Blessed Assuraance

Greetings Family! 

It’s so good to know that we have made it to another month.  September 2024 is here!  I’ve been looking forward to releasing this note of encouragement.  So without any further delay, here goes.

I recall a few weeks ago having a conversation with a fellow believer.  He was going through a rough patch.  As I listened to him intently, I had a strong desire to offer him comfort and assurance that things would definitely work out according to Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for the good, for them that love God, to those that are the called according to His purpose.”

Let me be clear, we can find divine comfort and the assurance we need in the quiet moments of prayer! I call this Blessed Assurance!

Let’s explore the comforting concept of Blessed Assurance and how it can move you to turning to the Lord in prayer more often and for all things.  

Blessed Assurance is a profound sense of confidence and peace that comes from knowing we are held securely in God's care. It’s the understanding that, no matter what challenges we face, we have an uncompromising hope of divine support and guidance that comes from Jesus alone. Finally, it is knowing that regardless of our location or circumstance, He is with us.

Prayer Activates Blessed Assurance

Family, when we turn to prayer, we’re not just voicing our concerns or making requests; we’re engaging in a conversation with the One who knows us best. There have been times when I spent a great deal of energy trying to find the best words to convey my feelings, hurts, pains, and fears to a trusted friend or confidante only to receive an abundance of questions or the “tell me more…”  Have you been there? It’s in those instances that I just want to say forget it already. 😔

But the Lord says, “I hear you and I understand.” Jesus has a way of letting me know that He hears me and understands more about my situation than I do. That’s good news!  

The Lord adds, “I am with you, You are not alone.”  Family, allow me to speak on behalf of Jesus today and let you know that He has declared we are never alone!  He is with us in every situation.  He will not abandon us, nor forsake us.  He will be with us through the fire and storms in our life.  We will not be burned or fall to the attacks of the enemy!  This is the same message that the Lord shared with the Children of Israel and it is just as relevant for us today. Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Family, the Lord is simply saying, “I’ve got you and We are in this together!”  Isn’t it awesome to know that you don’t have to handle life’s struggles alone, that you have an all-powerful God who cares for you and will NOT allow you to go through life’s struggles alone!!!!  I say again, that’s great news!

Here are a few ways to awaken this sense of assurance through prayer:

1. Start with Gratitude: Begin your prayers by thanking God for His steadfast love and faithfulness. This exercise has a way of grounding us and settling our hearts.  Reflecting on past blessings can reinforce our confidence in His ability to take care of all our needs.

2. Seek His Presence: As you pray, ask for a deeper awareness of God’s presence. Trust that He is with you.

3. Embrace His Promises: Pray according to the scriptures! These promises are the foundation of our assurance and serve as powerful reminders of God’s unchanging love.  If God said it, He will keep his promise!

4. Surrender It All: Lay all your concerns (cares, fears, worry, hurt, anger, disappointments) at His feet. Trust that God is in control and that He works all things for good.

5. Reflect on His Faithfulness and Goodness: Take time to remember times when God has been faithful in your life. Go down memory lane to recall how good He has been to you! This reflection can reinforce your trust in Him.

It’s my desire that you find the Lord’s peace and His Blessed Assurance in your conversations with our Almighty and Ever-Present God. 

Remember, God Hears Us, He Understands more than we know, and He is With Us!!!!  Now that’s the essence of Blessed Assurance!  Can I get an AMEN?!

Jewels and I love you all very much and want the very best that the Lord has for you and your family!  Welcome to September 2024!

It’s August and I’m all in! 

All in what PJ?  Well, I’m all in for what the Lord has for me this month and for this season in my life.  What about you?

One of my all-time favorite scriptures comes from the book of Jeremiah.  It’s here that he scribes the words of our Lord.  

“11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  - Jeremiah 29:11-13  

A few things I would like to note:

The Lord has plans for us:  That’s right, He has plans for us, for our future!  He knows in great detail what this season and each season will reflect and when it will be revealed.  He alone knows the joys of His plan. I believe He is excited to see it unfold in our life.  Finally, the Lord knows what is needed to prepare for His plans for us. He will not release any portion of His plan if we are not prepared or ready for it.

Rolling out His plan too soon would prove disastrous for ourselves and those around us. So many examples of this just flashed through my mind…an untrained kid with a loaded gun, an overly eager teenager with a car, a novice with leadership responsibilities, and a pretentious Pastor who’s called to shepherd the flock.  Again, should the Lord reveal His plan too soon it would prove disastrous for ourselves and those around us. So before we shout the victory, let’s continue reading the rest of the text. Verse twelve states, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me…”  These are very important action steps.

