Its Desires Pass Away, But The Man Who Does The Will Of God Lives Forever.

2012-02-03T00:35:00.000-08:00

We cannot always fully know what God's will is for us on a second by second basis. Being in pain can cloud over many things in our life. Pain brings confusion and lack of focus on most everything except the pain. Reading the scripture, can give us a clear indicator of God’s will for us. In the scripture, we can learn God's will for us when we come to deal with other persons, when we come to deal with Him, and when we are confronted with sin and corruption. In pain, we are more susceptible to temptation. We can know God's will when we are confronted with temptation by relying on His word. We can know what God wants us to do when we see the pain, suffering, and hurt of life. We know we are to reach out and touch the hurting, help mend the broken, and support with prayer all those who need Him most. Being in pain ourselves, gives us a unique opportunity to understand others more fully.

Hebrews 10: 22 Let Us Draw Near To God With A Sincere Heart In Full Assurance Of Faith, Having Our Hearts Sprinkled To Cleanse Us From A Guilty Conscience And Having Our Bodies Washed With Pure Water.

2012-02-02T01:56:00.000-08:00

Even in our pain, only God's way is the sure way. Our pain draws and quarters us. Our pain seeks to destroy our soul. Our pain wants us to renounce Christ. However, only God's way leads to glory and immortality. When our plans and goals go awry because of our pain, Christ still calls us to work for His goals and follow His plans. Our pain can twist our ideas about where we should go and what we should do so our ideas do not reflect Christ. However, we must keep Christ always before us. In the tangled sinful mysteries of life, we can tell ourselves our plans are godly even when we know they are not godly. We can tell ourselves we are doing God's will, even when know we are doing our own will. We must wage war against the dark powers by affirming Christ each moment and remaining in prayer hour by hour.

Romans 8:23 Not Only So, But We Ourselves, Who Have The First Fruits Of The Spirit, Groan Inwardly As We Wait Eagerly For Our Adoption As Sons, The Redemption Of Our Bodies.

2012-02-01T00:55:00.000-08:00

In many of the pathways of life, there is pain. In our pain, God hurts when we hurt. He suffers our pain along with us. When we hurt, God is always calling out to us telling us He loves us and cares about us. God's healing love through the Holy Spirit flows over our life when we are in pain. However, pain is still a part of our reality. God wants us to grow and mature when we are in pain. Growing and maturing when we are in pain is itself a difficult endeavor. However, there is more. We must use our pain to glorify God. Why God does not stop our pain is often a deep mystery. God must follow universal conventions or rules He set down at the beginning of time until Christ returns. We may come to understand pain has no purpose except to pull us away from God. We must also understand pain will end when we see Jesus either in Heaven or when He returns to Earth. In pain, we have a hope greater than our suffering. In pain, we have a victory that cannot be diminished out. In pain, we have a most divine and wonderful distraction…a future full of glory, peace, and tearless joy with Christ.

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

2012-01-31T03:23:00.001-08:00

We must remain in a constant state of forgiveness because others inflict wounds upon us and our heart remains torn. When we repent, we expose our wounded heart to Christ. In His great compassion, once we show Him how much our heart is hurting, He begins healing us with His love. When Christ calls us to turn away, He is calling us to turn away, not just from our sins, but also turn away from the effects of the sins of others. No matter what happens to us, no matter how much pain is put upon us by life or by others, we must still turn away from the darkness. Turning away for some people is a once in a lifetime event. However, for most of us, especially those of us who live in pain, turning away is a daily requirement. Some wounds and scars upon the heart are so deep a lifetime of daily turning away may be required. Repentance for some persons may take the form of a daily battle against the powers, forces, and evil spirits inhabiting the world. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Some have sinned because of the hurt, degradation, and violation of the heart, mind, and body by the pain put upon them by others. When we repent, we must turn away from our sin. We must also turn away from the pain caused by the sin done to us.

Acts 8:21 You Have No Part Or Share In This Ministry, Because Your Heart Is Not Right Before God. 22 Repent Of This Wickedness And Pray To The Lord. Perhaps He Will Forgive You For Having Such A Thought In Your Heart. 23 For I See That You Are Full Of Bitterness And Captive To Sin.

2012-01-30T00:30:00.001-08:00

Your present pain and suffering will come to an end. Christ died on the cross so your present pain will be erased forever. All of us who hurt, who perhaps have hurt for many years, face the daunting task dealing with bitterness and anger brought on by our pain. Placing your life in Christ’s hands enables Him to heal your heart and make your bitterness and anger go away. Bitterness and anger over pain in the present or past can freeze your heart as the bitterness and anger lock you into a place of darkness. When we come to realize we are in the grip of bitterness and anger brought on by our pain, Christ enables us to turn away. Christ enables us to turn away from being imprisoned by our pain, our bitterness, and our anger. Repentance is not only a process to confront our own wrongdoing; repentance is also a process to confront the wrongdoing others and life circumstances have done to us.

John 8:44 Ye Are Of Your Father The Devil, And The Lusts Of Your Father Ye Will Do. He Was A Murderer From The Beginning, And Abode Not In The Truth, Because There Is No Truth In Him. When He Speaketh A Lie, He Speaketh Of His Own: For He Is A Liar, And The Father Of It.

2012-01-29T01:19:00.000-08:00

Satan is the author of death.

Satan's purpose in injuring you is to take you away from God and God's healing love. Satan’s last act in every human life is to destroy each of us by causing our death. Instead of our suffering death forever, Christ went in our place. Christ suffered death in our place so we could have eternal life. In our trials and pain, God does not forsake us, even when it seems He has turned His back on us and left us alone. Our God is a compassionate God. When you are hurting, God hurts with you. When you are suffering, God suffers with you. You never suffer alone, even when you may feel alone. When you are injured, give the hurt to Christ. Surrender every pain and every torment into the scars of His hands. Over the course of eternity, Christ will save you from torment by giving you a perfect life free of pain…a perfect life in heaven.

Job 6:10 Then I Would Still Have This Consolation-- My Joy In Unrelenting Pain-- That I Had Not Denied The Words Of The Holy One.

2012-01-28T00:12:00.001-08:00

We all want a pain free life. Pain puts a terrible pollutant into our life. We want the ultimate freedom from pain, suffering, and loss. We all realize how life cannot be pain free, even when we despise what the pain does to us. Suffering injury and hurt happens to nearly everyone. There are many kinds of injuries. We have spiritual, emotional, and physical pain from many sources. When we suffer hurt from any source for any reason, we must remember Satan is always the cause of our hurt, pain, injury, and loss. We could have a perfect world if Satan would be bound up and kept from pouring his evil pain upon our life. When we are under satanic attack of any kind, we must push our heart, soul, and life into the hands of Christ. Jesus wants us to give Him our life, no matter what condition our life might be in at the moment. We may have to use force and power to give Christ our life, especially when Satan has bound us up in his evil tentacles.

Psalm 38:20 Those Who Repay My Good With Evil Slander Me When I Pursue What Is Good. 21 O LORD, Do Not Forsake Me; Be Not Far From Me, O My God. 22 Come Quickly To Help Me, O Lord My Savior.

2012-01-27T02:04:00.000-08:00

When you are in real pain, you cannot do what you normally do. When your pain gets intense, you may be totally distracted, you may be unable to pray, and you may be unable to focus. When you are in intense pain, it may seem Christ does not exist. Even when Christ seems not to exist, remember He is where you are, no matter how far away He seems to be at the time.

Pain is a weapon your great adversary uses against you. Pain creates the illusion Christ is far away and not present within you. However, the illusion Christ is far away is only an illusion. The reality of every moment of your life, even the painful moments, is that Christ is within you and beside you. Even in your moments of intense pain, you can walk with Him and talk with Him. Only Christ can truly understand what you are going through. In your pain, even when you erroneously think He has deserted you, you must remain with Him.

Psalm 38:17 For I Am About To Fall, And My Pain Is Ever With Me. 18 I Confess My Iniquity; I Am Troubled By My Sin. 19 Many Are Those Who Are My Vigorous Enemies; Those Who Hate Me Without Reason Are Numerous.

