Elaine Campbell

 'God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord' (1 Corinthians 1:9). God is faithful and just, and will fulfill all his promises to all those who are called; believed in His Word and trusted His Son, Jesus Christ for their salvation. God the faithful One, united with His Son, established the redemption of man before the foundation of the world; that by the grace God through faith, we would become children of God and joint heir with Christ in His love. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). All those who trusted in the redeeming blood of Christ have been promised eternal life with Him. Even when we fail to trust Him, God is always faithful. Let us seek to enrich our lives by living unto Christ, who has bought us with a price - His own precious blood; and unto God who has called us into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ ou

 'The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say destroy them' (Deuteronomy 33:27). The eternal God is our source of refuge and a dwelling place of safety. We can find protection and security in Him, as we experienced the storms of life. He was always there for Israel, throughout their wilderness experience, as a source of comfort and strength, as He is for us in our own Christian experience. For He is our everlasting God, our refuge, and underneath are his everlasting arms to support and save us in our times of trouble and from our adversaries. It is through His Word and by His Holy Spirit, that the eternal God reveal himself to us. That's how we know Him and what his purpose for us are. Let us through the study and meditation of His Word, know and understand that He is our protector in a perverse world, who seek to do us harm. We must realise that He is our Refuge and strength, and

 'He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant forever: holy and reverend is his name' (Psalm 111:9). God's love is amazing and perfect. Sin could not prevent or stop Him from loving us! His love goes beyond what we can ever think or imagine. When Israel cried out to Him in Egypt, He sent Moses to redeem them from the bondage of slavery; but more importantly, when sin came into the world, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to redeem his people from the bondage of sin. All those who accepted Christ as their Saviour and Redeemer, God has sent them to spread His Word of redemption to a world in darkness, through the power of His Holy Spirit. He has commanded His covenant of grace to his people forever through Christ. It is only through Christ and that anyone can be saved. He has redeemed us, and we are His. God's covenant cannot be altered, because it has been ratified by the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, we must love and fear God. He is holy

'And he said into me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely' (Revelation 21: 6). Christ is the fountain of the water of life, that he wants to give us freely.  Revelation 22:1 put it like this, "And he shewed me a pure river of water proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb." It is only Christ who can give us that living water, so we may never thirst against; He will do so without a cost. In this passage of Scripture, Christ identified Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, who sat upon the throne of God and promised to make all things new. He also is the One who declared, "It is done!" If any of us is athirst, Christ will satisfy our thirst so we may never be thirsty again. What a wonderful promise! When we accept Christ by faith, His grace will save us and bring satisfaction to our thirsty souls. Jesus is coming soon for his p

 'He hath made the earth by His power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion' (Jeremiah 10:12). We are created beings, created by God to worship him. He who hath made the earth by his power, put the stars in place and hang the earth in space, spoke and everything was done. He not only created them, but sustained and preserved all things; He   is indeed worthy and should be worshipped - him alone. It is God, the true and living God of the Universe, that established the world by his wisdom and who have stretched out the heavens by his discretion or understanding. Israel was God's chosen people, who were to be a light to the heathen nations around. They  copied the practices of these nations, and worshipped their idols, instead of the true and living God. It is the Almighty God who created the universe and sustained it, whereas those senseless and lifeless idols could not have done. Yet still Israel chose to leave God

 'The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretted against the Lord' (Proverbs 19:3). There are many people who fail to trust God, and do there own thing. They choose their own way and ruin their lives by their own foolishness. When calamity befall them, they simply become angry at the Lord and blame him for it. Fools laugh at true wisdom, because they think they have a better way than God; but God will bring all their follies into judgement. It is vitally important to note that, most problems we have are as a result of our own fault. We disobey God and make bad choices, so our choices have nothing to do with God, that we should be angry against Him. God has given us everything we need to serve and obey Him. His  Word testifies of His love and his goodness; His Sovereignty and providence; His mercy and his grace; His faithfulness and his compassion. When we choose our own foolish ways, these choices come back to haunt us, then if we are not careful we murmur and

 'And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah' (Exodus 15:23). The Isralites were on a high after the Red Sea experience and their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and Pharaoh's army. The Lord led them this way become He wanted them to realise that He was their God, their Deliverer, and their Protector. The people  murmured against Moses and God, but the Lord showed them that He was still willing to guide and protect them and be their Healer, if they would look to Him. When they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters because they were bitter, so they murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink" (verse 24)? Sometimes  things happened to us in life, and we become very bitter and callous. It may be family issues; a friendship gone sour; conflicts; marriage broken down; sickness or even the death of a love one. But we need to guard against bitterness cree

