Last year, I listened to a sermon that changed the way I respond to my challenges. Usually, our first response is to share our distress with our family or friends, asking for help and emotional support.
But the pastor stated, “Go to God first, pray, ask for His help, and also ask for the strength to endure the hardship. Asking God builds our faith and trust in Him, and gives God the opportunity to use His supernatural power to give us a miraculous outcome, bringing glory and honor to His Holy Name.”
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
Nothing is a surprise to God, who knows every trial and adversity we will face. Yes, God already knows exactly what we need; but God is not intrusive, He waits for us to use our faith to ask Him for help
God’s Promise: “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24, NLT).
Last Thursday, I faced a dilemma and immediately prayed for God’s help. On Monday, God answered my prayer by blessing me with more than I asked for. I am so thankful that I obeyed the pastor’s advice and did not tell anyone about my situation.
My prayer: Lord God, nothing comes as a surprise to You. You know the situation that I am facing and You also know that I can do nothing to resolve it. Lord, I need your help, and Your guidance, so I will know what You want me to do. Thank You for helping me. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.”
King Jehosaphat’s Prayer: 2 Chronicles 20
When King Jehosaphat faced three enemy armies, he knew that it was impossible for them to win; yet, the words of his prayer teach us how to approach our Loving and Powerful God, who cares about every detail of Our lives.
“Our God…For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12, NIV).
King David proclaimed: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry; The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:8, 15, 17, NIV). Amen!
For every challenge, if we use our faith to believe that God will answer our prayers, the Holy Spirit will comfort, strengthen, and give us courage as we wait for God’s Divine Intervention.
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14).
Lord God, we thank You for reminding us that You care about every aspect of our lives. And if we ask You for help, and believe that You will help us then You will give us the perfect solution and a victorious outcome. Lord, we thank You for Your unconditional love and ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
We use our faith to believe that God is who He says He is: Loving and Omnipotent [All-Powerful], and YAHWEH Yireh [Our Provider]. Trusting God is easy when we are confident that He loves us and desires the best for our lives.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
Unbelieving Believers: Believing only that God exists in Heaven happens when we redirect our faith and trust from God to ourselves. Sadly, many feel unloved by God because they trust their limited abilities to resolve life’s challenges.
When we doubt God’s Love, Power, and Promises, we place ourselves on the same spiritual status as unbelievers, who consistently play The Game of Chance with their lives, always experiencing consequences, and never having peace.
Although God created us to depend totally on His thoughts, plans, and help, He never forces us to love, obey, and trust Him. We are free to choose the course of our lives and whether or not we desire Eternal Life.
Self-Reliance Is The Weed that Produces Discouragement and Consequences
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26, ESV). Wisdom is a blessing that only comes from obeying God.
Ouch! Although God’s words sound harsh, because we have placed our thoughts above God’s higher thoughts and ways [Isaiah 55:8-9], we need a spiritual reality check to come to our senses.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV).
God is not punitive. Satan is the evil one who brings chaos and confusion into our lives. Every day, Satan mistreats unbelievers according to his diabolical schemes.
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8, ESV).
But for the believer’s striving to follow Christ with faithful obedience, Elohim Shomri places protective boundaries around us. Study Psalm 91.
In John 16:33, Jesus warns us that we will face overwhelming trials that only He can resolve. Every day, we can build our faith by praying for guidance in resolving our small obstacles, so when the tsunami trial hits, our first response is a prayer of Faith: Lord, You promised that if I come to You in faith, You will help me.
We never have to perceive challenges and adversity as impossible if we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Shepherd and follow Him with faith, surrender, and obedience.
“We are the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3) reveals that “Christ is our Creator and Shepherd, who leads, provides, and protects His people (us) with abundant blessings and care of His presence, calling us to joyful worship and gratitude for His unending love and faithfulness. It emphasizes our belonging to Him, acknowledging our dependence on Him for guidance and provision in life.”
To remain in right standing with God, we are required to love God by putting Him first; No one, including ourselves, should come before God. Our highest worship is faithful obedience.
Returning to God Is a Life-Saving Decision: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Prayer of Confession: “God, my faith is weak because I have been trusting in myself instead of You, and for my self-reliance, and not trusting You, I ask for forgiveness.”
God’s Response: “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24, NLT).
“It is possible for us to do our best and still not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But that is because we have limited human ability.”
The Journey of Faith requires the courage to completely trust God with everything. Humility is the Key that Opens the Door of Faith: Even when we think that we can resolve our challenges, we redirect our faith, asking God to intervene.
Pray and involve God in every decision! Our Daily Prayer: LORD, I don’t know what I will face today, but You know. I believe that Your Power is Unlimited, and I desperately need Your Help. In Jesus’ Powerful Name, Amen.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “God’s power is most evident when we admit our own inadequacy; embracing weakness opens the door for the Holy Spirit to empower us with Jesus’ Divine Strength.”
