Fiftytwo

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

Week fifty two of #52 is HERE! I hope these weekly blog posts and memory verses over the last year have encouraged you, forged a greater strength in you and taught you to use God’s word as a weapon; the most powerful weapon we could ever be equipped with.

On the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, I saw it only fitting to write about the greatest gift given to the world. A gift that reveals a love SO GREAT that it is unfathomable, yet felt throughout the ages. A present that leads to a promise and a hope, of a life never alone and never over; death does not have the last word, JESUS does!

Since being married and now a father of three, I have discovered how powerful a driving force love can be. I would go to great lengths to help and be there for my family. Yet my love pales into insignificance, in comparison to God’s unfathomable love for us. Out of love for His creation, God self-sacrificially gave of Himself for us. I hope my wife and kids know I love them, but even more, I hope they know how much GOD loves them.

As we ponder on this love God has shown us, we can all have moments where we feel isolated, alone and even unloved. However, today, be encouraged to know there is a God who is madly in love with you. As we let this sink in, it begins to wash away every insecurity we may feel. We get to know the most amazing love the world has ever known.

My response to a God who is in love with me, is to give my life to Him. No strings attached, no conditions, no withholding, not just a small part of me, but my whole me. My life is completely in God’s hands.

As you read this today, I pray that you would arrive at a decision to place your life, future and destiny, into the hands of a God who is so FOR YOU, it makes your wishes for yourself look visionless.

Keep learning God’s Word - It is putting the most powerful weapon in your hands at the ready.

Thanks for journeying with me.

#52

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4

This past week saw the latest trailer for the next James Bond movie due next year. One of my favourite parts of every Bond film is where James walks into Q’s secret workshop at MI6. He gets to look through all the latest, greatest and simply outrageous weaponry! He then equips himself with what is necessary for the mission ahead.

As Christians, our weapon of choice is something we need to give thought to: how we arm ourselves will affect our effectiveness against strongholds. Earthly forces and weapons will not cut it - we need something else to combat the forces of darkness at play. This week’s verse says: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Our weapon of choice needs to be appropriate for the particular enemy at hand. In Jeremiah 23:29 it says concerning God’s word, "Is not My word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that smashes a rock?” As I read that, all I can picture is the Marvel superhero Thor’s hammer, crushing anything in its way! The New Testament describes it this way, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). is about 'encouraging people to live strong, using the most powerful weapon ever created: God’s word. God is looking for us to see His word not just as a history book, but LIVING, active and ready to be wielded like a sword against the challenges that present themselves against us!

This year has been about equipping ourselves with the offensive weapon of God’s word, which stops situations in their tracks and silences the enemy!

‘To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ Colossians 1:27

When we have guests coming over, there is always a frantic half-hour before they arrive. There are the toys and clothes that need to be put away, dishes that needs to find their way into the dishwasher, the dryer with damp clothes hanging near the radiator...! We want to make everything look good for the guest, right?

Paul unveils this incredible mystery of the New Testament: WE are hosts of a heavenly guest. Jesus has chosen to take up residence in the life of every believer. A good friend recently said that when he became a Christian, the situations in his life didn’t look any different, but he felt different. What was the difference? The difference is this: “Christ in You, the hope of glory.”

When we realise this trust, it changes everything: our priorities, values, thoughts, behaviours and even our habits. Wherever you find yourself going, you’re taking Jesus into that environment. To further this thought - not only are we taking Jesus into our day, I believe that one of the greatest honours for every believer is to allow the One who is in them begin to shine out of them, through love and action. And THAT is what being a Christian is really about!

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22

Have you ever tried to put the wrong key in the wrong vehicle, or your old house key in your new door, and wonder why on earth it doesn’t work?! I remember standing in a multi-storey car park for several minutes, attempting to unlock what I THOUGHT was my vehicle, with every moment that passed with more and more anger rising within me. In my frustrated state I looked at my key and then through the driver’s window, and suddenly realised that even though the car was the same make, model, and even colour, it was a difference interior. It was NOT my vehicle!

Often, we can find we misplace our faith. Simply put, faith is having confidence in something. Many times we can put our confidence and belief in ourself, in our spouse, in our friends, in a process, in our own strength. Although all those places are great and they help, they are not the destination for our faith. When a key is inserted into the correct lock, entry is given. When faith partners with God, we discover that, "whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive.”

God is looking for our faith to partner with Him. God is ALL POWERFUL, but God is looking for someone to activate that power, THROUGH faith! Our faith partners with God, and draws His power into our now.