2012-01-26T02:33:00.001-08:00

When you are in real pain you can often be immobilized in body, mind, and spirit. In real pain, what was normal for you before becomes incredibly difficult, perhaps even impossible. In real pain you can be totally distracted and unable to concentrate on even routine matters. Pain can destroy your ability to focus on routine matters. Your ability to pray can be hampered or worse. In real pain, what was normal yesterday will not be normal. Your normal abilities can be severely challenged when you are in pain. In pain, Christ can seem to be so far away He may seem not to exist. When you are in pain, you must learn to live one moment at a time. Learn to pray, one moment at a time. Learn to live each moment as a moment lived for Christ and Him alone. In all the moments you live for Christ, there will come one special moment when you see Him face to face. You will see Him smiling and He will tell you about your wonderful life to come in His mansion built just for you.

Hebrews 10:38 But My Righteous One Will Live By Faith. And If He Shrinks Back, I Will Not Be Pleased With Him." 39 But We Are Not Of Those Who Shrink Back And Are Destroyed, But Of Those Who Believe And Are Saved.

2012-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

When we are in pain, living by faith is as much of a challenge as living with the pain. Living by faith mandates we never quit, never relent, and never turn back. Our faith in Christ demonstrates over the history of our faith how millions of Christians have refused to quit. The blood of our Christian martyrs cries out to us to never quit our faith regardless of our pain. We must keep going at all costs, against all odds. In every trial we must call upon Christ who died to set us free. In every moment of our anguish we must look to Christ who suffered His own anguish…anguish infinitely greater than our own pain. We must always refuse to quit. We must always refuse to give up. We shall have victory in Christ only if we persevere and never quit. In every circumstance God is present with us, within us, over us, and under us.

Hebrews 10:36 You Need To Persevere So That When You Have Done The Will Of God, You Will Receive What He Has Promised. 37 For In Just A Very Little While, "He Who Is Coming Will Come And Will Not Delay.

2012-01-24T00:03:00.001-08:00

When life beats us up, we hurt. When we have pain of any kind we are pushed off our bearings and can feel totally lost. Pain disorients us and we have trouble stabilizing ourselves. Pain, whether the pain comes upon us suddenly or gradually, can make us emotionally numb while we lose contact with our normal world. When we are hurt we must hurry to maintain our balance in the face of painful consequences. We are to try to adjust as quickly as possible because the longer we put up with the pain, the more the pain can eat away at our heart and soul. As pain eats away at us, we can then begin to feel self pity which weakens us all the more. When we find ourselves in the grip of pain, we must call upon Christ to bring His power over us. Christ will heal us of every hurt. Christ will make every bruise go away. Christ will take us to a time when all pain shall be gone.

Hebrews 11:6 And Without Faith It Is Impossible To Please God, Because Anyone Who Comes To Him Must Believe That He Exists And That He Rewards Those Who Earnestly Seek.

2012-01-22T00:15:00.000-08:00

Christ will give us our rewards. He will give us gifts beyond our ability to comprehend using our earthly mind and soul. We will inherit a new world where our current burdens will be no more. When we pray, we can pour out our pain to Christ who knows all about our pain and suffering…knowing He is always listening to us. Christ Jesus, our blessed Savior, comes to us in our darkest hour. In our darkest hour Christ gives us the hope of ages past by showing us we will live in heaven when a new order of things is now in place for us. Pain can degrade us and destroy us. Pain has a way of making everything seem meaningless. When we pray to Jesus and ask Him for hope, then He comes to us and gives us the assurance our pain is only temporary. When we pray Jesus comes to us and shows us the long night of our suffering will soon fade away because the dawn of our new life in heaven is almost here.

Revelation 21:4 He Will Wipe Every Tear From Their Eyes. There Will Be No More Death Or Mourning Or Crying Or Pain, For The Old Order Of Things Has Passed Away.

2012-01-21T00:10:00.000-08:00

We serve and worship Christ who loves us. In our pain, Christ stands next to us giving us His love and grace in our darkest of hours. God the Father, Christ the Son, and the indwelling Holy Spirit pour their love over us and make their love for us fill our heart. God loves us in ways we cannot imagine. No matter how much we may suffer, God’s love for us, God’s love within us, cannot be diminished. In our pain, Christ listens with utmost intensity to our every prayer and our every heart-cry. Christ does not want us or anyone on the earth to suffer. Because Christ does not want us to suffer, He died for us to give us a chance to accept Him thus giving us eternal life in heaven. When we feel pain or sorrow, Christ also feels pain and sorrow with us. When we pray we must try to remember how Christ is within us and does not want us to feel pain or sorrow. Our God has a wonderful world waiting for us. God has built a wonderful mansion, life, and reality for us in heaven. In every painful moment here on earth, we must grasp onto the certainty of heaven waiting for us.

Col. 4:5 Be Wise In The Way You Act Toward Outsiders; Make The Most Of Every Opportunity. 6 Let Your Conversation Be Always Full Of Grace, Seasoned With Salt, So That You May Know How To Answer Everyone.

2012-01-20T00:16:00.001-08:00

When we hurt, we have the tendency or perhaps the desire to complain. We complain because we feel helpless. We complain because we want others to share our burden, making our burden less. However, when we are in pain, we must be a light in the darkness of others. When we speak with others, we must be intent on uplifting them rather then pulling them down with our whining or complaining. We have the opportunity whether we are in pain or not, to uplift others out of their plight. We can give people hope at a time when we need hope the most. Our reward for putting others first in this way is looking forward to a time when we hear the Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Luke 12:37 It Will Be Good For Those Servants Whose Master Finds Them Watching When He Comes. I Tell You The Truth, He Will Dress Himself To Serve, Will Have Them Recline At The Table And Will Come And Wait On Them.

2012-01-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

Some of us may be in so much pain we are not fully capable of working as the Lord’s servants in the way we might like to work. However, we must seek out every opportunity to work for Him. No matter how much pain we might be suffering at the moment, each of us can pray for others. Our power of prayer can do more for others than many of the worldly tasks we might perform on their behalf. Let each of us be a worker for our Lord by being a prayer warrior for others. When we can do little else, we can pray. Prayers to the Lord can bring down mountains of blessings into the life of those of those for whom we pray.

2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, My Brothers, Be All The More Eager To Make Your Calling And Election Sure. For If You Do These Things, You Will Never Fall,

2012-01-18T04:25:00.001-08:00

We are fallible. We fall down. We make mistakes. We make mistakes knowing we are making mistakes. We are hopeless and without hope if we do not have Christ as our Savior and Lord. Some of us are in so much pain we cannot be truly “eager” and we are not always as keen about making our election sure. Because of our pain, we fail and we may fail often. What must God be thinking when we sees us fall down because of our pain or because of our pain and our sin working against us? God is a being of compassion. When God sees us make mistakes for any reason, He understands more about us than we understand about ourselves. When God sees us make mistakes He is grieved and wants us to be grieved. As difficult as being righteous is for those of us in pain, pain must never be an excuse to be unrighteous. We must have a hurting heart because we make mistakes. When we have a hurting heart because we make mistakes, Christ will forgive us and pour His healing love over us.

Joshua 22:5 But Be Very Careful To Keep The Commandment And The Law That Moses The Servant Of The Lord Gave You: To Love The Lord Your God, To Walk In All His Ways, To Obey His Commands, To Hold Fast To Him And To Serve Him With All Your Heart And All Your Soul."

2012-01-17T03:51:00.001-08:00

Just because we are in pain does not mean we are permitted by God to slack off. We are not permitted to slack off from keeping the commandments. We are not permitted to slack off from loving God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might. We are not permitted to walk in any way other than the Lord’s way. We are not permitted to slack off from obeying God’s commands. We are not permitted to slack off from holding fast to Him and serving Him every moment. Being a person of Christ is never easy. Being a person of Christ when we are in pain is more difficult still. However, we have no excuse but to do what Christ wants us to do and be the person He wants us to be. If we will think long and hard, if we will observe, we will see how living as Christ wants us to live serves us better in pain than any other way of living. We must also remember Christ holds us closest when we struggle the most.

1 Thes. 5:22 Avoid Every Kind Of Evil.

2012-01-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

We are made vulnerable by our pain. In pain, because we are vulnerable, evil can come into our life and diminish us or destroy us. Whether we are in pain or not, we must avoid every kind of evil. Evil has tentacles reaching out to choke us out of our life. Evil makes our pain worse and our pain makes us so vulnerable we do not fend off the pain or the evil. Our pain can blind us to such an extent we no longer see the evil in order to avoid the evil. Evil can whisper in our ear. If we are in enough pain, we listen to the whispers of evil and then fall into the pit of temptation. To avoid every kind of evil, we must continually be kneeling at the foot of Christ’s cross.

Ephes. 5:15 Be Very Careful, Then, How You Live--Not As Unwise But As Wise, 16 Making The Most Of Every Opportunity, Because The Days Are Evil.

