He Rescued Us

 

All Things God's Way

The apostle Paul was writing to the church in Colossae, encouraging them in their faith in Jesus Christ, and in the love which they had for all the saints.

“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” (Colossians 1:9-12 NASB1995)

For all of us who are in Christ Jesus are in Christ by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him, resulting in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as servants of God in walks of obedience to his commands. So, to do God’s will, we need to know God’s will. And we learn God’s will and purpose for our lives by being students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate biblical context, as led by the Holy Spirit. 

And we need to know God’s will so that we will walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy of (fitting to; appropriate to) the Lord, to please him in all respects. So, what does that look like in our lives? This has to do with our lifestyles, with how we live from day to day, in practice, in conduct, in attitude, in word, and in action, as led by the Lord. We must no longer strive to live for the pleasures of the flesh, but we must now be determined to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, all in his power and wisdom.

And what is pleasing to the Lord? All the things written in the Scriptures which teach us what we must do and how we must live as followers of Christ, as well as all that we must forsake and cut out of our lives. For it pleases God when we forsake our sins to follow him in obedience to his commands. It pleases him when we live holy lives, according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh. And it pleases God when we follow his leading in becoming who he created each one of us to be for his glory.

And we are to be bearing fruit in every good work. And our fruit has to do with what we produce, with the results of our faith in action. It is the outgrowth of our faith shown by our attitudes, words, and actions. And it can be in utilizing the gifts of the Spirit given us by God in the “body parts” assigned to us by God within the universal body of Christ, the church. And that can be shown in many different ways, depending upon our callings and our giftedness of God and what he has for us to do, as his servants.

And we need to be steadfast in faith and in service to our Lord in obeying what he has for us to do for his purposes and for his glory – all in his power and wisdom and strength. For it is God who calls us. And it is God who qualifies us. And it is God who equips us for his service. And he is the one to direct us in what to do and in what to say, and for what purposes, and in what setting, and how often, and in what timing, etc. For we are not all the same. We don’t all have the same callings. And every day is not the same.

So, our service to him should not be for selfish purposes. It should not be for our own self-glory. We should not be the ones charting our own course, determining our own steps. But our lives should be surrendered to doing the will of God, his way, in his power, directed by the Spirit and not by human flesh. And we should be very careful not to judge one another by our own way of thinking, or by how we do things, for God did not make us all the same. All judgments must be from God and his word, according to his word.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

Fit for Service 

 

An Original Work / October 5, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Holy Spirit, come within us.

Cleanse our hearts, 

and from sin free us.

Make us holy vessels fit 

for service to the King.

Fill us with Your love and power.

Anoint us within this hour

To be living witnesses 

For Jesus Christ, our King.

Our praise to Him bring.

Father God, our heart’s desire,

Come and speak to us in power.

Revive our hearts to obey You;

Live for You always.

May we love and serve You only,

Walking with You; 

Not a phony.

May we always tell the truth,

And show integrity.

Your true servants be.

Jesus, Savior, sanctify us.

Purify our hearts within us;

Be transformed into Your likeness,

Holy unto You.

May we always listen to You

Speaking Your words 

Now within us.

May we heed Your counsel to us;

Follow You today.

Do all that You say. 

https://vimeo.com/113979906

All Things God’s Way

An Original Work / April 25, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All Flesh is Grass

Isaiah 40:6-8 ESV

“A voice says, ‘Cry!’

    And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’

All flesh is grass,

    and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades

    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

    surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

    but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Does it ever grieve your heart, the kinds of things some humans do and how they behave and the words that they speak? Does it bother you or concern you at all when you see all the kinds of stuff that is going on in our world today, or that is being promoted as though it is happening, whether it is or whether it isn’t? Are you seeing the lies and the misimpressions and the deceptions that are being disguised as truth? Does that disturb you at all?

Do you notice how many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who call themselves followers of Christ or pastors or preachers… do you notice how so many are living the opposite of the faith that they profess? Are you aware of how rampant sexual sin and idolatry and adultery are within the gatherings of what is called “church”? Do you see the spiritual and moral decline of the church in today’s world, or particularly here in America?