This week, reflect on any areas of your life where you may have misplaced your faith in God. Recognise that when we come to God with faith, mountains MOVE!

One of my favourite smells is fresh bread, and at the heart of the bread-making process is this tiny ingredient that you only need a small amount of, YET it is absolutely vital. Of course, that ingredient is yeast; without adding a little to your bread mixture, your dough will fail to rise, remaining a stodgy and disappointing lump!
We can be fooled to think that a good life is what gets us noticed by God, but it is a life where FAITH is EXERCISED that pleases God.

Nothing brings God greater pleasure than his creation [you and I] having complete confidence in God.
How are we exercising our confidence today, or are we simply confident in our ability..?
Are we dependent on others, or dependent on God..?
Are we leaning on our own understanding, or learning into God..?
Are we speaking our worries or confessing God’s word..?

Finally, the ending of this verse reveals a part of God’s nature. God is a giver and a rewarder. It is His promise to us that He will look after those who follow after Him. What you do for God never goes unnoticed, and is always rewarded.

This week, let’s be exercisers of our muscle of faith! The more we exercise this muscle, the stronger it will become, and the bigger the mountain we can believe for to move!

Matthew 17:20 “… Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

I never realised love until I had children of my own; a feeling so deep that little in life compares to it. Verse 20 sits within an extraordinary story of a desperate father watching his son tormented by darkness. The father is unable to do anything in his own strength to help but his love causes him to seek help from wherever possible. The gossip on the streets was there was a Rabbi named Jesus, with a group of followers who were seeing darkness expelled from people’s lives. Wherever they went, signs and wonders were happening. This distressed dad takes his son to the disciples, barging his way through the crowd, presenting his son before them, but nothing happens. He then finds Jesus, and lays his boy at the Rabbi’s feet. The story finishes with Jesus healing the boy. Another amazing miracle of Jesus.

The disciples were baffled why Jesus could heal the boy and not them. Jesus says this to his trusted followers, “You don’t have enough faith, Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

This may sound harsh, but it packs a great story and learning point for us. When Jesus says we don’t have enough faith, He is not talking about the size of our faith - rather he talking about the durability of our faith. Jesus is communicating the problem is sometimes the disciples’ faith is alive, and sometimes it is not. Our faith can be a lot like that: sometimes hot, and other times cold. It is difficult to have a faith that shifts things, if it constantly goes between these two extremes. God’s heart is to bring breakthrough, healing and light to every dark situation, but that requires the consistent faith of those who love Him. That’s why being in a healthy local church is hugely important for the life of a Christian, because it helps keep our faith alive and hot!

The promise is this: if we choose to have constant faith, then we will mov

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

‘Grand Designs’ is a British show about those wanting to build their own houses. Often it shows people taking on huge restoration projects, turning that which is old and dilapidated, into something beautiful and modern. I have always been amazed at how people are able to see beyond the run-down and seemingly unusable property, and have a vision of what it could be!

SIGHT is our dominant sense, and often it can limit us from seeing the potential of what something could be. Like those who are able to see beyond the ruins and have a vision of a future home, God is wanting us to walk by faith, not only by sight. If we only walk by sight, we will miss God - because no one has seen God. However, if you engage faith, you begin to see God everywhere!

God has a plan and purpose for every single person. However, when push comes to shove and life is looking completely opposite to anything but a Godly future, we can begin to question all of that. But God has not called us to live by our physical eyes: He has called us to live and walk out our lives by FAITH. This means to hold completely to God, knowing and trusting that He has a great future and plan in store for you and I. He knows the end from the beginning, and we do not need to worry or fear.

When we live by faith, we are able to trust God that there is always more than meets the eye. God is working beyond what our retinas can compute!

This week, in what areas of your life do you need to stop being led by your natural eyes, and learn to trust God?

Psalm 8:2
"Through the praise of children and infants You have established a stronghold against Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

We need to know that when we praise, something really powerful happens: praise is a mighty weapon, and Psalm 8 shows us two things that happens when we praise. Firstly, praise establishes a STRONGHOLD against your enemies. This means that through praise, it is as if God forges strength within us that enables us to stand against the problems and situations of life. The things that knock some over will not knock you over, because God has established strength in you to withstand the storms of life.

Secondly, praise SILENCES. One thing I know about the enemy’s tactics is that he is always talking, always nattering. He is always trying to tell us a lie about our identity, to cause us to question our faith and to capture us with condemnation. But praise silences the lies of the enemy. As we lift a sound of praise up in our lives, it mutes the voice of the enemy.

