Category Archives: Spirtual Warfare

May 30th 2018 – Seek His Face

Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.” (Psalm 17:15)

I recently read an article, it stated that a baby’s sight is the last sense to develop. However, even before they can focus, newborns look toward faces. The study showed that infants also begin to read faces when they are very young. They feel positive vibes from a smile and smile back. If a mother frequently smiles and interacts with her newborn, the infant smiles in anticipation as soon as she enters the room.

Likewise, babies recognize when a face shows displeasure or disgust. If the Mom is preoccupied or angry and doesn’t return the smile, the baby’s smile will fade, the eyes look perplexed, and the face becomes blank. A baby learns to take cues from others in the room, especially its mother.

If infants don’t receive positive interaction during early development, they are stunted in personal interactions. As older children, they show little emotion in response to others. In some areas of the world, orphans sit alone in cribs and get little positive contact with adults. As a result, they are severely underdeveloped emotionally. Even physical growth is stunted. The study showed that Face to face interaction is completely necessary for healthy development.

As adults, we continue to watch faces. We subconsciously observe how people respond. We can tell if our audience is pleased, amused, delighted, or displeased. We see it in their faces, and we adjust. We sometimes will embellish our story for greater response, add more detail to support our view, or we end the conversation quickly. We take our cues from faces around us.

Maybe we’re created that way so we will properly relate to God.

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. (Psalm 27:8)

David is the the only person in the Bible that repeatedly talked about God’s face. Likewise, David is the only one we’re told was a man after God’s heart. Do you think that David could have gained a heart after God’s heart because he was practiced in looking into the face of God? Could it be that David got his cues from God rather than from those around him?

If, like a baby, we look into God’s face for cues, He will lead us with His eyes. As we allow His eyes to guide us, our lives will reflect His righteousness. As a baby responds to loving parents, we will delight in His pleasure.

The problem is that sometimes we’re too busy to gaze into His eyes. We’re also distracted by gauging what our friends, our church and society think of us.

If we don’t seek the face of God, we’ll we be like those third world babies, trapped in a crib, stunted in our spiritual growth. We won’t reflect our God to the world. I don’t want to be stunted. I want to reflect the righteousness of God to those around me.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Help me turn my eyes to You and to gaze into Your eyes. Like David, I want to seek Your face, I want to live my life pleasing to You Lord. I want to see You smile. Thank You for giving me life and for being the ultimate Father. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

If you would like to experience true peace in your life, try seeking Jesus. click here to learn more

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 27th 2018 – Distracted and Waisting Time

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

Do you ever waste time? Let me rephrase the question: Do you have a television or a smartphone?

There are so many television channels now. Yet I can sit with a remote control in hand and hardly find a single thing worth watching. I’ve also found myself wasting a lot of time doing so. And then came the smartphones, which people can’t seem to stop looking at. They look at them while they’re driving. They look at them standing in line at the store. They look at them while they’re walking in the cross walk. Everyone is sidetracked with this current technology, and I wonder how much time we waste. I believe that the enemy’s plan is to distract people with so much information, which is so unblibical that it dulls our hearts. Making us believe that we need look a particular way or possess certain things to be accepted by others. Many spend so much time posting the most mundane details about their life online. Which in fact is a complete waist of not only their time but the time of others reading it and responding.

Jesus told His followers that these spiritual distraction begins with hearts that have grown dull, ears that are hard of hearing, and eyes that are closed. Using the illustration of a farmer scattering seed, Jesus compared the seed that fell among thorns to a person who hears God’s Word but whose heart is focused on other things.

(Matthew 13:22) “The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.”

I’m convinced that when we get to Heaven, we’ll see things much differently. I think some things that we will have thought of as good during our lives on this earth may not be perceived as good in the same way. We think that good obviously means excellent health, having lots of money. We think good means having a successful career, driving nice cars. I am not saying these things are bad. But maybe they won’t be as good as we once thought they were.

On the other hand, we may think of any kind of a setback, sickness, or failure in life as a horrible thing. But I think that when we get to Heaven, we will realize that some of those setbacks and failures actually produced more spiritual fruit in our lives than the so-called good things. Things are not always as they appear.

There is great value in having times throughout each day when we turn off the distractions of mind and heart and focus on our relationships with others, especially the one with the Lord.