Does it bother or concern you when people who profess to be Christians, especially those who are in the public eye, dress and present themselves in seductive ways which are drawing people to the flesh and not to God? I see this particularly in “Christian” musicians, particularly in women, who dress seductively and who carry themselves in a sensual way which draws people to their flesh and not to God, and not to his holiness and righteousness.

Do you notice the deliberate half-truths and misimpressions, which are indirect lies, which are being inserted into “Christian” literature, and “Christian” memes on social media, and in “Christian” songs and sermons, etc.? Do you realize that many pastors today are being trained in lying, manipulating, and in misimpressions, because they are being taught to market their “churches” to the people of the world?

Are you aware that those who are following the Lord in righteousness and in holy living are now being regarded as “legalists” while those who are still walking in sin, living in immorality, lying and cheating, by habit, are now being coddled in their sins? So, someone who is living in gross immorality and in willful rebellion against the Lord may well be accepted within the gatherings of the church while those following Jesus may be cast out.

Our whole world today is being turned upside down. Good is being spoken of as evil, and evil is being spoken of as good. Both the world and much of the gatherings of what is called “church” are more concerned with not offending the people of the world than they are with standing on the truth of God’s Word and on what is right and righteous and good. And so if you stand on the truth, you are an outcast, while the ungodly are accepted and embraced.

If these things grieve you at all, which they should, there may be times when you cry out to God, and you literally weep over these things, and it may just break your heart to see evil apparently gaining ground while righteousness and holiness are being spoken of as evil. But here is the encouragement. All that is of the flesh is one day going to die, but God’s Word will remain steadfast forever.

No one, no matter how smart or how clever or how devious and wicked and evil his or her actions may be will ever overcome God and his Word and his righteousness and holiness. And they can only get away with what they presently get away with because God is allowing it, for a time. But a time is coming when God is going to judge, and those who did not obey him will perish in their sins, but the truly righteous will live forever with him.

So, when we look all around us, and we see evil gaining ground, and when we see righteousness being thought of as evil and evil being thought of as good, although we may grieve, we should not get discouraged, and we should not give up hope, because God is still in control. He has a plan and a purpose for it all, and his will is going to be accomplished. So, we have to just keep trusting the Lord, for what is of the flesh is going to perish one day, and what is righteous will live on forever with God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

http://youtu.be/_XQkomPFz4Y

All Flesh is Grass

An Original Work / July 19, 2023

Reposted April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Obedience to The Truth

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-23 NASB1995)

What is the truth that we must obey? That is a subject over which many people disagree. But in the Scriptures we are taught that faith in Jesus Christ, if it is biblical faith, which is persuaded of God, and is gifted to us by God, must result in us dying to sin and obeying God in practice or it is not biblical faith which saves. It is not teaching that if we do sin that we are cut off from God (see 1 John 2:1-2), but it is teaching if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, that we will not inherit eternal life with God. But, instead, we will face the wrath of God for not honoring him as God.

And what does it look like if we have purified our souls by obeying the truth? It means we have, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, been cleansed of our sins via dying with Christ to sin and now living to obey him and his commands. No longer do we continue to make sin our practice, but now righteousness and obedience to our Lord are what we practice. It means our lives are now surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will, to live holy lives pleasing to God as we yield control of our lives over to God. For obedience to God is the condition of purification.

And without obedience to God in the forsaking of our sins and in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, we cannot love others with the sincere love of God for others who profess faith in Jesus Christ and for those who have not yet surrendered their lives to the Lord to do his will. For to love with this kind of love involves us living to please God and preferring what he prefers, which is all that is righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. So to love is to do for others what is for their good, i.e. what God deems right in his eyes.

“For, ‘All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

And the flower falls off,

But the word of the Lord endures forever.’

And this is the word which was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24-25 NASB1995)

All of us humans are born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, the first man to sin against God. None of us are righteous in our own merit, of our own flesh. And we all fall short of the divine approval of God in our flesh, outside of faith in Jesus Christ. We live, and then we die, and all that we owned or accomplished in this life is then gone with us.

But the Word of the Lord endures forever, which is the Word that should have been preached to us, that Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness, in walks of obedience to his commands, all in the power of God. And that Word is Jesus.

