The Deano Graham Show

The Apostle Paul gave us some of the most inspiring words found in the pages of Scripture: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”.  Philippians 4:4–6

I love these verses.  Paul wasn’t sitting in some ivory tower, spinning up practical theories.  He was not lounging on some beach in the Mediterranean, eating a falafel and having an iced tea. 

This was a man who was incarcerated, yet he was able to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

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Jesus himself addressed it in the Sermon on the Mount:Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”

For after all these things the Gentiles seek.   For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.   But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:31–33 NKJV).

Believers should not worry.  Jesus is not saying that Christians shouldn’t be concerned about the necessities of life.  He is not saying that we shouldn’t think about them or plan for the future. 

The Bible encourages us to work hard, to save our money, and so forth, but what Jesus is saying is that we shouldn’t worry about these things.  Worry doesn’t make your life longer; it just makes it more miserable.

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Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV
These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

We should pursue the things which God loves, including:

God loves eyes which gaze with humility.
God loves a tongue which speaks truth.
He loves hands which protect the innocent.
God loves a heart which devises good and righteous plans.
He loves feet which run rapidly to goodness.
God loves a trustworthy witness who speaks the truth.
And finally, He loves one who spreads pace among his brothers.

Today's Challenge: Pick one thing that God loves and work to implement more of it into your daily life.

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In John chapter 21 Jesus visited his disciples on the beach and together they shared breakfast.  In today's podcast, we learn some valuable insights from this encounter.   Sometimes when life gets foggy, and it will... we still need to have enough faith in God to get us through the fog.  

Be encouraged today in that we serve a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, a light in the darkness.  That is who he is.  Jesus Christ!

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Enjoy this simple analogy of flying on an airplane and making that eternal flight to see Jesus someday face to face!  "I'll fly away" the old song says, and that is going to ring true when we begin to make that flight to glory!

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Life is filled with trouble.  It seems as though once you have one problem resolved, three more take its place. 

As Job 5:7 says, “People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire” (NLT). 

From the moment we come into this life, there are all kinds of troubles.  While there are reasons to be troubled, there is a greater reason not to be:  We know Jesus. 

He said to His disciples, “Trust in God, and trust also in me” (John 14:1 NLT). 

There are times in our lives when things happen that we just don’t understand.  When I don’t understand something about God, I try to always fall back on what I do understand: I do understand that God loves me, and He will see me through.

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In Psalm 23:4 NKJV, David speaks of how God is with us, even when we go through valleys in our lives: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” .

I hear the Lord saying, “You see that mountaintop in the distance?  The way to that mountaintop is through this valley.  You come with Me now through the valley.”

Psalm 23 came from the school of hard knocks, from a man who knew what it was like to need God’s help.  We all go through those valleys in life, those hard times.  Whatever valley it is, remember this: You are not alone.  That is God’s great promise to the believer.

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2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 

vs. 17 “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you . . . Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you” 

If you run from your enemies—from your problems—those things never will get better. God wants you to face your enemies, while trusting him to deliver you from them.

Whatever you’re fighting today, trust God to win the battle for you.

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Heaven will be greater than anything we've ever imagined!  We can take the most wonderful thing we've ever experienced in life, multiply it a million times, and we'll get just a glimpse of what Heaven will be like.  And the good news is that it will last forever and ever.

Be encouraged by reading 1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT:

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Whatever season of life you may be in, whatever you're going through, whatever you do, just keep your focus on Heaven.

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John 14:17-18 NLT  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.f
18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

Sometimes  people falsely conclude that when they don’t feel God, He is gone.  That He has disappeared.  But He is there, even when you don’t feel Him — God is still there.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ ” (Hebrews 13:5).

Be encouraged because God is still with you! 

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