“It isn’t good to waste time, but it’s much worse to waste a life”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to turn off all the distractions around me, and make time to focus  on the relationships that matter the most.  Forgive me when our time together get aside because of the distractions, from this day forward may I not allow the distractions to take from the real things that are important. Open my heart to Your word and may my heart be good soil for the seed of Your Word today. In Jesus precious name Amen.

If you would like to experience true peace in your life, try seeking Jesus. click here to learn more

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

 

 

May 26th 2018 – The Abused Spouse

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

Do you, or have you ever known someone suffering from verbal and physical abuse from a spouse or someone they are dating? The truth is that 1 in 3 have been in an abusive relationship in their lifetimes.

I was stunned when I read the statistics, but the fact is that many people being abuse do not say anything for many years, if at all. The reason is that the abuser invokes such negative emotions into the victim. They feel shame, fear, anger and grief brought about by the painful words and physical abuse.

Shame is a pervasive feeling of being inadequate as a human being. Every area of family violence causes shame. For example, children growing up in homes where a parent is committing adultery feel ashamed of their adulterous parent’s behavior and are similarly ashamed of the faithful parent who is trying to keep it a secret.

Spouses and children of alcoholics are ashamed of their loved ones drinking and the chaos it creates in their homes. When verbal abuse and labeling take place, shame becomes a dominant motivation for doing anything possible to avoid the continual reminders of inadequacy.

Shame leaves us with a strong sense of being uniquely and hopelessly different and less than other human beings. It isolates and alienates us. We may feel that we can never live up to the expectations of those close to us, or that the reason we were abused was related to some inadequacy within us that caused and perpetuated the abuse.

Consider this …

Shame occurs in secret and isolates its victims, keeping them from challenging their feelings. God’s light allows us to begin to challenge our early assumptions and distorted perceptions. It exposes the destructive decisions shame breeds and sets us free from the lies we never before challenged.

God’s light comes through prayerfully studying Gods word through the Holy Bible, absorbing the scripture, believing them for yourself. God loves you and wants to heal your emotions. When you made Jesus Lord of your life, you became a child of your perfect heavenly Father. And the Bible promises there is no condemnation in Him. Jesus does not condemn you. Ask Him to help you see yourself as He does–loved by Him, precious to Him.

Scripture says that we are the Bride of Christ 

How Does Jesus Love His Bride? (Remembering that the below reference to Her is all of us, and by no means am I stating that Jesus got married)

Jesus did not use verbal and emotional abuse to destroy his bride’s self-esteem.  He bestowed on her great value by coming to be her servant and giving his life to save her.

Jesus did not tear down his bride to make her feel weak and powerless.  On Pentecost he filled her with his own power.

Jesus did not isolate his bride out of fear she would fall in love with someone else.  He wants to give her his love so she can love others.  He sent her into the world to live her destiny and promised to walk with her, giving her support and encouragement, even to the end of the age.

Jesus did not treat his bride like a door mat, walking on her to prove his superiority.  He elevated her, even to be seated with him in the heavenly realm, in a place of authority.

Jesus did not yell at his bride or call her names.  He calls her his Beloved and rejoices over her with singing.

Jesus did not raise his voice to drown out what his bride is trying to say.  Instead, his ear is attentive to her prayer.

He did not look at her with contempt or hate, or glare at her from a distance.  He smiles when he sees her because he sees her without spot or blemish.  He sees how beautiful she is and knows it’s his love that has washed over her and made her beautiful.

Jesus did not use his strength to manhandle his bride.  His strong right arm lifts her up and defends her against aggressors.  He uses his strength and power to fight for her, not against her.

Jesus did not ever grab his bride aggressively, slap her to shut her up, or beat her into submission.  Instead he took the abuse for her; he was the one who was humiliated, spit on and beaten.  He submitted to death so she could live.  He offers healing and comfort to her when she’s in pain, he makes her strong when she feels weak, he weeps with her when she weeps, and he wipes away every tear from her eyes because he’s gentle and kind.

Jesus did not threaten to hurt her when he gets home.  Instead, his plan when he comes again is to sweep her off her feet, raise her up to meet him in the air, and forever be with him in the amazing mansion he is preparing for her in heaven.

