Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you. [Deuteronomy 31:8]

People are human. Sometimes they let us down, and sometimes they hurt us. When you're disappointed by another human being, remember that God is perfect--he'll never abandon you.

Discover What the Name Can Do

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. (Philippians 2:9-10)

Once you make up your mind to keep the commands of Jesus and begin to allow the Word to dwell in you richly, the Name of Jesus will become far more powerful to you. It will become more than just a word. It will become a force that will cause every circumstance and every demon that tries to stand in your way to bow its knee to your command. I tell you, the Name of Jesus works. There is far greater power in it than any of us have yet realized. My faith is so set on the authority of the Name of Jesus that there are times I just say, "In the Name" and the power of God comes on the scene. In fact, I've discovered that the Name of Jesus--just the Name alone-- is effective when spoken by a Word-abiding believer. Revelation 19:13 says the Name of Jesus is the Word of God! So, when an evil spirit is trying to bring sickness, poverty, depression, or any other garbage into my household, I don't have to quote every scripture I know to stop him. I can just point my finger at him and say, "Jesus!" That's like throwing the whole Word of God in his face at one time! Discover for yourself what the exalted Name can do. Begin to speak it with confidence and authority. There is power in the Name of Jesus.

Keys To Knowledge of God's Will

• Prayer
• Abide in His Word
• Fellowship with Him

That I may walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing and fruitful in every good work and increasing always in the knowledge of God! (cf. Colossians 1:9-10)

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome. [Ephesians 3:12]

Feeling overwhelmed today? Are you hesitating to bring it to God? Remember that he always accepts you, and he wants you to come to him with your problems, no matter what they are. He loves you!

For more information, visit NewLivingTranslation.com
Taken from the Life Application Study Bible

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

Step Out of the Boat

"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water."
-Matthew 14:28-29

It's easy to be so afraid of making a mistake that you never get around to stepping out on faith. You can spend all your time wondering, "Is this faith? Or is it presumption? What if I exercise my faith for something and find out later I've missed God's will?" Don't worry. God can handle any mistake you can make. I know because I've made plenty of them. When I did, I'd just go to the Lord and He'd tell me, "Stay on the Word, son. Together we'll overcome this thing." And we always did. If you act on the Word out of the sincerity of your heart and you steadfastly stay with the Word, Jesus will never let you down...no matter how many dumb mistakes you make. He proved that the night Peter jumped out of the boat in the middle of the lake. Have you ever stopped to think about that incident? Peter hadn't been praying or seeking God's will before he did that. On impulse he just blurted out, "Lord, if it's You bid me come." What was Jesus supposed to say? He couldn't very well say, "It's not Me." I suppose He could have said, "Wait a minute now. You don't have the faith to get out here. You'd better stay in that boat or you're going to drown for sure." But He didn't say that to Peter--and He won't say it to you. If you want to get out and walk by faith, He'll get out there with you and pick you up when you start sinking. He'll walk you back to the boat if He has to. It's better to risk being presumptuous than to waste your life in the boat of unbelief! If you have to, just dive into the water and say, "God, help me!" Don't let fear keep you from taking that step of faith. Come on, get out of the boat today! [A Devotional Message from Brother Kenneth Copeland]

“Don’t worry about a thing,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight this Philistine!” —1 Samuel 17:32

No greater work of the Lord is recorded in the Bible than David’s slaying of Goliath. More than nine feet tall, Goliath presented the most imposing stature of any human being in history. The image of a little stripling boy walking and then running toward such a giant stirs the courage of all who read the tale. Let’s note three of this story’s many lessons.

The first lesson deals with the boldness of a person who is anointed by God. Saul and all his men were scared to death of Goliath, but the young man who had been anointed by God had no sense of fear. He had no concern or worry because his trust was in the God who had always helped him. He boldly proclaimed, “The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37).

The second lesson concerns the methods of God. David refused Saul’s bulky armor, saying only that he felt more comfortable without it. He was choosing God’s methods over the methods of the world. Trust in the things of this world rather than the things of God will never bring success when facing an overwhelming battle.

The third lesson illustrates the works of the Lord. God can take the smallest human weapons and warriors and demolish the mightiest foes. Who would have thought that five stones in the hand of a boy could bring down the mighty Goliath?

Psalm 111:2 reminds us, “How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.” Run boldly toward your “Goliath.” He must come down in the name of the Lord!

Happy Mother's Day to all the precious mothers who stand in the gap for all families! I pray God's blessing, favor and protection upon all mothers on this their special day and indeed every day!

Here's a couple of interesting "Scriptural cliches", though nevertheless quite true and substance of revelation:

If it is God's will, then it's God's bill!

If God guides, then God provides!

Christians
By Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."I'm whispering "I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect, my flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!"

Here's a powerful nugget of inspiration and revelation from a devotional, God Calling:

Doubt always your power or wisdom to put things right; ask Me to right all as you leave it to Me, and go on your way loving and laughing. I am wisdom. Only My wisdom can rightly decide anything - settle any problem. So rely on Me. All is well. [God Calling, May 9th]

Awesome Promise of God!