2012-01-15T01:35:00.001-08:00

We have wisdom, but do we use the wisdom we have? Too many times, too many people live in self-imposed blindness. We can see the consequences of our actions but we too often choose not to see. If we would use our wisdom as God would want, we would always look at every circumstance as an opportunity to live for God, rather than living for ourselves. Living in pain can make us careless. Our pain blinds us to seeing the eventualities of our decisions. Our pain can make us care less about the consequences of our life because our pain destroys our ability to use our wisdom. Under enough pain, we can get to a point of not caring about others, ourselves, or our actions. At this point of not caring, we must use our wisdom to see what our pain is doing to us and take corrective action. Our corrective action in our pain is to be careful how we live. We must be careful about the decisions we make. We must be careful to put Christ in every moment.

Isaiah 40:29 He Gives Strength To The Weary And Increases The Power Of The Weak.

2012-01-14T00:22:00.000-08:00

What do we do when we cannot do? What do we do when we have used up every amount of energy and resources? These two questions may be some of the most important questions of life. The answer is easy but the implementation is difficult. The answer is “to have faith.” The answer “to have faith” is too often hollow for a person at the end of their road with nowhere to go. When a person has no power, the answer “to have faith” can seem like grinding salt into the wound. However, “having faith” means we have hope or faith in God. When we have faith in God, then He will never disappoint us. We must come to accept our reality is more than what we see, feel, and touch. God and His power are a part of our reality. God made our reality. Our having faith turns the darkness in our reality into the light, a light from the very Light of the world.

Philip. 4:13 I Can Do Everything Through Him Who Gives Me Strength.

2012-01-13T01:59:00.001-08:00

We can do everything God wills for us to do. God does not tell us to do anything we want to do. In all the things God wants us to do we can do everything He wants us to do because He gives us power and strength. What God wants us to do when we are in pain may be incredibly difficult. However, if God wills us, God empowers us. God gives us strength when we align our will in the same direction as His will. We may be lame and unable to walk in this life. However, if the Lord wills us to be patient and show others love, then God will give us the power to show others love. God does not will us to do sinful acts. God does not will us to go in directions leading us into temptation. In the weakness of our pain, we must keep our heart and mind solely on what God wants for us and from us. By focusing our strength on what God wants for us and from us, we will receive His utmost reward when we see Him face to face.

Psalm 68:35 You Are Awesome, O God, In Your Sanctuary; The God Of Israel Gives Power And Strength To His People. Praise Be To God!

2012-01-12T01:19:00.001-08:00

In pain, we do not have enough power and enough strength. Our pain weakens us and degrades us. In pain, we are to cling to God. From God we can receive strength and power to not just survive but to prosper. We may not prosper as the world understands prosperity. However, we will prosper in our understanding of God. We will prosper in understanding how He works in all matters. God gives His strength and power to the afflicted because He loves them. God understands we want an end to our afflictions. Over time, and over the span of our life, God will bless us, even in our darkest of hours. God’s strength and power will help us find humility as our ego is diminished in our pain. When we fully put our life in the hands of God, He makes us better instead of bitter.

Mark 13:11 Whenever You Are Arrested And Brought To Trial, Do Not Worry Beforehand About What To Say. Just Say Whatever Is Given You At The Time, For It Is Not You Speaking, But The Holy Spirit.

2012-01-11T00:12:00.001-08:00

We are seldom arrested by the police because of our pain. What we do experience is a time when our pain makes us silent. Not knowing what to say in our pain can lead us to say nothing at all. In those times when we are put into silence, we must let God speak to us. In our silence from our pain, we must let the Lord give us His words of healing, love, kindness, and compassion. In those times when we are doubled over and silent, God can become more real for us than at any other time. We may know God loves us, but do we know He loves us when we are in the deep darkness of our pain? God does give us messages via the Holy Spirit. In our hurt and heartbreak, God comes to us in the Spirit to tell us how much He loves us. Our healing may not become complete in the here and now. Our healing will definitely become complete in the hereafter.

Matthew 6:34 Therefore Do Not Worry About Tomorrow, For Tomorrow Will Worry About Itself. Each Day Has Enough Trouble Of Its Own.

2012-01-10T00:38:00.001-08:00

The pain we feel can cause us anxiety and fear. When we are in pain we can end up being supreme worriers. To deal with each day and each day's worries, we are to live one day at a time. We cannot change the past. We cannot change what will happen tomorrow. We may be unable to change parts of our life today. What we can do is live minute to minute, then hour to hour, then day to day. Our best strategy is not to try and live ahead of where we are. We need to learn to absorb the beauty of the moment, even when we are in pain. Satan tries to destroy us using pain as a weapon. Being under so much attack, we can tend to get overly cautious and try to live for tomorrow in order to lessen the pain we fear today.

Romans 5:2 And We Rejoice In The Hope Of The Glory Of God.

2012-01-09T03:20:00.001-08:00

We may not want to rejoice or feel like rejoicing when we are in pain. Pain takes the joy out of our life. However, our Lord is greater than our pain. Our Lord gives us hope when hope would seem to be impossible. Our Lord stands against pain. Our Lord is so against pain He has made for us a special place called heaven where pain is banished forever. Because we have a loving God, we can rejoice in hope He is always with us and for us. Our God is not is some far off place. Our God through the Holy Spirit is within us, whether we are in pain or not. God continually comes to be with us in our pain and sorrow. Not only is God with us in our pain and sorrow, He will be with us until we are with Him in heaven.

Philip. 4:4 Rejoice In The Lord Always. I Will Say It Again: Rejoice!

2012-01-08T03:34:00.001-08:00

When we are in pain, the word "rejoice" can ring hallow. However, we must look beyond the mere human meaning of the above verse. The above verse does not tell us to rejoice about conditions in our life at the moment. The above verse does tell us to rejoice in the Lord. When we think about God, when we think about how God is love, about Christ coming to earth to save us and take us into heaven to be with Him, then we can begin to get an inkling of the meaning of the Apostle Paul's words. In the fullest meaning of the verse, we can rejoice in our suffering because we are valuable enough to Christ we are being attacked by Satan making us hurt. We can count as gain how Satan is trying to make us lose or Satan has caused us to suffer loss. In a magnificent supernatural sense, we can always live in a state of joy because the Lord blesses us and keeps us. We can rejoice because we are loved and forgiven by God. We can rejoice because our future in eternal heaven in assured. No matter how difficult our present life may be or may become, we have another life waiting for us just beyond the clouds. Praise His Name. Amen.

Col. 1:5 The Faith And Love That Spring From The Hope That Is Stored Up For You In Heaven And That You Have Already Heard About In The Word Of Truth, The Gospel

2012-01-07T00:09:00.000-08:00

If there is anything we need, then we need faith and love. Even more than a relief from our pain, we need faith and love. We are able to possess faith and love because we have hope. We have a certainty Christ will wipe away every one of our tears. We have hope, faith, and love because the words of Christ are written for us in His scripture. Our hope gives us a picture of our future…a picture so sweet and full of life we have difficulty even trying to grasp the full extent of our future days. Our hope gives us a picture of our life to come when our life is full of love…the purist love that could ever be. Our hope gives us an enduring real life time when we will not have to live in the valley of tears we call this present earth and time. Christ came to earth to give us faith, hope, and love. In Him and through Him, we have a future when faith, hope, and love become our reality.

Psalm 37:25 I Was Young And Now I Am Old, Yet I Have Never Seen The Righteous Forsaken Or Their Children Begging Bread.

2012-01-06T00:11:00.000-08:00

There are many advantages to being righteous. When we are in pain and suffering, we are weakened and can be easily tempted away from being righteous. We must maintain our self-control and self-discipline at all costs. Being righteous in the face of pain and suffering is difficult because pain and suffering eats away at our heart and soul. We must let ourselves grow old in wisdom. We must live each minute, minute to minute, in order not to fall away into sinful darkness. We must have daily conversations with Jesus to maintain our balance in a world gone badly astray.

