Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper.(Psalm 108:28-29)
Without a doubt, the immense struggles of these ending days can weigh your spirit down. Scripture assures believers that we are not alone in our problems nor are we ever without help. Although you may want to believe this promise, there are troubles that can leave you feeling totally helpless and defeated. The raging storms of life brings many questions: Where do you turn when you have just been given a diagnosis that your illness is terminal? What do you do when your spouse leaves you for someone else? How do you continue to support yourself and your family now that your job has been terminated? How do you break free from an addiction that is keeping you in bondage? Our trials are getting more difficult. It is one thing to trust God to get you to the Red Sea. It is quite another to believe that he will part the waters and bring you safely across.
We are in a time when our faith is being tested to the limit. The truth is that even though the storms are getting fiercer, we serve a God who remains the same. His power to save and restore our lives has not changed. Nothing can defeat a child of God for whom Christ has redeemed!
If you are facing serious medical issue, I pray you will understand that this message is for you. Your fear and uncertainty is before the eyes of God and he is with you. It doesn’t matter what diagnosis your doctor gave you. The only one who knows what is going to happen to you is God. It was he who has numbered your days before one of them came to be. Our God has the power over all sickness and disease. He doesn’t care what stage your cancer is in. He can heal a stage 4 as easily as a stage 1. The only fact that matters is that his perfect will for you cannot be stopped by bad medical report! God has planned what is best for you in this life and he will not deny you anything good. If he chooses to heal you now, his power can completely cast out all traces of illness and restore you to health. But yet, whenever the time comes for you to leave this earth, you can take comfort knowing that even then the love of God will be with you. It is my belief that those who belong to Christ will never die scared. In chapter 7 of the book of Acts, we read about the faith of Stephen. He was willing to be put to death for Christ. As they were getting ready to kill him, Stephen shouted with joy, “Look”, he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God!” At those words, the angry crowd stoned him to death. What is amazing is that Stephen saw Christ standing at the right hand of God. All through the bible, Jesus is always seated at the right hand of God – so why then was he standing? I believe with all of my heart that Christ stood ready to greet Stephen as he came to his eternal home. Christ, the Son of the living God, is ready to meet with you when you leave this earth! He will be faithful to you to the end. When you are absent from the body, you are present with him! You have nothing to fear from death. God hears your prayers for family and loved ones and he can take care of them.
In any trouble, God is still sovereign. His authority defeats impossible situations Your serious financial problems cannot destroy you unless you believe that God is not enough. Whether you have plenty or are in need, he is working all things out for the purpose for which he created you. It is difficult to remain calm when you may be losing everything you own, but you must learn to trust that God is able to restore all that was taken and more. Everything on this earth and in the heavens is his to give! King David wrote in Psalm 37:25, ” I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous begging for bread,” God knows how to give you what you need if you will just believe and wait upon him!
You may suffer for while when your heart is broken by a betrayal in a marriage or relationship, but God is able to heal your heart and renew the future of all who trust in him. Your pain cannot crush you when Christ holds your heart. Believe the truth and not what your emotions tell you. There will come a time when your pain will be just a memory and a remembrance of how God was faithful to bring you through it.
My prayer for those who are shackled to deadly addictions is that you will reach for the hand of Jesus who is willing to pull you from the mire and set you on high ground! There is no bondage that the cross of Christ cannot release you from. You do not have to live as a slave to destruction if you are willing to surrender your weakness to gain Christ’ strength! Jesus paid the price for your freedom. It is yours for the asking.
In all things, God is more than able to give you the victory. He is the Author and Finisher of all life. There is nothing out of his control. Whatever you are facing, remember that Christ came to give you life. Let not your heart be troubled by the cares of this world for the love of God will never fail you!
I will be praying deeply for all those who are in pain and need to understand the truth of this message.
39 comments
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March 15, 2011 at 10:18 am
Diana
Absolutely beautiful! I will keep this and do my very best to read it each and every day. It’s a powerful thing to walk with God daily…sometimes I forget this but posts like this from people like you Marianne are a great reminder.
