Are You Persuaded

Welcome again to devotions from my kitchen and where I have the privilege of just sharing my heart with you and in the midst of all of our struggles and trials just telling you why I'm not afraid. And today I'd like to read to you from the book of Romans chapter 8 verse 31, one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible and I'll carry on right through to the end of the chapter. What shall we say to these things? Paul said, if God is for us, who can be against us? You know, that's the verse of scripture that set me free from nine years of panic attacks, nine years of living in fear, nine years of being afraid of going into a crowded room, nine years of taking volume, nine years of trying to drown the fear in my heart when it would rise with anything I could get that would pacify it. And yet what nine years of exercise and medications and everything else couldn't do, God did in 30 seconds with a half of a verse of scripture. Isn't that amazing? If God before us who can be against us, you know, if we just believe that one verse, if we believe that half of that one verse, what shall we say to these things? If God can, if God before us who can be against us, there'd be, there'd be nothing, there'd be no power of evil that could ever take us down. There'd be no circumstance that come our way that could threaten to take away our confidence in our stability in God. God has been faithful to me all these years, and it would be a disservice to him if I were to succumb to fear now in these circumstances, after all that he's done for me, all the places that he's taken me throughout the world. The great victories I've seen where civil war has been brought to an end, where violence and poverty that was generational was broken by the preaching of the word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit. I've seen God bring potential genocides to an end and bring in reigns of peace in other countries. And that's only the beginning of what God has shown me over the years and what I've been allowed to experience. And I'm sure today, if you look back, there's so many things that God's done in your life, maybe things that you would have had a tendency to be afraid of, but you turned to him, and he gave you the strength, the courage, he gave you the provision. Everything that you thought was going to take you down didn't, and you're still here and you're still standing. I say it's imperative for you and I today not to dishonor Christ by casting away our confidence in him, but honoring him by saying, Lord, I trust you. God, I trust you. If you are for me, if you are for me, who can be against me? Paul finishes it out by saying, I'm persuaded, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember, perfect love casts out fear, and that perfect love comes from the heart of God himself. He loves you, promises to keep you, he will not fail you, he will not forsake you. Be encouraged today. Why don't you take a moment, clap your hands, and just rejoice, and just start thanking God for all the good things he's done in your life, and how good he's going to be towards you in the future. Love you so much. Thank God for you. Stay strong. See you soon.