Our Hope Is In God by Ann Elaine Broughton

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4 NIV).

Hope is what all of us need. It is that magical word that encircles your heart and gives you a reason to live. If you have hope nothing can stop you. As Christians our hope is in the Lord. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19 NIV).
Our boat has an anchor that we use to keep the boat secure in one spot. That small piece of metal can keep our pontoon secure even in the strong winds. Jesus is our anchor of hope. He keeps us secure when the waves of worry and doubt are tossing our lives all around.
The Bible also is an anchor for our souls to give us hope. You see when we read all about the men and the women in the Bible and how they lived and sometimes failed we see that our God is full of mercy and grace. It gives us hope to see that even though the great leaders in the Bible failed miserably, God accepted their plea of repentance and forgave them. David was a murderer, but because he had a contrite heart, God forgave him and actually said he was a man after His own heart. So you see it is so very important to read the Bible and see the hope that lies there. God used ordinary people to do extraordinary things through His power. That same God is working today in us.
Dear Lord,
Our hope comes from you and all you have spoken to us through your Word. Help us to remember that it is so important to study the Bible knowing that how you helped those people isn’t any different than how you can work in us today. Help us to continue to have hope that we can do mighty works through your power.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Praise The Lord, O My Soul by Ann Elaine Broughton

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle” (Psalm 103:2-5 NIV).


With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to think about our blessings, not just our material blessings but our spiritual blessings. I believe we take our faith for granted. In this country we are so blessed to be able to worship God in any way we choose. In many countries Christians are persecuted and even murdered. We have Bibles, sometimes more than one in our households. In some countries, people are begging to have Bibles sent to them.
I will never forget reading God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew. I was totally amazed how the Lord helped them smuggle Bibles to communist countries. God performed miracles in order for Bibles to be delivered. Do you think those Bibles were precious to those who received them? You bet. Those people knew that Brother Andrew risked his life to get those Bibles across hostile borders.
This Thanksgiving, before you eat, open your Bible and read Psalm 100 to your whole family. This holiday is all about worshiping and praising God for His blessings. Let’s remember God this Thanksgiving and give Him praise for all He has done for us. He crowns us with love and compassion, and satisfies our desires with good things. We have much to praise God about.
Dear Lord,
This Thanksgiving let us praise you for all you have done for us. Thank you for forgiving us our sins, for your mercy, for restoring our spirits when we are down, and for your love and compassion.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Do Not Fear, God Is With You by Ann Elaine Broughton

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)


Have you ever been afraid of something? Fear can paralyze you.
It can make you feel downcast and alone. What are you afraid of?
There was one time when I was very afraid. In 2000 my husband was in the hospital with a complication caused by a gallstone. The surgeon had to go into his duct and get a gallstone and since his duct was so much smaller than most people’s it closed up due to the irritation. I was terrified that I would lose my husband because he turned orange and lost 20 pounds during his 17 day stay. He didn’t eat during that whole time and he was so very sick. I wasn’t feeling well either and had gotten a very bad cold so I hadn’t slept much and was overcome with despair from him being so ill. Fatigue and worry can suck the life out of you. I remember crying to God to help him recover. God did answer my prayers and my husband gradually came back to his old self. But it took a whole month. Fear almost got the best of me, but I placed Rick in God’s hands and trusted Him to take care of him.
Don’t let fear get the best of you. Whatever you are afraid of lay it at God’s feet and believe that He can handle anything. God loves you and wants you to know that He is with you during your storms in life. Remember this verse: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid” (Hebrews 13:6 NIV). When the apostles were in the boat in a very bad storm, Jesus walked to them on the water saying, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 8:27 NIV). Imagine Him walking to you in the middle of your huge storm holding out His hand and saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Dear Lord,
Help me during the storms of life to believe that you are with me. Help me not to fear, but to remain faithful knowing that your love for me will never end.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Take Up the Shield of Faith by Ann Elaine Broughton

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12 NIV).

Has anyone ever done you a favor? It’s a wonderful feeling when someone does something for you. The Lord favors you as with a shield. I think that is a great picture to put into your mind; the Lord’s love covering you and shielding you from the Enemy.
I did some research on shields and found something interesting. “The heavily armored Roman legionaries carried large shields (scuta) that could provide far more protection, but made swift movement a little more difficult. Famously, the Romans used their shields to create a tortoise-like formation called a testudo in which entire groups of soldiers would be enclosed in an armoured box to provide protection against missiles. Many ancient shield designs featured incuts of one sort of another. This was done to accommodate the shaft of a spear, thus facilitating tactics requiring the soldiers to stand close together forming a wall of shields.” * The huge shields protected the soldiers. When they all grouped together and held their shields up they were very protected.
That is how we as Christians need to hold the shield of faith of the Lord. “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16 NIV). Just as the soldiers grouped together with their shields, so we as Christians need to be a constant encouragement to our fellow Christians. Satan is constantly looking for our weaknesses to cause us to fail and become discouraged. We need to pray for and with our Christian friends.
Hold up your shield of faith and remember that God surrounds you with his favor as a shield. This week envision His shield of favor surrounding you and hold forth your shield of faith knowing that God is greater than the Enemy. Also make it a point to encourage a Christian friend.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for covering me with your favor as a shield. Help me to hold my shield of faith up so that I won’t be touched by evil. Help me also to be of encouragement to my Christian friends.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen


*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield