A place to find Hope

Category: struggling (Page 6 of 7)

We are in Troubling Times Time for Prayer

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My mind is blank today so I guess I will ramble.

The debate was the worest ever. Lots of shouting, and no control by the moderator. It was embarrasing. I hope they come up with a better format.

President trump has a love/hate relationship with the people. You either love him or you hate him. How could he be such a controversial figure? In my opinion…IT’S BECAUSE GOD WANTED HIM THERE! God wanted things to be rattled, and used this to wake up the people to what was going on in our government was not right

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Had a strange week this last week.

I wasn’t feeling well so my wife took me to Urgent care. MISTAKE! I met with the triage nurse and she asked me a bunch of questions, like what symptoms did I have. When she was finished she said I coudn’t come in. I was sent to an outside tent to have a test for COVID-19.

I was sure I didn’t have that, but played the game. At the tent the nurse asked me even more questions. She than sat down to type what she wrote. Out of nowhere, a PA (Physicians Assistant) came out and started talking to me. The nurse said she already asked the questions, and that she didn’t think I need the COVID test. He still insisted I take the test. This time they stuck the probe down my throat. The nurse jabbed the side of my throat by accident, and she was very apologetic.

I won’t know the results for a couple more days.

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We finally got rid of all the awful smoke from the wild fires here in Oregon. However, we woke today with more smoke. From the Claifornia fires!!!

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Let’s talk about you. How are you doing? Are you holding strong? Is the turmoil going on getting to you? I hear you!!

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Let’s remember a few things:

  1. 99% of what we worry about never happens. Give the rest to God.
  2. God will never give you more than you can handle.
  3. God is with you 24/7.
  4. The most important thing to remember is…GOD IS IN CHARGE!!

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You ar enever fosaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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We Need to Pray About Our Fears to Stop Panic

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WE NEED TO PRAY RIGHT NOW

Thre no way to avoid it, we are in troubling times right now. There is the pandemic, rioting, wild fires, etc. A bit overwhelming don’t you think?

I have made a prayer list for myself that I do every day before I lay my head down:

  1. Pray for all leaders. From the president on down to our own local government.
  2. Pray for those you have trouble with. Love you neighbor as yourself.
  3. Pray for peace. There are many “hot posts,” in this world.
  4. Pray that the gospel will reach out to many and they will be saved.
  5. Pray for things that pleases God.
  6. Pray for your family, and friends.

We have many fears:

  1. Marriage-It is hard to have a good marriage if you don’t try hard to help it out.
  2. Job-There is much turmoil in the world now. Many people laid off because of the pandemic.
  3. Having enough money. Single moms wonder where the money will come for their rent.
  4. People wonder if life has any meaning. Sharp increase in suicides since the pandemic started.
  5. Many fear they are not accepted by God.
  6. Some think they are a failure.
  7. Others feel rejected.
  8. The opposite of # 5. People are afraid they are too close to od.

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Jesus has got us covered my friends. He said it very clearly in:

Matthew 6:25-34 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed.

There is also a verse that shares these thoughts:

Philippians 4:6-7 

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.

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So where are you in your faith right now? Do you wonder if you are safe from disaster? Would you rather stay in bed all day then face the wolrd?

BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

Jesus is beside you 24/7. He will not sway. He will protect you and love you. He faced many more horrible things many times, and He never wavered.

Show others why you are not afraid or full of fear. Tell who has your back and that they should too.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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There Are Benefits to Facing Trials

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There are very trying times right now, with the pandemic, rioting, and wild fires. There are some things I have seen while facing trials:

  1. We draw closer to God and others.
  2. We see things more clearly.
  3. We become more compassionate.

It happens time after time.

I am from Oregon and we have been devasted with wild fires. People have died and over 600 homes destroyed. This would normaly cause widespread depression, and panic.

It is not happening.

The people who lost their homes are out helping others to sift through the rubble to try to find some memories for them. People in my neighborhood have opened their doors for those displayed. People have volunteered to hand out water, food, and masks.

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People are very tired of the rioting, and have bonded together to confront the rioters. It is not pretty, but the rioters are gettng the message.