1 Peter 1:8 Though You Have Not Seen Him, You Love Him; And Even Though You Do Not See Him Now, You Believe In Him And Are Filled With An Inexpressible And Glorious Joy,

2012-01-05T04:15:00.000-08:00

No matter how much pain we are in, we have resources. We may be helpless but we are not totally helpless. We may be attacked from every side, but we are not without weapons. We are not helpless or defenseless because the living Christ and His power are within us. Because Christ and His power are within us, we are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy. Even in pain, our joy, although diminished, is still very real. No matter how much of an attack the pain may bring, we shall not be defeated because we have the joy of Christ who brings us everlasting life. We are often baffled by the mechanics of how the love and joy of our faith can be of assistance to us. Although we may be baffled, the reality of the love of Christ and His power overcome things of the world like our pain. We may not have scientific explanations for the power of Christ. We may not have clinical medical reasons for how Christ, God, and prayer work in our life. However, even without reasons, two thousand years of testimonies by persons whose life has been changed, and whose pain has been lessened, stand as clear evidence of what we know to be truth.

1 Thes. 3:3 So That No One Would Be Unsettled By These Trials. You Know Quite Well That We Were Destined For Them.

2012-01-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

Each of us has the ability to make decisions. Even in pain, we have the ability to chart a course of action in our life. We have the ability to respond with love, caring, and compassion in the face of influences trying to make us respond with hatred, a lack of caring, and a heart absent of compassion. Those of us who have chosen Christ, whether we are in pain or not, must understand we will have trials put upon us by Satan. We must remember Christ has a destiny for us, His chosen destiny. We have a destiny to be with Him in paradise forever. Our fundamental question in life is…will we strive to reach His destiny for us? No matter what trials we face, we are not alone. Just as Christ faced the trials of going to the cross, so also must we face our trials. No matter how difficult our life may become, we must not turn away from Christ. For two thousand years, those of us who have followed Christ have persevered through sometimes unimaginable suffering and persecution. However, we are not ashamed to call Christ our Lord. We are not ashamed to walk His path. We are not ashamed to fulfill His destiny for us…His destiny calling us to be holy, godly, and devout.

Romans 15:13 May The God Of Hope Fill You With All Joy And Peace As You Trust In Him, So That You May Overflow With Hope By The Power Of The Holy Spirit.

2012-01-03T00:30:00.001-08:00

Hope is our godly fuel of life. We persevere through our pain because we are filled with hope for a better day and a better eternity just ahead. Our pain does not get us down when we are full of hope. If our pain does get us down, we can refuel with hope. We can refuel with hope because the Holy Spirit is the power giving us the inspiration of hope. When the adversities of life seem to overwhelm us, the power of the Holy Spirit is with us showing us there are better times ahead. The power of hope is a gift from God. Without hope, the human race would have long descended into a dark abyss. Each of us must battle against the dark powers wanting to destroy all human beings. However, with the power of God's love becoming real because we have the Holy Spirit with us, the darkness is replaced by the light and love of God.

Luke 14:27 And Anyone Who Does Not Carry His Cross And Follow Me Cannot Be My Disciple.

2012-01-02T02:44:00.000-08:00

Jesus is telling us we must bear up under our pain and adversities. Not only must be bear up under our adversities, we are to follow Him at the same time. We are not to wilt under the load of our life. We are to remain strong, even in pain, and walk His narrow path. To be a true follower of Jesus means we make no excuses…we pray continually for others…and we move forward no matter what the cost might be to us. Certainly, those of us who live in pain have real reasons why we might wish to quit or give up, but we must not quit. If Satan won every time Satan delivered a blow against us, Satan would have already won the world. Your life rests in the hands of God yet Satan tries to get you to turn away from God. No matter what kind of temptation you face, no matter what kind of past mistakes you have made, no matter what kind of pain you carry now or in the future, God loves you beyond measure. Because God loves you beyond measure, He needs you to never walk any other path than His path.

Acts 14:22 …strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.

2011-12-31T02:49:00.001-08:00

In pain, we want to lay our burdens down. In pain, there are many times when we do not want to carry on. Our eyes may fill with tears as we undergo days, weeks, months, or years of hardship without end. Yet, we must carry on, for God has made a perfect place for us. God expects us not to give up but to get ahead of our trials. Certainly, many of our trials are much larger than we are. However, God is bigger than all of our trials combined. The size of God dwarfs the size of creation infinite sizes over. In the span of time, from eons in the past to eons into the future, our many hardships today melt away into the infinite glory, grace, and love of God. Our pain today shall melt away into God's joy in the morning. Our anguish today shall be as no more in His power of love pouring over us each moment. Praise His Name. Amen.

Romans 12:12 Be Joyful In Hope, Patient In Affliction, Faithful In Prayer.

2011-12-30T01:36:00.001-08:00

The words of the scripture inspire us and give us power to move forward. Most of the words of the scripture are easy to read and easy to think about. Our problem is the words of the scripture are not always easy to do. When we are in pain, we find being joyful in hope difficult because our pain cancels out of our joy. Our afflictions make us impatient because we want our afflictions to be gone yesterday. Our afflictions make praying difficult. Then what are we to do? What we are to do is keep traveling our path, no matter how rough and difficult our path may be. We must affirm over and over again our hope is in Christ who delivers to us a perfect eternal life after this life is over. We must affirm over and over again every dream we could ever dream in Christ will be realized either in this life or most certainly in our eternal life to come. In our afflictions we must use the force of our will and the power of God to be patient as we wait upon Him to do His mighty work within us. We must always keep in mind, our God reigns and He does deliver for us in His time, place, and will. We must be faithful in prayer, even if we must pray in pain. When we pray in pain, when we pray at times when we seem to have no connection to God, He still hears us. In our pain, God hears us just as He hears us when we are not in pain. When we struggle to pray, God opens a special door of His heart to hear us all the more.

Hebrews 13:6 So We Say With Confidence, "The Lord Is My Helper; I Will Not Be Afraid. What Can Man Do To Me?"

2011-12-28T23:36:00.000-08:00

Not only must we deal with pain and suffering in our life, we must also deal with the sinfulness of others. Being in a weakened state because of our pain, our weakened state can make us vulnerable. Being weak and vulnerable we can grow to fear others, fear our future, and fear living in pain. When we face these kinds of fears, we must remind ourselves we are not alone. Not only are we not alone, we have a protector and helper. Knowing Christ is with us through every adversity can make all the difference in our ability to stay strong in the face of adversities of any kind. Over the course of our life, Christ will make a way for us to spiritually prosper in poverty. Christ provides us with His protective armor. Because we have Christ's protective armor, we have eternal life if we accept Him as our savior and Lord. By having Christ as our savior, we will look back and also exclaim "What can man do to me?"

Hebrews 13:5 Keep Your Lives Free From The Love Of Money And Be Content With What You Have, Because God Has Said, "Never Will I Leave You; Never Will I Forsake You."

2011-12-28T03:47:00.000-08:00

Being content when we are in pain can seem to be impossible. Absorbing the full and complete truth about Christ being with us, no matter who, where, or what we are can also seem an incomprehensible truth. However incomprehensible the scripture may seem to be, the scripture is the truth of God. The scripture is full of God's essential rules for living a better life. God tells us over and over again He will never leave us or forsake us. The reason God wants to assure us He will never leave us or forsake us is because we are alone. Even when we live with many others, we live with only our own life, thoughts, feelings, and issues. We can share our life with others, but our life belongs only to each of us. Our life is lonely because of our inability to fully share ourselves with anyone else. However, there is an exception to our not sharing our life with anyone. Although we might not realize it, we share our life with God…fully and completely. God knows everything about us. God even knows about the parts of our life of which we are not aware. In spite of our many mistakes, God is loving, kind, and forgiving. God will forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life if we turn away from our sins and accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.

No Blog Entries Today

2011-12-23T23:25:00.001-08:00

There will be no new blog entries on Dec. 24, 25, and 26. Entries should begin again on Dec. 27.

Thank you for visiting this blog.

Psalm 37:25 I Was Young And Now I Am Old, Yet I Have Never Seen The Righteous Forsaken Or Their Children Begging Bread.

2011-12-23T03:16:00.001-08:00

Psalm 37:28 They (The Lord's Faithful Ones) Will Be Protected Forever, But The Offspring Of The Wicked Will Be Cut Off; Parenthetical remark added

2011-12-22T00:20:00.000-08:00

"It is not suffering as such that is most deeply feared but suffering that degrades." Susan Sontag (b. 1933), U.S. essayist. AIDS and Its Metaphors, ch. 4 (1989). Indeed, suffering degrades. Suffering degrades us physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. In most respects, human beings are a wicked lot. We are sinners all. All of us must pay the price of death because we are fallen sinners. We must also remember Christ weeps for us. He weeps for us when we suffer. He weeps for us when we falter. We can make sense of suffering only if we make sense about how God is not responsible for it, does not "allow" it, and is not pleased with it. In the degradation of our suffering, we can reach out to Christ. In Him and through Him we shall not just have a better time or a better day. In Christ and through Him we shall have glorious infinite tomorrows.

