The Power of Faith

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.

Hebrews 11:1-2

Faith and belief are two different things. Lots of people believe in God, but that belief makes no difference in their lives. Faith, however, acts on what it believes. Faith may look like a "leap" to those who don't want to risk putting their trust in something unseen. But through faith, what is unseen is far from unknown. As you actively respond to the Bible and God's Spirit, your faith continues to grow stronger. Your personal experience confirms that God is everything he says he is.

Hebrews 11:1-2 is the introduction to a section of Scripture known as the Hall of Faith. The list of ancients that follows includes people like Moses, Noah, and Abraham, people who are remembered for putting their beliefs to the test. The Jewish Christians this letter was written for complained that following God was too difficult for ordinary people. The truth found in these verses refutes that claim.

Faith in God is what sets ordinary people apart - like Moses, Noah, and Abraham - so they can do extraordinary things. Through simple trust and active obedience, faith makes unseen spiritual realities more visible. Faith is what makes them certain, which in Greek is legal term similar to our title deed that guarantees a possession will be yours in the future. You have God's guarantee that what he has promised will be yours. The faithfulness of that guarantee is what makes the foundation of your faith enough to step forward in confidence.

Faith follows four steps: (1) God speaks, (2) you hear, (3) you trust (4) you act. As you respect these steps day by day, you'll be writing your own unique chapter in the Hall of Faith.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God to guide you through your faith walk in life. Each day is new and brings opportunity for God's mercy and grace to reign on earth. As a follower of Jesus Christ you have stated with your "words" that you believe in God. That your heart desires to live eternally alongside our Father God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the kingdom of Heaven. God's love, his promise will lead us safely through the trials and tribulations of this world - He will guide our "actions" as we move in faith. Thank you Father God for one more day to declare that YOU are my Savior and I TRUST IN YOU. ~ MME Team

Character Under Pressure

We... have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope.

Romans 5:3-4

Genuine diamonds are known for both their beauty and their strength. Though they begin as common carbon, constant pressure over an extended period of time creates something of rare value. The same is true for strength of character, which is just as rare and even more valuable. True character exhibits integrity through consistent moral excellence. Through the apostle Paul's words, God shares the secret of how this priceless character trait is developed. It takes place through an unexpected process - experiencing joy when you're suffering under pressure.

In several versions of the Bible, the word for suffering is translated "tribulations." This comes from the Latin word tribulum, which was taken from the name of a piece of farm equipment used during New Testament times. A tribulum was a heavy piece of timber with spikes in it that was drawn over newly picked grain. It separated the valuable grain form the worthless chaff. Tribulation, or suffering, does the same thing to your character. It sifts it, helping you sort out what's truly important in life from what's of little value.

As your character grows stronger, so does your hope. Experiencing firsthand how God can use difficult circumstances in a positive way solidifies your hope for the future as it strengthens your trust in him. This character-building process hones the resulting hope by persevering through difficulties. This is what allows you to find genuine joy, even in the middle of suffering.

A diamond has no choice in how it responds to pressue. You do. Choosing to focus on the hope that produces joy during hard times develops a character that's more like Jesus's own.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and thank Him for free will and his great love that provides us strength for the journey; as we live and grow under the pressure of this earthly world. We thank Him for free will for it is this freedom that provides opportunity for each of us to grown personally in our one-to-one relationship with God. It is this freedom that reveals how GOOD God really is. That He provides us freedom to stumble and even fall in the pressure of living life while never leaving our side. At times He even carries us through the most difficult of trials and tribulations. He never leaves us, He sees everything we do ... and He still loves us enough to forgive us and grow our heart of worship through every prayer we say and every repentance. We thank you, Lord, for you are the GREAT I AM and you give us the promise of HOPE. ~ MME Team

Moving On

The Lord says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?"