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Here are some more thoughts I love to share. You also seem to like them. (Let me know)

  1. Forget what others think you are.
  2. God is love, so we sshould love one another.
  3. Perfect love casts out fear.
  4. Praying is not just for praying. It is to speak to God.
  5. Reading the Bible is not the goal. The goal is to grow spiritually while reading the Bible.
  6. Only through death can we find life.
  7. Every pain, every disappointment, is covered by Jesus’s love.
  8. Live life like you are expecting Jesus to come.
  9. Be joyful; be prayful, and be grateful. (Always without ceasing)
  10. Through affliction, we know that God will do something greater.
  11. We need to be more concerned about God’s glory.
  12. We should obey God even if we are in pain.
  13. If one suffers all of us suffer. If one is honored, all of us are glad.
  14. Envy: Painful or resentful of some one’s possession. Leads to dissatisfacton, discontentment.
  15. Always look at the cross. It reminds you to trust.
  16. Are we just living, or are we living life well?
  17. Are we trusting the Lord to lead us, or are we wanting the Lord to do things our way?
  18. Are we mangaing our time to serve the Lord; our responsiblities, or our relationships?
  19. Do we need to be desparate to read the Bible? Are we willing to let God give us the desire to do so?
  20. You come to a crossroad. There only two directions to go. Left is wisdom, and the right is folly. Which way will you go?

I always suggest you go through those thoughts one at a time and ponder them. Much wisdom could come from them.

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What is your life like?

Are you happy? Do you think life is great, or are you depressed with what is going on around you? Never let the dark side overcome you!! Reach for the light. Yes, there are many painful things happening right now, but always remember God is in charge. Stay strong and alway lean on Him for His love.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unlloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!!

Thoughts for Survival inThis Not so Friendly World

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I really loved just putting positive thoughts on my last post. That’s what this site is all about.

With all the turmoil we have been going through for months, I saw some lyrics from a song that fits perfectly:

To God:

  1. Let the rain of your love soak our souls.
  2. Let it come as a flood.
  3. (for the West Coast people facing wild fires.) You bring beauty from the ashes.

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Some of my own thoughts:

  1. 34% of all quotes from the founding fathers came from the Bible.
  2. Our #1 prioity is read the gospel of Jesus Christ, and not some politicians words.
  3. You have read in the Bible, “Give onto Ceasers what is Ceasers, and give onto to God what is God’s.” That means go ahead and pay your taxes to the government, but obey God. (Matthew 4:8-10)
  4. you ahve heard the new term of “Canceled culture.” That means to eliminate a culture that doesn’t agree with you. That is what is happening in the rioting. They are trying to destroy our way of life to fit theirs.
  5. Forgiveness:

A. Pray for those who pursecute you. Do not dwell on the incident.

B. Do not bring the rpoblem up again.

C. Do not talk to others about it.

D. Do not let it hinder the relationship.

Remember, Jesus always has and atitude of forgiveness.

If we don’t forgive others, we are turning our back on God’s forgiveness.

We aren’t sinless, but we can sin less.

Without god as your centerpiece, you will fail.

To fear the Lord is to take God seriously.

A Christian life is never boring.

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To survive:

  1. Be on guard.
  2. Stand firm in the faith.
  3. Be courageous.
  4. Be strong.
  5. Do everything in love.

Much of what is written above will give you peace and hope. Reread each of the words and let them guide you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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Stress is a Huge Part of Life These Days

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It has been very stressful the last six months. Where I live we add the wild fires to our stress. Hundreds of homes are gone. Millions of acres burnt. People have died.

We just got some news that arsonists started two of the deadly fires. Two people have been arrtested, and will face a long time in prison if anyone is killed.

The question is how will we be able to handle all of this. Besides the wild fires, there is the Pademic, rioting, looting, shootings, beatings, etc. Pretty overwhelming for a every day Joe like me.

I was watching my church online yesterday, and our Pastor spoke to this very concern.

When a virus hits that attacks the vulnerable, isolates individuals, and shuts down the economy and schools. We can say, the harder it gets the better I live. 

When protests stop being peaceful, when elections become polarizing, when families, friends, communities, and churches become divided. We say the harder it gets the better I live. 

When everything you own is burned to ash, when families flee for their lives, when the smoke makes the day night. We can say “the harder it gets the better I live. 

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Let me explain what he means.

His theme was God knows what to give us.

He is saying that God knows what is going on. He knows the dangers we are all facing. He knows what to give each of us ACCORDING TO OUR NEEDS.

Every person has different fears. Each person faces storms every day.

God doesn’t want us to compromise so He knows what to give us to help us face those who try to sway us.

