March 30, 2013 by Jeff Davis

The Key to Finding Peace

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

Lately, it has felt like more and more things are out of my control. Things I used to handle with ease have become monumental tasks and asking for help has become an everyday occurrence. Constantly needing help is foreign to me and having to rely on other people is completely beyond what I’m used to.

When you’re not in control, it’s real easy to lose your peace, but if you put your faith and trust in God during these times, He will use whatever you’re walking through to your advantage. God has the ability to meet every one of our needs without even straining because He is all sufficient and all powerful. He simply desires for us to call upon His name and look to Him with bold confidence and a grateful heart.

When things seem to be going the exact opposite of how I want them to, I have to remind myself that God’s ways are so much higher than my own and as long as I am living according to His will, He will make a way where I can see no way. When we give our problems to God, we will learn firsthand He will neither leave nor forsake us. When we don’t look to God, we are left to our own thoughts and our mind can race out of control, leaving us feeling uneasy, scared, confused, and restless, but as we cast our cares upon the Lord, He will fill us with His peace.

We must continually seek the will and voice of God in our own lives and that only happens as we open up to the Father and share the desires of our heart openly with Him. When we seek Him, we will find Him and He will become our refuge and the closer we grow to the Father, the more He will empower us to embrace the trials and adversity of life. I don’t know about you, but I want to pass the test the first time so I don’t have to endure anymore heartache or pain than I have to. God is with us wherever we go, but because of the fall in the Garden, challenges in life are inevitable, yet when we face them and call upon the name of Jesus in their midst, our Lord will use whatever stands in our way as a stepping stone to abundant blessings.

This last chapter of my life has drained me physically, spiritually, and emotionally, but each day, I approached the throne of grace on bended knee with an open heart and God has filled me with His presence and He has met me where I was, broken at times, but afterwards I would be overflowing with His love, mercy, power, and grace. Each new day, God fills me up as I seek Him.

The key to living a life of peace is we must continually seek God in the good times and the bad. He alone knows exactly what we need exactly when we need it and when we can trust God to supply all of our needs, we will know real peace!

February 19, 2013 by Jeff Davis

One for the Record Books

I was literally cut in half and put back together; if you are reading this, I’m still alive…

“Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)

Pain always serves a purpose in our life and everyone has experienced it at some point, whether it’s: physical, emotional or spiritual. Knowing the cause or reason of our pain doesn’t make it any less real, because it’s our body’s way of telling us something is wrong.

In my quest to find healing, I first went to God: the Divine Healer-Jehovah Rophe and pleaded with Him to take my pain.

I’m pleading with Him as I type these words, but at the same time I am praising Him for bringing the Surgeon into my path to facilitate my healing. This last year, despite my pain from the vehicle accident, I have grown closer to the Lord because it taught me to rely on His strength daily to deal with my pain.

God’s timing is perfect and when we walk according to His will, we will find and know true peace.

With my initial surgeon, I didn’t have this peace and in my spirit, it just felt like I needed to keep looking for the man God had lined up to take my pain away. Ultimately, only God heals us and only God restores us, but He can use whatever means He chooses to; often, that includes men and women.

My new surgeon, Dr. Poelstra said something which resonated such peace within my spirit. He said, “When God chooses not to heal people miraculously, He uses my hands to heal them in the natural.” He went on to say that God had anointed and blessed his hands and he gives the glory to God for all the work he does.

One of the greatest secrets of success is to not want to be famous and this doctor exemplified that statement! It can be so easy to take credit for the gifts God gives us…

I praise God I had the patience and trust to wait upon the Lord and now I have been fully restored. I continually lift my eyes up because my help comes from the Lord daily; He is my refuge and strength. It was in His presence and protection, I found my fear wiped away and it was there where restoration and wholeness began to take place. Thank you for your prayers and I give God all the glory for the work He is doing in and through me!

February 18, 2013 by Jeff Davis

Fear & Trust

Any second they will be taking me back for surgery to repair my spine…

“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)

God’s love for us is the strongest power in existence and nothing can separate us from it; my greatest strength comes from knowing that! The weeks and days leading up to this surgery have sent my mind into overdrive, sometimes causing my peace to escape my grasp.

To overcome my fear, there came a point where I had to trust God enough to take care of any problem I might face.

God is the ultimate Shepherd and He protects His flock. Nothing’s impossible for Him and when we bring our physical, spiritual and emotional needs before God, He hears our cries and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

When we stay focused on God, peace surrounds every step we take, but when we allow life to take our eyes off of Jesus, we open ourselves to attack. Things like depression, transitions, and loss begin to permeate our lives. Next, our anxiety, stress, and thoughts over money, time, work and the countless other things we must manage begin to manage us until they bring us to our knees.

In this life, we are bound to have trouble, but Christ has already overcome the world and He only sends the toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.

I thought my battle would only be a chapter of my life, but it has turned into a book; one that is full of miracles and endless stories of God’s grace and mercy. When God is for us, there is nothing that can ever stand against us.

Speak these words to the next adversary that tries to rob your peace!

February 7, 2013 by Jeff Davis

Jesus Gave His All

As the needle pierced my spine, the surgeon and his team rushed to sedate me…

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

Lying on the surgery table undergoing a procedure called a discogram; I had no idea what I was in for. The point of this procedure was to isolate the cause of my severe back and leg pain. One year ago, I was hit by a speeding truck while riding my bicycle, but the pain of the accident paled in comparison to what I was now experiencing as a needle longer than my arm was plunged into my back. As the dye was released into my disc, the agony I experienced caused one of the nurses who had just started to break down in tears watching me scream in pain.

In no way am I comparing myself to Jesus or the suffering He endured on the cross for our sins, because as I had a 22 gauge needle inside me, He had a spear thrust into His side; He had a crown of thorns driven into His head and He endured 39 lashes that ripped the flesh from His body. It was for our sins that Christ endured this suffering and ultimately sacrificed His life so we could be made whole.

By the stripes that were laid upon His back, we have healing!

By the blood Jesus shed, we receive atonement for our sin!

Take a moment right now and thank Him for the sacrifice He made. Realize what He did at Calvary was the ultimate expression of His love for us. I thank God my healing is on its way and I praise Him in advance for what He is going to do. If you have a need in your life whether it’s physical or other; just know the price Jesus paid on the cross will more than cover any cost.