Are You Asking For Help?

Have you ever been burdened down, with the weight and stress of something that you were trying to accomplish on your own?   I certainly have.  This past week I was working on a goal that I am trying to accomplish, with a deadline that is drawing near.  I could tell that I was starting to stress over it, and quite honestly starting to worry, and wonder if I could get it done in the allotted time.

Now we all know that to worry is a sin.  Yet, I was headed straight down that sinful path, when the Holy Spirit gently whispered in my ear; “ask for help, let people know what you are trying to accomplish”.  Initially, for a second or two, I resisted the idea.  When I look back on it now, it is crystal clear to me, that I was being prideful in resisting a solution that totally made sense.  When I came to my senses, I realized that it was exactly what I needed to do.  I started the process of contacting people asking if they would be willing to help me reach my goal, and the response was amazing!
I found out that people care, and that they are actually willing to help when they know that you are in need of help.  And the only way that they will know that we need help, is we if ask for it.

The more that I have thought about it, I have come to the conclusion that there are several reasons that we do not ask for help, the first of which of course is pride. Many times, we are embarrassed to let others know that we are in need of help.  For some reason, we think by asking for help, people will think less of us.  Another reason that we may not ask for help,  is that we assume that no one can do the job as well as we can, and that would definitely be considered a pride issue.  In addition, we do not want anyone to think that we are not capable of handling the responsibility of the job, and the list could go on and on.  Remember all of these reasons, and hundreds more are simply traps that the enemy has laid to keep us from moving forward.  Do not fall into his trap.

If you have ever experienced any of the reasons that I have mentioned above, as your reason for not asking for help, remember that God created us not only to need Him but also to need each other.  We were meant to be a community and a family that share one another’s burdens.  We accomplish nothing by trying to be Super Woman.  If you have been playing the Super Woman role, and it has not been working for you,  it is time to take your cape off, and scream for help.  Whether it be at the office, or at home if you need help ask for it.   No one benefits when we are tired, burned out, and worn out.  Be ok with asking for what you want or need.  You will be blessed for asking and others will be blessed for responding to your request, it’s a win-win for everyone.

20 Benefits Of Being A Christian Part 2

Psalm 103
¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;  all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins   and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit  and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
⁶ The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,  his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love
⁹ He will not always accuse,  nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,  and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

God provides for His children.

Philippians 4:19
¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 23:1 
The Lord is my shepherd;  I have all that I need.

12.  He gives us strength for our journey.

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired,  and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

13.  The blessing of living a peaceful life.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Psalm 85:8
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.
Proverbs 16:7
When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.
Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Psalm 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

14:  Christians experience joy.

Proverbs 10:28
The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.
Psalm 16:11
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.^[a]

15. God helps us.

   Psalm 33:20-22
We put our hope in the Lord.  He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.
   Psalm 121:1-3
1 I look up to the mountains—  does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,   who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.

16.  God protects us.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³  He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
⁴ Even when I walk through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation—  so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
² So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
³ Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude

17.  God gives his children good things.

Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

18.  God has a purpose for our lives.

Ephesians 2:10
¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

19.  We can pray and bring our petitions to God.

Isaiah 65:24
I will answer them before they even call me. While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
1st John 5:13-14
¹³ I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
¹⁴ And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
Matthew 21:22
²² You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
John 9:31
³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.

20. We have victory over sin.

Romans 6:13-14
¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
1 Corinthians 10:13
¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
1 Corinthians 15:57
⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.Galatians 5:1
5 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
James 4:7
5 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

20 Benefits Of Being A Christian Part 1

Today I would like to share a few of the benefits of being a Christian.
1.  As Christians we have hope for an Eternal Life with God.
 John 3:16
16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
 John 10: 28-30
28  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my
hand.  29  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all [a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  30  I and the Father are one.”
 1 John 2:17
17  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
.  God will not forsake those that seek Him.
   Psalm 94:14
For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.
   Deuteronomy  31:8
8  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

3.  Christians have access to wisdom for living life.
   Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
   James 1:5
5  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without
finding fault, and it will be given to you.
   Ecclesiastes 2:26
26  To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to
the sinner, he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the
one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, chasing after the wind.

4.  Healing 
   Jeremiah 30:17
But I will restore you to health  and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you
are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’
   Psalm 30:2
LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
   Exodus 15:26
26  He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes,
if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you
any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
5.  Support from fellow Christians and our Church Family.
Galatians 6:10
10  Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those
who belong to the family of believers.
  Galatians 6:2
2  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
  1 Thessalonians 5:11
11  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are
doing.
  Hebrews10:24-25
24  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds,  25  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
6. Guidance from the Holy Spirit
   Acts 13:2
2  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for
me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
 Romans 8:14
14  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
   Matthew 10:19-20
19  But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that
time you will be given what to say,  20  for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of
your Father speaking through you.

7.  As Christians we have hope.
1 Peter 1:3-6…….
3  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has
given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead,  4  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is
kept in heaven for you,  5  who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the
coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  6  In all this you
greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all
kinds of trials.
    Romans 15:13
13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you
may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 Romans 5:1
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we [a]  have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
  Psalm 39:7
“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. 8.  We are never alone.
Deuteronomy 31:8
8  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
     Joshua 1:9
9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
   Psalm 94:14
For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.
   1 Chronicles 28:20
20  David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do
not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God is with you. He will not fail you
or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

9.  No matter what we face, God will work it for our good.
 Romans 8:28
28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who [a]  have been called according to his purpose.

10.  We can never be separated from God’s love.
Romans 8:38 
38  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, [a]  neither our fears for today nor our worries about
tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.