Elaine Campbell

 'Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved' (Psalm 55:22). God is faithful now as he was in the past and has never failed us, because He loves us more then we can imagine. His love is so great, that He came down from heaven in the form of His Son Jesus Christ to die for us, sinful beings. Therefore, in all of our sticky situations and our messed up lives, He proves time and time again that we can rely upon him. No matter what we are going through, it is not too much for God to bear, because there is nothing too hard for him. We are living in dangerous and trying times where people are experiencing anxieties, depression and some have become hopeless and ready to give up as they cannot see beyond, in all that's happening. Some people have rejected God, whilst some have a problem with Jesus our Saviour being God. Whatever the situation, God's love never changes and He is gentle calling us to cast our cares up...

 'Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth' (Psalm 124:8). It is important to note who God is. He is Elohim, our Creator, Sustainer and Judge. He is our Provider, Protector Deliverer, and our Comforter. The three in one concept of a loving Father, Son and Holy Spirit working in unity for the good of humanity. The Psalmist says, "Our help is in the name of the Lord..." Can you imagine! If it wasn't for the Lord on our side, where would we be, what would be our end? When we feel overwhelmed, distressed,  or going through trying and difficult times turn to Yahweh our Deliverer and help; the Self-sufficient and eternal God. The Lord who is our help will strengthen and sustain us by His power, in our difficulties. There is tremendous power in the name of Jesus, the maker of heaven and earth, and our help comes in his name. In the name of Jesus we can do all things. His power is beyond anything we could ever imagine. If you're feel unsafe, thre...

 'And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God' (Luke 6:12). Prayer is very important in any believer's life. It is an opportunity to communicate with God and spend time in His presence. It helps us to understand the heart of God and to develop a deeper and lasting relationship with him. The more we spend time in prayer with God and in His Word we will experience peace and psychological comfort that only He can give. Prayer can transform the heart and change the dynamics of our lives, as we allow the Holy Spirit to be take full control in that transformation. We see in the Scriptures where Jesus was constantly praying to the Father. His life was in total dependence, submission and communion with God, even though He was sinless. Jesus loves to go in solitary places to commune with God. The mountain was one such place where he could speak to the Father uninterrupted. He prays when he was making big decis...

 If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come' (Job 14:14). The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. We know that because of sin, man will die. Nothing is more certain than death for all mankind, it was appointed by God. Jesus Christ, came to this earth  and died to save mankind and restore us to the image of God. When Christ died, he took the second death, that we wouldn't have to experience it, so we could enjoy eternal life with Him. We know that Jesus died and raised to life again and went to heaven to make intercession on our behalf with the Father, and is also the Judge of us all. We believe that He will return to take His faithful people home, but those who are unfaithful will experience the second death. The dead in Christ will rise from their graves at the call of their Saviour, then together with them, those who are still alive and remained on earth will be caught ...

 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it' (1 Corinthians 10:13). Temptation is not of God nor from God, but is of the Devil. To be tempted is not a sin, its only when we yield to it that it becomes a sin. Hear Paul is encouraging us of the sufficiency of God's grace. He is letting us know that while we are here on this earth we will have temptations, but amidst all the trials and temptations, God's grace is not only sufficient, but available to all who will trust in Him. God did not promise we will not have trials, temptations, difficulties and dangers; nor did He promise to exempt us from any of those fiery trials, evilous temptations or even persecutions. But He promises to be with us every step of the way. When temptation comes our way, we need to trust God. Jesus too was te...

 'Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbeth' (Proverbs 24:17). The nature of man is to sin and his heart is evil and desperately wicked. It's only through the grace of God that we are allowed to do good or be good. It is a natural thing for us to rejoice when our enemies fall and be happy when they stumble. However, when  the love of Christ is in our hearts, we will not only love our enemies but will also do good to them. Christ our Master Teacher, taught about loving our enemies (those who are at enmity with his people) and to pray for those who persecuted us (Matthew 5:44). The carnal mind will emphatically says 'No' but the Christ in us will respond 'Yes!' There is a spiritual warfare going on inside us; that of good and evil, which is a constant battle and is as a result of sin. But the truth is, when we allow Christ to be our focus and seek to obey God, the Holy Spirit will help us to overcome evil and do goo...

 'Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield' (Psalm 115:11). All who are of the seed of Abraham, and worshipped the Lord God in spirit and in truth, should reverence Him and trust in him. He is their help and their shield in times of need. As we seek daily to worship the true and living God, we shall behold His glory and be change from glory to glory, into His same image (see 2 Corinthians 3: 18). It is only God who can transform our lives through the power of His Holy Spirit, as we experience true worship with him and learn to trust in him; then we become more and more like him. There are people who trust in idols and not the true and living God. Their gods have eyes yet they cannot see; they have ears but cannot hear; nose, but cannot smell; mouth, but cannot speak; hands, but cannot handle anything and feet, but cannot walk. In other words they are helpless. Our God can see, hear, smell, speak, walk. There is nothing our God cannot do. He is...

 'Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God...' (Deuteronomy 4:2). Moses was urging and seriously warning the new generation of Israelites, to obey the commands of God and not to add or take away from the commands he was giving them, as did their fathers before them. They had seen what God can do, as he manifested his great powers. And whenever Israel demonstrated their faith and carried out God's instructions, He saved them from destruction or their enemies. When they kept His commandments, He blessed them, but when they disobeyed, he punishes them. When we disobey or murmur against God, we suffer the consequences. However, when we choose to obey God's commands we are blessed. Our God is a loving, patient and longsuffering God, but there will be a time when he will say enough is enough. We ought to exercise faith in Christ and be obedient to God as we seek to find ...

 'Watch, ye therefore, and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man' (Luke 21:36). Perilous times are coming upon this earth, and God's faithful children should be in the habit of being 'watchful and praying always.' We need to put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil. We must be in the habit of speaking to God daily about our souls and that by His grace we may be accounted worthy to escape all that shall come upon us, and be able to stand before the Christ our Judge. Jesus whilst on earth, never cease to pray. Early in the morning, before the break of day, he would be in communion  with the Father, so he would be strengthen and ready for the work He had to accomplish. We are to be like Christ, spending much time in prayer and submitting our will to His will, that we may be accounted worthy to escape all that is to come. Praying bri...

 'Jesus answered and said unto them. Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God' (Matthew 22:29). It is important that we all know the Scriptures for ourselves, lest we err and be led away by every false wind of doctrine that comes our way. Christ said, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are which testify of me" (John 5:39). When we diligently search the Scriptures for ourselves, we will not be led astray with the many doctrines in the world. The Word of God is the only truth we need to know that will lead us to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of world. In knowing His truth, we will recognise the power of God. Jesus here, was speaking to the Sadduceees who believe there was no resurrection. They put a scenario to Jesus which question the resurrection; but Jesus perceived their thoughts, criticised their knowledge of both the Scriptures and the power of God. He wasn't fooled by what they were trying to do, but tur...

 'For I came down from heaven, not to do mine  own will, but the will of him who sent me' (John 6:38). Jesus who is God, came down from heaven to do the will of his Father, who sent him. His will and the will of the Father are always in alignment. As believers and followers of Christ, shouldn't we seek to do the will of God and not our own? To ask God to align our will with His will? Throughout His ministry, Jesus taught the people that he had been sent from God to carry out His will and that He was the promised Messiah, who came to fulfil the Scriptures. He was a loving and compassionate Saviour and taught the people what it means to love God and one another. He  healed the sick and broken hearted, raised the dead, cast out demons, provided for their physical needs and attended to their spiritual needs. Jesus is able to mend our brokenness and release us from the bondage of sin. He alone can bring us inner peace and joy to our weeping hearts. He came to give us abundance...

