In my Daily Dose entry yesterday for IntercessionTuesday, I mentioned how challenging this time of year can be for many, including myself. Many nights I have cried myself to sleep after reading Psalms 116--not because of sadness, but just from the humility and gratitude I've felt after being reminded of what God can be to us if we let Him. 

In this chapter of the Bible, there are reminders that God hears every cry. He pities every groan. As long as we live and troubles rise, we can run to Him. He will be our protection. He will comfort us as he is full of compassion. Of particular note is Psalms 116:1-7, which says, "I love the  Lord , for he heard my voice;  he heard my cry for mercy.  Because he turned his ear to me,  I will call on him as long as I live.  The cords of death entangled me,  the anguish of the grave came over me;  I was overcome by distress and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the  Lord :  “ Lord , save me!”  The  Lord  is gracious and righteous;  our God is full of compassion.  The  Lord  protects the unwary;  when I was brought low, he saved me.  Return to your rest, my soul,  for the  Lord  has been good to you."

No matter what we are going through, no matter how low we may feel or how far we may believe we have fallen, no matter how unloving the world may be to us, no matter our loss or sorrow, God is right there for us and I would just like us all to take a minute to raise our hands in praise, knowing that we can run to God when there is nowhere to go. He's there. Arms wide open. He always has time for us and it is always our turn.

Contributed by: Veronica F.

With Christmas being eight days away many of us are busy decorating, fulfilling wish lists, attending holiday parties, partaking of  fine bread, elaborate meals and good drinks. But what this season represents is so much more than satisfying our souls with gifts, parties, good drinks and find food and bread. This season represents God sending His Son, Jesus Christ, the Bread of Heaven to satisfy our souls.

Jesus says in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst". 

Here Jesus is comparing Himself to the bread He miraculously created for the 5000 people He fed from two fish and five loaves of bread. That was a physical bread that nourishes for now and will perish but He is a spiritual bread that last forever and brings eternal life. The manna (bread) in the wilderness sustained the children of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land, but it could not produce eternal life for the Israelites. By likening Himself to bread, Jesus is saying He is essential for life and that life isn’t a physical life but eternal life. The manna from heaven that the children of Israel experienced foreshadowed the unique bread of the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus gave to His disciples the day before His sacrifice. The bread that Jesus offers His disciples at the Last Supper sustains us for an abundant supernatural life of God, which sustains us both now, and for eternity. 

Jesus Christ is the “true bread” – the bread of God. He  was sent from heaven in the form of flesh to sustain, strengthen and satisfy us not only for the day or this season, but  for eternity! Let's not lose sight of the purpose of Jesus being born in a manger with a divine purpose to fulfill and that was to die on a cross to reconcile humankind back to our Father.

Jesus is the Bread of Life and we should feed on Him daily! He alone can satisfy our spiritual cravings. No religion, philosophy, or doctrine or holiday can do that. No work of charity or giving can satisfy our soul like Jesus. Only Jesus can fully satisfy our soul. If you embrace Jesus by faith, you will discover that those temporal things that satisfy you in the right now cannot fill the emptiness within you like the Living Bread. But God will never force His sustaining “Bread of Life” upon us, 
we must become aware of our own soul hunger for the sustenance that will 
fill us permanently from the emptiness within.

Have you asked the Lord for your daily bread today, and have you come to Him for the nourishment of your soul? Honor and praise HIm for the abounding provision, for giving us the True Bread, His Begotten Son and our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. 

I was talking with my husband this weekend as were out running errands and we were just reflecting about all the mountains and valley experiences 2013 brought with it. As we were sharing about all the things people have said about us and our loved ones a childhood memory flashed through my mind. 

You all know that I am "PK" (preachers kid). I often joke that my mother birthed me on the altar of the church. My mother received salvation when she was pregnant with me. So when I was born, I was for real birthed on the altar of the church. I was the epitome of a church girl. Growing up, all I knew was church. Yes, my parents provided me and my siblings a good balance of extra curricular activities but it was surely balanced out with church.  Well, just like any other church girl, I was in the children's choir and with my father having such a wonderful singing voice, it was expected that I should be able to carry a tune. I was assigned many solo's to sing quite often. One song that I was chosen to sing was "I'm Still Holding On" written by Luther Barnes and sung by Deborah Barnes. Any old church head will remember this song. A portion of the lyrics said,

While I sung these lyrics, I would cry and sing like the weight of the world was on my small nine year old shoulders. The old saints would encourage me through it and the church would go up in worship because this little nine year old child was singing this song with such passion and heart. As I reflected back over this with my husband and later with my mother, I had an enlightening thought….I didn't know that song would foreshadow what was to come…yet I am still holding on. 

