If you’re having a hard time finding courage in any given situation, remember Jesus is your strength. Allow Him to help you stand tall and courageously in the face of trials, pain or grief. His love makes us more than B R A V E!
At water’s edge: We find time to think; it is the fountain of all reflection.
At water’s edge: We find time to read God’s Word; for it is the foundation of wisdom.
At water’s edge: We find time to play; it is the secret to staying youthful.
At water’s edge: We find time to be quiet; it is the opportunity to sit in God’s presence.
At water’s edge: We find time to be aware; It is a moment to appreciate His goodness.
At water’s edge: We find time to help others; it is a chance to be a good steward.
At water’s edge: We find time to love and be loved; it is God’s greatest offering.
At water’s edge: We find time for laughter; it is the sound of joy to the soul.
At water’s edge: We find time to be kind; It is life’s warmest gesture.
At water’s edge: We find time to dream; it is to seek to achieve our deepest desires.
At water’s edge: We find time to hope; It is the sovereignty of God to drive out fear.
At water’s edge: We find time to pray; it is the most immense power on earth.
At water’s edge: We find time for joy; it is the joy found in the Lord that gives strength.
At water’s edge : We find time for forgiveness; it is unfailing love & compassion; the mercy of God.
At water’s edge; We find time for Grace; it is the boundless favor of God; extended to others.
At water’s edge: We find time to live for God; It is through faith in Christ and the finished work at Calvary.
At water’s edge: We find salvation through Jesus Christ; He is the greatest gift; given to us by God.
… And someday, when we sit above on high; in the heavenly realm, saved and redeemed from sin and death, we will look back and ponder in remembrance of the things that we were taught as we sat faithfully still in the Father’s warm embrace; learning and growing in Him by the water’s edge. . . .
Inspired by Poem Titled – “Take Time” – Author Unknown ‘Water’s Edge’ — Written in my own words by Tina UnsellSeamon
Even on those days when I’m too exhausted to speak, He hears me. . . Today I am thankful for an Almighty God who carries me through every storm, every trial, every situation or circumstance, who hears my every prayer, and who provides for my every need.
Even on those days when I am too mentally and emotionally drained to express what’s in my heart and mind, He hears!
When I can’t find the words to write, He hears!
When the words just won’t come, He hears!
There’s nothing better in this world than God’s unconditional love and to know that even when I’m too worn and exhausted to speak, He hears!
I am here Waiting for you In the darkness When you feel lost In the fog Where confusion clouds When the struggle Seems relentless When the storms Rage in thunderous shouts Swaying to convince you That all is without hope The seams can’t be mended And nothing you give rise to Will produce a peace That you so desperately Long to grasp This cup shall not pass Hands are forever Tied to despair How long will this anguish linger Unmercifully without cause? He whispers I am the Bread of Life I am the Light of the World I am the Door I am the Good Shepherd I am the Resurrection and the Life I am the Way and the Truth and the Life I am the Vine I am Able You need not fear Trust in Me I am the “Great I Am!” I am here
Lift up your cup of salvation unto the Lord for He is good, faithful, merciful and true. He is who to look to; the one who can restore You.
Believe on Him, His Word — the sword of the Spirit and Truth. Our greatest weapon of merit A Mighty Sword to inherit!
By the strength of the Lord and the stripes He bore and without delay Victory was won, on that fateful day.
On a hill called Calvary, when Jesus took the nails. Proving His love for You would never fail.
Praise His Holy Name; Warrior child of God be thee compelled And without fail — to proclaim that the enemy was crushed and defeated — he will not prevail.
Drink joyously from thy cup and be filled The Lord, God, Almighty; has bruised Satan’s heal.
With just one drop — His precious blood did suffice. Our Savior; Jesus Christ — brought salvation by His atoning sacrifice.
His light illuminates; shining brightly for all to see, bringing deliverance to all who believe.
Take up your cup of salvation; tarry not; now has come the hour to embrace His Grace and redemption power.
“I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” -Psalms 116:13 KJV
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” - Genesis 3:15 KJV
In the Christian circle, jealousy is not something you talk about.
Not openly, anyway.
It is preferred to be kept silent, hidden and not expressed to those who might judge you for actually having feelings of jealousy towards another.
