October 27 / What to Do When You’re Goin’ Through

GOD Morning!

October 27 / What to Do When You’re Goin’ Through

 

2 Timothy 1 (Amplified Bible)

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

² To Timothy, [my] beloved child: Grace (favor and spiritual blessing), mercy, and [heart] peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

³ I thank God Whom I worship with a pure conscience, in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers,

⁴ And when, as I recall your tears, I yearn to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

⁵ I am calling up memories of your sincere and unqualified faith (the leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), [a faith] that first lived permanently in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am [fully] persuaded, [dwells] in you also.

What to do when you’re goin’ through:

1. Lean your ENTIRE personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness.

⁶ That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

2. Rekindle the embers of the fire that's in you! Fan the flame and keep your fire burning! How?

     a. Intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Be real with Him. Don’t hold anything back even if it is embarrassing to you. He created you. He knows you better than you know yourself.

     b. Clean out your heart many times every day. When you feel annoyed, sad, fearful, angry, disappointed, etc, give it to Jesus.

     c. Pray the word. It’s medicine to your heart. If you’re fearful, for example, do a word study on fear or faith. And pray scripture. God honors His word.

     d. Spend more time than usual with Jesus. When you are tempted to escape into a book or a movie, hang with your Best Friend instead.
     
     e. Sometimes you don't have any words. Simply pray the abc's of God's attributes. I have done this many times. This action centers my raging thoughts. Add your own descriptive words!

Abundant. Active. Addressing. Adequate. Alive. Amazing. Astounding. Beautiful. Beneficial. Breathing. Caring. Celebrated. Cleansing. Comforting. Compassionate. Confiding. Consigning. Consuming. Courageous. Creating. Creative. Credited. Decent. Delivering. Destroying. Discerning. Distinctive. Eminent. Empowering. Excellent! Extraordinary. Famous. Forgiving. Freeing. Friendly. Fulfilling. Glorified. Good. Healing. Helpful. Historical. Holy. Honorable. Honored. Immune. Incorruptible. Infallible. Inspiring. Kind. Legitimate. Liberating. Living. Loved. Loving. Mighty. Miraculous. Modest. Moral. Moving. Needed. Overwhelming. Perfect. Powerful. Praised. Preserving. Privileged. Producing. Productive. Prominent. Protected. Protective. Proven. Providing. Pure. Purifying. Real. Reliable. Remarkable. Renowned. Reproving. Reputable. Requested. Required. Responsive. Restoring. Rich. Righteous. Safe. Served. Sharing. Smiting. Sought. Supernatural. Teaching. Training. Trustworthy. Unfailable. Victorious. Wholesome. Worshipped.

⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

3. Cling to verse 7. Embrace verse 7. Memorize verse 7. Personalize verse 7. “I have power, love, a calm and well balanced mind, discipline, and self control. In Jesus’ name it is done!”

⁸ Do not blush or be ashamed then, to testify to and for our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for His sake, but [with me] take your share of the suffering [to which the preaching] of the Gospel [may expose you, and do it] in the power of God.

4. Talk about Jesus and what He has done for you! This is one of the most encouraging tips! Many times I have encouraged myself as I was telling my story.

⁹ [For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago].

5. Just know that he has called each of us. In spite of the fact that You and I have messed up. A lot! But His Grace was around long before the world began! Imagine that! His amazing Grace never quits, never gives up and never gets discouraged. 

¹⁰ [It is that purpose and grace] which He now has made known and has fully disclosed and made real [to us] through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who annulled death and made it of no effect and brought life and immortality (immunity from eternal death) to light through the Gospel.

¹¹ For [the proclaiming of] this [Gospel] I was appointed a herald (preacher) and an apostle (special messenger) and a teacher of the Gentiles.

¹² And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which I have committed [to Him] until that day.

6. He’s got you!!! He’s able!!! Suffering won’t kill you even though sometimes you think death would be a blessed relief… Just hang on. You are NOT alone!

¹³ Hold fast and follow the pattern of wholesome and sound teaching which you have heard from me, in [all] the faith and love which are [for us] in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ Guard and keep [with the greatest care] the precious and excellently adapted [Truth] which has been entrusted [to you], by the [help of the] Holy Spirit Who makes His home in us.

7. Hold fast to your teaching! Don't waver from the Truth that you have been taught from God's word! In the midst of your suffering.

¹⁵ You already know that all who are in Asia turned away and forsook me, Phygelus and Hermogenes among them.

¹⁶ May the Lord grant [His] mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, for he often showed me kindness and ministered to my needs [comforting and reviving and bracing me like fresh air]! He was not ashamed of my chains and imprisonment [for Christ’s sake].

¹⁷ No, rather when he reached Rome, he searched diligently and eagerly for me and found me.

¹⁸ May the Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord on that [great] day! And you know how many things he did for me and what a help he was at Ephesus [you know better than I can tell you].

8. God will send someone into your life who will be like a breath of fresh air!

“Dear Jesus, please comfort someone right now. Someone is suffering. And lonely. And fearful. Please wrap Your arms around her once again. Please encourage her with these words today. Thank You ahead of time! You are awesome. You are strong enough to get her through this. In Your precious name, the Name above all names, Jesus. AMEN.”