James was in jeopardy of losing the gift and talent the Lord had given him. He had developed and was enjoying a blossoming career as a voice actor when one day, he woke up and discovered that he had no voice. He and his wife found out that they had black mould in their new home. Blood tests revealed six different types of mould in his bloodstream, one of which was a very dangerous mould. He had been experiencing brain fog and memory loss along with a failing voice. He remembers the day he went to the doctor and was told he had to stop speaking. He prayed, “God please don’t let this be the worst day of my life.”
    James underwent extensive therapy to regain his voice. He went to different doctors who wanted to put him on various types of medication but warned him that his voice might not be as good as before. He decided to take a very pro-active and holistic approach. He changed his diet, his exercise and the way he lived, in an attempt to cleanse his system of the mould. He acknowledged that he had been given a wonderful gift from God but he had not been doing it right. God needed to correct that, even by using what was shocking to his system. However, he was able to retrain his voice to be stronger than it was before. 
    One day, while going through the paper work for the adoption, an interesting detail caught his attention. It turns out that the day he received the news from the doctor about his voice, was the exact same day the little girl they were adopting was born. God had turned things around. He turned the worst day of his life into his best day! God was showing Him that He was always listening and that the things we might think are our hardest journeys are really to build us up and make us stronger for the next journey. He is now enjoying using his voice to share the love of Jesus.
    I am encouraged by this story because we see a man in danger of losing the gift God has given him. Some of us can probably relate to this story. God has blessed you with the ability to do great things for Him and you know it. Yet, challenges, obstacles are coming your way to sabotage, even abort, God’s plan and purpose for your life. It can be discouraging as you wonder if you will ever make it through this season, if you will ever be able to accomplish God’s purpose for your life. 
    I always come back to David’s life. He had been anointed to be the new king of Israel, yet challenges and obstacles way bigger than him, consistently presented themselves, bent on preventing him from doing what he had been anointed to do. He faced rejection, betrayal and even death. He must have wondered many times if he would ever make it. But God…! David learned to lean heavily on God during his trying times and seasons. Sometimes I think God was His only true support and strength. James and his wife must have felt that way at times. They learned to lean on God heavily, relying on Him to get them through that season. God expects the same of us. When our backs are against the wall, God and God alone will help us to make it. 
    I like the fact that James admits that his voice became stronger than it was before. It’s an interesting thing when the trial that we go through makes us stronger than we were before the trial took place. God has an amazing way of bringing us out better than before. It’s as if the gift and talent God gave James, God refined and perfected in the fires of adversity. That’s the kind of thing God does. As James himself realised, tough journeys make us stronger for the next journey or battle that comes our way. I have realised that nothing that we go through is in vain. God uses it all, both good and bad to bring about good in our lives and to enhance this life He has given us. Only God! So, as you go through your challenge today, remember that God is able to and will use it for good!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not in the habit of taking away the gifts and talents He has given us … even when challenges come our way. He is well able to perfect that which concerns us as He helps us fulfil His plan and purpose for our lives. 

    Rashad, a pastor, was involved in a horrific car accident. A pick-up truck, going in the wrong direction, hit his car head on. He was severely injured and suffered life-threatening injuries.    
    When his wife got to the hospital, he was stable and in and out of consciousness. Doctors determined that he would make it but his recovery would be a difficult one. 
    Although Rashad did not know what was going on with his body, he had to now practice what he preached - he had to pray and trust God. He had prayer support from family, friends and his congregation. He underwent surgeries to repair his pelvis and broken bones. Doctors could not promise however, that he would ever be able to walk again without the help of a cane or other support. For an active man like Rashad, this was difficult news.
    After a month of recovery, he was strong enough to move to a rehab facility. Initially, his faith was high. He believed that when he left, he would be able to run and jump and do things he had done before. However, in his very first session, he could not even move his leg. After a few days, he felt defeated and wondered if it would get better, if he would ever be able to at least walk again. 