This is no fairy tale.  This is how a husband is to love his wife.  Mutual submission and respect naturally flow in the relationship that is focused on loving and serving one another.

Take a moment to read God’s instruction for loving your husband or wife. Ephesians 5:21-33This scripture should never be used as ammunition to keep women in submission to abusive men or to demand that they respect someone who is disrespectful. Using scripture in that way is spiritual abuse. This passage is about mutual, life-changing, empowering love.

Telling a woman she has to submit to abuse only reinforces her victim identity and empowers an abuser to continue in sin.  Both are in bondage and there is a much greater chance the marriage will end in pain or even tragedy.  God has a different plan – one that sets both free to step into a new identity.

Below are some resources if you are a victim in the United States. Outside the USA please reference local domestic resources or your church.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 http://www.thehotline.org/about-us/contact/

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I have suffered for so long with this shame. Help me to overcome the lies and see nothing but Your truth. Give me strength and help me feel loved and not shame. Remind me that I am beautiful in Your eyes and you are always with me. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for the promise that You will never leave me. Help me to trust in you. Increase my faith and fill me with Your Spirit so that I can live in great expectation of what You have in store for me. Bring loving people into my life that will love me and encourage me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you would like to seek true peace in your life, try seeking Jesus. click here to learn more

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 21st 2018 – I Believe God, Do You?

“Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.” Acts 27:25

As the storm threatened and the boat pitched back and forth, when it looked as though everyone was going to drown, the apostle Paul encouraged the others on board: “Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me” (Acts 27:25).

Those are not the words of a person in denial or out of touch with reality as some unbelievers might say. The fact is that Paul uttered them when they were still in the worst of the storm, with no tangible hope. They had the hope that had been given to Paul by God, the promise they would be delivered, but there was nothing visible to indicate that it really was going to happen.

This was faith, you see. It is faith when we can say, as things are unraveling around us, “God is in control. I know He is going to get me through this, and I know that He is faithful.” Paul was confident. He knew that God was the Master of his circumstances and the Captain of his boat. He knew that God was in control.

There was a time when Jesus told the disciples to launch out into the deep for a catch of fish, after they had been fishing for many hours and hadn’t caught a thing. Peter said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5). The word that Peter used for Master is a unique nautical term that means “Captain of this boat.” Then the Bible tells us they caught so many fish, their nets were breaking.

So here is the question: Are you willing to let Him be the Captain of your boat? Are you willing to say, like Paul, “I believe God”?

“Faith is knowing God is in control, even when things are unraveling.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask that You increase within me your obedient spirit so that I may be obedient to Your instruction. Help me Lord to walk by faith and not by sight.  I don’t always understand what You’re doing in my life, but I make a decision to trust You God, In these storms, I ask that You place within me your spirit of hope, peace and rest. Help me  to endure all that comes my way. Right now, I make a decision to trust You Lord because I know that You’re in control of my life even when my life seems to be out of control. Lord, I thank You for clarity, guidance, provision and strength.  I pray and ask for these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 13th 2018 – Identity Revealed

“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside.” (Job 23:10-11)

When you go through a hardship, it will either make you bitter or better. I have discovered that it is usually one or the other. And guess who dget to make that decision? You do! You are the one who gets to choose whether you will be will become bitter when things get tough by turning against the Lord. Or you will get better by trusting in the Lord.

Sometimes people who have experienced a tragedy in their lives will say, “I’ve lost my faith through this.” Proclaiming that reveals that their faith wasn’t real to begin with. If you are a real believer, your faith will not go away when hardship hits. It will get stronger. The faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. Tragedy reveals who the real believers are.

Suffering helps us grow spiritually and makes us stronger in the faith. It takes our faith from the realm of theory to reality.

Often, it’s easy to talk about our faith. But it’s another thing to live by it. A lot of believers will boast about the number of years they have known the Lord and how many verses they memorized. That is all good. But when your faith is tested, we will find out what you are really made of.

“Suffering does not create character; it reveals it!”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am grateful that You are the Rock that I can stand on and an ever present help in times of need. Lord, in those times I feel lost and alone in times of hardship or tragedy, remind me of Your faithfulness and love. May Your Spirit lead me to draw close to You and trust in Your Word over my feelings. Thank You for Your strength and comfort during tough times. Please help me to praise You even in the difficult situations.  Starting now, I choose to express great joy because You love me! Please help me to be an encourager today to the others who are are going through a test. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life? Did you once follow Him but your faith was weak and turned your back on Him in a time of hardship?

