“My faith looks up to Thee, thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine; now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away, O let me from this day be wholly Thine. While life’s dark maze I tread, and griefs around me spread, be Thou my guide; bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away, nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.”

“Lord, give us a faith that will not shrink although pressed by many a foe, that will not tremble on the brink, of any earthly woe; a faith that will not murmur nor complain, beneath the chast’ning rod, but in the hour of grief or pain, will lean upon its God. A faith that shines more bright and clear, when tempests rage without, that when in danger, knows no fear, in darkness feels no doubt. Lord, give us such a faith as this, and then, whate’er may come, we’ll taste e’en now the hallowed bliss, of an eternal home.” Thank you, Lord in advance.

Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. 1 Corinthians 7:17

“We have different gifts according to the grace given us. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.”

“He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, and whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I, but God who was working through me by his grace, and equip me with every good thing to do His will. May He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen!”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, your past should not define you, but refine you. Move beyond your past and embrace your future. Many will continue to judge you by your past even though you don’t live there anymore. But don’t allow this form of negativity to cause you to lose your focus, because, the God who called you to walk in his marvelous light has already borne your shame, and your guilt and you have been redeemed. You are in a good place! Let each one work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, instead of being busy bodies in the affairs of others. For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose. To God be the glory!

Where are you in your walk with God? Do you feel like you are growing in the knowledge and love of God? As we grow in our walk with God by meditating on his word, we learn to discern good from evil, love from hate, joy from sorrow and peace from turmoil. All of us will experience spiritual growth at different stages in our lives. God will sometimes allow situations in our lives to test us. We may be in situations which forces us to choose between good and evil, to show love or hate, how to handle joy or sorrow, peace and turmoil. As I grow in my walk with God, I am learning to deal with my spiritual growth in positive ways and I am hoping that you will too.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, where is your happy place, where do find joy and peace? I take pleasure in the simple things of life. I have joy and peace in my home, and my happy place is in my garden. No matter what I am going through, there is a quiet place in my home where I could pray and be at peace, and when I am in my garden my troubles disappear. You see, when you have the love and peace of God living inside of you, there will be joy and happiness in your life; for he is our peace and our joy. John chapter fourteen and verse twenty-seven, reminds us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

God alone is worthy of our praise, and when we come into his presence, Scripture reminds us, that, we should; “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.” Too many times we come into God’s presence with our petitions, to complain about what is not right in our world. There is nothing wrong with that; but to really enjoy spending time with God in prayer, is to just being in his presence, giving thanks to him and praising his name, making a joyful noise to him in song. You should try this sometimes, and you will find the comfort you need; you will find the joy to sustain you no matter what you are going through. God knows us intimately; he knows where we are at all times and what we are facing; but he wants us to trust him enough to turn our sorrows into joys. Learn to make prayer an integral part of all of your days, and you will find joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Scripture clearly tells us that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin which leads to death. But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.