When I first became a Christian, I came to believe that true preachers and ministers have perfect faith, they never doubt, are always cheerful and have no real problems because God must love them more than the rest of us. I felt that my faith was inferior and felt bad about myself, because when I would pray and the answers would not come as fast as I wanted, I would start to doubt whether it was God’s will and if I would ever receive my answer. Additionally, when the hardships of life seemed overwhelming, I would doubt that God still loved me.

But I could not have been more wrong! After paying more attention to what my favorite ministers were saying about themselves in their messages, I realized that what I was feeling happens to all Christians at times. The war between God and the devil will continue until the end of this universe. As Satan cannot directly hurt God, he tries to destroy us, those whom God loves, in his attempt to make God suffer. The devil tries to bring deception, lies and condemnation in our minds and as long as we believe them as being our own thoughts and truthful, will be defeated. We need to recognize our enemy.

So how does this happen? This morning the Holy Spirit revealed to me a huge truth that may help us realize why we all wavering so much in our walk with the Lord. As long as we live in these physical bodies, our carnal nature is at war with our new good nature.

When we become born-again Christians, our spirits become transformed, becoming new and perfect as the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. When we are in anointed church services, we study the Bible, have fellowship with other strong believers, or pray and worship God, the Holy Spirit that lives in us is in full control. Whenever that happens, we allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit to rule our carnal nature and manifest in us. This is when “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23) manifest naturally, in and through us. But, when we are tired, upset, hurt or under pressure for too long, our carnal nature can easily suppress the Holy Spirit and take control, causing us to feel and behave exactly the opposite.

This is why we need to learn to control our emotions and to mature spiritually. In another instance, the Holy Spirit taught us that we can overcome hardships and challenges when we “choose to praise and worship God” instead of “focusing on the problems” and allow despair and discouragement. If we wait to worship God at church or only when we feel like doing it, we may never do it on our own. Whenever we suffer, it is hard feel like worshiping God as long as we only consider the current situation we are in. But if we choose to think about who God is and how much He loves us, that He gave His Son to die in our place, only because He wants to have us with Him now and in heaven for all eternity, we can start to praise Him. The more we remind ourselves of God’s promises and that in Him are are more than conquerors, we will see our problems start to diminish in our eyes (You may read encouraging Bible verses in the articles from the "Encouragement" section).

The truth is that as long as we choose to follow Jesus, even if our bodies die, in a split second we get to be with our Lord in heaven, where there are no more tears, suffering or pain. We can truly reign in life, through Jesus and live the abundant life He came for us to have and finish it in Jesus’ arms!

Carmen Pușcaș

Sometimes the little things in life may seem insignificant, but oftentimes, the little things make big differences. In cooking, a small bit of seasoning, may be just the amount that it takes to make a great dish. In art, no masterpiece would be complete, without the “finishing touches.” And so on... On the flip side, sometimes, some little thing may be just the thing that trips us or someone else. A bad look, a seemingly innocent word may be taken in a hurtful way, etc.

I had a great grandmother that was known to say quite frequently, “if you take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.” In Grandmother’s way, she was saying that if we take care of what is little, we will reap bigger benefits!

The Lord said in the parable of the unjust steward, in Luke 16:10a, “He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much.”

Sometimes, we get caught up in the busy-ness of life but need to slow down and pay more attention to the little things. It is also well known, that when little neglected things pile up, they turn into bigger neglected things that are much harder to remedy.

The Lord does not rush or get caught under pressure. He always knows the bigger picture and handles everything from a position of strength. But for us as humans, we have limited view. And we live in a demanding world that could have us jumping from one so-called important thing to the next. If we want an abundant life and not just a busy life, we have to choose wisely.

Thankfully, we are not our own, we belong to the Lord! And while we may not be able to see the full picture, He can and He has given us His Spirit to live within us and to guide us through life. And the Lord wants us to have real life in Him, complete with His grace and wisdom.

Let’s slow down and be more selective about what we allow to keep us busy! Let’s take more time to call upon the Lord and listen for the Holy Spirit who is always with us, to help us make the best choices. Some people think they cannot hear God. But if we pray to Him for His direction, then listen and trust that He will guide our minds and hearts to make the decision, He will, for this is how He works.

Let’s be the best stewards we can be of what the Lord has blessed us with. Whether it is one more bite of something or not eating it at all. Taking the time to encourage our spouses or children, even taking time to stop and smell the flowers. We can even be wiser with our little purchases... knowing in the long run that we will then have more on hand for the bigger purchases. Being good stewards with our lives adds up and when we are faithful to the Lord in the little things, those bigger things naturally go better too!


E. Cockrell