But - it is a certain type of praise that does these things; ‘the praise of children and infants’. I would consider it less about age, rather about a child’s ability to be blissfully ignorant to the opinions of others. They simply don’t care what others think. God is wanting us to approach Him like that. David understood this: in the Psalms we read of him shouting for joy in praise, singing and dancing. This kind of praise moves us beyond our personal preferences and inhibitions, but it captures the attention of God.

Today, allow a praise to rise in you, knowing that it builds strength in you and silences the enemy!

Last week we talked about how we approach a King; with Praise! This week’s verse shows us that God is found in the praises of His people. It sounds like an unbelievable statement. Yet the Creator of the Heavens and the earth, the Author of life itself shows up when His people choose to lift up a praise. Again pointing to a God who is intimately involved with His creation. God is attracted to PRAISE! Your Praise! It is as if God is awaiting for a group of people to lift up His Name and when He hears and sees a praising people, God get’s involved. I have realised, when God get’s involved anything is possible; the seemingly impossible situations are made possible; the highest mountain bows; the strongest chains can break. An environment of praise is a powerful force to be reckoned with because God is attracted to it.

When Paul and Silas (Acts 16) were bound in chains in their dungeon they lifted up praise, it was in that moment of praise when God showed up and broke off their chains and swung up the prison doors. Praising through our problems attracts the unstoppable power to our lives.

Remember, God LIVES IN YOUR PRAISES!

Psalm 100:4
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. Psalm 100:4

If you were invited to meet the Queen, how would you approach her? Would it be a crisp Hi-5 and an overly familiar, “Hey Lizzy!” in your ripped jeans and unironed t-shirt...? Of course not! We would approach ‘Her Majesty’ with the utmost respect and reverence.

So... How do we approach God?

When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6 - the Lord’s Prayer - He taught them to ‘hallow’ God before anything else. A strange word, but hallow means to ‘honour, bless and lift up’. Jesus is teaching us the idea that when we approach God, we HONOUR and BLESS Him before anything else.

I have found when I begin with praise, it raises my sights onto how great God is. It recalibrates and refocuses my own perspective, that is often bogged down. Then, from that platform of a changed perspective that praise created, I can pray and speak to situations in life from a higher authority, because I have spent the time aligning my perspective with His.

The Message translation of this verse says we should ‘enter the throne of God with the password, “ Thank You”’. Praise is a password that gives us access into environments that were once otherwise not opened to us, and viewpoints that we once otherwise did not have.

God is looking for a people who know how to praise Him and put Him first above all else. God does not want to be your second thought, or afterthought, but rather your first thought!

This week, let’s make a choice to praise and thank Him, in everything!

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

This weeks verse is full of so much, I am going to break it down into five points.

First - God INVITES us to come to Him. This small section of the verse communicates so much about God’s character. God is not accessed because of a person’s status or position, but rather their willingness to pursue Him. God requests our presence, and is waiting for our response to His invitation.

Second - not only does God invite us, but He also tells us HOW to approach Him. We are to come before God boldly and not timidly; freely without fear of rejection. We can be confident that God will always accept us and never turn away from us. The famous story of Esther in the Old Testament was about her overcoming the fear of being rejected, and even of being killed for approaching a powerful king. We never need to fear when approaching our God; He is accepting of us because of the price Jesus paid at the cross.

Third - God invites us to come before His THRONE. A throne is a place for royalty to sit when reigning over their kingdom. We need to remind ourselves that our God is on the throne. He is King! We’re not coming to someone who is temporarily in charge, no: God was reigning yesterday, He reigns today and - you guessed it, tomorrow He will be too! God rules over all that can at times feel like it’s ruling us. God reigns!

God gives of who He is. God is grace, therefore, His throne is grace, and when we spend time with God we receive grace. Grace is God’s empowering presence in our lives that enables us to live the God kind of life. God wants us to depend on His POWER to live out everyday, therefore we need to go to his throne everyday!

Finally - when we TURN to God, He is faithful to give us what we need in our time of need. He knows what we need, but He is looking for us to go to him. That move from us is the faith that God is looking for. Faith is the currency of the Kingdom, which causes God to break into our now.

Colossians 1:29 NLT
"That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me."

If you own an Apple product, September will usually bring along an update for your device. Sometimes the update to the operating system is revolutionary and incomparable to the previous. As Christians, we have a brand new operating system at work within us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to learn to use the new operating power of the new system.