Especially, if you claim the title of a Christian.
However, you cannot hide how you feel, even if you tried.
There is that old saying, “Faith over Feelings.”
I agree with that statement, however you cannot run, hide and pretend that your feelings don’t exist.
All that will do is cause you more harm than good.
God knows you are going to have feelings.
Some good feelings and some bad.
There is nothing wrong with having feelings.
It is all part of being human.
What is wrong is when you don’t own up to them and take responsibility for them.
That is the first step.
The next step is to take those unwanted feelings before the Lord.
Be honest with Him.
You are not hiding anything from Him that He doesn’t already know so just confess and talk to Him about them.
Allow Him to heal you from those unwanted feelings and ask Him to show you how to become more confident in who you are in Him
Ask Him to show you ways in which you can drive out these envious thoughts.
You can do this in so many ways.
Some examples are:
• Stay in His Word.
• Pray continually to God.
• Talk to Him like you would your best friend, because He is.
• Never forget the Lord’s great love for you.
• Know that your true identity is in Christ Jesus.
• Put on worship music and praise Him for who He is.
• Lift up your voice and proclaim the great things that He has done and will do for you.
• Know you are uniquely and wonderfully made in God’s own image.
• Stay in a mindful state of gratitude; which will drive out envy.
• Look for ways to celebrate the blessings of others.
• Welcome the simple act of having a giving heart which will free you from thoughts of envy.
• Express how you are feeling with other believers.
• Listen to sound advice from other believers on how you might be able to overcome those feelings of jealousy towards someone else.
If you try to pretend that those feelings are not there, brush them off, condemn yourself for having them, then you are essentially denying your feelings and that can detrimental to your health and emotional well being.
Lets face it, we have all felt jealousy towards another individual at some point in our lives.
We have compared ourselves in so many ways it can be hard to keep track of them all.
If you say that you haven’t felt jealousy or envy toward another, then chances are that you are not being honest with yourself and you are certainly not being honest with God.
I know that as a Christian having feelings of jealousy towards another is not something we want to carry around within our hearts and spirits.
It is a heavy weight and a burden that we want removed, and removed swiftly.
I myself want my attitude to be one of encouragement when I see others; especially other Christians, accomplishing great things in God’s Kingdom work.
I want to stand proud and cheer them on with gladness and purity of heart.
But sometimes, the flesh takes precedence over our emotions and feelings and we just can’t seem to feel in the way we hoped we would.
That is when we need to take it before the Lord.
Even in our shame we can still lay it at His feet.
He will lift it and carry the weight of it for you.
Psalms 55:22 says –“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
This should be a tremendous encouragement to all true Believers.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there!
1 Peter 5:6-7 says –“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Go before the Lord in humility and seek His counsel.
He will not stir you wrongfully.
Trust Him and let him lift your burdens.
Jesus said we could cast all of our cares on him because he cares for us!
There is nothing we are going through that we cannot cast on the Lord.
God cares for what concerns you.
I understand how difficult it can be to avoid the trappings that the enemy so cleverly persuades upon the human heart.
James 4:7 reminds us to –“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Remember Satan was defeated at the cross. He has no authority over Christians.
1 Peter 5:8-9 is a beautiful reminder to –“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
Every true believer has faced or will face the onslaught of the evil one so we must stay mentally self-controlled, awake and watchful at all times.
This battle is not yours, it is the Lords!
Remember in 2 Chronicles 20:15, which plainly states – “…Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Allow the Lord to fight for you.
If we try to fight the battle on our terms, we will lose; if we fight the battle on His terms, we will win.
Remember beloved, as long as we walk in this fleshly body, we will be tempted.
We will be tempted in mind, body, and in spirit.
Our feelings and emotions are not immune to the devices of Satan.
In fact, that is how he accomplishes the majority of His evil schemes.
Don’t allow shame and condemnation to filtrate into your soul and spirits.
Remember what God’s Holy Word tells us in Romans 8 –“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
But even against all of our greatest efforts, the enemy will faithfully and without any resistance, continually remind us of our past failures, mistakes, and misgivings.
This is done so that we will continue to feel shame, regret, and guilt.
