Power Of Love That Never Fails

Key Scripture: 

Power Point:

I've got some REALLY good news for you.  GOD IS LOVE AND LOVE NEVER FAILS. In other words God never fails.

He never fails to love you

He will always love you into wholeness, if you let Him.

His love is evident through His grace and mercy. It is magnified with His peace and the joy in who He believes that we are.  It pulses with His gentleness and is founded on His faithfulness.

Today you have an opportunity to discover more of the depth of HIs love.

You will find it wherever you go and wherever you look.

You will find yourself honored, encouraged, blessed, and rewarded with patient and kind love.

There will not be a moment when you will not be wrapped in His arms of love.

His love never fails.  He never becomes angry because it is not part of His nature.  He is just. He is powerful- but He will never react to you in anger.  He moves in love that never fails to love perfectly.

He will not fail to love you through the worst of times and the best of times.  He will always walk in love, speak the Truth in love, and expect the best of you, in love.

If you've been wondering how God could possibly love you because of the mistakes you've made or the deliberate decisions you’ve made which have pointed you away from Him then turn around. You'll find yourself face to face with grace and mercy. He's waiting to show you unfailing love. His plans for you are still lovingly constructed to bring you peace, abundance, and wholeness in every area of your life.

Turn around and find Him. Eagerly look for Him and reach out to Him.  If you seek Him, you WILL find Him.  And you will find that His love never fails to help, to care, and to set you free from anything that will harm you.

God is love and His love never fails.

Power Thought:

If you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father.  You've seen His love in action. He so loved us that He sent Jesus to us.  What greater expression of love is there than that?

Power Of The Journey

Key Scripture:  “Go in and possess the land." Joshua 1:9

Power Point:

     As a child, I always loved it when we went on a trip somewhere.  My family took very few vacations so when we had the privilege of traveling it was a very big deal. Mom would pack the bags and dad would pack the car and off we would go.  It was fun at the start because everything was new and decidedly different from our normal routine.   Usually though, by the time we had experienced all the "different' we were glad to go home again-back to our own beds and our own comfortable routines where nothing seemed out of the ordinary and you knew what to expect.

      In our spiritual lives we are also on a journey to "somewhere".  God has it all planned out for us and at the beginning we are usually excited.  We've packed up all our promises and good intentions and off we go.  Then things begin to happen that aren't "normal”, or "comfortable".  You’re required to walk where you can't see the next step clearly.  The terrain may be difficult to negotiate. You may stumble and fall. You may find yourself in totally unexpected and frightening places without any way out but God. You gulp and say, "Oh my! I've made a wrong turn.  I must have missed God!"  That is when you have to sit down and remind yourself that you are on a journey with Him and He's in this thing WITH you. You have to stay close to Him so that you know where to put your foot next. You have to know that even though this doesn't look, taste, touch, smell like, or sound like a good place to be, God is definitely working it out to be a good thing for you.

     Beloved, it is the Journey that is key to Him.  He is so intent on setting us free from the barriers of our faith, of teaching us how to respond to what is happening in our lives that

sometimes it seems He has forgotten His promises.  And yet, He is on a journey to make us like Jesus.  He is on a journey to free us of the lies of lack so that we can live in abundance in every area of our lives; abundance of peace, abundance of Joy and the abundance of knowing and understanding His faithfulness to us.  That's why Jesus came, and that's what God intends to do. 

     Unfortunately the journey may look too difficult from our point of view.  Our feet get tired. Our hearts get tired.  Our spirits begin to flag; in fact we often want to wave the flag of surrender!  Instead of responding with joy, we respond with fear. Instead of responding with faith we respond with doubt and anxiety-and hopelessness.

     If you find yourself on that part of your journey with Him today it's time to take a rest stop and unpack those promises. They are His gifts to us wrapped in the goodness of His nature.  It's time to remember that He is deliberately moving you into position to enjoy the rest of your journey. This is the time when you make sure that your thoughts are captivated by the unlimited potential of His presence with you.  This is the time when praise and thanksgiving are the first and last things out of your mouth.  This is the time when you persevere even though the giants seem very large and numerous. 