Thank you for posting!
March 15, 2011 at 10:53 am
Marianne Lordi
Thank you for your comment, Diana. I truly appreciate your visit. My prayers are with you still!
March 15, 2011 at 11:12 am
Carol Ann Hoel
Well said, Marianne. Jesus is enough. He is all we need to make it through the fiery trials of this life. Blessings to you…
March 15, 2011 at 11:40 am
Marianne Lordi
Thanks Carol, and bless you also in the work that you do! Jesus is enough!
March 15, 2011 at 11:43 am
Pat
Hello Marianne
I was just thinking about you yesterday and up pops these very needed an encouraging words this afternoon,very good I mean God gave it to you goood!! We all need to really encourage each other and even more because of the hour. Satan desires to sift us as wheat but praise he cannot defeat us because of our “Living All Powerful Saviour”!!! Yes there is much hope because Jesus is for us and not against us Amen. Marianne I am well blessed every time I come to your place and I do so appreciate and love you 😀 😀
March 15, 2011 at 11:50 am
Marianne Lordi
Greetings Pat, I am always blessed when you show up! What you just said is the crux of this message: “Jesus is for us and not against us!” Because Christ is for us, all his power and might is with us to bring us to victory in every battle. If we could only realize the truth in that statement we would never falter or grow faint when storms hit us.
God bless you, Pat, for the work you do for the kingdom and for your faithfulness to share Christ.
March 15, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Pat
Amen,Thanks and God bless you.
Love ya 😀
March 15, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Linden
How beautiful…and how true. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Thanks for sharing and encouraging us, my friend! Grace to you!
March 15, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you for stopping by, Linden, and for the word of truth you always bring. God bless you, dear friend!
March 15, 2011 at 9:34 pm
concernedx2
So very well said Marianne. There can be no doubt that we are living in the most trying times that the world has ever known. People of God are suffering on every side even as you have said. There is no doubt that the devil is on a rampage, but we must never forget that it is the savageness of his onslaught that will be his undoing. The very greatest testimony belongs to the one who God has delivered from the harshest trial. Show me a Christian in the furnace of affliction and I will show you a spiritual giant in the making. Revelation 12; 10-11 tells us : “AND I HEARD A LOUD VOICE SAYING IN HEAVEN, NOW IS COME SALVATION, AND STRENGTH, AND THE KINGDOM OF OUR GOD, AND THE POWER OF HIS CHRIST: FOR THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN IS CAST DOWN, WHICH ACCUSED THEM BEFORE OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT.
AND THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY; AND THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH.”
Marianne and all; from out of the trials that believers are now suffering shall emerge the soldiers of faith that Satan cannot stand before. THAT IS THE WORD OF GOD!
March 15, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you so much, Rev. York, for your kind words of encouragement. I found what you said to be very comforting. I hope all will read your message because it is powerful. I am going to write down your statement, “Show me a Christian in the furnace of affliction and I will show you a spiritual giant in the making.” How very true that is! All that seek to be used by our Lord must endure affliction. It is the testing and the trials that prove us to be true sons and daughters of the King! Satan himself knows that our trials and pain cannot destroy us but can only be used to empower our faith. A faith that will one day bring us into glory for eternity! What a wonderful thought!
It is a blessing to have friends like you! Thank you again.
March 16, 2011 at 6:23 am
Mike
I like the Rev. 12 quote. We do have an enemy and we overcome him – we are overcoming him – even by the word of our written testimony here. I was thinking of one of my favorite quotes as I got into your post; when I saw the Rev 12 quote, it seemed even more fitting.
Hudson Taylor once said, “God does not give us overcoming lives. He gives life to those who overcome.”
Your post is very true, but the sad thing is that so many won’t experience it because they are waiting on God to give it to them. Occasionally He does, but I am realizing in more cases than not, He is waiting on us to take hold of it. It is there for all who will.
March 16, 2011 at 11:11 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Mike, Thanks for the visit and for adding the extra insight into my message. I like the Hudson Taylor quote. I also think that too many people are not exercising their faith to experience the peace God has for them no matter what struggle they face.
I visited your blog and I truly love your honest approach in your messages. God bless you and keep up the kingdom work!
March 16, 2011 at 3:54 pm
fragmentz
Hi Marianne.
thank you for taking the time to drop by my blog, and to comment.
so very appreciative. i am always so humbled by the fact that people do read what i have to say, and also take time to respond/engage with me.
look forwards to reading through your blog some more and being in touch a bit.
take care
Fragmentz.
March 16, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Joe
“It is one thing to trust God to get you to the Red Sea. It is quite another to believe that he will part the waters and bring you safely across.”
This is so true Marianne. We really find out how strong our faith is when we are tested in this way. I was reading Mark 9 yesterday and can identify with the boy’s father who said “I believe, help my unbelief!” Isn’t this our daily struggle?
That’s a great insight about Acts 7 and Stephen. I had never thought of that before!
Thanks for sharing this today. The events of the last few months and years really make we wonder if we’re entering the final stage of the last days. “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
Blessings to you Marianne!
March 16, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Joe, So glad to hear from you! I always appreciate your imput.
I believe what you just said about the current events signalling the last days. The intensity of all the signs is increasing and it cannot be dismissed as things that just happen. Our Lord is coming for us, Joe. Even though there are times when we can falter in our faith, God knows that at the core of our heart, we trust him. He has done too much for us to ever start doubting now.
Bless you, my friend. I keep you always in prayer.
March 16, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Fragmentz, So glad you stopped by. I hope you will read some of the messages I have here. For all you have been through in your life, I am praying that God will give you a word of hope to help you in your healing. God bless you, dear friend!
March 17, 2011 at 8:38 am
margaret
How blessed I am to have Marianne for my sister. I made her work so hard for me to accept the message. But with all the grief …..she never gave up on me….. and for that I am so grateful.
March 17, 2011 at 8:42 am
Marianne Lordi
And how blessed am I that we are sisters, Peggy! I could not have asked God for a kinder or more loving and compassionate sister than you! All the struggles we had growing up were just used by God to make us as close as we are!
March 21, 2011 at 3:40 pm
absolutegrace
Thank you, Marianne! This message really met me at my need today. I tend to define the boundaries of God’s possibilities…instead of letting Him define it! Instead of trusting…the common thread of our posts 🙂
Keep writing! You’re a blessing!!
March 21, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Linda, I am glad that God reached you with this message. I am so much like you as I also tend to set boundries for a limitless God! Go figure! But I am learning to trust him in all things. The valley experiences have as much the power of God as does the mountain top experiences. They both are molding and shaping us for the royal plan we will have in heaven.
I really enjoy your blog posts, Linda, and I thank God that you heeded his call to write so well of the hope that we have in him.
March 23, 2011 at 5:15 pm
charles woodruff
I appreciate these good insights so much, Marianne. In these perilous times we need to focus on Christ, and not trivialities. Many have the feeling that as we get older in Christ, things get easier. Ain’t necessarily so. We have battles, because if we are walking with God, we are so different from this world. Very misunderstood, but we must go on Pray for me ( as I know you always do), I am in a trial just now. God bless you, Charles
March 23, 2011 at 5:51 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Charles, We are set apart from the rest of the world and sometimes that makes us a target of the enemy. I don’t feel things getting easier as I get older, just the opposite. But one thing I do know and that is that my God is with me in every struggle I face. As the world gets darker, the light of Christ just burns brighter.
I pray for you every single night, Charles. You are such an annointed teacher and I will pray for God to get you safely through your current trial. I am with you, dear friend.
March 23, 2011 at 10:04 pm
concernedx2
I don’t usually come back and make a reply, although I do return to see what others have to add to these posts. There just seems to be a lot of people going through a lot of troubles these days. If it is the hand of God that be against us, that’s one thing; if it be the hand of a godless society against us, that is quite another thing. Christians have always suffered without cause. That doesn’t separate us from being a child of God but if we examine ourselves and find that we are walking upright before God, the trials we suffer mark us as being one of his. Psalms 37; 37 tells us to “MARK THE PERFECT MAN, AND BEHOLD THE UPRIGHT: FOR THE END OF THAT MAN IS PEACE.” We’re not at the end of our road yet; we’re only somewheres along the way in our journey. Peace will come, and that peace will never end.