Pray this prayer and start a new life, or recommit yourself to to Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I admit that I am not right with You, and I want to be right with You. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. The Bible says if I confess with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved (Rom. 10:9). I believe with my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank You for saving me! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer for the first time, we would like to know. Click here to send us an e-mail or share your testimony.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 12th 2018 – Correcting the Correct Way!

“Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before.” (Joel 2:14)

God has a plan for everything. We may not appreciate it at the time, but God will even use correction to take us to that next step in life or even our ministry. Like children, we all end up straying out of line from time to time. Whether we grow weary from the fight or simply lose sight of Christ, we can fall into error. This is where loving correction is important.

God’s desire for correction is to restore us into right standing with Him. This should also be our motivation when we approach brothers and sisters in Christ. Our desire is to see them blessed as they walk in obedience. When we correct without a true desire to see the person restored, we can come across bitter or judgmental and end up driving that person further from Christ. When we walk in humility and approach them with loving concern and a gentle spirit, we will often find them open to what you have to say. Whenever you find yourself faced with the task of correction, pray often and trust the Lord to work through you.

“Correction without restoration will leave your life or mission unfulfilled in purpose.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your correction in times when I have lost sight of You. Help me to correct others with wisdom and gentleness. Use me as a tool to bring restoration to those who need help along the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you don’t know Jesus personally, Consider Asking Jesus into your heart and to reveal Himself personally to you. Click here to learn more.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

 

May 11th 2018 – Breaking Free

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” (Galatians 5:17)

When it comes to breaking free from bondage, I have found that many people often dread the work that comes with being free…And to be honest, I completely understand!  I don’t know about you, but just hearing the phrase, “breaking free from bondage” seems strenuous and down-right uncomfortable! This is especially true for many people when it comes to the certain areas such as these. Quitting harmful addictions, losing weight, or even reaching a health or fitness goal.

After years of working with people, and experiencing change in many areas of my own life, I have come to find that the reason change often seems so difficult is that we are trying to make it happen backwards! The bible says, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7), this means that if you are ever going to experience freedom in any area, you are going to have to start to see yourself as free on the inside before you see it on the outside.

I have learned that lasting change in any area truly starts and takes place right in between our ears, or in our minds. We must realize that we have an enemy, the devil, and he can only attack us in one area, in our minds, and he does so with lies and deception. One of the most common lies that the enemy tries to get us trapped in is to make us think that we are, (and will always be) slaves and in bondage to things. He comes at us with this lie because he knows that as long as he can get you to believe that you are a slave to a certain habit, behavior, or thing, you will never be able to break free, which is right where he wants you to stay.

The good news is that Christ came to set us free from ALL bondage! In fact, if you are born again, the Bible says you are ALREADY free. “Whom the son has set free, is free indeed” (John 8:36).  This means that when you ask Jesus to be your Savior, that you are free from the power that sin once had over you.

I like to think of it it like a person who is in a jail cell with the door locked, and when Jesus comes along, He comes and unlocks the door, and says, “come on out, your free!” But just as we are about to step out, the devil says “wait, who told you that you could leave? You are not really free, and you never will be. You will be in bondage to this thing, habit, or lifestyle forever!” And so, the born again believer stays in the jail cell, with the door wide open, when all they needed to do was take a step out into freedom!

Taking this step into freedom does require action on our part, and it takes effort to a•new* our minds with God’s Word, and learn our identity in Christ.  The first step often requires us humbling ourselves before the Lord, and repenting of our behaviors that are not glorifying to Him, and ask for His help to change, maybe even a make public confession to people that can hold us accountable. Jesus will always be there to respond to our cry, and He is a good Father that loves and desires to take our hand and lead us into freedom.

The next step is getting into the Word of God, and asking God to a•new* our minds, and help us to see ourselves as the overcomer that He has created us to be. It also means praying specifically about the things that we desire change in on a daily (sometimes multiple times a day) basis!

