Whatever the problem, Jesus is the answer.

He has the answers, whatever the situation.

He is our hope. He is the God of hope.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:6-8

We, as Christians, are charged to shine the Light of the World. To have a smile on our face, to be steadfast in our hope. To share that hope with those around us.

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.

Romans 15:13

We are supposed to be so wrapped up in the Holy Spirit, that His peace and His hope just overflow through us that others around us, wonder what we got. And the answer is Jesus.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 3:15

I recently have had a few conversations, where thankfully, I was ready with the answer.

I was talking to a coworker, and essentially giving a short overview of some things that are going on in my life. And after it all, they stated that they had no idea, I seemed so put together, and if they had those things they wouldn’t be acting like I was. I stated, “That’s because of Jesus, more like him – less like me.” Old me, would’ve been upset, would’ve been angry and bitter, would’ve been wrapped up in despair and anxiety. But that’s not how Jesus acts. That’s not what he wants for us. He wants peace for us. He wants us to just share his light and his hope with the world. We’re supposed to be ready with the answer.

I also had another conversation recently, where someone was just totally in their feelings. They were all upset and wrapped up in everything, and they kept asking me why I wasn’t upset. Well, the truth was, I was upset for them, but I wasn’t living in my feelings – because I have faith that God has the answer. And, when they asked why, I said, “well, because I have Jesus.” Sadly, this was not inspirational or motivational, not received well. But I just continued to diligently give them my answer. The answer is Jesus.

The anchor is my hope in Jesus. There are many times in my life, where things are going horribly wrong, where I’ve received bad doctor reports, where the stress of life seems to much to stand. So I kneel. God give me the strength to go on. Lift me up with your mighty right hand. Give me the strength and the understanding to do your will. Give me your supernatural peace to withstand the storm. That you are my anchor Jesus.

That is the only way, I’ve made it this far. My hope is in Jesus. My strength comes from His Word. My peace comes from prayer, and my daily talks with Him. That He fills me with that supernatural peace. That when I need an uplifting word, I seek out a scripture. When I’m going through a trial, that I find a scripture and apply it to my life. Like everywhere in my life. I write the scripture down and put in on my battle board (A corkboard filled with scriptures, prayers, an Armor of God depiction, etc.). I put it on my desk at work. I’ve put them on the air vents of my vehicle so I can see them while I’m driving. I memorize them. It’s the scripture for that time in my life, a scripture to hold onto and memorize, and keep in my heart. To know to lean on Jesus.

I seek you with all my heart; do no let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:10-16

When life gets too much to stand, kneel. One of the biggest misconceptions out there, is a misquoted verse – God will not give your more than you can bear. – That verse actually states, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide you a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13. That verse is talking about temptations – not trials & tribulations. God is there, and He is your strength, your peace, your comfort, whatever is you need to get through the trial and tribulation. He does not always stop all the things of the world that come at you, but he promises to always be there with you through those things. He promises that He is the Overcomer, and in Him, we are overcomers too.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

As that conversation continued the other day, with the person who was all in their feelings, some more things were said – that were not so great. Some things that tried to latch on inside me. But, I kept to His promises. I asked God to cleanse me of this. To remove these things from me. And, I got into scripture, to remember His Word in my heart. To lean on His promises. To remind myself, who I am, in Christ.

I am Chosen (1 Thes. 1:4)

I am the apple of my Father’s eye. (Psalm 17:8)

I am a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17)

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19)

I am forgiven (Eph. 1:7)

I am blessed (Gal. 3:9)

I am above and not beneath (Deut. 28:13)

I am victorious (Rev. 12:11)

I am one in Christ (John 17:21)

I am holy and dearly loved (Col. 3:12)

I am set free (John 8:31)

I am complete (Col. 2:10)

I am His Child (1 John 3:1)

I am Light (Matt. 5:14)

I am more than a Conqueror (Romans 8:37)

I am created for good works (Eph. 2:10)

I am safe in Christ (Col. 3:3)

I am guarded by God’s peace (Philippians 4:7)

I am beautiful (Song of Solomon 4:7)

I am not alone (Isaiah 41:10)

I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Now, before I leave you today. I want you to pick at least one, or maybe more, of these verses. And I want you to close your eyes, and imagine God saying that to you. I want you to remember that sensation, that feeling that it leaves in you. Knowing that God is the answer, is something that’s in you. Being able to share that with others, will not always be well received, so I want you to remember who YOU ARE IN CHRIST, whenever you need it. Whether it’s sharing the answer with others, or just when you need to remember it – bad day at work, nothing seems to be going right, etc. Satan is going to do everything he can to try to take that from you, but your identity in Christ never fails, and satan cannot take that away from you. You just need to lean in. The devil is going to try to plant those seeds in you, but you can’t give them any soil. You need to rebuke them, in the name of Jesus. You are, who God says You are. And, any time you need to hear that, just close your eyes & hear that. He’s always as close as the mention of His name, and He lives within you, and you in Him. His word never fails.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you! Thank you for our identity in you. Thank you for your many blessings! Thank you for everything you do for us Father God. Thank you for your supernatural peace and perseverance. Thank you for giving us your Word. That we may delight in it. That we may hide it in our hearts. That we may use it, to lean on you, and in you. That we may know who we are in you, every day and every way. That you bless us, beyond all measure. Thank you for everything Father God. Thank you that we are overcomers. Thank you for your victory, and your supernatural blessings and peace Father. Thank you that you are my God, and that I may always rest in your everlasting arms. Thank you for lifting me up with your mighty right hand. Thank you for this day, and every day, of my life. Bless you Father! Praise be to you. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!!