     This is where you get to choose to trust Him to bring you through and bring you out.  He's promised to finish your journey with a flourish.  He's promised to complete every single thing that concerns you and is concerning you right now. 

  The faith life is like a giant heavenly chess game. God has already made the first move and now it’s your turn. The moment you take your first move and step out in faith, He makes HIS move. And then it’s YOUR turn. And then it’s HIS turn.  And then...

     So Beloved, is it your move?

Power Thought:

When we move in faith, in response to Who God is, God moves in response to that leap of faith to bless us. 

If we don't make the next move, He has nothing to respond to.       

Copyright © 2015, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power Of The Greater Truth

Key Scripture:  "It is written..." Luke 4:8-12

Power Point:

      Anytime you're in a skirmish with the devil, you're going to have to listen to him tell you things that aren't true.  Actually his best ploy is to come as an "angel of light", speaking near truths.  Another great tactic that he has is that he will present you with absolute facts that may be true but they don't stand up under the power and provision of the Word of God.

     Jesus gave us a perfect example of how to respond when the devil shows up unannounced.  Because He WAS the living Word, He knew what it said. It was such an intimate part of who He was that He was very adept at using that "sword" against the enemy.

     It occurred to me recently that sometimes when we receive a "BAD report", the facts may be absolutely true, yet there is still a greater truth.

     Suppose you've received a bad report on your finances. The facts are there in black and white but those are the bare facts of that we can see and hear in our natural minds and bodies.

What is the greater Truth?

God promises that you will not lack any good thing.  (Psalm 84, Psalm 23)

He promises that as you give generously to others, you will come to a place where you will need no financial support regardless of your circumstances.  (2 Corinthians 9:8)

     Suppose the devil tells you that you'll never win this particular battle. It certainly looks there's no way out of that addiction or that stress, or that illness.

What is the greater Truth?

God says you are an overcomer.  He says all things are possible with Him.

He says that He will absolutely help you and rescue you and no weapon formed against you shall prosper.

      Are you aware that God considers His truths to be FACTS?  Isn't that an astounding thought?  You see God has this strange idea that what HE has said is the bottom line. You may add up your figures and come to a conclusion, but it's what God says about them that really add up to Truth. He always has a greater Truth than the devil.

     Beloved those giants are going DOWN.  Those "facts" that are robbing you of your peace and joy are about to be swallowed up in God's glorious promises to you.  There is a greater truth  than what you are experiencing right now. There is always a greater truth than the facts that the devil whispers in your ear or your circumstances are screaming at you!  The only weapon that Jesus used against him was the sword that shone with a Greater Truth.  Jesus never looked at the facts.  He was deeply aware of the Truth.

Power Thought:

Whose truth are you going to believe?

What is written on your heart?

Copyright © 2015,Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power Of Risk

Key Scripture:  "By faith, Abraham went out...not knowing where he was going."  Hebrews 11:8

Power Point:

     I'm not big on taking risks.  It's just too risky!  Risk is defined as exposing yourself to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance. I can usually dream up a thousand excuses why I should NOT take risks.  It's just not logical!

     The thing is Beloved, faith is always a risk. Walking in faith always involves walking where you can't see the next step even if you know God promises you that it's there. You have to ignore the flashing red lights that say, "DANGER! Do NOT Enter!"  or the sign that alerts you to the fact that you are about to enter a Mine Field.  You have to shut your ears to all the negative words people will say to you about how you need to come back to a safe place or tell you are crazy to trust God in this place.  The walk of faith will always involve the risk of you allowing God to change what you really believe into the glorious Truth that will set you free. The challenge to your comfort zone is what allows your faith to grow.

     You've probably heard the old story of the acrobat crossing over Niagara Falls.  He makes the journey and then makes a second trip across pushing a wheelbarrow.  People were very impressed.  He tells a reporter that he is now going back over and asks him if he believes he can do it, and would he like to go along for the ride. The reporter replied, "Yes, I believe you can do it.  I just don't trust you enough to get in the wheelbarrow."

    "Believing that God CAN do something is different from trusting Him to do it.  Trust gets into the wheelbarrow; it is an action that commits us to risk.  And because its an

action, it can only be done in the present.  It's easy to think we're trusting God when we apply what He says only to the past or the future. But it's only in the present moment that we can truly trust God. And God, like the acrobat, keeps inviting us beyond the passive watching of what He can do and into joining Him in what He is doing.