This process of walking into total freedom can often happen in steps and stages, like peeling back layers on an onion. The reason for this is simply because many of us have lived in bondage to things for many years and it often takes time for our minds to be renewed, and our hearts to respond to the Lord and change. The important thing to remember however, is that God has already given you everything you need to walk in total victory and freedom in every area of your life.

“See yourself as you truly are in Christ…totally and completely set free!”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Your word tells us, that our flesh lusts or wars against our spirit. I am not to gratify the lusts of my flesh. I will walk by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Father, You know at times, we will struggle with the temptation to gratify the desires of our flesh. I understand that lust is saying, “I must have this” Much of this battle is in my mind and thought life. Because of loneliness and inner pain at times, we may entertained lustful fantasies in our minds and thoughts. This only increased the desire for us to gratify our flesh. At times, this battle has been more than we could stand and we may have given in to our flesh. I ask You, Father, reveal to us any ways in which we have broken your moral laws. I Pray for a breakthrough in the life of who you led my way today. I pray for continued guidance and verbal articulation of your word. I love you Lord .. Amen.

(Please pray this prayer)

Father God, I am truly sorry. I repent and ask You to forgive me. I want to follow you and ask you (into) or (back into) my life. I acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the cross for me all my sins are forgiven in His name. I repent and cancel all access to my life by evil spirits. I claim the blood of Jesus over me as my protection. I command all evil spirits that have entered my body or mind, to leave me now in Jesus’ name. I now make a new commitment to guard my eyes and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ. I will walk by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I will work to take control of my body and anew my mind, not giving into fleshly lusts. I will depend on the Holy Spirit to help me accomplish this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you don’t know Jesus personally, Consider Asking Jesus into your heart and to reveal Himself personally to you. Click here to learn more.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 9th 2018 – Truth Set Free

“For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them. “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” (Matthew 13:15-16)

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

In a time where there is so much division in society, lies and twisted truthes are so prevalent. Its all designed to harden our hearts and keep us blind to the truth.

That is why the word of God is so very important to us. I encourage you to read your Bible every day, if you dont have one get one. Start by asking God to reveal Himself to you as the light of His word shines on your heart. The whole Bible speaks to us of Jesus – the Old and New Testament. To understand God’s plan of redemption, we consider all things in the Old Testament in the light of Jesus and the New Testament writers. The Old Testament points forward in time, preparing the way for the work of Christ which is described in the New Testament. Together they give us the greatest understanding of God’s amazing plan and the enduring truth of His word. I really like the following statement made by Saint Augustine around 400 AD.

“The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.” It highlights the remarkable way the two testaments of the Bible are so closely interrelated with each other.

“The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160)

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
(Jeremiah 29:13)

God says in His word that when we seek Him we will find Him when we search for Him with all of our heart. Do you need more of God’s light and love and strength and joy in your life? Dig into your Bible and seek Him with your whole heart. He will show you things you’ve never seen before and enlighten and renew your mind.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you for Your word and the wonderful way You reveal Yourself to me in it. I want to know You more and love You more. Please help me commit my heart to seek You and grow in my understanding of who You are and how much You love me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

The end times are here, don’t be blinded to the truth. Consider Asking Jesus into your heart and to reveal Himself personally to you. Click here to learn more.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 5th 2018 – Bad Weather

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

People think that when you are in the will of God, you will always have “smooth sailing.” That is certainly not true of Paul. He seemed to face every kind of adversity imaginable. He had enemies who tried to undermine and even destroy him out of jealousy.

The Apostle Paul delt with storms

Toward the end of the Book of Acts, Paul was making his final journey to Rome because he had appealed to Caesar. As they journeyed, a horrific storm overtook them and everyone despaired for their lives.

Luke describes it this way: “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved” (Acts 27:20)

The Lord came to Paul

But the Lord sent His angel to speak to Paul, giving the apostle the ability to encourage the others on board:

But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.” (Acts 27:22-25)

Will there ever be smooth sailing?

That is not to say we will not have beautiful moments, and even seasons of relative calmness. Not all the winds that blow in life are devastating. In one instance, the log of the journey before the big storm hit says, “The south wind blew softly” (Acts 27:13)

Thank God for those times when the “South wind blows softly.” Those times when you can feel the warmth of the sun on your shoulders and all is well.

God never abandons us

The Apostle Paul had numerable setbacks in life that included beatings and physical harm. He also had a personal physical disability he prayed to be healed of that never left.