What the thoughts are from the pastor is, we should know that the harder it gets the better we live. We are sons and daughters of God. He will not gives us more than we can handle.

He may give some peace. He may give others courage. He may give some knowedge to help others.

When it comes to your daily life; choose your battles carefully. Choose your friends wisely. Choose your solutions intentionally. Do not waver God has given you a path to take. Stay the course.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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There is Fear Because of Wild Fires, Riots, and the Pandemic

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The wild fires are out of control. Two big fires are about to merge here, and then that area will be an inferno. I pray that you are not affected by the fires. We are on a stage one here right now. The fires are about 15-20 miles away. That is pretty close.

So may people are under tremendous stress right now. There are the wild fires, rioting in the big cities, looting and arson, plus the pandemic. It is pretty overwhelming for the average Joe like me.

This is suicide prevention month. I fear that many people are thinking there is no more hope and are considering this. Do not let the dark side overcome you! Go to the light of Jesus. He is your fortress, your comfort, and your savior. Pray to him for your families and your safety.

If you are at the end of your rope and can’t go on, there is a toll free number to call for help. There are highly qualified counsleors there to help you. They will not hang up until the know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255

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When I think of all of this turmoil, I think of Paul, who was shipwrecked, beaten, put in jail, bitten by a snake, and disliked by many people.

Yet, this man fought hard for the Lord. He loved the people. He reached out to them, and gave them comfort.

This was a man that was killing Jews, and dispised by his fellow people. He had his awaking on the road to Damascus. Jesus wondered why he was so against Him. Paul fell down and was blinded for a while. That woke him up big time.

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Where are you at today? Do you dispise the way God is running the show? Do you wish He would end all of the tragic happens? I am with you there. I so would like all this pain to go away, but we have to always remember, GOD IS IN CHARGE!

He knows what is happening, and there is a reason for His approach.

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We, as Christians have to be strong to show those who do not believe how we react, and then they will say, “I want to be like them.”

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Wild Fires Are Out of Control in Oregon

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It has been very scary here in Oregon right now. Wild fires are all around us. Several towns are completely gone along the Santiam river. The following towns have burnt down:

Detroit-huge tourist spot for boating and fishing. Also, Idhana, Lyons, Gates, Mill city, Mehama, and they have evacuated Silverton, which has over 20,000 people. That is east of us. Silverton is only 20 miles from us.

To the west of us on the Lincoln City is on fire on the Oregon coast. The Safeway store there is ablaze at the last report.

So we are surrounded at the moment. We are packed and ready to go when ordered.

All three of my children are in harm’s way.

That seems enough to handle, but we still have the Pandemic, and rioting in Portland.

That would seem enough to cry, “Enough,” Lord.

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The bottom line is that God is in charge and I am not. I rest in his love and protection. We will get through this. We won’t be the same, but we will get through this.

My family is constantly texting back and forth to see how we are doing. It give us comfort to lean on each other.

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How are you doing? Are things in your life on fire? Are the flames nipping at you heels? Too many burdens to handle? I certainly hear you right now. We all have to trust God to see us through the storms in our lives.

We have an awesome God. He knows each and every one of us. He loves each and every one of us. He is here to protect and give you hope. I am sure leaning on him right now. I am glad he has big shoulders to lean on. I am the one who needs to be strong for the whole family. I pray for strength from God.

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We all need to pray not only for our safety, but for our country. President Trump is being attacked from all sides. The democrats are doing everything they can to make him look bad. Please do not believe the news you see. Do a fact check every time. Trump loves the military, and the deomcrats are trying to get you to believe that he does not.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never ever, give up!

Are You Driving Between the Lines in Your Life?

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I am at the age where is am not sure I should be driving anymore. When I drive my wife keeps telling me that I have crossed the center line, and I also cross the solid line for the other side. Not a good pattern.

I got to thinking about that. Are we as Christians driving between the lines? Do we sometimes go across the line and face danger? As Christians we have to be careful because the road for Christians is narrow.

I hope you are doing well in your driving. It is hard, at best, to maneuver through the storms of live. You have to be very alert all the time.

Remember though that God is in control. He will guide you if you let Him. He knows what roads you should driving on. Use Him as your GPS.

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Still violence in Portland, Oregon. Another shooting, and fires everywhere. it has been over 100 days of rioting and no end in sight.

