DISCOURAGED

MY JOURNEY: February 13, 2019 God is with me in the storm and in the rain.

I have gone through so much and made it through the other side and then a problem arose and I became discouraged. Not all difficulties we face in life are life threatening, bankrupting or even relationship ending. Some times we just have a downpour of cares that you just do not feel like dealing with.

1 PETER 5:7
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

First Peter is not the verse that came to mind this morning but it is relevant. If I, if you, are giving everything to Him, YHWH, then discouragement would not be an issue.

I have had a lot of storms in my life, obviously, I have endured them all. Yesterday, having come through a year of stormy weather, it rained. Common sense would tell me to put on my weather gear (Ephesians 6:10-18)but instead I became discouraged- I was tired of getting wet.

1 JOHN 4:17-19
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  We love Him because He first loved us.

GOD KNOWS. I know that He knows how I feel and what I am going through. God knows the heart (Psalm 44:21). Last night in my pre-self pity state I knew that I had to pray. Which is why in the middle of the night the Spirit made His presence known.

PSALM 32:7
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

It is Psalm 139 (see below) that comes to my soul as discouragement comes upon me it is the summation of those words that remind me of His love and his presence. My first emotions when I awakened were that of discouragement but as time moved forward I began to remember how he had blessed me through the storms I had just came through and what was happening now was just a little rain; rain helps things grow. The same GOD that kept me dry during the storm will keep me dry during the rain if I keep my armor on.

Discouragement is an indication that I have allowed the devil to influence my mind. Notice I said “I”. Family and friends and other people have no bearing on my victory but they can be tools Satan uses to take my mind off of Eloheem:

ISAIAH 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

The problems always, always, always are exacerbated when I take my eyes off of YHWH (Matthew 6:33). In fact, as long as I am focused on Him problems are nothing more than rain drops. I don’t own an umbrella and I don’t know where my rain jacket is but even though I live in South Florida I rarely get wet from the rain. Last night when the Spirit reminded me that He was with me I knew in my heart no evil or plague could penetrate my armor. (Psalm 91, Ephesians 6). As a child of God how can I be discouraged when He promised to never leave me or forsake me.

Boldness and empowerment are tools YHWH has given His children to overcome fear and discouragement. Love and peace are gifts from GOD and we give Him all of our cares. How wonderful is that?   Written by Marsha L F RANDOLPH

MY JOURNEY reflects the faith filled opinions and property of the author MARSHA L F RANDOLPH. All rights reserved- do not use without permission. All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. Don’t miss weekly faith based post FOLLOW THIS BLOG and receive notifications when a new article is posted.

PSALM 139

O Eternal One, You have explored my heart and know exactly who I am;
You even know the small details like when I take a seat and when I stand up again. Even when I am far away, You know what I’m thinking.
You observe my wanderings and my sleeping, my waking and my dreaming, and You know everything I do in more detail than even I know.
You know what I’m going to say long before I say it. It is true, Eternal One, that You know everything and everyone.
You have surrounded me on every side, behind me and before me,  and You have placed Your hand gently on my shoulder.
It is the most amazing feeling to know how deeply You know me, inside and out; the realization of it is so great that I cannot comprehend it.

Can I go anywhere apart from Your Spirit?   Is there anywhere I can go to escape Your watchful presence?
If I go up into heaven, You are there.  If I make my bed in the realm of the dead, You are there.
If I ride on the wings of morning, if I make my home in the most isolated part of the ocean,
Even then You will be there to guide me;  Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there.
Even if I am afraid and think to myself, “There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me, the light around me will soon be turned to night,”
You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes. For You the night is just as bright as the day.  Darkness and light are the same to Your eyes.

For You shaped me, inside and out.   You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath.
I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe.  You have approached even the smallest details with excellence;  Your works are wonderful;  I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.
You see all things; nothing about me was hidden from You As I took shape in secret,  carefully crafted in the heart of the earth before I was born from its womb.
You see all things;  You saw me growing, changing in my mother’s womb; every detail of my life was already written in Your book;
You established the length of my life before I ever tasted the sweetness of it.
Your thoughts and plans are treasures to me, O God! I cherish each and every one of them!   How grand in scope! How many in number!
If I could count each one of them, they would be more than all the grains of sand on earth. Their number is inconceivable!  Even when I wake up, I am still near to You.

I wish You would destroy all the wicked, O God.   So keep away from me, those who are thirsty for blood!
For they say such horrible things about You,   and those who are against You abuse Your good name.
Is it not true that I hate all who hate You, Eternal One?  Is it not true that I despise all who come against You?
Deep hatred boils within me toward them;  I am Your friend, and they are my enemies.
Explore me, O God, and know the real me. Dig deeply and discover who I am. Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain.
Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me,  and guide me down Your path forever.

The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.