March 23, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Marianne Lordi
I am glad you came back with your words of encouragement, Rev. York. I really needed to hear that truth again. The struggles we are facing as believers is working out such a divine purpose in the kingdom of God. We need eyes that could see beyond what is seen to the spiritual realm where all of our troubles are being turned to use for our greater good! Since we can’t see the invisible, we must see with faith that knows that God is as good as his word! I truly await for that glorious peace that never will end. I thank you for always helping me to focus on what is true and on only those things which matter.
March 31, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Ken
Thank you Marianne for this post. There are two people in my life who went home to be with the Lord this month and a third who most likely will. Life can be hard, but God is good and He is with us doing a work in us during these trials.
God bless you,
Ken
March 31, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Marianne Lordi
Glad to see you here, Ken! If anyone knows that death has been swallowed up through Christ, it is you. You have faced your dear wife’s death and had to go on trusting but not understanding. This world is filled with uncertainty, but believers know without doubt that we shall be co-heirs with Christ in a kingdom that will never end. Our trials are working out a divine pupose in God’s plan for us. That is the reason we can take joy despite any storms we face.
My prayers are with you, Ken. I have been praying for your job situation. I hope that is coming along.
April 17, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Ken
Thank you Marianne for your prayers. I appreciate them very much.
I pray the Lord bless you and continue to use your blog to bless many other.
April 17, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you, Ken. You are someone that I will keep in prayers and hope that God conitnues to annoint you and your writing.
October 31, 2011 at 12:45 pm
jackeline
Tremendous message
October 31, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you, my friend. Please stop back. I pray God’s blessings on you.
December 14, 2011 at 8:44 am
Minister Aiken
Hi Marianne.
I hope and pray that all is well with you.
JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!
GOD BLESS AND DO TELL THE LORD THANK YOU!
DEBRA
December 14, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you Debra. Jesus IS the reason for the season for he is the HOPE that has come to save a perishing world. God bless you, dear friend. You always present the truth of God without compromise. You are a blessing!
March 23, 2012 at 5:22 am
Nombi
Hi Marriane. Thank you for this message. I believe I am healed from HIV/AID. I was diagnosed in 2004 and started ARV’s in 2007. Last year, in November I prayed to God that I want to stop taking them and if He could let me live I will tell the world about His power, His power to make things that are impossible possible. I have never been sick ever since I stopped the treatment, they say you die if you stop. I am planning a talk about this on the 22 of December at the place where I was born. I need prayers in this please Marriane. I know that God has been talking to me through this message and I thank Him that I came accross this site. Thank you
March 23, 2012 at 7:43 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Nombi, I will for sure be praying for you and that God guides you to make the right decisions. I pray for you to have wisdom in this matter. My friend, be sure that you check with your doctor with any decision you make. Most of the time, God uses doctors as his means to heal us. I will be praying for you to be healed and restored to wholeness. God bless you!
March 26, 2012 at 5:41 am
Nombi
Thank you Marriane. God Bless
May 28, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Robyn muncie
Thank you for this message.
October 23, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Tonya
Thank you for the message. I am going through a transition in my life now, from a job to a career change; particularily an insurance business. There is a learning curve to get pass and this will be my primary source of income. Please pray that I can do all things that Christ inables me to do in this new business and be successful; helping many families and having great favor. I love helping others and believe that God has called me into this challenging career. Thanks in advance.
October 24, 2012 at 10:57 am
Marianne Lordi
Tonya, the bible tells us to surrender all that we have to Christ and he will make our plans succeed. Wherever he is leading you, he will make it happen. I will be praying for you to keep your eyes on him and to be guided by his hand. He will take care of everything else. God bless you, sister.