So, if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God, we must, by faith in him, be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as servants of God and of his righteousness, in following the leading of the Holy Spirt in the ways of God and His Truth.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

In Obedience to The Truth

An Original Work / April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

A Futile Way of Life

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:17-19 NASB1995)

What does a futile way of life look like in the eyes of God? What futile ways of life have any of us inherited from our ancestors (forefathers)? For me, I was raised by a father who was an abuser physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually. I did not follow in his footsteps, but what was done to me did have an impact on my life, and on my life choices, and on my perception of God. I saw God/Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Lord, and my comforter, but he did not rescue me from my abuser, and so I saw God as limited.

I believed in Jesus Christ at age 7, and I took God and his word seriously. I was not a perfect child, but I loved Jesus, and I loved the teachings of the Scriptures, and I followed the Lord with my life. I was so serious about obeying the Lord that I was often made fun of and thought to be an oddball. I wanted to serve him with my life, and I wanted to become a missionary one day. I loved sitting in the front pew in the “church” building and listening to the preacher preach from the Scriptures. I wanted to live like that.

I met a guy in college. We dated. Eventually we got married. I believed he was a Christian. We were in Christian ministry together from our dating years until mid-2006, with some gaps in-between. We have both shared our testimonies publicly several times. He confesses to being addicted to sexual sin from early in his life to the present. And for a short period of time he led me to join him in some of his sinful behaviors, which were then my sinful behaviors, too. Then God delivered me and brought me back to himself.

So, when I was joining my husband in sin, I was living the futile way of life inherited from my father, not as an abuser, but as one committing sexual sin against God. I was following the ways of the flesh, and not the ways of God, not constantly, but more in and out. And when I did try to come back to the right place with God I had other people knocking me down, treating me with disdain, not for any sin I committed, but because I was pursuing God and righteousness and getting my life back on track. Satan wanted me dead.

But Jesus Christ did not deliver me from sin and give me a new life in him to be lived for his glory so that eventually I would ignore him and his commands and so that I would do the unthinkable in direct opposition to his will and purpose for my life. And that is the subject that this passage of Scripture is addressing. We are not delivered from sin so that we will eventually go back to living in it. We are delivered from our sin so we will now serve God with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands.

And God is going to judge all of us in the same way when we stand before him on the day of judgment, not according to what we did in the past, but according to how we are living in the present. He will judge us by our works, whether we are serving him with our lives or if we are living in sin, doing what our flesh desires rather than obeying our Lord and his commands. So, we must conduct ourselves in the fear (honor, respect) of the Lord during our time on this earth or we will not have eternal life with God in heaven.

For, when Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross, it was to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him we will now die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands – all in the power of God, by his Spirit. So, if you have not denied self, died to sin, and followed Jesus in obedience, in lifestyle, by his grace, I pray you do so now. And if you have wandered from the faith and have fallen back into sin, I pray you will repent and obey God from this day forward, by his grace.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

God had a calling on my life from very early on in my life. I knew I was to be like a Jeremiah, not as a prophet, but as one taking the truths of the Scriptures to the people without fear of them. But I let fear of them distract me for a time from that calling. But when the Lord brought me back he made that calling even more clear to me than ever before. And for the past nearly 22 years I have been doing what he has called me to do, even when I get rejected, hated, mistreated, and cast aside, because He is with me!

The Spirit Calling

An Original Work / November 12, 2019

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Hear the Spirit calling.

He’ll keep you from falling.

Tenderly He’s calling,

“Come and follow Him.”

Walk with Jesus daily.

Don’t give in to lazy.

Folks may call you crazy.

Fellowship with Him.

Follow where He leads you.

Eat what Jesus feeds you.

His love will renew you

If you follow Him.

Do what Jesus tells you.

Don’t let your faith fail you.

His love will avail you

If you walk with Him.

Jesus, Lord and Savior,

Reigneth now forever.

He gave us His favor

So we’d live with Him.

Turning now from our sin,

Holy Spirit live-in.

