When the way seems long and the day is dark And we can't hear the sound of the thrush or the lark And our hearts are heavy with worry and care And we are lost in the depths of despair, That is the time when faith alone Can lead us out of the dark unknown... For faith to believe when the way is rough And faith to hang on when the going is tough. Will never fail to pull us through and bring us strength and comfort, too... For all we really ever need Is faith as a grain of mustard seed, For all God asks is Do you believe? For if you do you shall receive ! For life is but a journey, with lessons to be learned. Heaven is our destiny, with rewards that we have earned. The blessings here on earth, of which we all receive, are but small examples of what s in store for us -- if only we believe...       " What you see is evidence of what you believe. Believe it and you'll see it." " Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark." " Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. " Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." (Henry Ward Beecher) " Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch." (Ramona C. Carroll) " Never forget that God knows firsthand what it's like to suffer." " While we sometimes live in the past, God always pulls us to the future." " Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times." (Romans 12:12)     Do you have some rocky mountain in your life you can’t surmount? Are there bends along your path you fear to turn? Are the worries that torment you far too numerous to count? For solutions to your problems do you yearn? Oh, you wake up in the morning with your head all in a spin, Thinking only of the projects of the day. But your mind is in a tizzy. Oh, where should you begin? You just wish that all the world would go away !In your heart you know God’s able, your problems to dissolve, But the devil’s filled your head all up with doubt. Yes, your path’s so steep and rocky that your fears you can’t resolve, And the faith you have is just a mustard sprout. With God nothing is impossible; so use your seed of faith: He is holding out His hand for you to take. He will smooth the way before you. He will guide you on the path. So just trust Him…His child He'll not forsake. For whatever you may ask of Him, He has promised He will give. He so wants to hear His children talk to Him. If you ask in faith, believing, you most surely will receive. He will fill your cup of faith right to the brim !     FAITH is... confidence that God is acting for my highest good when He answers " NO " to my prayers !   FAITH is... not expecting anything from myself, but expecting everything from God.   FAITH is... developed through hardship, disappointment, disillusionment, conflict, frustration, failure, lose- not through stained glass or sweet religious props...   FAITH is... expecting God to accomplish miracles through insignificant ME with my five loaves and two fishes...   FAITH is... resting in His love, His presence, His provision.   FAITH is... confidence in God's faithfulness to me in an uncertain world, on an uncharted course, toward an unknown future.   " Faith leads us beyond ourselves. It leads us directly to God. "   " I do not want merely to possess a faith; I want a faith that possesses me. "       " EXPECTING THE IMPOSSIBLE " ( A devotional...)   Do you believe that God is at work in the world? And do you also believe that nothing is impossible for Him? If so, then you also believe that God is perfectly capable of doing things that you, as a mere human being with limited vision and limited understanding, would deem to be utterly impossible. And that's precisely what God does.   Since He created our universe out of nothing-ness, God has made a habit of doing miraculous things. And He still works miracles today. Expect Him to work miracles in your own life, and then be watchful for His blessings seen and unseen. With God, absolutely nothing is impossible, including an amazing assortment of miracles that He stands ready, willing, and able to perform for you and yours.   " Is anything too hard for the Lord? " (Genesis 18:14 NKJV)   " If all things are possible with God, then all things are possible to the one who believes in him. "   " When you ask God to do something, don't ask timidly; put your whole heart into it. "   " Don't be overwhelmed. Take it one day and one prayer at a time. "   " Depend on the Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. " ( Proverbs 16:3 NCV)   " Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. " (Psalms 37:4 NIV)   " For I know the plans I have for you." declares the Lord, " plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " ( Jeremiah 29:11)     (About seeing what is not there...)   When we look into a microscope built with a glass lens, we can see worlds and kingdoms we cannot see with our naked eye. When we use an electron microscope we can see worlds and kingdoms we cannot see even with a lens microscope. Every day we move about in unseen microscopic natural worlds and natural kingdoms we cannot see. Every day we move about in supernatural worlds and supernatural kingdoms we cannot see. Every day we move about in a supernatural world filled with great angels who look over us. Every day we move about in a supernatural world held in the palm of God's hand. Every day we move about in a supernatural world where streams of healing love pour down over us. To see the supernatural world we must use faith. To see the supernatural world we cannot see with our physical eyes, we must first see Jesus. When we first see Jesus, He is good and kind to us and He gives us the supernatural sight to see His supernatural worlds, kingdoms, and realms that make up our invisible reality. When we are troubled, we need to see more than just the trouble. When we are troubled, we need to see Jesus standing next to us placing His hands upon our troubles. When we are worried or anxious, we need to see more than what causes us to feel worry or anxiety. When we are worried or anxious, we need to see Jesus standing next to us placing His hands upon what worries us...   " Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. "( Hebrews 11:1 ESV)   " Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. "(Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)     " TO BELIEVE " (Things to ponder...)   To believe... is to know that every day is a new beginning. It is to trust that miracles happen, And dreams really do come true. To believe... is to see Angels dancing among the clouds, To know the wonder of a stardust sky, And the wisdom of the man in the moon. To believe... is to know the value of a nurturing heart, The innocence of a child's eyes and the beauty of an aging hand, For it is through their teachings we learn to love. To believe... is to find the strength And courage that lies within us. When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again. To believe... is to know we are not alone, That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it. To believe... is to know that wonderful surprises Are just waiting to happen, And all our hopes and dreams are within reach. If only we believe...       " THE FAITH TO CHANGE " (A Bible study / Devotional...)   #1) By FAITH You step out.   It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. ( Hebrews 11:8 NLT)   * Look at the first step and not the whole journey. * Look at God and not yourself. * Look at the blessings and not the struggles. " Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG)   Look to God for His wisdom and strength to move forward in faith.   Take the step into change(like a toddler walking wobbly during His or her first steps)   #2) By FAITH You stay.   " And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith alone. For he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Hebrews 11:9-10 NLT)   " Stay & live in the course and face the obstacles & the challenges. #3) By FAITH You succeed. It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children - a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. ( Hebrews 11:11-12 NLT)   3 ways we react when we must wait for God's promise: Eliezer: I'll have to settle for less. Ishmael: I'll have to get it myself. Isaac: I'll choose to trust in GOD.   Remember to focus on God's promise of Heaven, Eternity. Need to see God's promises through worship and in His Word in the bible. #4) By FAITH You sacrifice. It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, though God had promised him, " Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. (Hebrews 11:17-19 NLT)   There Abram built another alter to the Lord and worshipped him(Genesis 12:8) * Ultimate step of faith is your sacrifice. The two motivations of a healthy sacrifice: OBEDIENCE & TRUST in God... " God gives you succcess, so you then can make sacrifices."   " Faith is believing in the wind even when you cannot see it, hear it, feel it, or experience it with your senses."     Keep looking up.   God knows our needs He always hears our prayer He understands our hurting soul. Our God is always there.! Sometimes when we are hurting, we feel like giving up. We cry aloud in anguish. “Lord, I’ve had about enough. “Please take me home! I’m tired of life. I’m ready to give up!” But listen carefully and you will hear, “My child, look up. Look up! ”Keep looking up. Look up! Look up! I am beyond the sky. Although you may not see me, I’m always standing by.” So when you are discouraged, Remember, this, my Friend. Keep looking up. Look up! Look up! God is with you to the end...     THe LORD HAS US COVERED !   2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)   When Corrie Ten Boom (author of “The Hiding Place”) was a little girl in Holland, her first realization of death came after a visit to the home of a neighbor who had died. It suddenly impressed her that some day her parents could also die. When Corrie went to her father about her concern, he comforted her with these words of wisdom. “Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?” “Why, just before we get on the train,” she replied. “Exactly,” her father said, “and our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need–just in time. Many of us don’t think about it but we, as humans have such a problem with fear — fear that God won’t come through when we’re in need. We want insurance — insurance for our cars, insurance for our houses, for our health and for our lives. We want to be insured that we’ll be okay if something happens. It has become our way of life in the western world. Now, we’re not saying go and cancel all your insurance plans — but at the same time, God wants us to trust in His provision in our time of need! In our time here in Israel, we have truly learned the meaning of “never early, never late”. Every single day since we have been here our faith has been tested and time and time again, God has provided for us in ways we could never conceive — physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially and in every other way — never early, never late — always just when we need it. We need not fear anything that is before us. God will give us the strength to endure anything that comes our way. He has our ticket !     