I can understand why someone might feel this life is a

sentence, but no--it's a trial--a test.1 Peter 4: 12. Bad things

do happen to good people." There is no reincarnation. We are

placed in the world and we have once chance to attain unto

the treasure of being in heaven forever with our Loving,

heavenly Father. It is appointed unto man once to die and

after that the judgment." Hebrews 9:27."

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers

him out of them all." Psalm 34:19. God will deliver you or any

of His own who trust in Him. We need to cry out in our

affliction and He will answer us and deliver us. " The Lord is

near to all who call upon Him; to those who call upon Him in

truth. Psalm 145: 18. If we praise Him in our trouble [ which is

hard sometimes, I know ] He will fill us with His holy Presence

and give us victory. Read 2 Chronicles 1- 30.
It tells of when King Jehoshaphat was faced with a great army of

opposition, but God delivered Him and His people as they

praised God in the battle. God will fight the enemy for you, as

you praise Him in this battle. There are many lessons to be

learned from the bible. This is a very important one for us to

know.

Psalm 22:3. Trust in the Lord and He will give you His presence
and His protection and victory. Psalm 125 :1-2.
" Those who trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which

can not be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains

surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people."

We are in a spiritual battle and "the weapons of our warfare

are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of

strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10: 4." Casting down vain

imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against

the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into the

captivity to the obedience of Christ." The enemy attacks our

lives through troubles and throws fiery darts at our minds, to

try to get us to lose our faith. We must renew our minds with

God's word everyday, by meditating and praying and reading

God's word. Ephesians 4: 23. As you wait upon the Lord, He will

strengthen you for the battles you face and give you victory.

Isaiah 40: 31." Those who wait upon the lord shall renew their

strength. They mount up with strength like eagles. They will

run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint." Waiting on

the Lord is waiting on Him in prayer and that means waiting

for His presence in silent prayer sometimes, and listening for

His voice. It means worshiping Him to minister to HIM, because

He is worthy. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you forget all your

troubles and cares and to enable you to just focus on the Lord

and adore and praise and worship Him. Talk to and fellowship

with the Holy Spirit. He is your comforter and His presence is

too ignored among Christians. That's why most Christians are

powerless and empty and unfulfilled. Do you ever look at

someone who claims to be Spirit filled and who is selfish and

acts just like the world or maybe even worse? Well they are

empty, because unless we get filled and renewed EVERY DAY,
we will not be anointed and be enabled to live a holy life that

pleases God. Unless we surrender to God each day in prayer

and scripture reading and fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we

will be leaking vessels... and not the anointed vessels of honor

that we should be.
Read Romans 12 :1-2." I beseech you, therefore, brothers and

sisters, by the tender-mercies of God, to present your bodies to

the Lord, as holy and living sacrifices, which is your reasonable

service. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by

the renewing of your mind, that you prove what is the good,

perfect and acceptable will of God." It is an everyday thing to

be holy; not just a Sunday thing that lasts for an hour or two

once a week. We must live our faith in Christ, each day of our

lives. We are in a battle that is invisible to the human eye.
It is a spiritual battle. Behind every bad thing, there is an evil

power. I truly believe this. I have had a great deal of troubles

and opposition in my life. The enemy opposes the most those

who love God and who could pose a threat to his kingdom. We

must use our spiritual weapons and be clothed with our

spiritual armor to win...Read Ephesians- the whole book. You

must know how much God loves you and who you are in Christ

to win and have victory in this battle. Whenever you read God's

word, begin by asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten you and give

you revelation and wisdom to understand what you are

reading. Ask Him for the grace to hear His voice. Then, listen.

Keep a prayer journal. You might consider a dialogue journal.

That's where you pray for at least one half hour and meditate

on scripture, asking for the graces you need, and for the grace

to hear Him speak to you. You may find Him speaking in more

than one way. It might come in your scripture meditation, or

in a dream. The scriptures may just stand out that He is using

to speak to you with... Or, His voice may come to you as a

still, small voice. God wants to bless you with His presence

more than you want to be blessed. Don't let pain and troubles

rob you of your blessings. Press forward to mark of the prize

of the high calling in Christ Jesus, your Lord and Savior! Read

Philippians 3: 12-14.

God loves you very much! Jeremiah 31:3 Ask Him to reveal His

heart to you. He will! Jeremiah 33: 3. He loves you with an

everlasting love!
" The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the

communion of the Holy Spirit be with You all. Amen."
2 Corinthians 13: 14. Stay in Communion with the Holy Spirit.
Stay in God's sacred word and allow Him to live out His holy

life and love in and through you. Thus, you will grow in

holiness and into a perfect union with Jesus Christ.

As you yield daily to God and grow into union with Jesus, you

will someday come to the point that saint Paul came to when

he said," I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,

but Christ Who lives in me...and the life I now live, I live by

faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for

me." Galatians 2: 20. This is how we " die to self " so that

Jesus can live His holiness and love in and through us. This is

how we win over evil and become over-comers and ' Christ

Bearers' in this world. We also, " overcome by the blood of the

Lamb and by the word of our testimony, and by not loving our

lives, even unto the death. " Revelation 12: 11. " For whoever is

born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory
that overcomes the world; even our faith." 1 John 5: 4. We
read also, " Who is he who overcomes this world, but he who

believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God..? 1 John 5: 5.

There is a great reward coming to us, if we are faithful.
" ..to those who overcome, I will give to eat of the tree of life,

which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Revelation 2: 7.
" ..If you are faithful unto death, I will give you the crown of

life." Revelation 2: 10. This life is fleeting. It's passing away.

Set your mind on things above, where God is...not on the

corrupted things of the world, which are quickly passing away.
Al this world has to offer will leave you empty inside.

Pursue God with your whole heart." Without faith, it is

impossible to please God, for He is a rewarder of those who

diligently seek Him. Read Hebrews 11: 6.

" Cast not away your confidence, which has great recompense

of reward. You have need of patience, so that, after you have

done the will of God, you many receive the promise." Hebrews

10: 35-36.



.