So, we are constantly growing, and even though we may have learned a lesson, we can forget to apply it. Therefore, we are in a constant state of growth, as we learn to continue to lean in, to continue to apply what we’ve learned. It’s all a part of being diligent.

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8

As I’ve stated before, our enemy is not of the flesh. We do not war against this world & the people in it. We are battling the devil. But take heart, the Lord has overcome the devil and this world. As I learned in The Year of Great Loss, in the midst of my battle – God reminded me, tore the veil from my eyes, that it wasn’t Him I was fighting. The devil was coming after me, in spades. He was pulling out all the stops, but I just needed to stand fast in Jesus. I just needed to remember what side I was on, and call on the name of Jesus to help me through everything satan had in store. And He did. God brought me through all of that, to the other side. Brought me through stronger and more resiliant than I had ever been before.

So, here I am, a couple weeks ago, just living life. Feeling blessed, blessing others. Taking opportunities to share the gospel, to help others explore their faith, to get deeper. Just glowing in the spirit of the Lord. Loving life.

And, along came satan. He just jumped right in there, as a quick knock-down. I mean. He just jumped right in, and started messing me up. He went right after my ego. Used people around me to knock me down a few notches. Just stirred up all the anger and frustration and hate that was still in my heart. Like deep down in there, hiding. Didn’t even realize I still had any of that. He just knew exactly what to do, and who to use, to just mess me up. Woof! I was bent for days. I was so sideways about the situation, I just couldn’t even think straight. And, I had mis-stepped. I was over here mad at men, mad at the world, just backslid right into that old way of thinking. I mean, I was seeing red. It was ugly.

And, then, as I’m on my way to Bible Study, 6 days later. God took the veil off. Just swish, gone. Fell from my eyes like the scales of Saul. I was being spiritually attacked. As I stated, I was over here, sharing the gospel, loving life, blessing those around me. Things seemed to be going along pretty great. DUH! Of course, I’m all comfortable, over here, sharing the Word with people. And the devil just snuck right in. Dressed as a human, but saying all the perfect things that he knew would tear me down, and have me fit to be tied. In that moment, as I was on my way to Bible Study, all the hate just evaporated. I just shrunk. I was no longer this big, puffed up, hot mess – I was humbled and back to getting right with Jesus. He just air-dropped peace right into my soul. I also had the profound realization the next morning, that God uses these situations to continue to help refine us. That as we walk through the fires & tribulations of this life, that God uses it to help make us better people – when we lean on him.

Like I stated, I didn’t even know I was capable of being that upset anymore. I thought we had washed all of that out. That we had worked through that. But there it was, deep down in there. And when it reared it’s ugly head, I’ll admit, I lived there for a while. Just upset. Ten shades of bent. Absolutely beside myself. But then, when God removed that veil, I was like – “Whew!” and we got some more of that nasty, icky, world feelings out. God was like, “We don’t need this. This isn’t the answer. I’m the answer, and satan is the problem.” And, I was reminded – who we’re fighting against. I was reminded why we put the Armor of God on every day. Because satan’s just walking around in the shadows, waiting for whom he can devour. He’s just waiting to pounce. Waiting for an “in”. This is why we have to read our Bible. To have daily fellowship with Him. To turn to Him in prayer. Why we’re supposed to be constantly leaning in, and when the going gets tough, lean in harder. Because in moments like this, #Godshowedup. He was like, Stephanie, you have lived there long enough, you forget who you’re fighting. Of course, satan is going to attack you. He’s always lying in wait, especially when you’ve been trying to be a light. But, if you’re diligent, and vigilant, and continuously trying to grow your relationship with God, then God will come in and remind you – more like Jesus, less like you. Jesus understood who he was fighting, Jesus didn’t let himself get all caught up in the situation, he lived in the answer. And the answer is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I’m so grateful for my relationship with Him. That He was able to help me get through the situation, to help bless my heart and soul. To use the experience to help me purge some more of that pain and anger, so I can continue my walk to be more like Him, and less like me, every day.

So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:7

Let’s Pray

Praise You Lord, that we are overcomers because of You. Thank you Father God, that you remove the veil from our eyes. That You bless us with the will & the strength to overcome. That you reveal the true enemy for what he is, and that you build us up, and use the fire to refine us. That you press out the impurities like grapes and make us a sweet, sweet wine to your lips. That you guide us, and protect us from the darts of the enemy. That you always give us the strength and the diligence and the understanding to overcome our trials because our trust is in you, O God. That you lift us up with your mighty right hand. That we may never fail. That we are always overcomers, and we are always victorious in you, O God. That you make us the head and not the tail. That we are forever growing and becoming a new creation in you. Thank you Father God, for all that you do for us, and that we may bless your name all our days. That You may enable us to forever shine your light, for all those around to see. That we are blessed in all that we say and do, and that we may exalt you, forever and ever. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!!