“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

I would imagine everyone reading this would agree that they are in need of some good news. Am I right? I think everyone, especially given all that’s going on in our nation and throughout the world, would welcome some good news.

Our world has gone mad, and it’s obvious that there is a strong delusion and lack of common sense among leaders and peoples. It is evident we are seeing what the Bible clearly mentions in scripture, which is the world we currently find ourselves in: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

Despite everything happening around us, we are told to stand strong and remember what Jesus our SAVIOR has said. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Be of what during the chaos, tribulation, trials?

Be of GOOD CHEER!!!

Be in turmoil? … NO, be at peace.

If Jesus is your Savior… be of good cheer.

If this world is not your home and you’re just passing through… be of good cheer.

If you have a bright, eternal future ahead of you… be of good cheer.

If you still have breath to tell someone about Jesus… be of good cheer.

How do we, as believers, be of good cheer? We unplug from the desires of the world and plug into the Savior. We start by worshipping our Creator…praying…reading the Bible…praising Him…remembering all He’s done, all He’s doing, and all He promises. We stand on Scripture as we put our complete lives (present and future) in God’s capable, loving hands. It is the conscious act of putting our full focus on Almighty God and reminding ourselves Whose we are in Christ. And when we do this, our confidence, faith, and trust become stronger. We can then truly feel more emboldened to take a stand and not cower in fear. Remember: Fear cripples, Faith frees.

So, fellow brother or sister in Christ, brush your armor off, open your Bible, start praising and praying, and get prepared.

Ephesians 6:10-18 reminds us, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

^“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Unplugging from the negative and plugging into the Savior is the best thing you can do. Worshipping, praying, Bible reading, seeking His face, putting on the full armor of Christ, all equip and remind our hearts, souls and minds WHO is in control. In turn, we naturally find it easier to truly hand over the reins to the Creator of All.

I am hopeful that the verses that follow will encourage you during these uncertain, trying times. Meditate on them, print them out, and refer to them throughout your day as you let God both encourage and strengthen you through His wonderful Word. And remember as you press on to Be of Good Cheer!

I’d like to conclude with a prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Your goodness and mercy. We thank You for the gift of Jesus and for salvation. We pray for those who are lost and ask that You open their eyes to the truth so that they are set free and come to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

We pray fear not take root in our lives but that faith soars. We pray for America and all the nations of the world that You would open eyes, change lives and work miracles. Thank you for Your love, Your Word. May we put You first and remember we are called to walk in faith, not fear. 1 John 4:18 reminds us: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

We thank you that we have a bright future ahead where we will one day be forever with You for all eternity. We love You, praise You and thank you. Amen.

spate.holly@gmail.com

BE OF GOOD CHEER…

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:1-2).

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7).

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).

“And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God” (Philippians 1:28 ).

“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8).

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

“Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the Lord do that which seemeth him good” (2 Samuel 10:12).

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

“The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly” (Psalm 118:14-16).

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:17-19).

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me” (Psalm 17:8-9).

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:1-8).

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).

“I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

No matter what you may be experiencing in life, no matter what the world looks like, as a believer in Christ you can confidently and boldly proclaim, “The Best is Yet to Come!” While chaos may ensue and things may spiral out of control, as a Christian you can breathe a sigh of relief and rejoice knowing that your heavenly Father has all things in His control and that one day you will be with Him forever…for all eternity!

Imagine forever. It’s difficult to do as we can’t completely comprehend forever. Imagine never being ill again. Imagine never being tempted to sin again. Imagine never suffering again. Imagine receiving a new body…one without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27).

Imagine the day when the trumpet sounds and we meet our Redeemer in the air! What a day that will be…not like any other day or anything we’ve ever experienced before or will ever experience again. And then, we will forever be with the Lord! Forever…amazing!

1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us of what’s ahead: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Imagine the beauty of heaven, the freedom, the unconditional love. And, most importantly, the very One who spoke the world into existence…the very One who created your very being and gave you breath will be there. How incredible…how awesome…how miraculous that day will be!

Years ago, God impressed upon my heart to write about this beautiful eternity that awaits all who place their trust in Christ Jesus. I’d like to share the poem He placed on my heart with you. As you read it, imagine all the wonder…all God has in store for YOU for all eternity. Take a moment to think about the time you made the best decision of your life…the moment when you accepted Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. Remember the awe of realizing that Jesus paid your debt in full when He painfully endured the cross, taking on the sins of the whole world, so that you would never be separated by sin and would never experience the loss of being lost forever. Think about His resurrection and all the blessings given because of His unconditional love for you.

I pray this poem serves as an encouragement as you remember and rejoice because the best is yet to come!

At Heaven’s Gate

Wipe these tears to cry no more
For all will cease at Heaven’s door
The pain of life will fade away
The warmth of love will light the way
All will pass at Heaven’s gate.

New life formed while old is gone
Trumpets sound in praise of song
Angelic voices, clouds of white
Beauty beheld, no dark of night
Streets of gold, glorious days
All begin at Heaven’s gate.

The cries of hunger often ignored
Lack of love shown to the poor
Powers of darkness existing before
Will all be shut out at Heaven’s door
The love of the Father cries, “NO MORE!”

For Heaven is a province of peace
A station where the faithful wait to retreat
A place of goodness not experienced before
A point existing through Heaven’s door.

And as I enter…
I’ll walk upon the streets of gold
Listening to stories from prophets of old
Feeling His love in every face
Expressions flowing deep in this holiest place.

I’ll see Him standing with glory great
The life which brought me here by grace
The lamb who died on Calvary’s tree
To set this lowly sinner free.

I’ll run to Him with outstretched arms
Engulfed in His presence, His loving form
His face of love, in awe I’ll stand
My helper through life, my most faithful friend.

I dream of that day hearing angels sing
When I bow in the presence of my Father, The KING!

Isn’t God good!

The Bible gives us a glimpse into God’s wonderful plan when we venture from this life into our new life for all eternity. Be encouraged by these verses as you’re reminded of your wonderful future which is to come.

Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Revelation 22:1-5 “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Revelation 21:21-27 “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

^“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

John 3:13 “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”

2 Peter 3:13 “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Revelation 21:1-5 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

The greatest gift the world has ever received is God’s Son. The best decision a person could ever make in this life is to accept God’s precious, perfect, remarkable, life-changing gift with open arms. It is a gift like no other, bringing with it forgiveness, salvation, hope, joy and a beautiful forever future in eternity with the Creator of all. Nothing…nothing this world has to offer will satisfy, will cleanse, will save, will redeem. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse, save, redeem, forgive, and bring both hope and a beautiful eternal future.

No matter what you may be experiencing in life, no matter what the world looks like, as a believer in Christ you can confidently and boldly proclaim, “The Best is Yet to Come!” While chaos may ensue and things may spiral out of control, as a Christian you can breathe a sigh of relief and rejoice knowing that your heavenly Father protects you, loves you, guides you, and one day will bring you to be with Him forever…for all eternity!

Never take for granted the fact that God’s love compelled Him to send the most precious gift He had to give…His one and only Son.

Jesus’ sacrifice gave YOU salvation. His decision affected YOUR destiny. His unconditional love laid the foundation for YOUR future.

If you are a believer, Rejoice…. Your future is bright and the best is yet to come!

If you have never made the personal decision to make Jesus your Lord and Savior, He is waiting…arms wide open, to accept you and welcome you into His kingdom. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:9-13 states: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Call on Him today… He’s waiting, with open arms, to welcome you home!

spate.holly@gmail.com