    The driver who had hit him, was convicted of reckless driving. Rashad prayed for him, believing that he had to forgive him. He realised that harbouring unforgiveness and anger in his heart could hinder his recovery. Two months after the accident, he was released but still had to use a wheelchair. They continued to believe God for his complete healing. During this time, he recognised that it wasn’t about him but it was all about God’s glory. His recovery was gradual, but four months after the accident, he returned to the pulpit fully recovered.
    A few things caught my attention with this testimony. One, there were times when Rashad had the faith that God would do it for him. Yet, when faced with the reality of what he could not do, his faith wavered. It was easy to speak it but not so easy to continue believing when his body was not responding to his faith. What do we do in situations like that, when what we see is not lining up with what we believe? It can be difficult. In those valley seasons, it can be difficult to believe that you will ever get out. Yet, it is always about trusting God even when things don’t make sense, trusting that you will not remain where you are and you will make it through even though you can’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am reminded of Psalm 121:1-2: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Sometimes, I think, we just have to look up even when everything around us is going downhill. We have to keep our focus on the One who gives us the strength we need in times of trouble. 
    Second, Rashad realised he had to forgive the driver who had run into him. It wasn’t just about faith and medical intervention, it was also about his heart condition. He had to do this God’s way and part of that meant forgiving the person who had put him in this position. Forgiveness is powerful and can be an integral part of the healing process. Whenever you choose to forgive, you are choosing to heal. 
    Third, Rashad acknowledged that it wasn’t about him but about God’s glory. As a child of God, what we go through is usually not about us but an opportunity for God to be glorified through what we go through. It’s about reaching others for him, proving to them His grace and mercy. Put in this context, we can be confident that we are going to make it because God is going to bring good out of our negative situation. Our pain, our suffering is not in vain.
    God does not desire to make our lives miserable. Whatever we go through, He will always have a good purpose for it. Although we can’t see it while we are going through it, God is usually up to something good and is orchestrating everything to fulfil His plan and purpose for our lives. As I mentioned last week, your negative situation does not mean that it’s over. God is not finished with you yet. He is still working out everything for your good.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is still a present help in trouble. He will never leave you nor forsake you especially in seasons where you may feel that life is over. He still has a plan for you; He still has a purpose for you here on this earth. You are not alone. He is there and HE will ensure that you make it.

    Matthew and Preslee had already suffered a miscarriage and were devastated when Preslee gave birth to their second child but she was stillborn. They held a memorial service which brought some comfort to them. However, days later, they became overwhelmed with grief. Preslee questioned why it had to happen, why she had to get sick, and wondered if she should have done something different. Matthew felt as if God owed him another girl. After all, he was serving Him and had dedicated his life to Him and he wanted this.
    In the following days they received encouragement and prayer from family and friends, including Matthew’s mother. A close friend had shared with her that eventually, God would give the couple a harvest of joy. She believed that this was a Word from God. When she did research, she found Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves.” Matthew, however, felt as if God had gone silent. He prayed and fasted, seeking the Holy Spirit’s touch once again. He prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill him and give him guidance, peace and to help him release the pain.
    Four months later, while at church on Mother’s Day, the couple felt as if God broke His silence. A baby dedication was taking place reminding them of the fact that they could have been dedicating their baby also on that day. Yet, God told them that they had grieved long enough and it was time to move on. Weeks later, Preslee was pregnant again. In spite of fear and anxiety, she delivered a healthy baby girl. A few years later, she gave birth to a baby boy. Matthew believes that God has smiled on them and given them favour. He believes that God will make things right and do so as if they never happened to you. 
    I am encouraged by this testimony because although they went through their season of grief, they did not stay there. God brought them through it. Yes, it was tough, but they learned to trust and lean on God in spite of it all. Like the testimony last week, I love their honesty. Matthew admitted that he felt that God owed him especially since he was serving Him and had dedicated his life to Him. 
    Maybe some of us can relate. After all, you are doing your best to live right, to obey God, to do what He wants you to do, and yet, tragedy strikes and you wonder, “Why Lord?” “How could this have happened when I am doing everything I can to serve You?” It can be disheartening when we realise that although we are serving Him to the best of our ability, bad things can still happen. Yet, I am realising that, with God, tough times really do not last forever. Bad things may happen, but God is right there giving us the strength to make it through. And, as if that isn’t enough, He uses our difficult season to strengthen us, mould and shape us and even as a testimony to encourage others. 