Still, he was able to say, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

That is one of the reasons the storms and trials come. To make us stronger spiritually. Because in a storm, a trial, or a hardship, you will learn things you could really learn nowhere else.

The Fact is, storms will come in life. It’s not a matter of if but when. Were either pulling out of one or eventually headed toward another.

“Better to be in a storm with Jesus then anywhere else without Him.”

“Fruit does not grow on mountaintops, but in valleys.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,  It gets so hard trying to face the storms of life on our own especially when we feel weak. I need Your power and strength to face each one. Please continue to help and teach me to turn to You first. Help me learn to patiently endure the suffering and the hard times and honor You in the midst of them. I lift up all of my troubles and faithfully trust in You Lord that you will guide me. Please send others to help me through these tough times. I ask for Your peace to comfort me. I ask, Father, for Your power to strengthen me. When I want to run because I am afraid or hurt, I ask that You help me to stand. I know that You will guide me to grow through these things. Lord, I know You will be there to help me through every storm of life and even in the final storm of death, I wi praise You for Your peace and for Your promise of heaven. Help me to keep my mind focused on eternity so that I will not lose hope here on earth. Fill me with Your Spirit and use my life to share God’s peace with the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Trying to face a storm without Jesus will get very overwhelming, you may even feel all alone.  He is waiting for you, ask for His help. If you do not know Him personally, I encourage you not to pass up the precious gift of His love and eternal life. Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Jesus loves us and wants to help us through the storms. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior please click here 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here and we will pray for you..

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

 

April 24th 2018 – Life’s Crushing Disappointments

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalm 42:11)

When we go through major disappointments in life, typically our natural reaction is to pull back and isolate ourselves. We want to handle it ourselves. We want to keep our losses, our failures, our mistakes and crises a secret. It’s such a terrible idea when we withdraw.

When we go through disappointments such as a major crisis or loss. That is when you need your friends the most. You need to accept help from others. God doesn’t intend for you to handle all the pain and stress in your life by yourself. We were wired for each other. We need each other. We’re social beings. The first thing God said in the Garden of Eden is, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” We’re made to be in relationships.

(Job 6:14) says, “When desperate people give up on God Almighty, their friends, at least, should stick with them”

There may be times in your life when you are in so much pain you will say, “I don’t even believe in God right now!” You need to have friends who will come alongside you and say, “That’s OK. We’ll believe God for you right now.”

There will come a time when you might say, “I don’t have any faith right now. I’m full of doubt.” That’s when you need your friends to step in and say, “That’s OK. We will have faith for you. We will trust God for you in this.”

“By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

What is the law of Christ? It’s this: Love your neighbor as yourself. The Bible commands us to help each other. Every time you help somebody who’s going through pain, you are fulfilling the law of Christ.

Trying to handle your trouble yourself will only make you more tired and stressed out. You need to first seek Gods help and accept the help of others, let your friends carry you through it when you are broken and feel spiritually empty.

Our Lord Jesus is only a call away, And He already knows the trouble your having. He is already calling out to you. Answer His call.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for my friends and loved ones. Thank You for the amazing comfort that I can find in You. Please refill my spirit because I feel so broken at times. I praise you for not forsaking me in times like these. Because of Your love, I can have peace and forgiveness for all my sins. Because of Jesus, I am free from the penalty of sin and no matter what happens on this earth, I will be healed and loved for all eternity. Father, help me to remember these things and to pass them on to those who are thirsting for Your refreshing comfort. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Seeking Comfort from Jesus?

Jesus Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20)

The Bible promises eternal life to all who receive Christ: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13)

If you have not asked Jesus into your lifeYou can receive Jesus Christ right now by faith through prayer.

(Prayer is just talking with God. He knows your heart, so don’t worry about getting your words just right. Here is a suggested prayer to guide you:)

Seeking Jesus? Pray this prayer with me.

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

If you have prayed this prayer, Congratulations! (Luke 15:7) says that when one sinner accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Saviour the angels rejoice. So there’s a party going on in heaven right now over your decision! Remember this date as your “second birthday,” the day you were born into a new life in Christ! You have God’s Word that he answered your prayer.

Don’t go through disappointments in life alone. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, Click Here to read Four Simple Steps to Jesus.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org