Paul was a grafter and he poured a huge amount of effort into his work and ministry, however, he did all that he did with a great dependency on God’s power that was deposited within him. Whatever we find ourselves doing, we need to know that God’s MIGHTY POWER is available to us. It desires to be used by you to cause you to operate on a different level than you by yourself.

God has never intended us to approach life, work, church, friendships or marriages without the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives. We need to depend on it. Work with his power. For Paul, not trusting in the power of God would have left him high and dry. He needed it!

This week, how are you depending on God’s power to do what you are doing? Have you got everything totally sorted that you have no room or need for His power to work through you?

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 NLT⁣
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In life there are many things we can partner with that can be unhelpful and unhealthy for us. Sometimes we know that a particular action or a thought we believe about ourselves is not right but for some strange reason we like it. It is comforting because it is familiar and change seems all too painful, scary or even impossible. ⁣
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I can remember thoughts even behaviours that were particularly unhealthy but seemed really hard to disassociate with. They felt like they were me and to break partnership with them was losing a part of me. What we need to know is that the power of the past and our old life has been broken by Jesus and when we begin our new life as a believer it unlocks a door to our REAL LIFE: the life God always intended us to live. Do not be scared or hold back because it is comfortable to stay the same. Instead dive into all that God has in store for you. All that God has destined for you is found in God. ⁣
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Today ask God if there is any part of your life, actions or thoughts, that is not part of the new life in Jesus. Take a moment to sit and listen. If God brings something to mind then simply ask God to help you let that go. In doing this you are stepping more and more into your REAL LIFE and NEW LIFE in Jesus.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8⁣
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Understanding WHO you are, WHOSE you are and what GOD says about you, can only be described as life transforming. ⁣
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This new series unpacking our Godly identity will build an understanding of how God sees you - which, if believed, will change you forever: There is no question about it! ⁣
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Last week we read and learnt Galatians 3:26, that we are children of God. Today we learn that God has revealed His LOVE through the gift of His Son, Jesus. This gift was not given because of a deserving act of our own, rather a gift freely given from our Father in heaven because of the enormity of His love towards humanity. There has never been a greater or more valuable gift than Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, coming to clear the debt of sin and bridge the gap between us and the Father. Jesus gave up heaven’s royalties for earth’s simplicity, to live the life we couldn’t live and die the death we should have died. In doing so, He created a way for us to access the Father, and once again rekindle our relationship that was lost in the garden. In Christ dying, we see the sheer enormity of God’s love for us. That God would send his Son, is the GREATEST ACT OF LOVE that the world has ever seen. ⁣
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Love is risky. God risked everything, but it was a risk worth taking - because love is always worth the risk. Not everyone who has heard the message of the gospel has believed, but many who have heard it have been changed forever. Therefore, it was worth the risk of sending Jesus. The same goes for when we take the risk of loving another person. Love is vulnerable, but what we learn through Jesus is that love ALWAYS wins and is ALWAYS worth it.

The 3rd of November is a special day in our household. It is the wedding anniversary for my wife and I; I remember that day like it was yesterday! That day, my relationship status shifted forever: I was no longer single, in a relationship, or engaged - I was married! The knot had been tied! On the 4th of November 2012, I didn’t wake up thinking I was single again - no, I was a married man! I cannot go back to thinking as I did as a single man; my whole way of thinking changes, because of my new relationship status.
Are you aware of your relationship status with Father God?
God calls us His children; His sons and His daughters. When we believe in God, our identity completely shifts. It shifts from being far from God, to being a child of God.
This belief needs to be core to who we now are as believers, because everything we do is framed from this truth - that we are God’s very own sons and daughters. Every waking moment changes. We no longer live as independent people, rather - everything we do flows from this new relationship as a child of the King. And as a child of the King, we have access to the King and His resources, inheritance, authority, influence, power and provision.
Daily this week, remember and declare that You are a child of the King!