    God knows how to bring good out of every bad situation we may face. I don’t think He ever allows it to come our way without ensuring that there is good on the other side of it. This I think is encouraging. 
    So, be encouraged today. Tragic seasons don’t mean that it’s the end. God still has a beautiful plan for your life. It’s not over because something bad has happened. In fact, it could signal the beginning of something new. Allow God to have the final say. He knows what He is doing. Just trust Him!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Once you are alive, bad things may come but God is not finished with you yet! He still has a plan, He still has a purpose for you and it is more beautiful than you can ever imagine.   

    Blake lost his father at the age of fifteen. His father had gotten into an accident and as much as Blake believed that he would make it, he did not. Blake was devastated but he tried to be strong for his mother. He wanted her to know that she would still be protected and be okay. He started going to church and even got baptised but it was just an outward show. On the inside, he battled with doubt and grief.
    When he moved out from his home a year later, he moved into his own apartment. He completely shut God out and turned instead to drugs in an effort to find peace. He felt empty and tried to fill the void with various things. None of it worked and a few months later, he came to the painful realisation that he had let his father down. He decided to go to his father’s grave and apologise to him and pray. When he prayed he asked for peace and for help to be whole again. He felt an overwhelming peace and knew he would be okay. He felt that God was with him and had heard his prayer.          
    He finally stopped taking drugs and completely surrendered his heart to the Lord. He is amazed at how building a relationship with his heavenly Father has healed his heart. He is now faithfully spending quality time with God and when he prays, he admits he feels at peace. He acknowledges that God knows what He is doing and that what He is doing is His best for him.
     I love the honesty of Blake’s testimony. He was grieving for his father who was also his best friend. In an effort to deal with the pain, he turned to all the wrong things. But, when he finally came to his senses he turned to God and allowed Him to heal the hurt and grief. Now his life has changed for the good.
    It can be difficult to hand our pain over to God. We may think we can handle it ourselves but instead, we only make things worse. I am learning to ask God sometimes to take it, especially when I realise that I can’t and don’t want to hand it over to Him. I choose to be honest with Him because I know He already knows how I feel and that I am struggling to want to give it to Him in the first place. That’s what I love about God. Even when I can’t because I don’t want to, He will step in and help me to do what I can’t and don’t want to do.
    When Blake finally surrendered completely to God, the peace that he had been looking for, he finally found. Everything else he had tried, had failed to satisfy that need. That peace could only be found in God. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.” As I said last week, it’s about trust, it’s about surrender. Understandably, we can become so fixed on the problem that we rob ourselves of peace and don’t even realise it. We try everything to bring peace into our lives and fail because the problem is our focus.
    In Matthew 14:22-33, when Peter got out of the boat in faith and fixed his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on rough waters without a problem. Unfortunately, as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus  and refocused on the stormy waters he became afraid and started to sink. Isn’t that like so many of us? It is so easy to become distracted by the problem that we forget the One who has the answer to our problem. God will never allow us to sink and drown but we have to trust Him. We have to surrender our will, our desire for the situation and allow His perfect will to take precedence. It is a beautiful thing that Blake finally realised that God knows what He is doing and that God is doing His best for Him. We need to realise that too. 
    What I also love about the story of Peter is the fact that when Peter realised that he was sinking, he cried out to Jesus and said, “Lord save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out and caught him. That’s what Jesus did for Blake and that’s what He will do for you and me as well. When we realise that we are sinking and we cry out to Him, He will immediately come to our rescue. That is a comfort. He will never leave us to drown in our situation. He is always right there waiting and ready to help when needed. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is still our present help in our time of need. He will even help us to focus on Him when it is difficult to do so. He will never fail us, He will never leave us to drown. He will always be there ready and waiting to help us when we cry out to Him.

    Thirty-eight year old Sarah, and her husband, Will, had two children and were expecting a third. When she received her prenatal results, the news was devastating. Her baby, a girl, was diagnosed with Edward syndrome (trisomy 18), a genetic disorder that causes physical growth delays during fetal development. Life expectancy is usually short.