Isaiah 12:2 The Lord, The Lord, Is My Strength And My Song; He Has Become My Salvation."

2011-12-21T02:25:00.000-08:00

In pain, we need a savior. When we are in pain we want a savior in the here and now to stop the pain. Pain makes us secular. Pain blinds us to any kind of tomorrow because we do not want a pain-filled tomorrow any more than we want a pain-filled today. What is the answer? We do not have a secular answer about finding an earthly savior. Even if we could find an earthly savior, the earthly savior would still be a human being. Sooner or later, our earthly savior would end up dying. Our pain demands more. Our pain demands we find not a secular savior like drugs or alcohol. Our pain making demands upon us must cause us to look outside our earth to heaven. Our salvation for our soul is Christ. The way our pain stops is in the hands of Christ when we see Him in heaven. When we think about Christ seeing us in heaven we are strengthened. We are able to sing a new song here on earth, even if sung in a feeble voice, we have a new song in our heart.

Isaiah 12:2 Surely God Is My Salvation; I Will Trust And Not Be Afraid.

2011-12-20T00:13:00.001-08:00

Being in so much pain, how can we trust? Being in so much pain, how can we not be afraid? On a purely human level, without an all powerful God, we are doomed. However, we need not be doomed. With Christ, we have eternity where there is no doom. Because we have Christ, with His eternity soon to become our eternity, we can trust and feel no fear. Even when we face the worst of the worst in this life, we know in just a little while we will possess the best of the best in Christ's love and power in heaven above. When we do not have a cure for our pain or condition here on earth, Christ is with us in the here and now to help us until we have His cure in heaven. Our fear is human but Christ gives us His power so we will not be afraid.

Hebrews 13:6 So We Say With Confidence, "The Lord Is My Helper; I Will Not Be Afraid. What Can Man Do To Me?"

2011-12-19T01:50:00.000-08:00

Fear, anger, love, and pain are the four basic human emotions. Enough pain suffered long enough brings fear of more pain. Pain suffered over years can create post-traumatic stress disorder. In pain, or in fear, or in anger, we need help. Perhaps we might never admit we need help. However, to admit we need help gives us a strategic advantage in gaining victory over the obstacles pain puts in our path. Each of us has a heavenly helper. Our heavenly helper is our Lord Jesus Christ. Of all the helping people in the world, Jesus is our best. Jesus will be with us forever. He will not desert us in our hour of need. He will not turn away from us when we make a mistake. He will comfort us in our pain. We need never fear what Jesus will do. In Jesus, we are secure forever. In Jesus, we have a person who will be with us forever.

2 Cor. 1:10 He Has Delivered Us From Such A Deadly Peril, And He Will Deliver Us. On Him We Have Set Our Hope That He Will Continue To Deliver Us,

2011-12-18T01:17:00.001-08:00

If you are living in pain, your best medicine is hope for a better time in the future. When we lose hope, we lose our life. Hope is the fuel of life. We may not face a deadly peril on earth each moment, but we do face a deadly peril at some point in our life. At some point our life will end when the deadly peril becomes reality. We can say Christ has delivered us from a deadly peril because we have eternal life. We can hope for an eternal life and our hope will be rewarded. Our hope for a better day with less pain on earth will be realized when we ascend to heaven's shore. Although we may have pain here on earth, Christ loves us and He will give us all we could ever dream of having in heaven, then some.

1 Samuel 12:22 For The Sake Of His Great Name The Lord Will Not Reject His People, Because The Lord Was Pleased To Make You His Own.

2011-12-16T00:19:00.001-08:00

Let's be honest. Let's tell the truth. Sometimes we don't feel like we are His own. Sometimes we feel rejected. We feel put upon. We feel like aliens in a foreign land. Our pain and trials can destroy us if we let them. Yet, no matter how we feel, the truth is God loves us. In our pain, God is still with us. We do not always know why God does not make the pain go away. We do not know why Satan is allowed to exist. We do know there will come a time when all things are made right. There will come a time when Satan will be banned to the innermost parts of hell never to be let out again. When the final event of our life occurs, we shall see Jesus. We shall not just see Him, but we shall rejoice with Him in His presence. We shall not suffer pain any more. Our broken hearts shall be mended. Our lives will be made totally new. Our battles every moment shall be no more. We shall have victory because we believed in Christ and we hung on and hung in until the very end. Praise His Name, Amen.

Psalm 37:28 For The Lord Loves The Just And Will Not Forsake His Faithful Ones.

2011-12-15T01:50:00.001-08:00

In our pain, we need to hang on to the Lord. We need to hang on to what God will do for us in the future. We need to try to hang on to what the Lord is doing for us in the present moment. In pain, trials, or trouble, we can easily believe God has abandoned us. However, the truth is just the opposite. In the hours of our life when our pain is so intense there is nothing but the pain, we must hold on for just awhile longer. We must hold on because our Lord will not forsake us. There will come a day when we will be with Him. There will come a day when our pain shall be no more. There will come a day when we shall never weep again. A new life in glory awaits us. We must hang on for just awhile longer.

Proverbs 18:10 The Name Of The Lord Is A Strong Tower; The Righteous Run To It And Are Safe.

2011-12-14T00:21:00.000-08:00

When we are in pain, we are weak. When we are in pain, the pain takes away our strength. In our weakness caused by our pain, we need a place to find strength. The greatest source of strength in the universe is the Creator of the universe. Our Savior, Christ Jesus, is the ultimate power. In Christ we can find all strength, all endurance, all compassion, all caring, and all love. Ultimately, Christ will make us a being of power…a being never to be afflicted with any kind of pain or weakness. We might find the thought of never being afflicted with any kind of pain or weakness to be unfathomable. However, our God can do what we cannot even begin to fathom. In the nothing of the beginning of creation, God created all that is. Surely, if God can create all that is from absolutely nothing, God can make a way so you will never be afflicted with any kind of pain or weakness…and He will.

Psalm 9:10 Those Who Know Your Name Will Trust In You, For You, Lord, Have Never Forsaken Those Who Seek You.

2011-12-13T01:19:00.001-08:00

When we live in pain, we live alone. No matter how many people are around us, we are still alone because the pain cuts us off from others in our surroundings. Pain cuts us off from so much of the beauty of life. Yet, we must continue to seek the Lord. As long as we keep seeking Him, He will find us and be with us. He will not forsake us…ever! The truth is…we are not alone. We have never been alone because He has always been with us. When our eyes get blurry from our pain, the Lord is still with us to help us find our way. When we can no longer concentrate, the Lord lives in our mind to keep us focused. When the pain makes us not care anymore, He keeps our sense of humor alive. Most of all, the Lord is with us through the thick and thin. He is with us in our anger, hurt, pain, and frustration. He is with us because He loves us in ways we cannot fathom or easily understand.

Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, Brothers, Since We Have Confidence To Enter The Most Holy Place By The Blood Of Jesus, By A New And Living Way Opened For Us Through The Curtain, That Is, His Body...

2011-12-12T00:20:00.001-08:00

Our plague of pain and suffering gives us a unique perspective on what is important and unimportant. If the person in pain is with a group of people and they are all excited about going to The Most Holy Place, the person in pain might say, "You go on ahead. I will catch up later." This is not to say the person in pain is against God or Christ. This is to say the person in pain does not operate in the same way as those persons who do not suffer. In our example, we must ask "Does Jesus understand the person in pain? Does Jesus care about the person in pain?" What we can say is this: Yes, Jesus does understand the person in pain. We can say yes, Jesus does care about the person in pain. While the group of people goes on ahead and the person in pain is left behind, Jesus will be with the person left behind. Jesus is not so much concerned with formalities as He is with the pain of a person in mind, body, and spirit.

Things Are Being Worked Out

2011-12-12T00:19:00.001-08:00

The Lord is always working for you. Things are being arranged for you. God is, right now, this instant, making things and setting things up for your going to a time of greater productivity and greater essence of work. You love to work. So God is now setting things up so you can work in greater efficiency, with fewer burdens and fewer hardships. The Lord is assembling a great puzzle for you to live within, knowing your mind will be fired as you are challenged by His love.

Hebrews 10:22 Let Us Draw Near To God With A Sincere Heart In Full Assurance Of Faith, Having Our Hearts Sprinkled To Cleanse Us From A Guilty Conscience And Having Our Bodies Washed With Pure Water.

