God of Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

I hope you are having a most excellent week. Let us invite God's Presence. Say, "Come, Lord Jesus Come. I want to feel your presence. Fill my heart and mind today Lord. I want more of you today than ever before. Continually increase in my life." Just take a moment, and seek God's face will you. Can you see it? Can you see the eyes of fire, the head of wool, can you hear His voice, it sounds like waters? Isn't He beautiful!!! Just tell God how much you love Him!!!

Praise Him! Praise the God of Comfort, the God of compassion, and the God of Love. This week, God woke me up in the middle of the night with some chastisement on heart issues. Mind you, I got the message loud and clear, yet God did it out of Love. I didn't feel like the guilt ridden child, who hides in shame in the closet. I didn't feel intimidated or scared. I felt God's peace. In fact, when God started to reveal to me the issue, he started out with Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." What an awesome way to begin a chastisement. In fact, it was because of this, that I realized the fullness of God's love and comfort. I think 2 Corinthians 1 captures this when it says, "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles." Even when we are being chastised by Him, He still comforts us - that is how much He loves us.

So, with this knowledge, why do we get caught in the stress and anxieties of life? When life throws us wrenches in our perfectly laid out plans, we get upset. How do we find God's peace when everything else around us is in disarray? How are we to comfort others, when we ourselves need comforting? I can tell you one thing, knowing that God is in control brings a piece of comfort to your soul. Allowing God to be in control is difficult, but in the end provides amazing peace and comfort. Do you think God will bring harm, if we allow Him to take control? Things may not go as we have planned, but doesn't God promise to bring us a hope in a future? Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Doesn't God promise to work things out for the good? Romans 8:28,  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. So, why should we worry when our life seems out of control? When we are in the valley, being beaten down, not knowing what will come tomorrow, or what our future will hold. This can be a scary place. But isn't it comforting to know that God is with us? Psalms 23:4, Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

So, how are we to comfort others? Once we receive the comfort from the Lord, we are able to see past our own problems, to help others. There is a comfort in helping others. And when we allow God to be in control of our lives, we are able to have a testimony to bring comfort to others. Just this weekend, I woke up singing to God that I want to serve Him. Then He brought 2 opportunities in the day for me to serve Him. He ordered my steps so I could meet each divine appointment. I was able to look past my life, my problems, to serve God, to help others. There are opportunities for us to serve the Lord everyday all around us. Are we tuned in, to be able to meet these opportunities? I know that there are plenty of days, I get caught up in my own agenda, that I don't even recognize the opportunities to serve the Lord. Then there are others, where God blatantly asks me to do something, and I allow fear to overtake me, and I choose not to act on it. I usually get convicted after, and have to repent. This also happened recently. I saw a man in the store with an injured foot. I felt an urging in my spirit, to approach the man, and ask him if he would like me to pray for him. Yet, I allowed fear to take over. What if he's not a believer? He may think I'm crazy. I don't even know this man. I missed an opportunity to serve the Lord because I allowed fear to take over. Let us not allow our flesh take over, and allow God to move in us.

We know that God can comfort us in the good times and the bad times, we know that Christ suffered, so He has complete compassion on us. Because we have gone through the valleys in life, we can minister to others who are in the valley. We can comfort them with the same comfort Jesus uses to bring comfort to us. This is how we are to be like Jesus, to look more and more like Him. Jesus endured sufferings; we should be able to endure sufferings. We are to put our hope in Him, so that way we can receive His comfort. Receive God's comfort today. Allow Him to move in you, to take control of your life. No matter where you are in life, whether on the mountain top or in the valley, or anywhere in between, feel the comfort of God.

God's Glory

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

There is nothing greater than immersing yourself in the Lord’s presence!!! He is one amazing God, and there is such sweetness in His presence. I love how this scripture references Moses’ experience with God. I would love to experience God like Moses, after all it was Moses that Got to see the Lord simply by asking to see the Lord’s Glory.

Exodus 33:18-23

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

Exodus 34:30-35

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

Can you see the radiance of your face once you've been with the Lord? I love what Corinthians has to say about this - we should have even greater glory, because our ministry is that of righteousness rather than condemnation. Have you asked God recently to show you His Glory? Just like Moses? I want to be in the Lord's Presence. I want to see His Glory, so that it shines through me. After all, we are to be the light of the World. How can we be the light of the World, if we don’t spend our time with God, to get His light to shine through us?

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

How are we able to show the world the glory of God, when Moses had to hide his face? We do not have to hide our face through the veil, because the veil was torn when Jesus gave His life for us:

Matthew 27:55:51

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

. It is at that moment, I believe the lies of the enemy, and I no longer feel protected. Let us live in God's presence. Let it become our lifestyle, that we cannot go anywhere without recognizing the Lord's presence. I challenge you today, to ask God to show you His Glory. Climb up in His lap; allow Him to wrap His loving arms around you. Can you feel His hand upon your cheek? He wants you to know just how much He loves you. There is nothing greater than being in the presence of the Lord. For when we are in His presence, we can see the power of God's love. 

God's Love

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

I hope you are having a marvelous day in the Presence of God. May he pour out His Spirit on you this very day!!! You see, God wants nothing more than for you to Love - Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

It all starts with Love. Our worship to God is because we Love Him. That is why we should never stop worshipping the Lord. He loved us first - He is our true first love.

I love what this verse says - "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." I would love to be blessed with His glory, his strength, his power - talk about richness. So often we want to be blessed with physical earthly things. I know I do. However, isn't it so much better to be blessed with eternal things, like God's glory, strength, and power? These are things that not only can we use here on earth, but we can take with us to Heaven. It is our way to Heaven, the next phrase says, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. This is the very way we get to heaven. That we may have enough faith, to press onward, even when the world calls us foolish. God can bless us with His strength to persevere, and his power to withstand the attacks of the enemy.