Sitting here at 39 years of age, I can truly say that these words reflect my life today. Many of us have experienced what this song so eloquently states. We have experienced the weight of the words of others in our lives. The seeds of you will never amount to anything, discounting the gifts that God placed in us. Criticizing what we know God told us to do and spreading hate and divisiveness, have been planted in our hearts and they have weakened us allowing doubt, discouragement and feelings of inferiority to creep in and with these thoughts we often times want to give up. But we can't, we must hold on. This is not a choice but a mandate. Why? Because we have to see the promises and blessings that God has in store for us to manifest. I conceptually see holding on....is holding on to His promises.  So don't you let go, don't you give in to the emotions and the words of the naysayers and doubters. Wipe the tears and look to the Word. We can look at Hebrews 11 and find many examples of faithful servants, such as Noah, Samson, Abraham, and Rahab, who were considered less than, discounted because of their past. They were questioned because of a decision to do what God called them to do, had family and friends to desert them and people seek to destroy them -  but they didn't stop nor let go of the hand of God. And God rewarded them because of their faithfulness

No matter what  they said, you remember what God said….

You're made in His image
You have a divine purpose!
You're an overcomer!
You're the head not the tail! 
You're above and not beneath! 
You're an heir to Christ!
You're redeemed from the curse!
You shall not want! 
You will have peace!
You're blessed coming!
You're blessed going!
You're highly favored!
You will bear fruit!
You're called and chosen!

I encourage you today as you worship, that you release what they said from your heart and thoughts and replace it with every promise of God!

Growing up in church, I use to hear the old saints sing, "The road hasn’t been easy. I have been through some difficult situations. Nobody told me that the road would be easy..but I don't believe He brought me this far to leave” Many of us can identify with this. We can say as we look back over the year that  “I’ve come too far from where I started from.” 

 Hebrews 13:5 says, “…….for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” These words are so comforting. We all have been through some pretty turbulent storms along life’s road. In the book of Exodus we find the children of Israel were in some difficult and turbulent times as they were being led out of Egypt’s bondage to the Promised Land.

Pharaoh had placed such heavy burden of bondage upon them that they cried out to God for deliverance. God sent Moses to be their deliverer. The day came for their departure from Egypt. What a glorious day! To leave behind all their slavery and servitude! 

But they came to the Red Sea! There was no way across. Pharaoh had changed his mind about allowing them to go free, and he was after them. Like sitting ducks with no defense, it looked like their doom was sealed. If Pharaoh caught up with them, they knew he would certainly make life miserable for them. But I can just visualize old Moses, standing up to comfort the people.

He had just heard from God! I know the Bible doesn’t record this, but he may have said, “Now, children! Just calm down! Don’t get all frightened on me now. I don’t believe He brought us this far, just to leave us.” He may have said, “We’ve already come too far from where we started from..and he has brought us to far to leave us.”

Many of us are standing at the banks of the Red Sea in the last month of this year. And we want to sob, wail, turn back, give up and give in to the weariness that our soul feels. But as we approach the end of this year, I want you to look back over this year, and if you are still here, you can truly say that He has brought us from a mighty long way. If we look at what we were faced with, He has brought us to far to leave us! The children of Israel, He delivered them out for a reason. He brought them out to bring them into their Promise Land and  He will do the same for you.

He has brought you and your family out of all that stuff, issues and mess at the beginning of the year for a reason, too. If you are thinking about what you wish your life was, how you think it ought to be, you are letting the enemy bring you down. Just think about how God lifted you up! That should be enough to make you go into a high praise. Remember where you were when He brought you out? He had a plan for you then and He has a plan for you now! Be grateful for today, because you surely remember what yesterday looked like. Just rest assure that the God who brought you out will take surely take you in! He hasn’t forgotten you. So when you feel like giving up right here so close to the end of your breakthrough….go into a praise because you know He is always there, His Word is true and He has brought you this far to take you all the way in!