Here is a hard fact that God is telling us. Pray for even those who have no thought of following the lord. I posted the other day asking if we could pray for those who set businesses on fire; shoot people, and there are tons of beatings going on?

My thoughts on that was, yes we should. All of these people are God’s children, like it or not. We can’t discriminate as to who we pray for and not pray for.

I am sure you have some people in your life that do not like you. I sure do. That’s who you pray for. Pray for understanding and love towards them. It may not always work, but you are free of guilt, and have taken a step in the right direction.

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God didn’t promise us a rose garden, plus there are the thorns. Life will turn against you from time to time. That is when your true character comes out. When you fall, do you get back up or give up?

Never give up!

Stand with courage in the love of God. He is there for you. With Him on your side, who can be against you?

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

It is Pretty Depressing to be in This World Right now

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It has been hard times here in Salem, Oregon. I live very close to Portland, Oregon, and it is breaking my heart to see all the violence and looting going on there. Another person has been shot and killed.

We are living in very different times. In Portland, there was a time when they closed the streets to go to church. Now they close the streets to rioting.

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We need to look beyond the struggle. We need to seek what ahead of us.

I was fearing for our country, and yet my fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand with God’s love. It seems we are all broken at this point. We need healing.

Every night before I go to sleep I pray the following prayers:

I pray for the leaders of our country.

I pray for the local leaders of Oregon.

I pray for my children and their spouses.

I pray for my grandchildren.

I pray for my wife.

I pray for all my relatives.

I fall asleep in the hope of the Lord.

We need to have important people in our lives to also give us hope. This is needed in case we fall. We are better together. We can not take on this world on our own.

There are some who are happy, some are sad. Some are healthy, and some are ill. There are many who are poor and others who are rich. This is the main reason we need to come together as one. Reaching out to each other. Giving support to those who need it.

Does it seem too hard in our world today? We need to get back to when it wasn’t hard.

Do I love the rioters? Am I really concerned about their well being? If I truly follow Jesus, I do love them and are concerned for them. If we don’t have God as our center piece we will fail.

We need to find encouragement in discouraging times. It is hard, I know. We need to seek it, and we can find it in the Bible. It has a complete guide for encouragement.

I thought about all of this and it honestly sounded pretty depressing. Again I remembered that God doesn’t purposely take us down the worst path, He takes us through the best path possible for us.

He knows there are good things coming. He knows that we will be freed from our burdens. We can’t think that God has turned away from us, we will lose all hope. He is there with you each and every day.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Do You Hate Being Told What to do?

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We struggle with criticism. It is hard to be told what to do.

Proverbs says, “Timely advice is like gold and apples in a silver basket.” Another verse from Proverbs says, “The ones who listen to advice is like a gold earring. “

Why is it so hard to accept criticism? I know that we all hope we never receive criticism. It hurts, and make us feel unworthy.

At this time we need to realize that others opinions does not define us.

Now that I have said all of that, let me say that most criticism is good for us. The wise listen to others. We need to receive and assess.

So, why am I harping on criticism and being told what to do.?

If I am truly listening and assessing, it helps me growing. I filter out the negative and thrive on the good ideas.

Proverbs once again tells us, “Iron sharpens iron.” Meaning that to have someone criticise me, means I am getting sharper at what I need to do in life.

Words have power. They can help you, or they can hurt you.

Through all of this we often get down and depressed. It is can be easy to be broken and hurting. We need healing. That’s where God comes in. He is always there to soften the blows of criticism, and anger. He will be there to hold your hand, and help you to face the storm.

Have you been criticised? Were you felt knocked down and find it hard to get back up? I certainly have been there. When it happens to me is when I need to closest to God. I need to lean on Him for His love and compassion. My fear of criticism doesn’t stand a chance when I stand in God’s love.

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I have been battling lately because of the Pandemic. I have been on lock down, because I have several underlying problems. Thankfully I am able to get out and walk, but that is about it. I never thought that going on walks would be so precious to me.

My wife and I often just get in the car and drive to nowhere in particular. We have seen some places we have never been before right in our city. It has been a fresh air feeling.

There are other things that can drag you down. The rioting, shootings, looting, etc. It is very hard for me to watch the news anymore. Most of it is very negative. I have to find other things to do. I came up with a novel idea. READ THE BIBLE! (creative right?)

I make 10:00am my reading time. There are times when I learn something new every time I read. I have the Bible through several times, and yet each time I read again, I find something that I learned that was new.

Stay strong!

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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