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canterworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord, your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be ashamed. [Joel 3: 25-26]

Hallelujah! What an awesome promise of our God! He declares that regardless of all the things that have gone on in your past, all the various attempts of the enemy to destroy you, all the efforts at destroying your life and family, God declares restoration! Hallelujah! And even more so, He declares that you will eat in plenty and more importantly, shall be satisfied! That's the difference between a Christian believer and non-believer: while both may eat in plenty, only the child of God shall be satisfied! And perhaps the best promise of this Word of God, as a child of God, you shall never be ashamed! Amen and Amen!

Thank you, Father!

Putting God First!

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6

When you have a concern or a problem, to whom do you turn first? God wants to be at the top of your list. Come to him with an attitude of thanksgiving, knowing that he will answer.

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians offers us a powerful manner of praying, especially for our loved ones, our families, our friends and even those not of faith.

• May be filled with the knowledge of God's will what a wonderful gesture of prayer to ask God to make clear for family members, loved ones or friends, the precise decisions He wishes them to make in every circumstance based on His Will.
• May walk in a manner worthy of the Lord This means asking that someone's life will have weight - will count eternally and not temporally. Amen. Perhaps the most important part of life's walk: worthiness to our Lord and God!
• May bear fruit in every good work We should pray for all to remain so Christ-centered that He through them determines their conversation, conduct and character.
• May increase in the knowledge of God Can there be a more precious rquest than that of wanting someone to grow every closer to our heavenly Father!
• May be streengthened and sustained with the power of God Within an evil world system, we need the supernatural power of God to help us, to guide, to protect us, to bless us and to empower us.
• May give thanks that we already have qualified as saints of the God Most High There is perhaps nothing for which we should be more appreciative and to which we should pray in thanksgiving, indeed that God loved us before we loved Him!

We cannot help what we see and hear, but our refusal to speak doubt and fear will keep our hearts more inclined to what God can do, rather than to what we cannot do. [Jack Hayford]

If you have friends or family members stationed overseas in places such as Iraq or Afghanistan, send us their names and addresses right away, and we will ship them a packet containing Now and Always: Songs of Hope and Praise on CD and our feature movie Last Flight Out on DVD. This packet will not only bless your loved ones, it will minister to those around them as they listen to the music or watch the film.
Whether or not you have friends or family serving overseas, you can partner with BGEA in sharing the Gospel with our troops. Please commit to praying for this project and the thousands of troops who are being blessed by it. Your gift of $10 or more will help us deliver one packet to a servicemember. If you request a packet for a troop, we will send you a special dog tag with an inscribed Scripture verse that will remind you to pray for our troops and to trust in God's constant care for your loved one. If you make a donation to Operation Bless Our Troops or commit to praying for our troops and this initiative, you may call us toll-free at 1-877-2GRAHAM (1-877-247-2426) to request a dog tag, as well.

Billy Graham just told a great, little joke on one of his Classic Crusades which are broadcast on TBN occasionally. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that laughter is indeed good medicine, good for the heart and the soul. So, here's to your prescription:

There was a Baptist devotee from Texas that was visiting the horse race tracks in Florida on vacation. He wanted to bet on the horses but knew that his faith prohibit games of chance. So he watched the races. As he watched he saw a Catholic priest that was blessing a horse before a race. The horse won that race. This happened 4 times: the Priest blessed the horse and the same horse won the race. So the Baptist man decided that this was not a game of chance but a sure thing! He watched again as the Priest blessed a horse; he noticed the name and number of the horse; and ran and bet all his money on that horse. Sure enough, the horse took off and was leading the race; however, about half way around the track, the horse started foaming at the mouth and then fell over dead. The man was distrought, losing all his money; he went straight to the Catholic Priest and said to him, Sir, I watched you bless 4 horses and they all won their race. What happened to this 5th horse? The Priest said, You must not be a Catholic? The man answered, No, I am a Baptist. The Priest continued, Oh, well if you were a Catholic, you would know the difference between "blessing" and the "last rites"!

Amen.

Greetings Saints of the God Most High! Hallelujah!

The Word for this day is strength!

Isaiah 40:28-31 records these powerful words:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with winds like eagles, they run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Amen! Now is a good time to say AMEN! How many of us would like to run and not be weary?! This has been a hectic Monday morning--those oh so hectic Mondays--and I know that the Lord God has empowered me as I have been running all day, in all ways and never once was weary! Even so, as the Apostle Paul declares, For when I am weak, then I am strong. [2 Corinthians 12:10] and more so, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.[Philippians 4:13]Then, Joshua gives us a commandment, Be strong and of good courage...[Joshua 1:6] In case you hadn't noticed, Joshua (or rather God's Word through Joshua) is not a suggestion but a commandment! He doesn't say, if you feel like it, give it a try, or maybe you should think about it, or even perhaps just pray about it. No, the word of God commands us to be strong and of good courage in all that we say and do!