Remember that it is only our sin that is condemned and Jesus has set us free.
Remain steadfast and allow His love, grace and mercy to pour over you each and every day.
This will prevent you from having envious thoughts that will only cloud your mind, heart and spirit.
Give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit within us to convict us of sin and turn us back to Christ Jesus.
Be not forgetful, Christ already fought the battle and won, and did so at the Cross.
By doing that, the Holy Spirit has guaranteed us victory through Christ.
Pray this Prayer
Dear Lord, We come before You, and ask that you purify our hearts and minds. Remove from our spirits those unwanted thoughts of envy and jealousy. We know that these feelings that so often accompany us along our journey are not pleasing to You. We want desperately to walk with sincerity, love and holiness. Help us, Lord, to uplift, encourage and edify other Christians as they diligently and faithfully go about Your Kingdom work. Strengthen and guard us against the evil one, Lord! Let Your peace and Your Word be our shield of faith that repels us against our unwarranted emotions and feelings of inadequacy. Remind us of who we are in You- beloved and cherished, forgiven and free. Bring your life and peace into each of our days and help us to walk righteously. Empower us to overcome a spirit of jealousy and the condemnation that often stricken us from accomplishing the plans that You have for us. May we forever grow in Your truth, grace, and love. We ask this in Jesus’ precious Name, Amen
In His Love, Tina ♡
* Some Expositor Notes were paraphrased and taken from -JSM Expositor’s Study Bible – KJV
When I think about all that I have been through, All the pain, all the heartache, and all the suffering, Nights of tear soaked pillows, All the mistakes I have made, And will make, Feeling like a failure In everything, Never quite measuring up, Defeat etched into my mind, Self worth all but diminished, Feeling abandoned, Unloved,
I am comforted by the assurance that through it all God was there.
Even now I have immense battles that I am desperately trying to conquer, Enormous struggles that no one knows about, Trying hard not to be what everyone else wants me to be, But to just be me. Longing for the wisdom And strength to make wise decisions, Reaching, but never quite grasping, what I was created to be. Wanting desperately to be freed from the toxic relationships that bind me.
Through it all, Even Still, God is there, Seeing my through.
Though my life isn’t what I had hoped it would be, I have never given up. I will never give up. Taking each day as a lesson, Watching, waiting, trusting, seeking and learning all that God is teaching me along this journey.. Holding nothing back and laying it all at His feet.. Letting go, Allowing Him to teach me, To lead me, To guide me, Filling me with His wisdom, His strength, His courage, Helping me to face each day anew. Loving me as His precious child, Renewing my mind, soul and spirit with His Truth, Instilling in me a new found confidence to rise above the challenges and the struggles, To claim victory over my life.
He has given me the life-giving keys that I need to free me from the things that keep me bound. The keys are hidden in His Word (the Bible) empowered by prayer, and completed by the work of His Holy Spirit living in me, Giving me a newfound freedom and a hope so that I may share it with others, Not only so that I may find my own way, but in the hopes that others might find theirs. He has called me out of the darkness To be a bright and shining light for and to others.
I find peace and rest in knowing that through it all He was there, Is there still, In the midst of it all. My rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower (Psalms 18:2 ).. My ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).. He fights for me continuously,
Never once have I ever been alone. Even at times when I felt alone He was there, Comforting me with His love and presence.
He is here, Even Now, Speaking to my heart. When I silently listen, In stillness I hear, He says softly that I am worthy, I am loved, I am cherished, I am valued, I am forgiven, I am redeemed, And I am His. And He is mine.
God has promised that He will never leave or forsake His children.
Knowing the Omnipresence of God, He is everywhere and He comes to us wherever and whenever we call on Him.
“I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.” ~ Psalms 17:6 KJV
Words can’t adequately express just how eternally grateful I am for His love, mercy and grace.
Thank you, Lord, for loving me so, And for making me your child. I choose to walk the rest of my days in Your truth, Knowing that, through it all, You are there Walking beside me.
Your beloved daughter.
.
.
.
I wrote this several years ago and although my relationship with the Lord has deepened to a greater degree, this still holds true today.
Through it all, Even Still, God is there, Seeing my through.