    They scheduled an amniocentesis which would confirm the results and help them determine whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. Although abortion was not an option, they were not sure they had the faith to turn it over to God and trust Him for the outcome. Sarah cried out to God asking Him for a Word to direct them what to do. It was then that she heard God through the voice of her unborn daughter telling her to tell them to leave her alone, she was just fine. Sarah knew what to do. When her husband came home from work she told him that they were not going to do the amniocentesis. He responded that God had told him the same thing. They both had peace after that. Sarah cancelled the appointment and they gave their daughter a name, Lively Rain. 
    For the next thirty-three weeks, they had no idea whether or not their baby would be born with the disorder but the couple and their family prayed. When Lively Rain was finally born, she showed no signs of Edward syndrome. As Sarah’s obstetrician said, she was perfect. Five years later, Lively continues to be healthy thanks to the power of prayer. Sarah’s advice to any parent would be to gather your information, lay it at His feet, let Him have the final say and expect to hear Him.
    A few things come to my attention. They admit that they did not have the faith to turn the problem over to God and trust Him for the outcome. That is not unfamiliar to many of us. We know what God can do. We have heard what He has done for others but we are not sure that He will come through for us. Also, the problem can seem so overwhelming that fear is greater than faith. I also believe that many times we are fearful that He will not work it out the way we would like. We know what we want the end result to be but are afraid that His end result for us will be different. This is where trust and surrender come in. It’s about surrendering our will and desires to God and trusting that however He chooses to work it out, it will be for our good. His Word says that all things work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 
    Sometimes we may have to decide if what we want is more important than His perfect plan for us. We may have to ask ourselves if we will still love and serve Him if we don’t get our way. It can be tough but the end result He has for us will always be worth it. I am learning this as He reminds me that when I focus on Him and allow Him to be the centre of my life, whatever He has for me will be above and beyond what I could hope for. As He has promised, He knows the plans that He has for me and these plans are to prosper me NOT to harm me, to give me hope and a future. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. We can’t always stop negative situations from coming our way. Yet, our Heavenly Father invites us to place those challenges at His feet and allow Him to do what we can’t.  He knows the good plans that He has for us. They will not change no matter what negative thing comes our way. It is about trust, it is about surrender...

    At the age of twenty-one months, Naila fell into a pond outside her home. When one of her older sisters found her, she was face down and lifeless. Her sisters immediately called 911 and were instructed on how to perform CPR. They finally got a weak pulse. Naila was rushed to the hospital while her parents, Debree and Dwayne, who were at work, were contacted. They were in shock and disbelief. Her father began reciting over and over: "By His stripes Naila you’re healed.” Her mother  knew she needed Jesus but had no idea what to say to Him.
    When her parents arrived at the hospital, Naila was in the paediatric ICU unconscious and on life support. As Debree walked into the room, the medical staff around her daughter stepped aside. Nobody said anything and she was too afraid to ask them whether or not her daughter was alive. But finally she said: “You will live and not die in the name of Jesus.” Testing showed that Naila had suffered an anoxic brain injury due to near drowning, that she was in a deep coma and showed almost no brain activity. Doctors did not believe that she would wake up and if she did, she would be in a vegetated state. Her parents were basically told that she was dead. Both parents refused to accept this news and her father continued praying. They chose to stand on the Word of God not on what the doctors said.
    Later that afternoon, while Debree and other medical staff were in Naila’s room, Naila’s body jerked. Debree believed that God was sending them a message that she was going to be okay. When the movements continued, doctors, believing that she was having seizures, sedated her. However, the next day, they determined that she was not having seizures. Her body continued to move even under sedation. Debree was ecstatic and one of the doctors admitted that they were witnessing a miracle. Later that day, Naila’s heart and lungs started functioning on their own. Doctors took her off life support and brought her out of sedation. Naila continued to improve and an MRI confirmed that she had no brain damage. Four days after her accident, Naila was released from the hospital.
    Her mother, Debree, knows that they serve a big God and that He answers. She cannot wait to see what He is going to do with the rest of Naila’s life.
