Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Help me, Lord, I'm going under!


"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

Sometimes life's struggles, trials and temptations feel as if they are dragging us under, as if they will swallow us up. It's hard to see a positive outcome and God seems to have left us to fend for ourselves, but He hasn't!

It's the enemy who whispers...

"You'll never make it out of this one."
"You've messed up too bad this time, God is through with you."
"The thing you fear the most is going to happen."
"You're in this one alone."
Lies, all lies!

The Bible says this about the devil - "there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. " (John 8:44b)

The best way to deal with a liar is to stand firm on the truth. Here's some truth you can stand on...

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Dueteronomy 31:6

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Dueteronomy 31:8

"So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" Hebrews 13:6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. " Psalm 55:22

"Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth." Revelation 3:10

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

We can stand on these scriptures, assured that though the floods come and the fires rage, we will not be overcome, but will be carried in the arms of God.

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

11 comments:

Shakin' the Foundation said...

WOW WOW WOW!!! Jan, this really hits home with me!! This post has reminded me of several things God has spoken to me over the last year!! Thank you for sharing!!

Blessings to you!!
Stacey

Shakin' the Foundation said...

ps....I had to tweet this post :)

Jan Christiansen said...

Thank you, Stacey! Don't you just love how God uses his kids to strengthen and encourage one another? Thanks for the tweet, too!

Joy said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Once again the Lord has used you to bring to my attention all of His precious promises.
Blessings to you my dear Sister!

Jan Christiansen said...

Joy - I believe the Lord has a message for you...

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Anonymous said...

Great post! This is the third time this week that I have come upon the scripture from Isaiah. It's such an encouragement in times of trouble and one of my favorites to share.

Reformed rebel said...

Hi Jan ~ This is my first time to your blog but it won't be the last. You have been an encouragement to me tonight. Thank you. Strengthrenewed told me about you.

Blessings...Chelle

Jan Christiansen said...

Tresa - it's so cool when God confirms what He's wanting to say to you by putting it in front of you in several different ways. It just shows how he cares for each one of us individually.

Thanks for dropping by.

Jan Christiansen said...

Chelle - thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to introduce yourself. It's always fun to meet a new sister.

Blessings,
Jan

Anonymous said...

Oh this post has me in tears, in the most beautiful way, I just spent an hour praying to God via notebook asking Him to please show me in His word strength giving truth, then you popped up in my you might know this person google plus circle, and it lead me to this amazing post, much needed to a mumma who felt like she was just drowning. O gracious Lord how you have blessed me. Thank you Jan for posting this, I realize it is an old post but it truly helped me when I needed it :) Tara.

Jan Christiansen said...

Now you have me in tears, Tara! I haven't written devotionals in a while, but every time someone comments that a post has encouraged, blessed or helped them and especially if they feel that God led them to the post, I am reminded about how I need to remain faithful to my calling. Thank you for being that reminder today. I praise God right along with you for His leading and I pray that His overwhelming love and strength will wash over you right now. He is with you and will not let you go under. Just keep saying, "I trust You, Jesus".

Hugs,
Jan