Isaiah 43:18-19

The people of Israel made plenty of mistakes and suffered generations of consequences. They'd been salves in Egypt, wandered the desert for forty years, and were presently at war with Assyria. Because of repeatedly disobeying and distancing themselves from God, they'd lived with crippling fear, enemy invasions, and backbreaking bondage off and on for centuries. Along with words of rebuke and warning, the prophet Isaiah offered those desperate people words of hope, which summed up the heart of his message.

Through Isaiah, God promised his people he was doing something fresh and innovative. The Hebrew word of new conveys both expectancy and optimism. It describes something "unprecedented in its wonderful character." The promises that this new thing would "spring up" meant it would happen gradually, like a germination and growth of a beautiful wildflower. Its fulfillment would require patience, but its eventuality was sure. That fulfillment would be realized in Jesus.

To be able to look forward with joy, the Israelites needed to let go of the past. The same is true of people today. Learning from the past is useful. Dwelling on the past is destructive. It keeps your focus on things you can no longer change and off what God is doing right before your eyes. Follow Isaiah's advice to the Israelites. Forget what's behind you. Move freely forward toward the good that is sprouting right beneath your feet.

Letting go of past mistakes - yours and those of others - may involve forgiveness, repentance, and reconciliation. Let Isaiah's words encourage you as you work through emotional or relational roadblocks.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for momentum and strengthen to break through the past and hold fast to the truth of the present and the future God has promised you. The promise of the TRUTH. Reminding yourself that we are not of this world. So when earthly times hit hard... keep your eyes fixed on him and the heavenly kingdom that awaits you per the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus. ~ MME Team

Consolation Prize

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The apostle Paul began his second letter to the church in Corinth just as he did his other letters, with a brief introduction that leads straight into thanksgiving. Paul's cause for thanks, however, sets this letter apart. You can be thankful for comfort only if you've know the pain of suffering. Paul certainly did, and so did his Corinthian audience. So does every individual who reads these words today.

Through levels of personal suffering differ, pain and heartache are universal. Yet amid that sobering truth, Paul gave reason for praise. God's comfort is at hand in every type of trouble. The original meaning of the old-fashioned-sounding word tribulation covers a lot of ground. It can mean "distress," "affliction," "persecution," or simply "great mercy." God's comfort fits any and every situation perfectly.

Through Paul, God provided even more good news: there is a positive, productive side to suffering. As God comforts you, you learn how to better comfort others. This is different from simply being sympathetic toward people and their problems. The Greek word for comfort implies action. It means "to come alongside and help." God actively comes alongside you with strength, encouragement, hope, and healing, and you gain the ability to do the same for others. When you are struggling with difficulty in your life, remember to reach out to God and then to others. God provides comfort to help you become a comforter like him.

When you're facing tough times, follow Paul's example. Praise God for the comfort he's already promised, and then ask him to help you use your own experiences to bring comfort to someone else.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and praise him in your suffering. It is in the suffering that we strengthen our faith and find peace and hope in the mercy and grace of our Lord. ~ MME Team

God's plan for our life.

We may think we are in control of our destiny, our future, but how wrong we are. God is at the head of all our success and blessings. It is not how hard, how smart, or how brave we believe ourselves to be that defines our purpose, our placement, or even our success in this world. 

It is only by the grace and mercy of God's love that we live in peace, tenderness, love, and hope... all descriptive words that define how Jesus lived his life in this world. A world that is hurt and many times heart broken. It was not by the flesh that Jesus found salvation and eternal life but by the spiritual father's love, OUR GOD, that he/we are all saved and have the Holy Spirit to lean on daily during our battles with temptations and weaknesses. 

Let us not rely on ourselves but instead put all energy in our faith in our Lord that His plan is active and living in us. When we struggle then that is when we must fall to our knees in prayer and speak with our God in a private intimate relationship that only He and us will ever know. Your relationship with God is as unique and special as His unique individualized plan for each of our lives. Rejoice in God's goodness that His love is perfect and always available. We must only ask for it and we will receive it. 

God Bless  ~ MME Team