2011-12-11T03:55:00.001-08:00

Let us be honest. Pain can drive us to do and be what we know we should not do and be. Certainly, we know we are called to be humble, holy, godly, and devout. However, our pain, always caused by Satan, will push us, shove us, or drive us to be ungodly or think in ungodly ways. When we are being pushed around by our pain, we still have the power to draw near to God. We can never fully cleanse our heart, mind, and soul by ourselves, on our own. Even when we feel guilty, even when we are guilty, in God's mercy and grace, He will fix us. God will cleanse our heart and soul. God will cleanse us in ways we do not fully understand. God will cleanse us from our unrighteousness in ways we cannot do.

Isaiah 30:18 Yet The Lord Longs To Be Gracious To You; He Rises To Show You Compassion. For The Lord Is A God Of Justice. Blessed Are All Who Wait For Him!

2011-12-08T00:22:00.001-08:00

We want our pain to stop. In pain, we can look around and see multitudes of people who are not suffering. Seeing others who are not suffering, we can feel like we are outcasts. We can feel like we are victims. We can feel like life has done us an injustice. We serve a God of compassion. God knows our plight. He knows how much we suffer. He knows how much of a price we have paid for being in suffering all of our days. If we open our heart to Him, He will then show us the magnitude of His love. Our Lord will not let us hurt or be hurt without giving us compensation when we are with Him in heaven. In heaven, things not only even out, all the good things that ever were or ever could be become reality forever. What we must do is wait for the Lord. Yes, waiting can be difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible. However, we shall not have to wait very long for the Lord sees us and He shall rescue us in an instant.

Lament. 3:25 The Lord Is Good To Those Whose Hope Is In Him, To The One Who Seeks Him;

2011-12-07T00:17:00.001-08:00

In pain, we hope for an end to the pain. Those who are not living in pain or who do not know about what living in pain is like, will likely misunderstand about the need for hope. When we hope for a better day and time, let us put our hope in Christ. Certainly, we may need relief in the here and now. We also must put our heart and mind to work to understand our real need for relief is not so much relief in this life from the pains and trials we bear now. Our real need for real relief is from our destiny of eternal torment if we have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. When we put our heart and mind to work to see Jesus in the present time, we will find Him. We may find Him in ways we may not suspect, in places we did not know much about, and in times we were not aware. Conversely, when we think we cannot go on, not even for one more day, we must look upon His suffering on the cross for us. When we kneel before Him in His hour of greatest need and torment for us on the cross, our pain and issues of the moment seem a great deal less.

Psalm 84:10 Better Is One Day In Your Courts Than A Thousand Elsewhere; I Would Rather Be A Doorkeeper In The House Of My God Than Dwell In The Tents Of The Wicked.

2011-12-06T01:55:00.000-08:00

Even when we are in pain, we are still to be humble in righteousness. When we are humble in righteousness, good things will be added to our life…even in our pain. Our humility cancels out any thought or behavior taking us away from God. When we come close to God then He will minister to us, He will bless us, and heal us of our infirmities. In this life, we will have trouble and pain. However, when we are humble in righteousness, the Lord gives us a form of insulation to keep the pain from destroying us. Living in humility, gives us a power…not the power to overcome a person, but the power to overcome our pain, even if for just a few moments. Ironically, a day in the heavenly realms might be a thousand or ten thousand days on earth, yet we will know not about days, weeks, months, or years when we are with Him. Even now, when we are fully immersed in His love and grace, time can seem to be no more.

Psalm 26:8 I Love The House Where You Live, O Lord, The Place Where Your Glory Dwells.

2011-12-05T00:42:00.000-08:00

Our love for God, for Christ, and for His heavenly kingdom helps us transcend every hurt and pain. Our love for Him and His dwelling in heaven gives us a way to see beyond our present life. Pain makes us blind in many ways. Our love for God opens our heart and our spiritual eyes to see the wonders no words can ever describe. As we think about the power of God's love, we can then come against the devastation of pain. We must also remember there will come a time when we share the very existence of God in the most complete of ways. Today, on this earth, our existence is defined by our reality of pain, suffering, and sin. Interspersed in our present reality on earth, we can get glimpses of God's power and love. No human has ever fully and completely seen God. However, there will come a time when our earthly reality shall pass away as we cross over to a timeless land of glory and love divine.

Psalm 73:28 But As For Me, It Is Good To Be Near God. I Have Made The Sovereign Lord My Refuge; I Will Tell Of All Your Deeds.

2011-12-04T00:36:00.001-08:00

When we are in pain, we need a refuge. When we are in pain, we need a place or someone who will shelter us and protect us. Christ is our shelter. Christ is our great Healer. The more we try to be near Christ, the closer Christ will be near us. Our pain drives us away from Christ. In the face of our pain, we must draw upon His power in our heart, life, and soul. In the battle we wage each day, we must at the very least, go to Him and tell Him we want to be near Him but we are being driven away. This single act of humility before Him, this single act of telling Him we want to be near Him while we are under attack, brings us close to Him and brings Him close to us.

Hebrews 6:19 We Have This Hope As An Anchor For The Soul, Firm And Secure. It Enters The Inner Sanctuary Behind The Curtain, 20 Where Jesus, Who Went Before Us, Has Entered On Our Behalf. He Has Become A High Priest Forever, In The Order Of Melchizedek.

2011-12-03T00:21:00.001-08:00

In pain, we are subjected to every kind of darkness. In pain, our soul can be adrift. In pain, we can drift away from the Lord because we believe we have no hope. In pain we can drift away because pain is a great separator…separating us from God. Even when we are adrift, we have Jesus, who is not far off. We have Jesus in whom we can trust. We have Jesus to anchor our soul. Yes, we may drift away from Him but not far away. Jesus will not let us drift so far away we lose Him if we go to Him with our pleas and petitions. In our pain, we must kneel at the foot of His cross begging and pleading for His forgiving love to be poured over us. Pain can make us say, think, and do what we know is wrong. Yet, Christ is merciful to us. As our heart breaks from our drifting away, He will dry our tears and show us we shall live with Him in eternity. Praise His Name for rescuing us night and day.

Matthew 6:20 But Store Up For Yourselves Treasures In Heaven, Where Moth And Rust Do Not Destroy, And Where Thieves Do Not Break In And Steal. 21 For Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also.

2011-12-02T00:54:00.001-08:00

In pain, our life can seem to have no treasures at all. In pain, we struggle to just get from one point to another. In pain, we can store up many treasures in our heart that are not of God's will. What do we do? What do we do when we have stored up the wrong treasures? A place to start is to find one treasure you believe God will embrace and love. The first treasure is the love of Christ. In pain, you may find the love of Christ to be a million miles away. However, you must hang on. You must never abandon God in any circumstance. In pain, we must sometimes go through the motions until God brings us to a place where our pain is gone. In pain, we must keep our mental picture of the ideal world or paradise. Our mental picture of our ideal world is the world we will inherit without our pain, except…none of our pictures of any of our ideal worlds will even be remotely close to the wonder and awe of the ideal world God has prepared for us.

Rev. 21:4 He Will Wipe Every Tear From Their Eyes. There Will Be No More Death Or Mourning Or Crying Or Pain, For The Old Order Of Things Has Passed Away."

2011-12-01T01:43:00.001-08:00

We long for a time of no more pain, no more hurt, no more temptation, no more evil. Especially when we are in pain, we long to be made free of our many infirmities. In pain, we want someone to take away our tears. We want someone to take away our mourning…our mourning for those who have been taken from us. We want someone to take away our mourning caused by earthly grief, disappointments, and mistakes. Our hope will not be disappointed. One day, we know not the day or the hour, Christ will reappear upon the earth and all things will be changed. The old order of things will have been no more. A new order will appear upon the earth. There will be joy and peace unending. No one will die. No one will suffer. No one will feel pain any more. Love will reign in every heart, in every home, in every land.

Col. 3:2 Set Your Minds On Things Above, Not On Earthly Things.

2011-11-30T02:48:00.001-08:00

Pain makes us think about the pain and not much else. Pain is an earthly thing. In setting our mind on God and His heavenly things, we must do so to try and alleviate some of the effects of what pain does to us. When we set our minds on things above, we take our mind out of this world and put our mind into the heavenly realms. In the heavenly realms we will be fully and totally healed. We will not be suffering. The closer we can come to putting our mind on heavenly things in the here and now, the closer we come to finding a way to deal with our pain. When we do meditation, we can think about heaven or things above rather than the darkness of pain here on earth. In heaven, we have power undreamed of here on earth. Heaven is not our present reality. Heaven is a place we know little about but a place just as real as our present earth. Heaven is a place defined by love and peace flowing from God and Christ the Son.

