Based on: I Samuel 3:10 (NIV)

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Excerpt:

Beloved, our relationship with Jehovah God ought to be built on this kind of expectant trust. A trust that when all hell has broken out in our lives, and we have done all that we can do, God will step in and take the lead. If we follow, God will lead us to a marvelous light.

Based on Philippians 3:13-14 (CEB)

13 Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. 14 The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus.

Excerpt:

Herein lies the beauty of salvation through Jesus Christ.  What Jesus did on Calvary’s cross opened the way to heaven for all who would believe. There is nothing that says we have to overcome all personal deficits in order to live eternally. All that we have to do is believe.  So Paul does not allow the fact that he has not “reached it” to stop him from reaching for Him, who is the Christ.

Based on:   Acts:9:18 (NIV)

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and he was baptized…

Excerpt:

This is what happens when we release the pain of a suffering past. We are then set free to envision a new life in a new way. Every scale that has blocked our vision falls away and we are immersed in the redemptive, restorative, waters of a resurrected life in Jesus Christ.

Based on: 

Exodus 14:13b (NIV)  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

Excerpt:

Unwelcomed memories tend to blind-side us. They show up in routine activities like driving, taking a shower, and washing dishes. All of a sudden out of what appears to be nowhere comes the rush of a painful memory of the past. A dark foreboding feeling often accompanies the unwelcomed intruder. Its presence is like that of a demon that comes to torment the Christian believer. This presence can linger for moments, minutes, hours and days. It can be the cause of a sinister depression and even suicide.

Based on:

Exodus 14:13b -The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. (NIV)

Acts: 9:18 - Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and he was baptized… (NIV)

Philippians 4:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Excerpt: 

Life has taught us that “reaching” is more than a physical enterprise. It is an act of the will that extends us beyond our finite ability and enables us to make the impossible, possible.

Based on:  Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)  Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  

Excerpt:

If each of us by the power of Holy Ghost will find our purpose and learn how to walk in God’s plan, we will look around and see that there is a faith framework built up all around us. And when life gets crazy and our faith gets shaky, we can rest assured that our faith may teeter totter, but it will never come tumbling down.

Based on Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel

---which means, “God with us.”

Excerpt:

Jesus’ divinity transcends time and space, while His humanity keeps His feet grounded in the everyday trials, and tribulations of humankind. He can ascend to heaven to commune with the angels, and still make His way to rescue us from the pit of our hells. Wherever we are, and whatever state we are in, Jesus is with us. 

Based on Luke 1:44 (NIV)  - As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Excerpt:

Each of us ought to surround ourselves with someone who has the Spirit of a Mary or Elizabeth. Someone who can see and celebrate the favor of God over our lives. Someone who when they hear the sound of our voice immediately knows that God is doing something amazing in our lives, and they are glad about it. So much so that when we are present, the Spirit of God in them jumps up and down in praise of God on our behalf.

This my beloved I believe is a glimpse of the heart of God in love with each of us just as we are.

Based on: Luke 1:37 (NIV)

                           For nothing is impossible with God.

Excerpt:

A “faith factor” is the reminder of the reliable constancy of God. It is that one movement in our lives that when we are reminded of it, we trust God all over again. For me my “faith factor” is the reminder that I was healed from ovarian cancer and blood clots in both lungs following surgery in 2006.

When my faith is low, I remember God’s track record. I reach back and grab the faith of the past and factor it into my present situation. In doing so, I literally bring the memory of the past miracle into the present and put it to work. I am immediately reminded that if God did it before, God will surely do it again.

Based on: Luke 1:13a(NIV) - But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard…”

Excerpt:

The space of time between prayer and manifestation can seem like an eternity. This is the time when we must guard our dreams. We must shelter them in an incubator of faith that constantly reminds us that the promises of God are “yes,” and “Amen.”