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God
Romans 10:17 NKJV
Today’s verse comes from letters that Paul wrote to the Roman church, to encourage their journey of faith in Christ. Faith is a wonderful gift that we receive from God; it is one of the fruits of the Spirit that takes root in our lives when we make a decision to follow Jesus, and when we allow the Holy Spirit to live and work in us. The word ‘hearing’ used here, in the Greek is ‘akoé’ - meaning not just hearing with your physical ear, but inner spiritual hearing: being able to hear God’s voice.
Earlier in Romans 4, Paul talks about Abraham from the Old Testament, and how his level of faith determined his response to God. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Abraham was able to choose obedience so quickly in that hard place, because of FAITH. He had a deeply personal relationship with God, that started long before this day came. He would talk with God, and God would talk to him. And so he trusted God, as he had done many times before, to honour His word - that God would make Abraham into a great nation. In order for him to be a great nation, He obviously needed a son - but he trusted that God would honour His word, and that God’s way is always good. As we know from Genesis, God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead of Isaac, upon seeing Abraham’s faith. How wonderful is this story, and how inspiring to have that level of faith as Abraham did!
So, how do we increase our faith?
As Abraham did - we HEAR the word of God, we DECLARE this out over our lives, and we do this DAILY.
We meditate and reflect on the Bible, God’s living word, and put these into our innermost being.
As we do this, we are continually transformed by God.
As we do this, we experience more and more of the fruits of the Spirit, including faith!
God will continue to birth faith in us, so we can trust He will honour His words spoken over our life, and that His way for us is ALWAYS good.
Guest blog from

The step to becoming a Christian is not easy, but this verse sums the approach one must take: ‘by faith’. It is by faith we choose to believe in a God, a God who loves us, who sent his Son Jesus to show us the vast extent of His love. And in doing so He dealt with our mess and independence. It is by faith we are forgiven. It is by faith we accept God’s identity and leave our past behind. It is by faith we get up this morning and continue to pursue God.⁣
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It is therefore by faith we believe that this world is not a random occurrence once upon a time, millions of years ago - rather, an elaborate plan of THE creator. A plan to create a home for the pinnacle of creation: people - us. A home which would be the centre of His affection, attention and love.⁣
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When it came to creation, God spoke and it happened. Words in the mouth of God created all things we see. God doesn’t mess around with his words. His words posses creative and powerful qualities. So do ours!⁣
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When we speak, do we realise what happens? Do we realise the power in our spoken word? ⁣
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What are you speaking over your life?⁣
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What promise of God are you allowing to build a new framework and structure within your heart?⁣
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When we speak, things are created. When we speak God’s truth over and over again, it begins to build a brand new structure in our heart. ⁣
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It’s time to SPEAK!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What are you leaning on?

I once heard Bear Grylls the famous adventure speak about his faith as something he leans on. He said: “People ask, is faith like a crutch? Maybe. What does a crutch do? A crutch helps you stand, makes you stronger. In that case, sure, I need that. But especially when it's so much more than that.” He added: "This faith inside is also like a backbone, helping me stand tall and helping me be strong when I'm really up against it, facing those odds...”

I return to the question, what are you leaning on?

When we have the ability to lean on the ALL POWERFUL creator or yourself, which in my case can barely do 30 press ups, it’s a no brainier! I know it seems ridiculous when we put it like that but we have the ability to lean on God with our WHOLE heart because He is BIG enough, STRONG enough, MIGHTY enough, no matter what we may face.

Part of our Faith journey is learning to relinquish control and trust His voice and ways.

This week, lean into God and not just your own ideas and ways. If you don’t have the solution to your current situation could it be that God is waiting for you to lean into him?

Lean into what God has to says. Have you tried asking? Have you tried listening?

“He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This scripture points back to Isaiah 53, which is a prediction of Jesus’ suffering, hundreds of years before He arrived. A suffering so underserved, yet so necessary in order to bridge the sin-created gap between the created and the Creator once and for all.

In the last part of this scripture we read that because of Jesus’ suffering - in particular, His ‘wounds' - we are healed. Throughout the Bible, God is revealed as a healer. One of the names of God in the Old Testament is Jehovah-Rapha (Exodus 15:26), "the Lord who heals.”

Sometimes our experience can tell us otherwise. Perhaps our experience shouts where was God when "this happened”, and “that happened”. Perhaps we have allowed our experience to inform our theology. However, the truth is God's character is unchanging. What is revealed throughout scripture, in both the Old and New Testament through Jesus, is a God who steps time and time again into situations of brokenness, disease, heart-ache and lifelessness and heals those afflicted. Healing the sick is who God is, and what He loves!

You may ask the question: How can one man’s suffering lead to another person healing?

Jesus suffered so we could be given a renewed hope.

Jesus took our sin so we could know a life without it and be given a second chance.

Jesus took on death so we did not have to face it.

Jesus took our diseases so we could be healed. His wounds, mean our healing.

You situation may look bleak, but I encourage you to continue in faith with who God is: Our Healer.