WHAT FAITH DOES ...   * Faith looks for the good in yourself and others instead of harping on the worst. * Faith opens doors where despair slams them shut. * Faith pushes ahead when it would be easy to just quit and give up.   Don't be too anxious to see the next page of God's outline for your life. He'll turn the page and let you see it at exactly the right time. Just have complete faith in your Heart. It's a simple matter of just letting go, having hope, and trusting in God to be in charge !     " NEVER AGAIN ! "   NEVER AGAIN will I confess, "I can't" for "I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengtheneth me" Philippians 4:13 NEVER AGAIN will I confess lack, for " My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19. NEVER AGAIN will I confess fear, for "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind" II Timothy 1:7 NEVER AGAIN will I confess doubt and lack of faith, for " God hath given to every man the measure of faith" Romans 12:3. NEVER AGAIN will I confess weakness, for "The Lord is the strength of my life" Psalm 27:1 NEVER AGAIN will I confess supremacy of Satan over my life, for "Greater is He that is in me that he that is in the world" I John 4:4. NEVER AGAIN will I confess defeat, for "God always causeth me to triumph in Christ Jesus" II Corinthians 2:14 NEVER AGAIN will I confess lack of wisdom, for "Christ Jesus is made unto me wisdom from God" I Corinthians 1:30 NEVER AGAIN will I confess sickness, for "with His stripes I am healed" Isaiah 53:5, and Jesus Himself took my infirmities and bare my sickness" Matthew 8:17. NEVER AGAIN will I confess worries and frustrations, for I am "Casting all my cares upon Him who careth for me" I Peter 5:7. NEVER AGAIN will I confess bondage, for "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" II Corinthians 3:17. NEVER AGAIN will I confess condemnation, for "There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:1. NEVER AGAIN will I confess loneliness, for Jesus said "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" Matthew 28:20. NEVER AGAIN will I confess insecurity because "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and they sleep shall be sweet…for the Lord shall be they confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" Proverbs 3:24-26 NEVER AGAIN will I confess failure because, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" Romans 8:37 NEVER AGAIN will I confess frustration, for "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" Isaiah 26:3 NEVER AGAIN will I confess fear of the future, "But it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him, but God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit". I Corinthians 2:9-10 NEVER AGAIN will I confess troubles because Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". John16: 33 NEVER AGAIN will I confess unworthiness because "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" II Corinthians 5:21 NEVER AGAIN will I confess confusion because "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" I Corinthians 14:33. NEVER AGAIN will I confess persecution, for "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31 NEVER AGAIN will I confess the Dominion of sin over my Life because, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2, and "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalms 103:12 NEVER AGAIN will I confess Insecurity because "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet... for the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." Proverbs 3:24-26 NEVER AGAIN will I confess Failure because, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us." Romans 8:37 NEVER AGAIN will I confess Frustration, for "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3 NEVER AGAIN will I confess Fear of the Future,"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by the Spirit..."I Corinthians 2:9-10 NEVER AGAIN will I confess Troubles because Jesus said, "... In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 The confession of our mouths will eventually bring forth the things we speak...     " STEPPING OUT IN FAITH " ( A touching story for the heart...)   " In 1988, three friends and l climbed Mount Lyell, the highest peak in Yosemite National Park. Two of us were experienced mountaineers. I was not one of the experienced two. Our base camp was less than 2,000 feet from the peak, but the climb to the top and back was to take the better part of a day, due in large part to the difficulty of the glacier one must cross to get to the top. The morning of the climb we started out chattering and cracking jokes. As the hours passed, the two mountaineers opened up a wide gap between me and my less-experienced companion. Being competitive by nature, I began to look for shortcuts to beat them to the top. I thought I saw one to the right of an outcropping of rock--.. so I went, deaf to the protests of my companion. Perhaps it was the effect of the high altitude, but the significance of the two experienced climbers not choosing this path did not register in toy conscious- ness. It should have, for thirty minutes later I was trapped in a cul-de-sac of rock atop the Lyell Glacier, looking down several hundred feet of a sheer slope of ice, pitched at about a forty-five degree angle... I was only about ten feet from the safety of a rock, but one little slip and I wouldn't stop sliding until I landed in the valley floor some fifty miles away! It was nearly noon, and the warm sun had the glacier glistening with slippery ice. I was stuck and I was scared. It took an hour for my experienced climbing friends to find me. Standing on the rock I wanted to reach, one of them leaned out and used an ice ax to chip two little footsteps in the glacier. Then he gave me the following instructions: 'Ben, you must step out from where you are and put your foot where the first foothold is. When your foot touches it, without a moment's hesitation swing your other foot across and land it on the next step. When you do that, reach out and I will take your hand and pull you to safety.' That sounded real good to me. It was the next thing he said that made me more frightened than ever. 