"This persistent call exposes our lack of trust and brings us to the point of decision."

(Stephen De Silva, “Money And The Prosperous Soul”)

     God has made His move.  He's perfectly capable of walking across the tightrope of your life experiences right now.  He's done it before and He'll do it again. Today He's inviting you to jump in the wheelbarrow and He'll take you safely to the other side.  Are you willing to take the risk to take the action required to join Him?

It's your move Beloved.  And you have to make the next move before He can and will make His next move.

     The disciples had to get into the boat.  Abraham had to take his son to Mount Mariah.

David had to collect the stones.  Lazarus had to take that first step out of the grave.

Jesus had to make a total commitment in Gethsemane and then walk it out.

Now it's your turn.  Are you ready to take a risk on God?  Is it your move?   

“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for.  It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen…Through faith’s power they conquered kingdoms and established true justice. Their faith fastened on to their promises and pulled them into reality.  It was faith that shut the mouths of lions, put out the power of raging fire, and caused many to escape certain death by sword.  In their weakness their faith imparted power to make them strong! Faith sparked courage within them and they became mighty warriors in battle, pulling armies from another realm into battle array.”  Hebrews 11, TPT

Power Thought:

"Forgotten destinies litter the landscape like carcasses.  We redefine ourselves according to our catastrophes. "I am the divorcee, the addict,the bankrupt businessperson, the kid with the disability, or the man with the scar.

 We settle for a small destiny...determine not to make that mistake."

  Max Lucado, "You'll Get Through This!"

Copyright © 2015, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power Of Knowing Who He Is

Key Scripture:  "Peter, who do you say that I am?"   Matthew 16:15

Power Point:

Jesus has a question that He always asks His "friends".  He needs them to realize who He really is to them.  I think He always does that immediately after He tells them who He is!  Then test of believing that quickly follows and Jesus looks us calmly in the eye and says, "Okay sweetheart, now who do you think that I am?  Who do you think I want to be for you in this situation?  What part of My character am I most longing to reveal to you here? What do you believe about who I have said that I am?"

     Almost always, as far as I can remember there is a pattern to my growing in faith.  I will find a promise from God about a certain situation and since I haven't really experienced the need for that promise yet, I take it as a "nice" word and tell my friends, who I am sure need it more than I do.  Then, following the promise, comes the Test of the Promise.  Whatever God has said, and Who I know Him to be will be tested, usually by the exact opposite thing happening in my life.  For example, I may have a promise that says "I will have NO lack. God provides all my needs."  I like that one. It sounds really good when you read it. Usually the next thing that happens is that I have a grand opportunity to experience LACK in some area.  Vaguely, I remember the promise from a few months ago, and begin to realize that it is exactly what I need to be thinking about and reminding God of right now.

     Usually the lack gets larger.  I copy my promise down and paste it on my bathroom mirror.  I listen to sermons on Lack.  They are lackluster.  I may be encouraged for the moment but when the lack continues, I tend to figure out my own solutions.  Ever been there?

     At some point the Holy Spirit will come alongside and begin to show me new things about Jesus-relating to the promise.  That's when Jesus Himself, shows up and asks that intriguing question:  "Who do You say that I am?" 

     When I began the journey TWO years ago to sell my house and buy a new one, I asked Jesus who He wanted to be for me in this situation?  He said, "PEACE!"  Lovely!  It sounded really good!  I had no idea how much I would need Him to be my peace during this process.  Today, another glitch popped up.  I heard Him say, "Suzanne, who do you say that I am?"  What?  Oh I remember now-PEACE!

     When I thank Him and think on His promises, His peace does come.  Usually it makes no sense because there is nothing that can bring me peace outwardly.  But when I abide in who He wants to be for me, it's simply there.  And when I am in His peace, I can hear Holy Spirit reveal to me secrets and plans and the hope that He has for me, if I know who He is.

     I've heard someone say, If Jesus is Lord, then HE is Lord over all your circumstances. That gives me peace. How about you?

Power Thought:

Who do YOU say that He is?

Copyright © 2015, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work