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The Vineyard from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I have always admired Amos, who was a shepherd in a field when the Lord told him to go and prophesy to King Jeroboam in Bethel. The priest Amaziah told him to prophesy somewhere else. They weren't interested in what the Lord had to say, but A... -
for a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity. Proverbs 24:16 WEB.Once again, I was the one who promised he would never do it again, then went and did it again. I had slowly drifted away one more time. I have found that it's easy to make promises...
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Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth your hand now, and touch all t...
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- led by Lynn BrownThis is a group for RHM sponsored events like corporate fasts. Everyone is welcome to join and participate in things currently going on in the ministry. We love you and thank you for being a part of Refreshing Hope!
The Pressure Cooker
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For we don't desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life. Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver, on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us 2 Corinthians 1:8'10 WEB.
When we have a tough piece of meat that we are trying to cook, we break out a pressure cooker that we have, and soon it will become so tender that it just falls apart. The pressure cooker is an excellent device for speeding up long cooking tasks. Something that would take three hours to cook can be cooked in the pressure cooker in about thirty minutes.
When the Lord decided to put me in the ministry, He brought the pressure of closing our existing business. When I tried to keep it open, He turned up the pressure until I had no choice except to do what He wanted or starve and be homeless.
You would think He could have just asked me, but instead, our business dried up, which brought tremendous financial pressure on us. Then at the last minute, the week that we prepared to move out of our home, He opened up a door in ministry, and here we are. Now I know without a shadow of a doubt that He put me here and is with us. This was His idea, and I don't have to wonder if I forced my way into the ministry. He pushed me.
We spent some quality time in God's pressure cooker. It put us where He wanted us to be and changed us in the process. We learned a lot during that season. Serving God with all your heart, giving all you have, praying on your face in tears, praising, worshiping, and fasting doesn't rescue you from hardship or pressure. Sometimes you are meant to endure the situation and have something squeezed out of you. In the end, it will work out better.
Paul wrote there were times when they were under so much pressure, so far beyond their control, that he thought they would die. Then he noted that it was so that they would trust in God and not in themselves. This was the way that the Apostles lived. They depended on God to take care of them.
That's scary for those who want to be in control but still serve God, for there will come a time when He will break you and teach you to trust Him instead. When your world begins to crumble because you are no longer in control of the situation, guess who your God was: You. I still remember the day that I had to start trusting Him, and it was because I was powerless against what was happening, much like Paul.
There is good news: It doesn't last forever. Pressure cooking is intense, but it is the fast track. Who you become when under pressure is just who you really are. God already knows, but He wants you to know, and He allows pressure to steer us in the right direction.
He knows just how much we need, for how long, and something that could take years, may only take weeks. So don't panic and give up when you are under pressure. You are not the first. You will come out of this better when you are done, and you will have a testimony to share with others who may go through the same thing.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You work Your perfect will in my life. Please put me where I need to be, and surround me with those that need to be there. Give me hope, Lord, and help me remain stable under pressure. I have put my trust in God. What can man do to me? In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
Note: 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.' (Philippians 4:6-7) ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network> You can subscribe to our daily devotional here <
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Yes Lord, amen and amen.
Amen, Father I trust in You only, my faith is in You only
Amen
Yes Amen!
Amen!
AMEN. Heavenly Father, My Faith and Trust is always in You. Thank YOU for always blessing me. AMEN
Father in Heaven I trust in you. Thank you Lord, Amen
Amen Good Morning Everyone
Amen
Amen. The pressure is on Lord, but I trust You.
Father, Your perfect will be done in my life, Amen.
Amen !
Amen!!
Amen thank you Father for doing what's best for me and my family I trust you and you alone
Praise God for this message!! I too have been in the pressure cooker these past couple of months not knowing what God will do in my life! I knew He was gonna do something but I didn't know what the outcome would be. It came down to me trusting God no matter what happened and me being at peace!!
Yes, Lord, thy will be done!! Amen and Amen!!
Amen!
Amen! I too have been in a situation like the one your described. I was in a job that God handed to me and I said I will stay here until God tells me to move and even though things were starting to get ugly. I believe they were trying to make us quits so that they wouldnt have to pay unemployment if they let us go. They piled on so much work that I was doing the job of 3 people but I did not quit or give up because Got put me here He has his reasons and I stayed there until He told me to move. So the company I worked for got bought out by another company and all of the management positions were in jeapardy because the new company wasnt sure if they wanted to keep us on or let us go. Things started to get ugly and we all feared the worse was coming. Some employee jumped ship and got other jobs, I however stayed put until God physically removed me from this job. I had testified to everyone that I would stay put until God told me to leave or physically removed me from my position. Slowly they began terminated our group and one day it was my turn. God gave me such an incredible peace that day, normally I would be crying and nervous wondering what I was going to do and how I was going to pay my bills and house payment. I knew it was the Lord's will and I had said if He took me out of this position He would give me something better. We ended up selling our house but we did make a tidy profit from it so that was a huge blessing. This House had also been handed to us by God. We ended up moving closer to my daughter so I could watch my two grandchildren. This was God's plan and later I remembered I had asked God to allow me to watch them before they were too old to need to be watched so God gave this to me. God is good all the time, He is always in control and will always take care of His Children!!
I trust you my God. Please favor me. Amen
Amen Lord Jesus!
I concur with this absolutely. In Lord Yeshua's name I ask this, Amen.