Comforting the afflicted: May 2023

Sunday, May 7, 2023

GOD of COMFORT

Psalm 18:6

King James Version

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord,

and cried unto my God:

he heard my voice out of his temple,

and my cry came before him,

even into his ears.

How does GOD help us?

Who does He help?

What hope does GOD give us?

What makes GOD listen to us?

No matter what affliction, call upon the LORD.

And you shall see what these verses mean:

Psalm 23

King James Version

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy

shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 86:7

King James Version

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee:

for thou wilt answer me.

Psalm 119:49-50

King James Version

49 Remember the word unto thy servant,

upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction:

for thy word hath quickened me.

Isaiah 12:1-3

King James Version

12 And in that day thou shalt say,

O Lord, I will praise thee:

though thou wast angry with me,

thine anger is turned away,

and thou comfortedst me.

2 Behold,

God is my salvation;

I will trust,

and not be afraid:

for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song;

he also is become my salvation.

3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water

out of the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 40:28-31

King James Version

28 Hast thou not known?

hast thou not heard,

that the everlasting God,

the Lord,

the Creator of the ends of the earth,

fainteth not,

neither is weary?

there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint;

and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 49:13

King James Version

13 Sing, O heavens;

and be joyful, O earth;

and break forth into singing, O mountains:

for the Lord hath comforted his people,

and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

Isaiah 51:11-13

King James Version

11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return,

and come with singing unto Zion;

and everlasting joy shall be upon their head:

they shall obtain gladness and joy;

and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

12 I, even I,

am he that comforteth you:

who art thou,

that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die,

and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker,

that hath stretched forth the heavens,

and laid the foundations of the earth;

and hast feared continually every day

because of the fury of the oppressor,

as if he were ready to destroy?

and where is the fury of the oppressor?

Matthew 11:28-30

King James Version

28 Come unto me,

all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you,

and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light.

Luke 4:17-21

King James Version

17 And there was delivered unto him

the book of the prophet Esaias.

And when he had opened the book,

he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he hath anointed me

to preach the gospel to the poor;

he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

to preach deliverance to the captives,

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book,

and he gave it again to the minister,

and sat down.

And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue

were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them,

This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

John 3:16-17

King James Version

16 For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world through him

might be saved.

John 10:9

King James Version

9 I am the door:

by me if any man enter in,

he shall be saved,

and shall go in and out,

and find pasture.

John 14:1-4

King James Version

14 Let not your heart be troubled:

ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions:

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again,

and receive you unto myself;

that where I am, there ye may be also.

4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

John 16:22

King James Version

22 And ye now therefore have sorrow:

but I will see you again,

and your heart shall rejoice,

and your joy no man taketh from you.

John 16:33

King James Version

33 These things I have spoken unto you,

that in me ye might have peace.

In the world ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer;

I have overcome the world.

Romans 8:26-27

King James Version

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:

for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:

but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us

with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts

knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,

because he maketh intercession for the saints

according to the will of God.

Romans 8:28

King James Version

28 And we know

that all things work together for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

Romans 8:29

King James Version

29 For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:30

King James Version

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate,

them he also called:

and whom he called, them he also justified:

and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans 8:31-32

King James Version

31 What shall we then say to these things?

If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son,

but delivered him up for us all,

how shall he not with him

also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:33

King James Version

33 Who shall lay any thing

to the charge of God's elect?

It is God that justifieth.

Romans 8:34

King James Version

34 Who is he that condemneth?

It is Christ that died,

yea rather, that is risen again,

who is even at the right hand of God,

who also maketh intercession for us.

Romans 8:35-39

King James Version

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,

or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written,

For thy sake we are killed all the day long;

we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors

through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded,

that neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,

nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

King James Version

3 Blessed be God,

even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies,

and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,

that we may be able to comfort them

which are in any trouble,

by the comfort wherewith we ourselves

are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us,

so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

Revelation 21:1-7

King James Version

21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:

for the first heaven and the first earth

were passed away;

and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city,

new Jerusalem,

coming down from God out of heaven,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,

Behold,

the tabernacle of God is with men,

and he will dwell with them,

and they shall be his people,

and God himself shall be with them,

and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;

and there shall be no more death,

neither sorrow,

nor crying,

neither shall there be any more pain:

for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said,

Behold,

I make all things new.

And he said unto me,

Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto 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.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things;

and I will be his God,

and he shall be my son.

Revelation 21:22-27

King James Version

22 And I saw no temple therein:

for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb

are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun,

neither of the moon, to shine in it:

for the glory of God did lighten it,

and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved

shall walk in the light of it:

and the kings of the earth

do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day:

for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour

of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it

any thing that defileth,

neither whatsoever worketh abomination,

or maketh a lie:

but they which are written

in the Lamb's book of life.

The whole Bible is a story of GOD's LOVE.

Of His longsuffering love for us.

Of the wilfullness of man.

And yet, GOD's always there.

Ready to help.

Ready to save.

Ready to listen.

We simply have to turn to him.

And turn from our old ways.

Accepting JESUS as our Savior.

We have no idea what we're missing.

Being born again helped me figure it all out.

Through SPIRIT.

Saturday, May 6, 2023

JESUS understands us

Luke 2:7

King James Version

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son,

and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,

and laid him in a manger;

because there was no room for them

in the inn.

A born again knows important things.

The things that matter.

That JESUS is King Of Kings.

And Lord Of Lords.

