God is Our Helper

When fear threatens to paralyze us, the following verses can help us block it from entering our hearts and thus prevent any emotional damage that it might do to us. Meditating on them and implicitly trusting in the One who gave such assurances are the keys to unlock their true power.

"...be of good courage and say: 'Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'"

-Proverbs 13:6

photo by Charlene N.K.

"In God I have put my trust. 

I shall not be afraid.

What can earthling man do to me?"

-Psalm 56:11

photo by Charlene N.K.

"You have drawn near in the day that I kept calling you. You said:

 'Do not be afraid.'"

- Lamentations 3:57

photo by Charlene N.K.

"Do not be afraid because of their faces, for ‘I am with you to deliver you,’ is the utterance of Jehovah."

- Jeremiah 1:8

photo by Charlene N.K.

Does God Really Care About Us?

Since we live in a world full of cruelty and injustice, many people feel that there is no God, or if there is, he doesn't care about us at all. Many religious leaders teach that the sufferings we experience are God's will, a teaching that turns people away from God and makes them more alienated from him, let alone hate him.

The truth is, God never causes wickedness and sufferings. Job 34:10 says, " Far be it from the true God to act wickedly, and the Almighty to act unjustly!" 

Actually, God has a loving purpose for humans. That is why Jesus taught us to pray: "Our Father in the heavens, let...your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth." (Matthew 6:9,10) God cares so deeply about us that he has made arrangements to provide ways in order to fulfill his purpose. "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The fact that Jesus has already given his life for us guarantees that soon, all wickedness and sufferings will be gone and that righteous mankind who put faith in God and Jesus will attain eternal life in the new world.

While waiting for the fulfillment of God's purpose, we can make our lives meaningful and satisfying right now, knowing that God cares about us. When we experience adversities or when the wickedness around us becomes too much to bear, this Scripture helps a lot: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;  while you throw all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6,7)

Refreshment for the Weary Ones

"Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down,

and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly 

in heart, and you will find refreshment for your souls.

  

For my yoke is kindly and my load is light.” 

- Matthew 11:28-30

In this modern fast-paced world, where most people must work harder in order to survive, it is not easy to live a stress-free life. More often than not, we find ourselves drained of energy after performing our responsibilities. Our body wears down and our mind becomes too weary to think clearly. Because of physical exhaustion, we cannot do other things that we want to do. We feel frustrated. 

However, the Great Teacher extends to us the invitation above. He bids us to go to him so that we will be refreshed. We need to abide with him under his yoke, which is kindly and light. This means that we must keep following him and observing his Father's commandments which are not burdensome at all to follow. Far from adding more weight to our already existing loads, they give us more benefits in that they help lighten our burdens and refresh our spirits. 

We can only perfectly understand the significance of this invitation and truly experience remarkable refreshment if we hold dear what Jesus says and keep on doing it all our lives.

A Promise of Refreshment

"For he has satisfied 

the dried-out soul;

And the hungry soul he has filled 

with good things."

-Psalm 107:9

Our constant daily struggles can make us weary. Pressures and anxieties lie on our shoulders like heavy loads, gradually sapping us of energy. We want to do other things that we truly enjoy but it may not be possible because of the numerous responsibilities that we should primarily accomplish. 

Added to our endeavors to make a living, we also encounter problems with our fellows which can be discouraging and can drain us of what strength is left in us. Our soul becomes "hungry" and "dried-out", as the Scripture says.

Nevertheless, our loving Father has this promise of saturating or fully satisfying us. He sees to it that we can maintain good spiritual and emotional health which are vital for us to keep our joy amid difficulties. Such godly joy prevents us from losing our power to go on living and succeed in whatever we do.

Again, we can see from this passage that God is interested in our feelings as individuals, and he assures us that he will refresh and satisfy us. But for us to benefit from this loving assurance, we must have full trust in him and run to him for assistance. Only then can we truly feel and understand the import of this promise.

The Book That Makes Us Truly Wise and Successful

"This book of the law should not depart from your mouth, and you must in an undertone read in it day and night, in order that you may take care to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way successful and then you will act wisely." - Joshua 1:8

 

 

In an attempt to find ways to improve their lives and to become successful in their endeavors, some people turn to self-help books that claim to have the best solution that people in general are seeking for. They may spend much time searching for the right one from all the innumerable books that have been published, and much money to purchase them. 