Holiness we walk in,

Purified by Him.

https://vimeo.com/373006449 

A Futile Way of Life

An Original Work / April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Distressed by Various Trials

I am reading in 1 Peter 1.

 

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are those who, by God-persuaded faith in him, have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of God and of his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God (see Romans 6:1-23). And we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

[Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:31-32; John 15:1-12; Romans 6:16; Romans 8:24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Hebrews 3:6,14-15; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5,9; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,24-25]

 

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9 NASB1995)

 

As those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are to be the chosen of God, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ. We are not saved by the grace of God so that we can continue living in sin and in disobedience to God and to his commands, in practice. We do not have the guarantee of heaven as our eternal destiny based on lip service only, absent of submission to our Lord and without obedience to his commands while sin is still our practice. For faith in Jesus Christ requires that we die to sin and obey God.

 

And this is one of the reasons for which we are given various trials, to test us by fire, to see whether or not our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine, or if it is not real, or if it is weak and needs to be strengthened and refined through various trials and tribulations given us to test our faith. And this isn’t for a day or a week, but our faith will be tested from now until Jesus returns so that when he does return, our faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, which is faith in action.

 

And then notice with me the wording here where it says, “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” But this is not in the context of our initial confessions of faith in Jesus Christ resulting in the salvation of our souls. This has to do with continuous walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in submission to his will, throughout our Christian lives, via our trials and tribulations which come to test our faith, resulting in us obtaining as the outcome of our faith the salvation of our souls.

 

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NASB1995)

 

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, must follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, and we must no longer live as slaves (addicted) to sin. This does not make us perfect. This does not mean we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2). This does not mean we will never fall back and need to be brought back to repentance (see Revelation 2-3; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20). But if sin remains our practice, and not obedience to the Lord, and this is where we still are when Jesus returns, then we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Our Eyes on Jesus

 

Based off Hebrews 12:2-13

An Original Work / April 23, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Our faith starts and grows in Him,

Who for the joy set before Him

Endured all our sin.

Scorning the shame of the cross,

He sat down beside God above.

He was willing to die for us,

To save us, in love.

 

Think about the opposition

He endured from sinful men,

So when you go through life’s trials,

You stay strong within.

Knowing all He went through for us

Helps us not grow weak of heart;

Not grow weary; don’t give up;

And not from Him depart.

 

In your struggle against sin’s ways,

Resist not to shed your blood.

Have you forgotten the words

God spoke to us in love?

“My child, don’t ignore it when

The Lord corrects you; do faint not,

Because the Lord disciplines those

That He loves, of God.”

 

God rebukes us all for our good;

Share with Him in holiness.

It produces a harvest of

God’s own righteousness.

Therefore, strengthen all within you

That is weak and might give way.

Stand firm in the faith God gives you;

Trust Him and obey.

 

https://vimeo.com/125489683

 

Distressed by Various Trials

An Original Work / April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Not Too Hard for God

Have you ever gotten to the point in your life where you felt like you were at the end of your rope? Everything you tried seemed to just blow up in your face? Nothing went like you had hoped, or even as you had planned? And you felt as though you just kept coming up against brick walls? 

Your heart was in the right place, and you were moving in a forward direction, but Satan just kept fighting hard against you, using loved ones, friends, or church people to oppose you, and to try to get you to compromise with the world, or to not take life so seriously. 

It seemed no one was on your side and “in your ball court” except God. Even those who were supposed to love and support and protect you had turned against you, and so you felt without hope, without resources, and lacking the strength to fight anymore. And so you just wanted to throw up the white flag and say, “I surrender!” Have you been there? I have!

So, what are we to do when we get to that place? We need to call on God for help, for strength, for comfort, for healing, and for direction. We need to also fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us with the truth of God’s Word. And this is the truth from his Word regarding these times in our lives.

She Laughed

The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:14 ESV)

Abraham and Sarah were well past childbearing age, and yet God promised them that they would have a son, and that Abraham would be the father of many nations. The Bible says this about Abraham:

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20-21 NASB).