 'He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not' (John 1:10). Jesus Christ the eternal and true Light of the world was also the Creator. God himself, came down to earth as Jesus in the physical form to save humankind from sin and death. John the Baptist, Christ's forerunner brought knowledge of the True Light to a world in darkness. He preached the message of  repentance to all, that if  they believed in Jesus as the Messiah and the Light of the world, who as come to save them from their sins, they would have eternal life. But sorry to say, the people who was suppose to be the light to the heathen nations around didn't recognised Jesus as the Messiah and chose to reject the knowledge brought by the One who was the eternal Light. The Jews saw all that Christ did and heard all that he said. They witnessed His many miracles and human testimonies but yet most of them did not believe the truth about Him. Some rejected Him out of pride and arr...

 'Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken' (Amos 5:14). Even though our natural tendency, as sinners is to do evil, the Lord is always pleading with his people to refrain from doing evil and seek to do good. Because of the sin in us we cannot do this of our own strength. It is only through the grace of God through Christ that we can do good. As we seek our Saviour, Redeemer and our Good Shepherd who is good, we will endeavour to do good. We must seek the Spirit of God daily to transform our lives, and who can work good things in us and show us good things. We must seek the way of the Father through our faith in Christ as we seek the truth of His Word. We cannot seek good without putting away evil, as we cannot serve both God and mammon. We are admonished to choose good instead of evil that we may live, that's the only way God will be on our side. How we treat one another is very important to God. Isr...

 'But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in time of trouble' (Psalm 37:39). Those whose minds are directed by the Word of God and whose speech and behaviour wholesome, have confidence in His ability to rescue them in times of trouble. God is always in the business of saving and protecting His people, therefore, it behoves us to trust and believe in Him wholeheartedly. God's gift of salvation is for all who will accept, trust and believe in Christ. This gift  is eternal life in Christ Jesus. 'The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.' It is the Lord that make us righteous, by blotting out our sins,  transforming us by His Holy Spirit and sustaining us by His grace. Abraham believed God, and was credited to him as righteous. It was his faith in God, not his own works, which allowed him to be justified before God. When we are troubled from every side we can confidently trust God, knowing that He cares for us and will save us. It is...

 '...I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me' (Micah 7:7). We are living in dangerous times and the hearts of men are cold and evil. As we draw closer to the end of the world and the coming of Christ, people's hearts are stoned cold, they are wicked towards each other, and even the most intimate will betray one another. The Scriptures says that, the son will dishonour the father, daughter will disobey the mother, the daughter in law will be against the mother in law and man's enemies will be in their own household (see Micah 7:6). We can see this happening even now, where people cannot trust those who claim to be their friends or those in their own household or family. But we can surely trust in the Lord and be confident of His goodness towards his people. We can wait expectantly upon the Lord, who will never let us down. We can wait for the God of our salvation because we are secure in him. Our God will hear us, because H...

 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else' (Isaiah 45:22). Whether one wants to believe in God or not, the fact is, He is God the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. He is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, and there is none  comparable to Him. He is a loving and just God and our Saviour, there is none beside Him. Israel was a chosen nation to bring the gospel of salvation to the heathen nations around. They were to be the light to the Gentiles and to glorify God in their presence. But they failed to obey God's commands, and as a result broke the covenant relationship with Him. However, God in his mercy and grace never give up His plan to redeem man; because of his love for us and His promise to Abraham and his descendants. Jesus came as was prophesied but the Jews rejected Him as the Messiah and the Gentiles were called to put away their idols and evil practices and look unto Jesus, and be saved; because He was God and t...

 'That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life' (Titus 3:7). Humankind sinned and our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ came down from heaven to save us from eternal ruin. He did not save us because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. It was through the shedding of His precious blood that our sins were been washed away, and through the working of the Holy Spirit receive newness of life. It is only because of God's grace that we were made right and given the confidence of inheriting eternal life. If we think for one second that, it is because of our own righteousness we are saved, we fool ourselves, seeing that our righteousness is as filthy rags. We can only be made right by Christ's righteousness. It is God's grace that declares us forgiven and reconciled back to Himself after sin had  separated us. It is salvation by grace through faith in Christ, that makes eternal life possible, not our wo...

 'Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite' (Psalm 147:5). The Lord our God, the Saviour and Creator, is  great and powerful. He is a great King above all Kings and His understanding is infinite. As human beings, with our finite minds we cannot think to fathom His wisdom or measure his knowledge. God is a God of possibilities. All things are possible with Him, even the things that are impossible to us. He is the same God who put the stars in place and hung the earth in space. He is able to count all the stars in the galaxy and has a name for them all. He created every thing in the earth out of nothing and formed man from the dust of the earth, then breathe His breath into him and he because a living soul. What a great and powerful God we serve. With our finite minds we can never understand the infinite knowledge or wisdom of God. He us infinite in time, in love and in space. His understanding is unsearchable and is love immeasurable. If we truly und...

 'For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God' (Psalm 18:21). God is gracious, merciful and forgiving. Even though man had sinned, God did not turn his back on his children - He had not forsaken them. He was not taken by surprise  and didn't know what to do. He already had the antidote, which was the 'plan of salvation' to deal with the sin problem. He immediately addressed the problem by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for all of humanity so our relationship with him could be restored and we would have eternity with him. All we needed do was to accept by faith that Jesus was His Son and through grace was able to save us. We were to keep God's commandments and do His will, all of which testify of Jesus. When we love and honour God, we will obey His commands. We will seek to keep the ways of the Lord and not wickedly departed from Him. Christ was humble even unto death and we must be humble in our obedience ...

 'For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God' (Psalm 18:21). God is gracious, merciful and forgiving. Even though man had sinned, God did not turn his back on his children - He had not forsaken them. He was not taken by surprise  and didn't know what to do. He already had the antidote, which was the 'plan of salvation' to deal with the sin problem. He immediately addressed the problem by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for all of humanity so our relationship with him could be restored and we would have eternity with him. All we needed do was to accept by faith that Jesus was His Son and through grace was able to save us. We were to keep God's commandments and do His will, all of which testify of Jesus. When we love and honour God, we will obey His commands. We will seek to keep the ways of the Lord and not wickedly departed from Him. Christ was humble even unto death and we must be humble in our obedience ...

 'No man hath seen God at anytime. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us' ( 1 John 4:12). God is a spirit and no one has seen him at anytime. His Son, Jesus Christ, who is in the bosom of the Father, is the One who reveal Him to us. Moses wanted to see God, and as faithful a servant that he was, he could only see the back of God. He told Moses that he could not see His face, because no one can see His face and live (Exodus 33:20). We have never seen God, but by faith we love Him because He first loved us and manifested His love through His Son who died for us. It behoves us to love one another whom we can see. The Bible says, if we say we love God who we have never seen and not love those we can see, we are liars. Paul tells us, that God is immortal and lives in a light so bright that no human can approach him. No human eyes have ever seen Him, nor ever will ( 1 Timothy 6:16). What is so wonderfully amazing, is that God's love allows hu...

 'But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall walk, and not faint' (Isaiah 40:31). Every person on this earth goes through different situations on a daily basis.  Some of which might be challenging, some overwhelming and others just too much to bear. Even as believers, we do struggle with our various situations and difficulties and sometimes become overwhelmed by them. But God has promised that when we wait upon Him, He will renew our strength.  We can always trust and be confident in God's promises, because He is faithful and true to His word. Amidst our afflictions, sufferings, anxieties, stresses, it is important that we trust and believe in God's Word; wait upon Him and abide in Him as He abide in us. We must all be  encouraged by His promise, in particularly our youths. God is promising that in their distresses, the youths may  faint and be weary; the young men or women may stumble and fa...