'But listen carefully: As you step across, do not lean into the mountain! If anything, lean out a bit. Otherwise, your feet may fly out from under you, and you will start sliding down.' I don't like precipices. When I am on the edge of a cliff, my instincts are to lie down and hug the mountain, to become one with it, not to lean away from it! But that was what my good friend was telling me to do. I looked at him real hard.... Was there any reason, any reason at all, that I should not trust him? I certainly hoped not! So for a moment, based solely on what I believed to be the good will and good sense of my friend, I decided to say no to what I felt, to stifle my impulse to cling to the security of the mountain, to lean out, step out, and traverse the ice to safety. It took less than two seconds to find out if my faith was well founded. It was." To save us, God often tells us to do things that are the opposite of our natural inclination. Is God loving and faithful? Can we trust him? Yes, and yes !     " I COULD STILL SEE THE SUN "   (Something to think about...)   I was in such a mood yesterday. I tell you this so that you realize that everyone faces challenges. I am an inspirational writer and speaker. I am human and fallible. But what I believed, the core of who I am, fought to break through the darkness of the attitude I had chosen for this day. It was a combination of things, most of which I have permitted to fester beneath the surface, choosing not to deal with them and rid myself of the negative thoughts. I won't get into the details. I don't want to whine about it any more. It all came to a head in the parking lot of a store I was about to enter. I called my wife and told her how overwhelmed I was but just couldn't explain why. I've been here before, but I have developed thinking skills, mixed them with a strong faith and have always learned to rise above it all. I have to. I have a job to do, a life I love and since I believe I chose to be overwhelmed with life, I can also choose to put it all in perspective. I headed home. As I was preparing dinner it started to rain. I had just started the charcoal grill and I could easily have added this silly little coincidence to my collection of problems for the day. But I simply accepted it. No thunder and lightening, just rain gushing down on my plans. I went about preparing the rest of the meal, choosing to believe that a little rain wasn't going to stop me from making dinner. It will eventually stop. It did. Had I chosen to rant and rave all day long I would have been half crazed by now. But I chose to believe it would all resolve itself. Suddenly the sun broke through the clouds. It was a perfect opportunity for me to turn this day around completely. I would rely on a promise made and kept. A covenant, as it is called. I rushed outside to find the rainbow. In the Bible the rainbow is used to remind us of the covenant between God and man. I needed reminding. I first headed out to the deck. Nothing in the sky. I then walked around to the left side of the house. Nothing. I walked down my driveway and panned across the horizon. Still nothing. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. You see I am a seeker of rainbows. I love to come across them by accident, but I also believe that these are treasured gifts, so one must hunt for treasure. Once again, this piled atop all the other negative thoughts I danced with today, should have plunged me into a deeply depressing mood. But I shrugged it off. The sun faded away. Finally getting to all the grill work I had to do, I thought about what this day meant to me. Then, once again, the sun burst through. Not just a sneak peek but a sudden explosion of sunlight. I paused and thought "Why waste your time?" Just write off this day and forget it. But my curiosity got the best of me. I ran out to my front porch, scanning the skies.... I saw nothing. A neighbor friend, who has been known to come charging out to search for a rainbow under the same conditions drove around the corner. As he pulled into his driveway he yelled, "Did you see it?" "No, as things went today I was not meant to see one," I said. "See one? You were one!" he said laughing. "What? What are you talking about?" "I was coming down the highway and I saw this beautiful rainbow in the sky. I was excited because It looked liked it ended right near my home. I quickly drove up the road and as I turned the corner, there it was. It looked just like it was touching your house as you were standing on the porch," he said with excitement. "It was awesome!" I couldn't believe what he was telling me. All along I was searching for something that, in reality, I was a part of already . I was a part of my neighbors rainbow. I was the sign that I was looking for. I was the reminder that I neede<