I think sometimes we grow weary when what we hope for takes too long, and so we get impatient with God, and thus, when things get really hard, we are ready to “throw in the towel.” We give up too soon, because we feel that what we hope for is not going to happen. We have our eyes fixed on our circumstances, instead of on God, and so we decide it is an impossible situation, and there is just no way that good will come out of it. And, so we bail, because it got too hard, and/or because it looked too impossible.

But, we forget that, with God, anything is possible, according to his will and purpose. Nothing within his perfect will is too hard for him to do. He is the God of impossible situations. He is the God of miracles, too. So, we need to yield to God’s will, pray for direction, and then do what he shows us, and move forward, not backward. Instead of just giving up, we should see what God is up to, then trust him, and then follow his lead. 

Not Looking Good?

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17 ESV

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

God’s people were in captivity. Jerusalem was under siege. Jeremiah was under arrest and being held in confinement because of what he was prophesying in the name of the Lord. Things didn’t look too promising. And, yet, God told Jeremiah to buy a field, so he did, even though, by human understanding, it probably was illogical. 

God’s people were in captivity because, although God had rescued them, and he had provided for them, and had led them, they did not obey him, but they did evil in his sight. So, God judged them, and he brought disaster on them, but not to destroy them, but to bring them to their knees, so they would return to him.

So, again, things were not exactly looking good. The people were living in open rebellion against God. Sin was abounding. And now their land was being conquered. All looked pretty hopeless. But, then God said, “Is anything too hard for me?” 

You see, God had a plan. And his plan was to revive his people and to bring them back into fellowship with him, so that he would be their God, and they would be his people. His plan was, that through a very difficult circumstance, he would work a miracle in their hearts and lives. And, that they would fear him, and so they would walk in his ways. Now he would bring good on them. And fields would be bought once more.

So, sometimes, when things look utterly hopeless, we need to seek God’s face and allow him to show us what he is doing in these circumstances, and how he is working all things for good for those who love God and who are called according to his purposes. When things seem to be at their very worst, it may be the time when God will break through, and a miracle will happen. So, we have to know that nothing, within God’s will, is too hard for God. So, we should never give up, but we should trust him, walk with him, and do what he tells us to do, for he has a plan. 

Nearly Impossible

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:23-27 ESV)

Hard, difficult, challenging, and even nearly impossible is not too hard for God. We can’t do it, but he can. We see stubborn and rebellious hearts, living in sin, addicted to all sorts of sinful practices, children and spouses being abused, betrayed and abandoned, and cruel and inhumane treatment of the oppressed at the hands of the wealthy and powerful, and we wonder if there is any hope that this will ever end.

We see lives torn apart by sin, hatred and violence, lies and betrayal, broken marriages, and children exposed to all sorts of evil via internet devices, and we wonder when or if God will ever intervene. We see the addicted, too, hanging on to their idols, often unwilling to let go, or fighting to hold on, or trying to delicately balance their sinful practices with their Christian lives, and we wonder if they will ever come to their senses and truly give God their all in total surrender to his will. Some people have already written them off, and have decided they will never change.

Yet, I believe in miracles. I’ve seen a soul set free! I know God’s power to change lives and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. So, there is always hope until they are dead or until Jesus Christ returns. Until then, we should keep praying, because with man, this is impossible, this deliverance from our chains, but with God, it is not.

So, when things look bleak, when our plans fail, when life kicks us in the rear, and the opposition is strong, we need to put on the armor of God and fight Satan and his lies and believe in God’s Word and his promises, and then just let him lead us as to the way he wants us to go. Instead of running away when life gets too hard, we need to run to God. He may say, “Leave,” but he may say, “Stay.” So, we need to do what he says, and then just trust him with the results. He will give us all we need to endure, and the wisdom we need to keep persevering, even when all looks utterly hopeless. We just need to rest in him, rely on his strength and power, and keep pressing on.

His Strength Is Perfect

By Steven Curtis Chapman

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone

He'll carry us when we can't carry on

Raised in His power, the weak become strong

His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGC9KT918Kk 

Sunday, December 31, 2017, 6:13 p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouraging and hopeful words. Help us to hear you clearly, and to follow your lead, and to run to you and not from you when things get hard.

Not Too Hard for God

An Original Work / December 31, 2017

Reposted on April 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love