And yet, He came down to earth in all humility, pain, and suffering:

Isaiah 53:1-4

King James Version

53 Who hath believed our report?

and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of a dry ground:

he hath no form nor comeliness;

and when we shall see him,

there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men;

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:

and we hid as it were our faces from him;

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs,

and carried our sorrows:

yet we did esteem him stricken,

smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:5

King James Version

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,

he was bruised for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace was upon him;

and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:6-9

King James Version

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned every one to his own way;

and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed,

and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth:

he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,

so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment:

and who shall declare his generation?

for he was cut off out of the land of the living:

for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death;

because he had done no violence,

neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Isaiah 53:10-12

King James Version

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him;

he hath put him to grief:

when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,

he shall see his seed,

he shall prolong his days,

and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul,

and shall be satisfied:

by his knowledge shall my righteous servant

justify many;

for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he hath poured out his soul unto death:

and he was numbered with the transgressors;

and he bare the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

2 Corinthians 5:21

King James Version

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us,

who knew no sin;

that we might be made

the righteousness of God in him.

Philippians 2:6-8

King James Version

6 Who,

being in the form of God,

thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation,

and took upon him the form of a servant,

and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man,

he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross.

Now you see why we say JESUS understands us.

He took on human form.

Suffered, more than anyone did.

Was humiliated, despite His kingship.

But He bore it all.

And paved the way for salvation.

Promising believers eternal life.

He knew our suffering.

His heart was for us.

Luke 5:30-32

King James Version

30 But their scribes and Pharisees

murmured against his disciples,

saying,

Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

31 And Jesus answering said unto them,

They that are whole need not a physician;

but they that are sick.

32 I came not to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance.

Luke 19:10

King James Version

10 For the Son of man is come

to seek and to save

that which was lost.

John 10:11

King James Version

11 I am the good shepherd:

the good shepherd giveth his life

for the sheep.

What comfort did JESUS promise us?

How did He help the afflicted?

Click for the next post.

Related posts:

The Humility of JESUS the SON of GOD

The prophesied MESSIAH

JESUS confirms PROPHECY

SON of GOD

JESUS

Image: Free Bible Images

CAUSE of suffering

Judges 16:13

King James Version

13 And Delilah said unto Samson,

Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies:

tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.

And he said unto her,

If thou weavest the seven locks of my head

with the web.

What is the real cause of suffering?

Why do we suffer so?

Is man aware at all?

What does Scripture say?

What does the born again believe?

What has SPIRIT taught us?

Here's what we know.

It's a very fine thing, this web.

We are all caught in a web.

Usually, of our own making.

Suffering is caused by sin.

The first sin?

Disobedience.

Genesis 3:9-13

King James Version

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam,

and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden,

and I was afraid, because I was naked;

and I hid myself.

11 And he said,

Who told thee that thou wast naked?

Hast thou eaten of the tree,

whereof I commanded thee

that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said,

The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,

she gave me of the tree,

and I did eat.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman,

What is this that thou hast done?

And the woman said,

The serpent beguiled me,

and I did eat.

After the fall, man's existence was cursed by GOD:

Genesis 3:16

King James Version

16 Unto the woman he said,

I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;

in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;

and thy desire shall be to thy husband,

and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 3:17-19

King James Version

17 And unto Adam he said,

Because thou hast hearkened

unto the voice of thy wife,

and hast eaten of the tree,

of which I commanded thee,

saying,

Thou shalt not eat of it:

cursed is the ground for thy sake;

in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;

and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,

till thou return unto the ground;

for out of it wast thou taken:

for dust thou art,

and unto dust shalt thou return.

It all went downhill after that.

Sin had already corrupted our hearts.

Our world has not gotten back up, since.

Despite the flood, and all.

Man continues to sin.

Satan continues to deceive.

JESUS castigates us all:

John 8:44-45

King James Version

44 Ye are of your father the devil,

and the lusts of your father ye will do.

He was a murderer from the beginning,

and abode not in the truth,

because there is no truth in him.

When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:

for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth,

ye believe me not.

Whoever admonished us, is the ONE that saved us.

That's JESUS.

Who shows us the way.

Who saved us from our sins.

Who leads us back to GOD.

The next post reveals the LORD's love for us.

And the nature of His heart.

Related posts:

The devil's DEVICES

JESUS and Satan

CAUSE for CHEER

Image: Clipart Library

What is AFFLICTION?

Psalm 22:23-24

King James Version

23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him;

all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him;

and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted;

neither hath he hid his face from him;

but when he cried unto him,

he heard.

What does affliction mean?

To have better understanding, we look to its definition.

Merriam-Webster defines "affliction" as:

: a cause of persistent pain or distress

: great suffering

: the state of being afflicted by something that causes suffering

Bottomline?

Affliction is suffering.

Those two words, "great suffering", say a lot.

What do we suffer from?

Look to our lives, to know.

Look to the world, to know.

Look to the lawlessness, to know.

Surely, it warranted the LORD to come.

What sufferings have you got?

What ails you?

What eats you up?

What ails the world?

What do our minds suffer from?

What do our bodies suffer from?

What do our spirits suffer from?

What do societies suffer from?

What do nations suffer from?

What do our lives lack?

What are we unhappy about?

What is the state of families today?

What is the state of churches today?

What is the state of nations today?

What is the state of the world today?

Does it warrant the LORD come a second time?

If believers long for the RAPTURE, it says much.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

King James Version

16 For the Lord himself

shall descend from heaven

with a shout,

with the voice of the archangel,

and with the trump of God:

and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain

shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,

to meet the Lord in the air:

and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

I believe we all suffer from something.

Abuse, poverty, injustice, sorrow, illness, persecution, war.

The next post will tell us the cause of our sufferings.

Related post:

The RAPTURE

Image: Clipart Library

Sunday, May 7, 2023

GOD of COMFORT

Saturday, May 6, 2023

JESUS understands us

CAUSE of suffering

What is AFFLICTION?

PURPOSE of AFFLICTION