    What caught my attention with this testimony is the response of Naila’s parents. They adamantly chose to stand on the Word of God in spite of how dire things looked. They refused to accept defeat, they refused to believe what the doctors were telling them and decided that they had no other recourse but to turn to the One who could perform a miracle. God did not disappoint.
    God’s Word says in Isaiah 55:11, “So is my Word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” God’s words are not empty, lifeless words on the pages of a book. They are alive and when we choose to apply them to a situation, God Himself will bring His own Word to pass. Sometimes, maybe we need to choose to reject what we can see, the report we are hearing, the way we are feeling and choose to stand on His Word which is very much alive. It’s about walking by faith not by sight.             
​    The Bible also says that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). We need to be careful with the words that come out of our mouth. What we say can either come into agreement with our situation that we can see or into agreement with what the Word of God says concerning our situation. Our words can either bring death or life. It’s a faith thing, it’s a trust thing, but God’s Word will always be more powerful than any situation that we go through.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is faithful and if He says something, He is faithful to fulfil it. We can count on Him, we can trust Him especially when all else fails. He will keep His promises and His Word to us. He can do no less!

    Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5)
    Although Rebecca enjoyed going to church as a child and watching her father play the guitar, outside of church she went after a different lifestyle. She started smoking marijuana and by the age of sixteen she was a teenage mother. She married the father of her baby but their relationship was turbulent and she resorted to drugs to ease her pain. Suicidal thoughts stepped in while her marriage fell apart. 
    She was invited to church by a friend and when she went she felt good. Unfortunately, however, outside of church she continued living her life of drugs. She finally became tired of promising God to stop using drugs if He would just help her out. She became so tormented and was so afraid that she would take her life, that one day, she called her pastor and asked him to come get her before she did just that. He took her to his parents’ home where she felt loved and experienced a sense of freedom from her old life. She went to a Christian Rehab program. There, the Lord told her that she was free and never had to go back to her old life. She surrendered to Him completely and became free from addiction. She now has a new purpose and ministers regularly to those bound in addiction like she once was.
    Psalm 103:2-5 tells us that God forgives us, heals us, redeems us, loves us and renews us. I think a lot of this sums up what He has done in Rebecca’s life. He did above and beyond what she hoped. When she felt discouraged and hopeless, He stepped in and came to her rescue. 
    Sometimes I am sure, we all feel as hopeless as Rebecca felt. She kept trying to get out of the hell she was in and kept failing. She kept promising God that she would do better but kept falling right back into the same pit of destruction. Only God could deliver her out of her mess. No matter how hard we may try, there are times when we have to realise that only God can deliver us especially when the odds are against us and the giants are way bigger than we can handle. Yet, it can be a comfort to know that we don’t have to do it ourselves, God is more than able to do what we can’t. 
    What’s interesting is the fact that she chose the destructive path that she was on yet, God did not reject her when she needed His help. He did not blame her for being in the situation she had gotten into, He did not leave her there either. God will never leave you in your mess - whether or not you have brought it on yourself. In the book of Judges, the Israelites consistently strayed away from God and did what was evil in His sight and consequently brought trouble on themselves. But, whenever they cried out to God in their distress and oppression, He sent a deliverer (or judge) to deliver them. 
    God loves us too much to leave us where we are. When we humble ourselves and cry out to Him, He will come to our rescue. Whether or not our mess is because of any wrong we have done, God is there and will show up when we need Him. Psalm 103:2-5 is a reminder to us that God is the One who does the forgiving, the healing, the redeeming, the loving and the renewing. It’s not up to us because we will surely fail. When we leave it up to Him, He will do it and will never fail!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. No matter what you are facing, God will not abandon you or fail you. Whether or not you are responsible, He is very willing and able to see you through.

    Genesis chapter 29 tells an intriguing love story with some interesting twists and turns. Jacob goes to another country to look for a wife among his mother’s relatives. There he meets a beautiful young woman who immediately captures his attention and his heart. She turns out to be his cousin, Rachel, younger daughter of his uncle Laban. He agrees to work seven years for his uncle to have her as his wife. Unfortunately, his uncle, a crafty man, tricks him and on his wedding night gives him instead his older daughter, Leah. Leah is not beautiful and enchanting like her younger sister. However, his uncle’s excuse is that the older daughter must marry before the younger. But, Jacob wants what he wants and when he agrees to work another seven years for the younger daughter, he is given her also as his wife. 
    What I find interesting about this story is how Leah was positioned in this marriage. She did not have any say it would seem, and was probably simply being obedient to her father’s wishes. The Bible does not say, but maybe he, on the other hand, knowing that she was not beautiful or attractive, and would take a while to get married, came up with a plan to marry her off along with her younger sister. Of course, his plan worked but at what expense? Leah may not have felt very comfortable having her life manipulated and controlled but custom was custom. She may not have felt comfortable with her earthy father’s manipulation but little did she know that her Heavenly Father had a plan for her life far greater than what she could ever imagine.
    Verse 31 tells us that when God saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb but her sister, Rachel, was barren. God saw her in the midst of her distress and pain and chose to bless her with children. At first, she kept wishing and expecting that her husband would love her because she was able to bear children for him but that did not happen. She finally turned her eyes to the One she knew was responsible for her favour and said: “Now will I praise the Lord” and named her fourth child, Judah, which means praise. She simply took her eyes off her situation and placed them on the One who could change her situation. Many years down the road, the Messiah, Jesus, came through her son Judah’s bloodline.
    Earlier on I said that Leah was positioned in her marriage. Had it not been for her earthly father and his scheme, she would not have married Jacob. This may have seemed like a negative but it was in fact a positive. Her Heavenly Father had a greater plan for her and used her earthly father to position her to be a part of God’s plan to fulfil His promise to their ancestor, Abraham, to make him a father of many nations (Genesis 12:2; 17:1-4).
    Sometimes, we don’t and can’t always see the bigger picture. The negative situations that come our way are exactly what God uses to position us to fulfil His greater plan and purpose for our lives. We may be so discouraged and trying so hard to get out of that situation but God in His wisdom has allowed it to propel us into his purpose for our lives. When Joseph was sold by his brothers to merchants who in turn sold him as a slave in Egypt (Genesis 37:28; 39:1), that situation seemed like such a negative one. Yet, those same brothers are who God used to propel Joseph into his destiny. Had Joseph not landed in Egypt, he would not have had the opportunity to realise the dream God had given him.
    We may try to bind, pray against and earnestly seek deliverance from some negative situations, but if God has promised that all things will work together for our good, then we can be confident that even that negative circumstance, God will use to do something great and mighty in our lives. Maybe we need to be like Leah who finally decided to praise the Lord in the midst of her unfortunate circumstance. Praise is powerful, and praise in the midst of negative situations that you cannot change can move God to do great and mighty things in your life.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I invite you to do so today. God has a perfect plan and purpose for your life and He knows exactly how to position you to receive His very best for you. Trust His leading. Trust His guidance. He will work everything out for your good.​

    At the age of fourteen, Mallory agreed to go to the movies with an eighteen year old. They never entered the movie theatre, instead, he took her somewhere and raped her.
    She felt broken and would look at herself in the mirror telling herself she was disgusting and had no worth. To deal with her trauma, she turned to drugs, drinking, sleeping around and cutting. She went into a state of deep depression and withdrew from family and friends. She attempted suicide but afterwards remained stuck in her emotional prison. She cried out to God asking for His help. That help came almost immediately through a youth leader who sent her a song that gave her hope and encouragement. As she began listening to the song, she felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. She felt a hand over her heart. She began crying and talking to the Holy Spirit. She told Him, among other things, that she was tired of living the way she was and that she did not want to be depressed anymore. She felt the hand enter her chest and squeeze her heart. She felt every bad thing that had happened to her and every bad thing that she had done, leave her. The hand then left and she was filled with indescribable joy. She felt as if the Lord had gone into her and squeezed every negative thing out of her and replaced it all with the things of Him that He knew she needed to feel, like the fruit of the Spirit, peace, patience, love.