Job 3:17 There The Wicked Cease From Turmoil, And There The Weary Are At Rest.

2011-11-29T10:05:00.001-08:00

In pain we can have a level of madness for the pain makes us do what we might not want to do. In pain, the wicked and evil tentacles of Satan reach out to crush us. In heaven, Satan no longer offends. In heaven, Christ reigns forever and ever. In heaven, all turmoil is gone. The weary find new life where new days of glory abound. In pain, every hour we labor against an invisible foe, but a foe more real than the visible. In heaven, there is. In heaven, the foe is vanquished. Heaven is a place where no evil lives. In heaven, we shall live in a place of purity beyond our capacity to comprehend.

John 14:2 In My Father's House Are Many Rooms; If It Were Not So, I Would Have Told You. I Am Going There To Prepare A Place For You. 3 And If I Go And Prepare A Place For You, I Will Come Back And Take You To Be With Me That You Also May Be Where I Am.

2011-11-28T01:42:00.001-08:00

In the pain of our life, we can easily lose hope. In pain, we lose the vision to see ahead to better days. This assertion by Jesus gives us a hope not just for an eternal life, but for an eternal life with Him in heaven. No matter where we live or how we live on earth, pain destroys our ability to actually see and actually be in our surroundings. In heaven, we shall have a house or living space made by God especially for us. Jesus has already prepared a place for each of us. Our place in heaven will suit us in perfect fashion. We can look forward to living in a heavenly community where joy, peace, and love abound. We may never know the earthly dimensions of our mansion in the sky. In fact, there may be no earthly dimensions of our mansion in the sky because earthly dimensions may not apply in heaven. Our heavenly home is a place where we can "be" or exist in perfect harmony with God. We shall work and not grow weary. We shall run and not grow tired. Our pain shall be no more. We shall be perfect in every way.

Hebrews 4:9 There Remains, Then, A Sabbath-Rest For The People Of God;

2011-11-27T07:33:00.001-08:00

In our pain we need rest. Many times the pain takes away our ability to rest physically, emotionally, or spiritually. However, no matter how much the pain wears us out, God is our refuge. In Him, we can hide in the cleft of the rock for He is the Cleft. Eventually, when we go home to be with God, with Jesus, and with the angels, we shall have an eternal rest but we shall not sleep. In heaven, our rest shall be instantly complete while we are awake in joy and excitement at finally being home. On earth, in the here and now, even though we are in pain, we can rest in the knowledge God has worked out our future with Him. In only the twinkling of an eye, in only a tiny wisp of a moment, we shall not be here but over there on the golden shore. We shall be free of all alarm, all temptations, all afflictions, and all our pain forever. What a glorious hope we have, knowing our hope shall become reality!

Psalm 42:11 Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul? Why So Disturbed Within Me? Put Your Hope In God, For I Will Yet Praise Him, My Savior And My God.

2011-11-26T04:54:00.001-08:00

In pain, we need hope. Without hope, the demons come and dance on our soul. With hope, our soul is not so downcast. In hope, we can look up rather than down. In hope we can see what only God can see. In hope, we can praise God for His power in our life. The hope of Christ is our fuel to keep us going hour to hour. Empowered and fueled up, we do have the capacity to praise God for giving us hope for a better day and a better eternity. The Lord will not disappoint us. The Lord will only lead us to places full of light, love, and hope. In our darkest times, we are not alone. In our loneliness, we are not alone.

Psalm 10:17 You Hear, O Lord, The Desire Of The Afflicted; You Encourage Them, And You Listen To Their Cry,

2011-11-25T06:01:00.001-08:00

In our pain, we need a listening ear. We need someone who totally understands us. We need someone to encourage us. We need someone who sees and knows our pain. We have Someone. Our Someone is Jesus. Every time we fall down or fall apart, every time we are so full of pain we cannot see, every time we have no power, He is with us. He is with us to see us through the darkness. He is with us to give us His light so we do not stumble and fall in the dark hours. He is with us to give us power to move about another day. He is with us to bring His peace and love to the world. He does not want us to lose heart. He wants our best even when we are beset by our worst.

Psalm 86:5 You Are Forgiving And Good, O Lord, Abounding In Love To All Who Call To You.

2011-11-24T00:39:00.000-08:00

Whenever we are in pain, our ideas and perspectives about God can become distorted. We can think God is the source of our pain when He is not. We can lapse into anger and unrighteousness. We can think no one loves us. We can become isolated and alone. However, God does not conform to our ideas of Him. God is a being of forgiveness. When we hold God to blame for our pain, God forgives us for our error in thinking. God is good in every possible way we can conceive of good and goodness. In all the rotten aspects of our dark present world, God is all goodness and light. In our pain, we must know Him as our God of love. We must remind ourselves God's healing love is for us, in us, all around us, above us, before us, and under us. We must remember God's healing love is infinite.

Psalm 50:15 And Call Upon Me In The Day Of Trouble; I Will Deliver You, And You Will Honor Me.

2011-11-22T00:56:00.001-08:00

When we are in trouble…we can call a helpline. We can call a tech support number. Perhaps we can call upon others. However, no person, or company, or entity can help us when we face a real day of trouble.

When the doctor says it's…
When we get a call in the middle of the night saying…
When a loved one calls to tell us the worst about…

When we have a day of trouble we have someone who we can call upon to come to our aid. We have someone who will encourage us to keep going. We have someone who will never leave us or desert us, no matter how much trouble we might face. We are not alone in this world. We have someone with us every moment. His name is Jesus.

Psalm 102:19-20 "The Lord Looked Down From His Sanctuary On High, From Heaven He Viewed The Earth, To Hear The Groans Of The Prisoners And Release Those Condemned To Death."

2011-11-21T01:40:00.001-08:00

So often in our pain, we think God is not listening. In our pain, we think He no longer loves us or cares about us. In our pain, we can be mistaken in our thinking God has left us alone, as orphans to be devoured by the darkness. God's reality is just the opposite of what we so easily think about Him. God is with us every moment. God knows our struggles. He hears the groans and pleas of those who suffer. Christ came to the world to release us from the bondage of our sin, our pain, and from death. In Christ, we have life eternal. Because Christ died and rose again for us, we are free. We are free of all our trials the moment Christ calls us home to be with Him in eternity. Someday, we shall be with Him. We shall sail above the clouds and above the stars…to a place where only peace, love, and grace prevail.

Isaiah 63:9 In All Their Distress He Too Was Distressed, And The Angel Of His Presence Saved Them. In His Love And Mercy He Redeemed Them; He Lifted Them Up And Carried Them All The Days Of Old.

2011-11-20T01:27:00.001-08:00

In our pain, we must be aware about how much we are carried by the Lord. In our pain and trials, the Lord lifts us up every moment. Christ wants only the best from us and for us. Christ will be our defender all of our days. When trouble befalls us, Christ is with us to see us through our trouble. Christ gave Himself for us so we could be saved through Him. In the last moments of our earthly life, the Lord's angels will stand guard over us until it is time to take us sailing above the clouds into our new eternal home. We should have no concern for our future days because Christ has carved in indelible stone a heavenly destiny for us if we would but call Him Lord.

Hebrews 4:15 For We Do Not Have A High Priest Who Is Unable To Sympathize With Our Weaknesses, But We Have One Who Has Been Tempted In Every Way, Just As We Are--Yet Was Without Sin.

2011-11-19T02:22:00.000-08:00

Not only do we have our dreadful pain, we have our dreadful sin. Whether we have pain or not, we must resist every temptation. When we resist, God sees our struggle. He knows how much we hurt during the time we resist. God wants us to be holy and devout. What do we want? Do we want to be holy and devout bad enough to exert our will to resist temptation? We must understand we do not resist temptation alone. Christ is with us as we resist. Christ wants us to resist so we can stay closer to Him. When we do not resist temptation, we fall farther and farther away from Him. If we do not resist, we endanger our soul. Fallen far enough, we reject Christ. Fallen far enough, with our rejection of Christ, we have no hope of ever living beyond our earthly life.

Luke 11:33 No One Lights A Lamp And Puts It In A Place Where It Will Be Hidden, Or Under A Bowl. Instead He Puts It On Its Stand, So That Those Who Come In May See The Light.