“God specializes in situations that human eyes [our minds] perceive as impossible. God is the God Who reveals that impossibilities are His specialty; He makes a way where there seems to be no way!”
“For the individuals who hold on to their faith in God, believing in His Unlimited Power, are the people who receive God’s greatest blessings and miracles.” Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we come to You confessing and repenting for using our gift of faith to trust in ourselves. We admit that we have embraced a stubborn spirit of self-reliance. Lord, we have tried every option, but our solutions have failed. We stand at the crossroads, knowing that we are helpless; Lord, we desperately need Your Help! We thank You for hearing and answering our prayer of need that we ask in faith and in the Powerful Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Facing Opposition? Study 2 Chronicles 20, to learn how King Jehoshaphat used his faith to teach us how to pray.
When facing opposition, we usually focus on the matter at hand, but King Jehoshaphat teaches us to focus on the power of God in our prayers.
Yeshua, El Gibbor, is the Mighty God, and The Commander of the angel armies. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, we find that Jesus has always been a Mighty Warrior protecting the faithful from their enemies.
Only trust Him and Christ will give you the victory. Yes and Amen.
“‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,’ Says the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17).
“Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:7).
The best decision I made in 2025 was to stop thinking my own thoughts and go to God in Prayer regarding every aspect of my life. At first, I experienced ambivalent feelings that I really had to pray through, but as I started studying the Bible more, and verbalized every day, “God loves me, and I began really trusting Him with my life!” Yes and Amen!
Because we face so many distractions, we may not take the time to engage daily in personal worship with God. But praying and studying the Bible invites the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. Not only does our knowledge increase, we also learn God’s Loving Character and Sovereign Power, and Christ showers us with his comfort and peace.
We will never regret becoming fully dependent on God who tells us, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Give God the opportunity to reveal His love as your Heavenly Father. Peace and Blessings
Bible Study: The Book of Exodus, which reveals God Ultimate Authority, and Miraculous Power.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I’ve called you by your name you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you…” (Jeremiah31:3; Isaiah 43:1-4).
Righteous believers have many benefits from placing ourr faith and trust in God whose Ruach breath is flowing through our bodies. God is bigger than every challenge we face in our journey of life. Our Loving God is always Faithful. Even in our weakest times, if we pray in faith, He promises to intervene. Only trust Him. Yes and Amen!
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. (Psalm 95:6-7).
With deep reflection, I began to think about the relationship between sheep and their shepherd. We can learn from the animals who consistently demonstrate love, loyalty, and obedience to their shepherd.
“Sheep behave with loyalty, recognition, and trust toward their shepherd, responding to their voice, scent, and presence, which signals food, safety, and care.”
“Their behavior includes following the shepherd, calming in their presence, recognizing their unique traits, and learning routines associated with their herder.”
“This bond is built on the shepherd’s consistent provision of resources and protection.”
Following and Guidance: “Sheep will follow their shepherd willingly, knowing that the shepherd provides food, water, and guidance for their well-being.”
I began to think about our relationship with Jesus, our Loving Shepherd who desires to provide for us and protect us from Satan, our enemy. Yet, we must willingly choose to follow Jesus.
Our Greatest Challenge: We inherited hearts overflowing with desires that rebel against God’s plans for our lives.
It is easier to pursue our desires than to surrender in faithful obedience and follow our Shepherd.
Ask yourself, “What is keeping me from following Jesus, my Shepherd?”
Set aside some alone time to think about the desires, habits, and pursuits preventing you from making the commitment to become a faithful follower.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…” (John 10:14).
Jesus reminds us that He knows the pure motives of His sheep. They are the Believers who abide in Him by maintaining a heart-to-heart relationship through daily surrender.
The Characteristics of Faithful Sheep
Through daily personal worship, we consecrate ourselves utilizing Jesus’ prayer to His Father, Not my will, but Your will be done.” (Luke 22:42).
When our hearts are converted, we readily surrender ourselves to worship God in Spirit and Truth. Love and loyalty for our Shepherd is demonstrated by intentional obedience, which is our highest act of worship to God.
As time slips rapidly into eternity, we are confronted with the choice, Who will I follow? Jesus, or myself?
Our Triumphant King’s promise: “…Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the Crown of life. (Revelation 2:10).
The behaviors of the righteous: Follow Jesus, renounce sin, relinquish your desires, and prepare daily for His Soon Coming.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord [YAHWEH]. Trust Him, and He will help you.” (Psalm 37:5, NLT).
Lord God, thank You for giving us freedom from a sin debt that left us spiritually bankrupt. Jesus, You are our Shepherd, we give ourselves to You. Lead us, correct us, protect us, and cleanse us from the unrighteousness of our heart’s desires. With praise and faithful obedience, we thank You, God, and lift Your Name on High for the gift of Jesus. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
Recently, I decided to look through a bin containing some of my journals, and discovered six mini notepads inside of unfinished drafts for several devotionals. As a writer, I can never resist a blank piece of paper!