    From that moment, her life changed. She started following Jesus and has not stopped. She feels as if the Lord has washed her memory clean. She sees Him as her best friend. She is now a wife and mother and encourages girls who have faced similar challenges to embrace their true identity as a dearly loved child of God.
    Sometimes we make choices and decisions and are not always able to anticipate the negative way things turn out. Our life turns upside down and we see no way that anything will ever be the same. Fear and hopelessness step in and we may feel as if everything is spiralling out of control. One of the things I like about this story is the fact that when Mallory was at her lowest and no one could seem to penetrate her world of despair, God stepped in. He saw her in her pain and her suffering and even allowed her to go through a season of bad choices and decisions because of it. Yet, the interesting thing is that He was right there with her in her trauma, even when she could not feel Him. 
    Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Mallory was certainly broken and crushed and only the Lord could fully understand her pain. When she cried out to Him, He made Himself known to her and healed her heart from all the brokenness.
    God hears our cries. No matter how far the Israelites went from God time and again, when they faced trouble, as soon as they cried out to Him, He sent the help they needed. Psalm 61:2 says, “From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” God is still our strength and help when we need it. No matter how far we may go, God is never far away. He is always close enough to come to our rescue. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is still a present help in trouble and will never abandon us when we need Him. No matter how far challenges may take us, God is able to keep up with us and is always right there ready to help when needed. He will never fail you.

    Billie, a pilot, was on his way home when his plane started experiencing difficulties within sight of the airport. As the plane crashed through the trees, he did not believe that he would make it.
    When he regained consciousness, he was able to find his cell phone and dial 911. After almost an hour, rescue workers were able to cut their way through the dense woods to his plane. He was flown to the hospital where doctors discovered that his head and face had sustained several fractures, one eye was swollen shut, his brain was swelling and his back had been broken in four places.
    When his daughter arrived, she could tell that her father needed God’s healing. She wanted him to not just be alive, but to be okay and to be able to continue his active lifestyle. He received amazing prayer support from a number of people. When his pastor prayed for his eye to be healed, his eye that was swollen shut, almost immediately opened. When told that he would need surgery performed on his back the next day, he told the doctor that he did not want surgery and that God would heal him. When he asked for a second opinion, his doctor decided to perform an MRI before the surgery. That would be the second opinion he had asked for. That night, eight thousand people joined a Zoom prayer meeting that had been organised for him. When the doctor looked at the results of the MRI the next day, his back was showing signs of healing. The doctor believed that the first results had probably been wrong but Billie emphatically told him that God had healed him. He did not need surgery after all. By the end of the week, the swelling in his brain had subsided and Billie was released to go home to begin physical therapy.
    Today, Billie is fully healed and back to his active lifestyle. He believes that Satan had plans to kill, steal and destroy the day of the accident but that God had decided that He would instead give him life and life more abundantly.
    I love the conclusion that Billie comes to at the end of his testimony. Satan had plans to kill, steal and destroy that day. We know that’s the enemy’s agenda but we also know that God has the final say. When you look at the number of miracles God performed for him in almost rapid succession, God certainly seemed to choose to thwart Satan’s efforts every step of the way. Even as you see Billie now in his recovered state, it is hard to imagine that he had ever been in an accident. 
    Billie was confident about what his God could and would do. He realised that the devil had a plan but that God’s purpose for his life prevailed over any plans the enemy had for him. 
    I don’t know what the enemy has tried to steal, kill and destroy in your life but you do. Yet, in spite of the enemy’s efforts, you are still standing -  maybe barely - because of what God has done for you. God could have allowed the devil to destroy you but He has not. For some of you, even now, it may feel as if the enemy is going to win, but he will not! God has the final say, not the devil! The reality is that Jesus came so that you might have life, and life more abundantly. Not just a barely able to make it kind of life, but an abundant life in Christ.
    God wasn’t finished with Billie and God is not finished with you. Your times are still in God’s hands and if you would just trust Him and focus on Him instead of on the situation you can see and feel, you will realise how blessed, how loved, how covered you are by your God. So, be encouraged!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. The devil will always have a plan and desire to mess things up. But, God’s plan will always have the power and authority to spoil anything the enemy sends your way.