2011-11-18T00:57:00.001-08:00

We are not to draw attention to the darkness of our pain. We are to show others the Light of Christ. We are to light up the life of others. We are not to diminish others with any kind of darkness. When others face difficulties we are to lighten their load. We are to give encouragement. Our pain is to be used to glorify God without drawing attention to our pain. The light of Christ, the light we are to show others, is the healing light of our Lord. In every matter, whether we are in pain or not, we are to be Christ's child. When we are His child, we begin to light up the part of the world Christ has given us. We do not rule the world. However, God gave us a tiny portion of the world called our life over which we can rule. No matter who we are, or where we are, we are to be Christ's person in all ways at all times. When we have let the light of Christ shine out from within our heart, we will leave the earth better for our being alive.

Psalm 116:1 I Love The Lord, For He Heard My Voice; He Heard My Cry For Mercy. 2 Because He Turned His Ear To Me, I Will Call On Him As Long As I Live. 3 The Cords Of Death Entangled Me, The Anguish Of The Grave Came Upon Me; I Was Overcome By Trouble And Sorrow. 4 Then I Called On The Name Of The Lord: "O Lord, Save Me!"

2011-11-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

In our pain, we can reach our moments of desperation. We fall down. We make mistakes. We go the direction opposite of what the Lord wants us to go. We can love what God detests. We can be absorbed in what is sinful. In our fallen state, when we see what we have done, when we cry out to the Lord for mercy, He will come to us. When we are overcome with our sorrow, He will come to us and comfort us. When we have fallen and the chords of death are pulling us down to the pit, Christ Jesus will rescue us from the inescapable darkness. Before we ask Him, He hears our crying. Before we ask Him, He brings us His consolation. Before we ask Him, He cleanses us of every unrighteousness. The Lord's compassion knows no bounds. The Lord's love for us knows no limits.

Matthew 8:17 This Was To Fulfill What Was Spoken Through The Prophet Isaiah: "He Took Up Our Infirmities And Carried Our Diseases."

2011-11-16T02:28:00.000-08:00

When we hurt, Jesus knows. Jesus doesn't just intellectually know about our hurt. Jesus knows about our hurt because He has carried and is now carrying our hurt. We do not serve a God who does not want to be a part of our life. We serve a God who IS a part of our life if we ask Him to come into our heart. Our Jesus, will at the end of or life, take all of our hurt, pain, mistakes, and suffering into His nail-scarred hands. He will make every awful moment disappear forever. He will erase every scar with His scars. He will erase every hurt with His love and grace. Although we must wait for Him to do His perfect work in us, while we are waiting He will be with us, telling us how much He loves us in order to give us His sustaining power until the great day of our crossing over to see Him face to face.

Zech. 2:8 For This Is What The Lord Almighty Says: "After He Has Honored Me And Has Sent Me Against The Nations That Have Plundered You--For Whoever Touches You Touches The Apple Of His Eye"

2011-11-15T01:37:00.001-08:00

There is a consequence to those who inflict pain and suffering upon others. God is not remote and far off. God deals with people who inflict pain and suffering upon others. We do not always see the consequences of doing evil. Of course, we see the headlines about evil people being punished. What we do not see are the consequences of doing evil for those persons who seem to "get away with it." Be assured, people who seem to "get away with it" will stand before God's judgment seat. No one can escape the infinite hand of God. No one can escape from God's infinite wrath when a person has decided to go against God. It may seem God will let anyone go in any direction they desire. For many people who do not love God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their might, God will let them move out of His protective hand. In our pain and suffering, we can often feel angry God is not helping us. However, we must never move away from Him. Even if we are angry with Him, we must always call Him Lord and do as He asks us to do.

Psalm 142:3 When My Spirit Grows Faint Within Me, It Is You Who Know My Way. In The Path Where I Walk Men Have Hidden A Snare For Me.

2011-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Indeed, our spirits do grow faint within us. We face so many obstacles at every point in our life! You would think getting older would be a time when obstacles are few. On Earth, we can live what looks like a perfect life. We can receive the highest rewards and honors given to us by men and women. However, persons who are getting older find they have more obstacles than ever. At every age, we must come against what Satan has designed to destroy us. Yet, for those of us who have accepted Christ as Lord, we shall see Him face to face. When we see Him face to face, He shall give us an eternal life where there are no more obstacles. He shall give us a life where there is no more death, no more crying, and no more mourning. In heaven, we shall not have those who are hiding snares to entrap us. In heaven, we shall have a perfect life forever. Praise His Name. Amen.

Job 23:10 But He Knows The Way That I Take; When He Has Tested Me, I Will Come Forth As Gold.

2011-11-13T01:05:00.000-08:00

The prophet named Job knew suffering. Job made an affirmation about what suffering would NOT do to him. Job affirmed God's power in Job's life. Job affirmed suffering would enrich his life, rather than making Job poor. Each of us must affirm our suffering will make us better, not bitter. Each of us must commit our life to become as gold. When we make commitments to be better not bitter, God hears us and God will be with us to give us His power in all matters. God knows our every need. God knows our every hurt and heartache. When we commit our life to walking only God's path, we will always gain more than we could ever lose.

Hebrews 2:18 Because He Himself Suffered When He Was Tempted, He Is Able To Help Those Who Are Being Tempted.

2011-11-12T01:59:00.001-08:00

Temptation is suffering. The more we resist temptation, the more suffering we must endure. The pain we suffer, whether from resisting temptation or from other sources, will cause Christ to help us. Christ suffered every possible pain. Christ knows your suffering. Christ knows you suffer. He knows how you suffer and when you suffer. In your pain, Christ will help you. He will help you see over the horizon to a new tomorrow. Christ will give you the power, minute by minute, to deal with every hurt, pain, and trauma. When you are tempted and torn apart, Christ will come to you and help you. Christ understands your temptation. Christ understands how uncontrollable your temptation seems to be. Draw as close as you can to God and Jesus will make you victorious over your every darkness.

Isaiah 53:3 He Was Despised And Rejected By Men, A Man Of Sorrows, And Familiar With Suffering. Like One From Whom Men Hide Their Faces He Was Despised, And We Esteemed Him Not.

2011-11-11T00:49:00.001-08:00

When we are in pain, the Lord is with us. He knows our pain. He suffers with us because He lives in our heart. He does not live apart from us in any respect. Every moment of our pain He feels our pain with us. In our dark hours, He calls out to us. In the hours of our darkness, He is with us giving us His comforting love. We need never feel alone, although we do feel alone in our pain. Knowing our sorrows is not enough for Christ. There will come a time, a time of glory, when He will take us to be with Him. There will come a time when He will take us to be with Him and all our suffering will be turned into joy unspeakable.

Col. 2:9 For In Christ All The Fullness Of The Deity Lives In Bodily Form, 10 And You Have Been Given Fullness In Christ, Who Is The Head Over Every Power And Authority.

2011-11-10T00:21:00.001-08:00

…you have been given…

In pain, we need. We may not want to need. We may be revolted by the very idea of needing because of our pain. However, whatever needs we have ever had in any respect, shall not be just filled by God, our needs shall be become non-existent in God's infinite love. We have been given all things. We have been given love unbounded. We have been given infinite grace. In our future, in our days yet to be, we shall never have a need of any kind again. Our times of aloneness shall be gone. Our pain shall be no more. Our worry shall vanish. Our regrets shall be vanquished. Whatever kind of life we have known on the earth shall be replaced by the glory and splendor of Almighty God.

Titus 2:13 While We Wait For The Blessed Hope--The Glorious Appearing Of Our Great God And Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 Who Gave Himself For Us To Redeem Us From All Wickedness And To Purify For Himself A People That Are His Very Own, Eager To Do What Is Good.

2011-11-09T00:31:00.001-08:00

Under normal circumstances waiting is difficult. When we are in pain, waiting is even more difficult…sometimes waiting seems to be impossible because of our pain. When we are in pain and we must wait we need to rest our heart, mind, and soul in the love of God. In the love of God we can see into a place called heaven. When we see into heaven, we can see Jesus waiting for us or we can see Jesus coming to earth as He did so long ago. When we see Jesus, we are filled with an eternal hope. So no matter how much we must wait, our waiting can be borne up by us. In Christ, we have the ability to be patient for we know we shall see Him face to face in the future. When we think and ponder, even in our pain, we know He gave His life for our life. We know He wants us to be pure and holy, without spot or blemish. We know He has called us to be His very own whether we are in pain or out of pain.