As I read the words “You are God’s responsibility, let Him take care of you,” the burden I was carrying immediately lifted. Jesus sent Spiritual Comfort that resonated within my heart, and I felt as if our Creator and Loving Shepherd had given me an everlasting hug.
God’s Responsibility to Care for Humanity: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV).
When Adam and Eve sinned, their choice to disobey required them to relinquish their home, the Garden of Eden; still, Christ did not forsake them. In fact, the first death [as the result of their rebellion against God] occurred when two lambs were required to die to clothe Adam and Eve with animal skins to cover their nakedness.
“Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3).
From Jesus’ death on Calvary, He proved Himself Worthy to be our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and Authority over humanity. From our choice to follow Christ, not only do we receive Redemption, but we also belong to King Yeshua, our Shepherd, who assumes all responsibility for His sheep.
“The relationship between the Shepherd and sheep is one of care, protection, and guidance, where the sheep are entirely dependent on the Shepherd for their well-being.” [John 16:33].
“The Shepherd provides for the sheep’s physical needs, leading them to food and water, protecting them from danger, and caring for them when they are sick or lost.” [Nahum 1:7; Philippians 4:19].
“The sheep, in turn, recognize the Shepherd’s voice and follow His lead, demonstrating trust and dependence.” [Romans 8:28].
How Does Jesus, our Shepherd, Lead Us? Through prayer, we communicate with Jesus Christ, our Intercessor and Mediator between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us by taking our prayers to Jesus, our High Priest. We receive our Shepherd’s comfort, strength, and answers from the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us through our thoughts and the Holy Scriptures. Pray and Study the Bible!
The Sheep’s Responsibility: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear [reverence] the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
The Wayward Sheep: The Believers who stray from the Shepherd, easily falling into sin, are the Christians who attend church, but do not have consistent personal worship, or consecrate themselves to God with faithful obedience every day through prayer and study of the Holy Scriptures. They prefer to lead themselves by relying on their own thoughts and plans.
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, NIV).
Jesus’ Divine Responsibility extends beyond our provisions of life; He also protects us from the unseen danger of spiritual warfare and the internal desires of our hearts, which lead us to pursue pleasure and prosperity. The Holy Spirit always warns us before we choose to say Yes to temptations. Still, if we continuously refuse to obey the Spirit of Truth’s inner voice, eventually the Holy Spirit ceases to warn us.
Fact: Lost sheep can never find their way back to the flock; the Shepherd must search for the sheep. Even when we fall, the Holy Spirit speaks to our conscience, so we know that we are no longer walking on the Path of Righteousness with Christ. This is our opportunity to repent, yet God never coerces us to relinquish our free will to choose sin instead of obedience.
“And why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Excluding God from daily decision-making not only desensitizes us to sin’s terrible consequences, but also proclaims our preference to live independently of our Heavenly Shepherd’s Loving Care.
STEPS to Returning to Christ, Our Shepherd: Commitment and Consecration
“Even before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24, CSB). God’s abundant Grace and Mercies make it easy for us to return to Christ. We confess and repent for our sins, and then, like King David, we move forward in the strength of Jesus Christ with the commitment to obey, fulfill His plans for our lives, and renounce sin.
The Chosen Path: The Shepherd Always Guides His Sheep
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1, NASB).
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ ” (Hebrews 13:5, ESV).
To abide in Christ is to live a sacrificial life of obedience and self-denial. Daily, we pray for God’s Divine Providence, in which the Holy Spirit reveals Christ’s perfect will and plans for our lives. Obedience is the requisite to receiving God’s blessings.
Surrendering ourselves to follow Christ invites Him to keep us on our Chosen Path. Yes, the believer’s journey always includes suffering, and life is unpredictable, but it is better to travel with Christ than to be lost and struggle alone, as the unbelievers live every day.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12, NIV).
Our King and Faithful Shepherd guarantees to give us the strength to persevere, and when He returns, the faithful will receive their reward of Eternal Life. Victory is only through Christ!
Our Shepherd is Faithful, Always Desiring to Care for Us: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3-4).
The peaceful assurance that comes from having faith in God’s promises that we are His priority is priceless. Even when we forget, the Holy Spirit reminds us that God is love and we are His responsibility. Relinquish Self-Governance for Jesus’ Loving Care: The decision to let Jesus care for us is one that we will never regret. Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we just want to thank You for Your Amazing Love. Thank You for reminding us that from conception to birth to breathing our last breath, You will take care of us. Because of Your unfailing love, we do not have to carry heavy burdens or figure out the solutions to the many challenges that arise in our lives. In faith, we pray this prayer of gratitude, in Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
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