On the other hand, there is a book that can certainly help people of all ages and background. It may be an old book, but all its counsel and guidance are up-to-date. They were written purposely for all seasons and for all generations. Millions who have examined the contents of this book and followed the guidance found therein have experienced a truly successful life and lasting joy that springs from a bright hope that the book highlights. It is the hope of a future life in perfection which the book's own Author promised. 

This great book is none other than God's Word, the Bible. It is a living book in the sense that many of the words penned there can touch the hearts of humans and change their lives for the better. Further, many of the prophecies written there are still undergoing fulfillment, which a serious and diligent researcher can clearly see from the ongoing world events.  The fulfillment of these prophecies keeps flowing to its climax when all the world's problems will be completely removed and a new wonderful world will take place.

Everyone can avail of this book for free. A visit to the following link can lead one to reading this book and other related publications online. Reading this book regularly and meditatively, and applying the words in our lives can surely help us to be wise and successful.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/publications/index.htm

He Will Surely Provide for Our Needs

For those who put God first in their lives,  that is, who make the doing of God's will their priority, there's no cause for worry at all concerning their material needs. The Almighty Father knows all their needs, and He will surely provide for them as long as they keep the Father foremost in their lives. Here is the promise:

“Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added to YOU. So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness." 
- Matthew 6:33,34

The message is clear: If we put spiritual things first, then all our material needs will be added to us. Millions worldwide have experienced the fulfillment of this promise. They are the ones who strive to serve God first, trusting in His promises, and they have never found themselves lacking in their material provisions. 

This doesn't mean, however, that they don't work at all, and just wait for these material things to drop from heaven. They do work hard, and God blesses their efforts so that they can have what they need materially. That's how God adds to their material necessities. So they don't need to worry about the following day, knowing that God will keep providing for them.

Guarding Against Unbridled Rage

 "Be wrathful, and yet do not sin; let the sun not set with YOU in a provoked state,  neither allow place for the Devil." - Ephesians 4:28,27

 It's only natural to be angry, and our anger may be justifiable. But remaining in an angry or wrathful state will only do us harm. Aside from its ill effects on our physical health, it can also put us in a position where the Devil can easily prey on us and induce us to do something evil against our fellows and against God. 

So if we feel that rage is brewing in us, it's best to pray immediately and ask God to help us be "cool of spirit" and have self control so that we can avoid acting in a harmful way. If our rage is caused by some disputes with our fellows, we must settle them peacefully as soon as possible. We should not allow ourselves to remain in a provoked state and be a victim of the Devil's malicious designs to destroy us.

Keep On Asking, And You Will Receive

Some people don't get what they ask for and  can't find what they're seeking for. This is especially true with regards to their pursuits of material things or emotional needs. However, persistence is one good quality in order to get what one truly needs. In the Scripture below, the Son of God tells his listeners,

“Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened."

- Matthew 7:7,8

This inspirational passage has its more profound application for us as regards our relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is to Him that we ask for whatever we need, but we must ask them in the right way. For instance, in order to have the basic material things that we need, we have to ask him for qualities that enable us to work in order to produce our material necessities. We also need to ask for wisdom and endurance to cope with difficult situations. If we feel that we are too weary or weak to care for our responsibilities, it is urgent that we ask for strength to carry them out.

It's not enough to ask just once though. As the Scripture shows, we must keep on asking. This doesn't mean that the Almighty doesn't hear us the first time we ask. Of course, He knows what we need even before we ask Him. But if we keep on asking Him, we demonstrate that we are sincere in our requests and that we rely on Him and trust that he can give us what we ask for. So we need to keep on asking, not doubting at all that He will provide for us, and we will surely receive.

The Way To Invincibility

When we feel that everything is too much for us and that we're too tired to go on and want to give up, the Scripture below can help us re-evaluate our situations, and see that we are not completely down after all.
 

"However, we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the power beyond what is normal may be God’s and not that out of ourselves. We are pressed in every way, but not cramped beyond movement; we are perplexed, but not absolutely with no way out;  we are persecuted, but not left in the lurch; we are thrown down, but not destroyed." 
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

 

Adversities may drive us to the limit of our capacity to cope, but even before we reach that border, we can discover that all is not lost, that it is not actually the end of what we can do. We can feel that we have more power to face all these trials, and that power is being constantly recharged as long as we look to the true Source of such power, the Creator and Sovereign of the Universe. Our power as imperfect humans can diminish, but the power that we get from God keeps building up  as more trials come to attack us.It is this "power beyond what is normal" that can make us INVINCIBLE.