Call and Seek:  No, I didn’t say hide and seek. (Smile)  It’s call and seek…we are encouraged to call on and seek the Lord!  Allow me to make this very clear. The Lord has plans for us; however, the heart of being all in requires action on our part.  First, we must call on Him in prayer!  Second, we must seek Him in all things and in all areas of our life!  I can hear someone saying “PJ, I’ve been calling and seeking God and…nothing!  It’s been absolute crickets!!!”  

I get it, sometimes it seems as though we have lost connection to Heaven. Allow me to encourage you this morning.  Being “all in” means, we have postured ourselves to remain before Him until He reveals, or releases His plans for our lives.  This may not be praying for just a week and hoping to get a response.  I love how Jesus put it with His disciples as recorded by Matthew:

7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  - Matthew 7:7-8

How badly do you want what the Lord has for you?  Are you willing to call out to Him and seek Him on a continuous basis?  Are you willing to keep cadence with the timeline He has set for you?  Are you willing to be sold out to what He wants to do in your life?  Are you willing to set aside your plans and desires for His?  I am convinced this makes all the difference.  This, family, is what is meant by being all in.  The Lord promises to respond to our being all in.

He will hear us and He will be found: in our featured text the Lord says, “…I will listen to you…and you will find Me when you seek me with all your heart.  The Lord declares when we pray to Him and seek Him with all our heart (being all in), He will hear us and He will show up.  Now that’s good news!  No more trying to figure things out on our own.  No more mistakes!  No more wasted time!  No more disappointments or setbacks!  No more back to the drawing board!  No more frustration!  No more delaysI  No more thinking “this is the perfect plan” only to find it’s not!  I’ll say it again, that’s good news!  When we are all in with Jesus we receive vision, clarity, direction, provisions, and strength for the journey!  Finally, at His appointed time, His wonderful plans for our life are ushered on to the scene.

Challenge:  Choose to do it God’s way, be all in with Him!  He knows the plans for our life: for today, this month, and this year!  (Can I get an AMEN?!). 

It’s August and I’m all in!  How about you?

We Made It!  It’s June 2024!

Greetings Family! 

We made it!  We are at the mid-year mark of 2024.  Can you believe it?  This year has been like no other.  We have experienced much this year and we have another half to go.  Let’s lean all the way in and take it to another level!  Some may be asking, PJ, how do we lean in and take it to another level?  I’m so glad you asked.

Leaning in (from my perspective) means that we are fully aware of and engaged in what has happened and is currently happening in our life.  To be more specific, at the close of every month, we have been challenged with taking a moment to reflect, ponder, or recall events. That’s right, we have been taking a personal survey of all that has happened. Hopefully, beyond the highs and lows of the month, you have seen God with you every step of the way! Second, (as a result of your reflection) you were able to make needed adjustments: (1) letting go of the things which brought NO value to your life and (2) embracing more of the things that bring you closer to God and what He has for you! (That’s so good!)  My prayer is that you will continue with leaning in while taking it to another level!!!

Taking it to another level (again from my perspective) means stepping up, going beyond the norm, doing more than expected, and stretching ourselves!  Wait!!!  This is not about works for special favor from God!  I can hear it, OK PJ, if it’s not about DOING MORE, what does ‘taking it to another level’ mean?  Answer: It’s about positioning ourselves for what God wants to do in our lives.  We position ourselves through joyful expectation!  That’s right, joyful expectation!  I am literally looking forward to what God will allow me to see, hear, and feel in the coming days.  We are saying that I know for a fact that God wants the best for me and my family…and I’m ready, I’m in receive mode, let’s go Jesus!!!  It’s like going to a concert. You are in the arena, there is excitement, energy, and people are ready for the lights to go down!!!  They are eager for the performance to start.  WHY?  Because they know it’s going to be good!  They don’t know the details of the song selection, or the special guests that will come to the stage, but they (no we) are convinced that it will be amazing!  That is joyful expectation. 

Again, taking it to another level is a posture that says, I don’t know what June will bring, but one thing I know is Jesus will be there with me…and it’s going to be good!  

We get to declare in advance: I will experience ALL that He has for me…challenges, rest, struggles, peace, pain, sorrow, and joy!  And when it’s all said and done, I will be better for all that I have experienced!

We get to pray in advance: Lord, I thank you for June, for what is to come, for what I shall experience and learn…it’s going to be a great month, because YOU will be with me, and YOUR plans will unfold in my life and in the life of my family.  In Jesus Name, Amen!!! (OK, I’m fired up!!!) 

As I end this long letter , allow me to put some bible on this:

Romans 8:28   And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

John 10:10 The thief does do not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Finally, be convinced that June 2024 is going to be a great month - filled with the endless blessings of the Lord!  Let’s lean in and take it to another level!!!