How do we get this? It is only by His Love. God's Love is so much more than we can even imagine. So many of us seek out Christianity for the fruits. Fruits are a good thing, Jesus says that we will know fellow believers by their fruits. However, it's not all about fruits. It's not all about the benefits of Christianity. Do I love being blessed by God? Yes, I do, but I do not do the things I do to be blessed, or to gain recognition. I do it, because I am so in love with God. It's our worship, our devotion to God that draws us into that intimate relationship with Him. To where it no longer matters what others think. It's a heart thing. When we are worshipping God corporately at church on Sunday, it is expressing to everyone how much we love the King. Not to try to make ourselves to appear holier or better than anyone. I hold my husband's hand, not to show off – “look I'm holding my husband's hand - we must have a better marriage than those that don't hold their husband's hand.” No, I hold his hand because I love him. I want to express my love to him no matter where we are or what we are doing, even if it is a simple holding of the hand. We need to be like that with God. It doesn't matter where we are, we can show God how much we love Him. God loves us so much he sent His son to die for us. That is immeasurable love. Yet can we break away from our busy lives to show God how much we love Him? We don't need a band and an orchestra with singers and flashing lights to worship God. We can be at the grocery store, and worship God. We can be stuck in Houston traffic, and worship God. I can tell you, as much as I hate traffic, that when I go through it worshipping God, it no longer matters if someone cuts me off. The frustration I would normally feel when that happens is drowned out by God’s peace. Could you imagine if the entire city of Houston would worship God during traffic?  Allow God to wash through you today. That you can think about His immeasurable love to us - how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. It is so big, that it surpasses knowledge or reason. Let us show God our mutual affection today. Worship him, right now, regardless of where you are at. Just close your eyes, and tell God how much you love Him. It is amazing as you worship Him, how you feel the strength of His presence. I love being in His presence, and worshipping just brings you that much closer to Him. 

I look forward to worshipping the King on Sunday, but we don't have to wait to Sunday to worship Him. His presence is so strong when you already have it with you from worshipping Him all week. Can you imagine, if all of us were to worship God all week, growing that fullness of His presence within us, that when we all go to church on Sunday for our corporate worship, the fullness of His presence may be just that much greater? His presence can be so great, that miracles will be happening all around us. There is power in the presence of God. That is my forever prayer, "God, fill me up with your presence so much, that it just pours out all around me, that those that pass my path will feel the fullness of God's presence.

Be encouraged!

Fit for a King

Psalm 45:10-11
Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father's house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

Esther was one of the famous women in the Bible. She is the one that had the reality of most little girls dreams. An ordinary girl, an orphan girl, who becomes a queen of one of the most powerful nations. But was it as glamerous as we really think? Are we anything like Esther? Let us enter the world of Esther.

Who was Esther?

Esther 2:7

Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and nother died.

How are we like Esther?

Well, first, we are orphans like Esther. You may wonder, "How am I an orphan - I have a mother and a father. Yes you may, but we are adopted into the Kingdom of God."

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’  So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Isn't it awesome to know that we belong to God! I love that we can call Him Abba Father. It is comforting to know that if you did not have a father growing up, that you have a Heavenly father. My son once said he had 3 dads. We were trying to figure out who his three dads were, and he said he had his real dad (biological dad), he had his step dad, and God is his dad. Or maybe you had a real good relationship with your dad, like me. Then it is just even more affirming to know we have another dad that is even more wonderful!

We are also like Esther, in that we have a lovely figure. You may laugh, and look at yourself not thinking you have a lovely figure. Or maybe you think that it may be prideful of us to call our figures lovely. Well, this is the reason I think we all have a lovely figure - God created us, and God does not make mistakes.

 

Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:31

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.

 

 

So, the next time you look in the mirror, and start pointing out all of your flaws, remember, you are a part of God's creation, and after God created you, He said that it was good.

 

 

Now that we can identify with Esther. Let us read on to find out what happens to Esther, and how can it apply to our own lives.

Esther 2:8-11

When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem. Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

Esther had to prepare herself before she even could see the king. The girls went through a year long process of treatments before they could see the King.

Esther 2:12-14

Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.

Are we prepared to see our King?

Matthew 25:1-13

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’  “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

How do we become like the prepared virgins - to have enough oil in our lamps, even extra oil to be watchful for the coming of our King?


Ephesians 5:21-33

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Christ is our Bridegroom - He wants nothing more than for us to be the radiant Bride - pure, spotless, and blameless. What more could a bridegroom want from a bride. Could you imagine a bride on her wedding day, not wanting get prepared. That shoes up in dirty, wrinkled clothes, hair matted from being unkept for so long, teeth stained, and dirt all over her skin? No, I think even the poorest of brides will do everthing she can to look her best for her wedding day. We need to be like that for Christ. How do we become pure, blamess, and spotless? Through true repentence. We need to seek inside of ourselves to see where we have displeased the Lord. It is so important to seek God, to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

So, what happens if we remain pure and blameless?

Psalm 37:18-19

The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.”

What was the outcome of Esther?

Esther 2:15-18

When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail ) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

What will be our outcome? Will we find favor with the Lord?

Basically, we have 2 options, to not prepare ourselves, and be greeted with this:

Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? 'Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Or, will we be greeted with this?

Matthew 25:34
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.


I really want the Lord to welcome me to the gates of Heaven. I want to be the prepared Bride. And why do I want this? Because check out the Beatuiful Bride of Christ:

Revelation 21:9-26
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cuits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of upre gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Praise the Lord!!! This is what I want. To become the Bride of Christ. Until that day comes, I pray that you are encouraged to continue the walk of Faith with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!