 'Know ye that the Lord is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture' (Psalm 100: 3). All of humanity should acknowledge that the Lord Himself is God! He created us and we not we ourselves, therefore, we are His people and the sheep of his pasture. How wonderful is it to know, that this Sovereign God is our Creator and Shepherd? We are not an accident, or something that evolved, or an afterthought. We are created beings, created by a loving God and was thought about before the foundation of the world. How does knowing that, make you feel about God? And even thou Adam and Eve sinned, and was disconnected with God, and as a result we all inherited their sinful nature; Each one of us have the opportunity to reconnect with God, through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a wonderful thing to know, that God owns us by creation, and by redemption - all who are willing to come to Him. Knowing they are His blood-bought chil

 'Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore' (Psalm 105:4). We are admonished to seek the Lord and his strength, and to seek His face continually. We don't only need physical strength in our daily lives, but also spiritual strength, which can only be found in Christ. Spiritual strength also assist us in exercising grace as we do the will of God. It is important for us as God's Children to commune daily with him, through prayer, the study of His Word and exercising of our faith. As believers, we should seek to put ourselves under the protection of the Lord  and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and look onto His omnipotence and mighty providence. Let us seek God's strength and desire his presence, and his favour towards us. We must never cease to seek the Lord! The Word of God implore us to seek Him; His strength and His face. Therefore, it behoves us to seek His face and seek to have his favour to eternity. In Christ, the solid Rock, is the fulness of j

 'Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time' (1 Peter 5:6). When we think of Jesus, who is also God, and yet when he came to earth, made himself of no reputation; but instead, took upon himself the form of a servant. He humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross. And at the right time God the Father, elevated him to the highest position; giving Him a name that is above  every name.  Therefore, as Children of God we ought to humble ourselves and trust God to exalt us at the right time and place us as He sees fit. Being humble is not a weakness as the world sees it. It's about having a genuine appreciation of how we are, in our relationship to God. We must be willing to humble ourselves under the the hand of the Almighty God. And in due time He will exalt us, whether in this life or the life to come, or may be both, according to His will. Let us in humility cast our cares and anxieties upon God, who cares for us.

 'Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God' (Hosea 12:6). Judah had backslidden and turned away from  God, but was exhorted to return to the Lord their God, who would be merciful and gracious to them. They were to keep mercy and Judgment and to wait on their God continually. Even as  believers, we too at times, find ourselves wandering from God. When we do wrong, or lack mercy to those in misery or the oppressed or the poor; and do not exercise justice, the Lord is not please with us and our gifts to him will not be acceptable. Therefore, we are admonished to turn to our God, and keep mercy and exercise justice. When we turned to God we are saved, because salvation through faith in Christ is the only way to heaven. Knowing Christ will lead us to follow Him. As we follow Him, we will show mercy to others, knowing that our God was merciful to us when we first came to Christ. We are also asked to keep judgment. That is, we need to evaluate a sit

 'Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door' (James 5:9). The coming of the Lord is at hand. Jesus will soon put in His appearance, but are you ready? We must therefore be patient and take courage and strengthen our hearts while waiting. As followers of Christ, we will suffer injustice, oppression and even persecution for choosing and following Christ. But our faith in Him must be solid as a rock, never wavering.  We must desist from complaining and grumbling against each other, especially fellow brethren, lest we be condemned, as Christ our Judge stands at the door. Let us remain faithful to God through our sufferings. He will lift us up at the appointed time, but we must fully trust Him. The reality of life in this world has many challenges, and with them come tests of our faith in God. Life can be filled with deep pain and anguish, it can be unfair and unjust; it is in these situations that we are sometimes tem

 'For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only, to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake' (Philippians 1:29). We have been given the privilege of trusting in Christ, as well as, the privilege of suffering for him. Are you willing to accept these privileges you have been offered? Is it your desire to live a godly life in Christ? Then be ready to experience sufferings for Christ's sake. You might find that while you're living a godly and faithful life, you still experience much suffering. In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul States,  "...All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." As believers, sufferings for Christ's sake and the endurance of trials and tribulations on his behalf, is part of the walk in Christ. Christ has promised to finish the good work that He began in us as we accept him as Saviour and Lord. No matter what difficulties or dangers we face, Christ did not promised it will not happen, or that it would be ea

 'Thou has set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance' (Psalm 90:8). Good is the All-knowing and the All-seeing God. He knows and sees everything about us, including our sin.  There is nothing hidden from His all-seeing eyes. We may have committed sin and inquity may have taken root in our hearts, of which we are ashamed of, or tried to cover up, but we cannot hide from God. Therefore, seek the Lord diligently, acknowledge those sins, confess them to the Lord, as you seek His forgiveness. The Lord loves us, but if we have sin and inquity in our hearts, and refuse to let go of them, the Lord will direct his wrath at us. He loves us, but hate the sins we have committed. The Bible tell us that the wages of sin is death, but he gift of God is eternal life through Christ. Know that, when God sets our iniquities before him, he will deal with them with severity. There are those who sinned against God openly and others secretly, and if they don'

