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For I am convinced that we all need encouragement especially in difficult times, during trials, in hardships, when in grief, and at other times whether suffering from pain, depression, or for any illness. We require help directly from God in prayer and He has never disappointed me after the request has gone out. Sometimes I forget to ask and think I can cope but eventually remember with a simple sentence such as "Father I have tried to deal with this situation but it is now at the point where it seems to be getting the better of me and I cannot manage any longer; please give me some encouragement and whatever you decide I will be very grateful for". God hears these heartfelt prayers much to our relief, and the various ways He provides the encouragement never ceases to amaze me as they are brilliant and perfectly loving. Sometimes this is immediate, with instantaneous relief as soon as I get up off my knees, while at other times it involves acts of service or love from neighbours, family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers within a short space of time that same day. Matthew 7:7-8 reminds us "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened". God is all about perfect timing and specificity for our likes and preferences knowing us so well, therefore there is no coincidence or mistake that it did not come from Him. Our great God's intervention is precise and personal and this is so incredibly awesome and should never be taken for granted! May it always be that we remember to give grateful thanks for the blessings God provides to us. It is no accident that there is an account from scripture in Luke 17:11-19 of one very grateful leper (out of a group of 10) who was the only one to return to give thanks to God for his healing, which is a powerful reminder for us to learn from.
For I am convinced that God loves us more than we can even comprehend. There is only so far we can go in thinking and meditating upon His supreme and perfect love before bumping into a proverbial barrier, for there is an impervious membrane or type of ceiling preventing complete understanding for now. This reminds me of scripture about seeing through a glass darkly from 1 Corinthians 13:12. Sometimes I try to push through this barrier and end up with a headache. The point is we cannot fully absorb the goodness of God. Revelation 4:6 tells us He sits above what is described by the apostle John as something like a sea of glass on His throne. John did his best to explain what he saw in vision yet we acknowledge that we have a way to go before everything is revealed, therefore we must be content to absorb what we are given for now and wait for the time when we are changed from physical to supernatural in order to be able to gain full understanding of God's great love. 1 John 3:1-2 reveals "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is". We are so eager for the return of Christ when biblical Revelation lights up in fullness for all eyes to see.
For I am convinced that God's Word is infallible. It is Truth and nothing but the Truth directly breathed from God to various writers under divine inspiration. The day of my calling God gave me strong reassurance that His Word can be trusted fully for this was part of what was holding me back in deception. God knew I needed to be told He is real, He is the Truth, He is the Way, He is Life, Supreme, Omnipotent, and there is none like Him. This was an incredibly powerful realization that caused the scales to fall from my eyes much like Paul experienced in Acts 9:18. There is no way an individual can mistake God's power even though I had no idea what had just happened to me. The presence of God's Holy Spirit lit up my darkened heart on this day and from that moment on I dedicated my life to God and sealed it to be so shortly thereafter through baptism. As I reflect on this time each year as this anniversary comes around, the best analogy I think I can provide is that it was like a switch that was suddenly flicked on for the most beautiful bright light appeared after being in total darkness. The darkness was gone in that moment as God's Holy Spirit was with me and yet I never knew I was in complete darkness until God gave me His brilliant light. This confirmed to me the widespread nature of the deception out there in the world at large. The difference was enormous and polar opposite which got my attention. Perhaps someone reading this has had a similar experience? For some of us first generation Christians who had to hit rock bottom before our conversion, God decided we needed a big wake-up call. There is so much peace in knowing God will do whatever it takes, whatever works, whatever we need as He works with us all individually in order to complete us ready for His Kingdom (Philippians 1:6).
For I am convinced that all of humanity was created by God. All that we see in the creation was designed by the Master Creator of life. Reading Genesis 1 provides the proof of the 6 days God took to create everything. We know He rested on the seventh day as we also now rest on the Sabbath from all our labour. We marvel at God's incredible mind and ability to not only initiate all that we see but also to sustain this vast, great, limitless universe and enjoy what is there for us to experience -- the sea, the land, the creatures great and small, the flora, the mountains, lakes, and trees, He made it all. The wonder of His handiwork and the capstone or pinnacle of creation He made on the sixth day -- mankind. God created us to be part of His family and for this we will be forever grateful. Here is the link for a very beautiful hymn we have in our current hymnal to sing along with in heartfelt praise to our Creator. It is found on page 135 and is entitled "Great God who made the universe"... https://youtu.be/JCpCz3yo19s
For I am convinced that God's provision, protection, peace, and presence in our lives is part of how we are able to function to live more abundantly whether in the physical or spiritual sense (John 10:10). John 14:27 very early on became of great interest and comfort to me during the process of developing a lasting and strong relationship with God. Through the inevitable tests and trials that came straight after baptism, and then especially my hardest one in 2013 which lasted for many months when demonic forces overtook family to rip them out from under me. Unless I had experienced this first hand I would never have believed the devil could be so evil, so cunning, so devious, so diabolical, a dirty warrior showing cowardly tendencies to take full advantage of a 12 year old with divorced parents, an easy taking as it were, to destroy life, to injure with self harm and suicidal ideations that were simply not there before the attack was launched. As a single parent I existed in a state of disbelief for most of 2013. Nobody visited, nobody could or would physically help me. They prayed and this was good. That was when I threw myself at God knowing He is the only One that knew what was truly going on and could overturn the enemy’s efforts in an instant, once and for all. Many years prior I had watched lots of horror movies such as "The Exorcist" (even the uncut version at midnight at the Chinese Manse Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard) which terrified me. If I knew that one day I would have the biggest battle on my hands with demonic forces I would have done anything to prevent it. Yet God gave me His peace at the very worst time of it, by which I truly marvelled at how calm I became while living in a house with dark forces at work everywhere and even when my very life was threatened, but I knew God was with me and could quash the enemy like a bug if He so desired. The adversary turned me into the enemy and my battle was with police, psychologists, psychiatrists, Lifeline, and all those who wanted to take my child from me because I kept the Sabbath. 2013 was a major life event for me in stepping up to the next level in trusting God. He built my faith to higher heights that I never knew existed. God just amazes me as I quickly learnt that nothing is impossible for Him (Matthew 19:26).
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (scripture taken from Romans 8:38-39 in the Berean Study Bible version). We know that we know God will never leave us, nor will He forsake us as stated in Deuteronomy 31:6 and repeated in Hebrews 13:5. We have this promise and we can take full confidence from God's Word. Is this not the best gift we could ever have? No matter how tough things get, we have God, and God has us near and dear to Him. It may look bleak, it may look as if the world has gone completely mad, but God is there for us and all we need to do is talk to Him. He will see us through. Our trust and faith will be tested and when this happens, realize that the very act of being tested is a blessing as you can show God where your heart is. Think on the apostle Peter's words in John 6:66-69 when he responded to Jesus Christ in this account -- "From that time many of His (Christ's) disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'". Imagine the joy in our Saviour's heart knowing Peter intended to be loyal and faithful no matter what adversity would come. Imagine the joy in your heart when Jesus Christ says to you "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:23).