 'If we know that He is righteousness, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him' ( 1John 2:29). All those who are God's Children must remain in fellowship with Christ, that when he returns, they will have confidence and not be ashamed before him. As believers we know Christ is righteous, therefore, we know that everyone  that does righteousness is born of Him. We, as a result of sin, have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But by the precious blood of Christ and our acceptance of him by faith, we are become sons and daughters of God. Our relationship with Christ has now allowed us to truly walk with him, and others who have seen our godly behaviour, will know we have been with Jesus. Salvation, we know, is not earned by our works, but comes as a result of grace through faith in Christ. Our faith will lead us to follow in Christ's footsteps and live a life of righteousness, that will positively show the influence of Christ

 'Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness' (Hebrews 3:8). After God, through Moses delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt, they experienced the miraculous hand of God throughout their journey. However, that didn't stop them giving Moses a hard time or complaining and rebelling against God. They came to the border of the Promised Land and lost trust and confidence in the God who gave them deliverance from slavery in Egypt. As a result, it was only a remnant that was allowed to enter Canaan. As believers, we are edging towards our Promised Land where Christ will be with us for eternity. Therefore, we need to fully trust God and allow him to lead us, so we can experience the fulfilment of His promises. We must never lose sight of our spiritual inheritance which is promised in Christ. Let us hold steadfast to our faith, and not be tempted to lose sight of it, in the face of adversity and persecution; but to have confidence

 'Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee' (Psalm 33: 22). The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon all who fear him... (Psalm 103:17). We ought to hope in Christ and not in our own merit, but let it be according to the measure of grace, that  God has bestowed upon us. Let the fragrance of God's love refreshes our  mind and soul to give us hope and confidence in Him as our Lord. God is our help and shield, therefore, let us express our faith and dependence  on Him, in all our trials and our distresses. It is only God who is worthy of our praise, because of the salvation he gives to all who fear him. When we learn to trust and dependent upon God and his mercy, our lives will develop patience, endurance, confidence and joy. As we seek to trust God, let us affirm our allegiance to him, as we hope with expectancy, and being desirous of his favour towards us. Let our prayers seek favour with earnest supplication from the One who has t

 "Let us search and try our ways, and turn to the Lord' (Lamentations 3:40). There is a way that is right and lead us onto salvation, and there is a way that leads to condemnation and death. It is God's way that will lead us to life eternal, and our ways leads us only to death and everlasting damnation. Choose whom you'll serve, God or man! It is only right to search into our own heart and examine ourselves and our ways, by the Word of God and the standard of faith. Our ways are crooked and perversed, unholy, selfish and full of darkness and evil. But God's ways are plain, holy, selfless and full of light. Let us seek out Christ, having a knowledge of who He is and what he stands for; and to gain a full understanding of His grace, which is sufficient for us. Let us turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with hands unto God in the heavens (verse 41). Let us repent of our sins, and turn out of our sinful ways and heed the cry of the Almighty God, whom we ha

 'Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day' (Psalm 25:5). Despite the constant pressures, oppression and challenges David faced in his life, he never stop trusting or relying on God. He always looked to the Lord in his prayers, with faith and obedience to the Word of God. David trusted in the Lord in times of great danger and waited upon Him with endurance, for his help and deliverance. We must make the Word of God our food that will nourish us spiritually; we must study and digest the Word of wisdom and truth; to live in obedience to God's Word as we seek to know and have a personal relationship with Him. When we allow God to lead us in his truth, and teach us the way to him, we will certainly know the truth, which shall set us free from sin. We will acknowledge Him as the God of our salvation, granted us through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We will choose to wait upon the Lord all the day, to

 'For with God all nothing shall be impossible' (Luke  1:37). When life gets difficult, it sometimes seems tough to hold unto our faith in God. But it is true to say, no matter the storms, you can be comforted  and have the assurance that we can put our faith in God and trust Him. There is nothing that the Lord cannot do; he is the Giver of all all good things. He doesn't want anything bad for us, because He loves and cares for us. He is the God of possibilities and can make our impossibilities possible. God's promises are true and sure, there is no doubt about that! Christ himself is the fulfilment of all that God has promised. It is important to note that, no promises of God will ever fail; He is the Omnipotent God who created all things; his Word is truth and his truth is consistent with his perfect nature and spotless character. Let us seek to put total trust in God in every circumstances of our lives, and believe that nothing is impossible with God, whether in His

 'No there is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God'  ( 1 Samuel 2 :2). Hannah was barrened for a very long time, and kept praying to the Lord for a son. She promised the Lord if he gave her a son, she would give him unto the Lord all the days of his life... (1 Samuel 1:11). God heard and grant her  a son. She was overjoyed and with much rejoicing, prayed to the Lord, "There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God." Only she knew how the Lord has truly blessed her and what he has done for her; that she could fill her heart with joy and her mouth with praise to her Lord and King, the Holy One of heaven. What have the Lord done for you lately? How did you respond to His blessing? Did you, like Hannah fill with gladness, rejoiced, celebrated and gave God thanks? We must seek to give God praise, glory, adoration and thanks in all circumstances. He is God and ther