Oh how the night hour can bring loneliness and even cause everything from the day to come alive...to the place, where these moments of the day, now keep us awake...to drain us of the strength we need for another new day.
Once we become caught up in moments that have already passed us by; we find ourselves reliving times that no longer exist, until we find that these moments gone by, are now controlling us like a puppet on a string.
Not only do we find ourselves following after these moments that no longer exist; but we also find that our minds and hearts have become clouded over by deception. These become the moments, when Satan has caught us in a deceptive snare; that he is now planning to use, as a means of locking us within a prison cell of despair; where he can continue to have control over us, as a means of keeping us distant from God...the One we truly need, during difficult times such as these.
How many times have we felt distant from the presence of God...only to realize later that we were the ones who became distant from Him, while choosing to follow after moments that were no longer real. Oh how we need to remain distant, from the snares that can trap us and lead us away from God. Don't we realize that focusing on the cares of the day...only makes it that much more difficult to experience the care that God longs to give us, during these difficult times?
From this time forth, we need to take these moments and thoughts of the day before God, rather than trying to figure them out...only to find more problems along the way. When we choose to bypass the thoughts that stem from a day of anxiety, fear and the unknown; then a new path will open up before us...a path that will take us further away from these moments that had attempted to bring us low...to lead us to a higher plateau...one that can take us far above the cares of the day...Amen!!

In the late hour of the night, my soul wrestles within me. At one moment, I feel torn to keep following my God, while this thorn of affliction attempts to pull me in its direction. One moment, I'm striving to walk with God, while a force of darkness tries to overshadow me. It seems that no matter what is attempting to take me down at the time; there is also a feeling that something is holding me up and suspending me...far away from the pit of destruction that Satan has awaiting me.
There was a time, when I would focus deeply on what was awaiting me below; but now through time, my eyes have been open to the truth that there is something stronger than this affliction; that is attempting to pull me deeper into the pit it has awaiting me. In fact...it seems to be a love that never wants to let go...a love that is so deep; that it actually has become arms that have reached deep within my soul, to suspend me high above defeat. Even though the affliction is attempting to convince me that it has won out; I still remain standing and walking through life. The steps may have slowed down a bit, while the spirit has felt weaker; but somehow my soul continues to press on through the darkness, as it continues to search for a light that can lead this poor soul out of despair.
Many times, these small steps have wanted to stop for good...as they have traveled many painful miles through life; but this love I talk about doesn't seem to want to let go...for it keeps holding me up, while being the strength I need to keep pressing on...so I press on. 
This love that has kept me suspended above despair for many years, doesn't come from myself or any other; but rather, it comes from deep within the heart, where Jesus resides...for I have come to see that when I am weak; then He truly becomes strong...and the strength of my life...Amen!! 

Today has been a struggle of pain. The "thorn of affliction" that Satan has used, as a means of taking me down, has become a little more painful lately. You see...I have come to realize that this "thorn of affliction," is not only meant to bring me low; but it's also meant to make it that much harder, to remain faithful to God...for as the thorn is wiggled a bit by Satan...the struggles we face can seem more out of control...to the place where we find it easier to give up. It seems as if our minds and hearts begin to fall prey to the weaknesses that stand before us...and before we know it, we are allowing them to take us by the hand and walk us deeper into despair...to a place where we can no longer see anything good.
How do we withstand these overpowering feelings that attempt to control our lives, while also attempting to remove us from the presence of God...because we can find it difficult to turn back to where we should be with God, when evil is attempting to make us believe that it was God who first put us there.
First, we need to take a break and gather in all the thoughts that brought us to an overwhelming place of despair. Once we can do that; then the clear thoughts will remind us that first...good cannot produce evil, which will allow us to fully understand what is true reality, which is Christ allowing these moments into our lives, as a means of producing new growth or even strengthening us, for other moments that may be unseen at the time, while on the other hand...Satan is attempting to use these moments to deceive us and take us away from the presence of God.
No matter the reason...we must know in our hearts that what God allows...He also has control over. This alone will give us hope; that nothing or no one can take us to the extreme place of total destruction...Amen!!

Oh the peace we often forfeit, when we don't leave our needs with God in prayer.
How many times do we leave a need with God...only to turn around and take it back? Don't we realize that these are the times, when we are opening ourselves up to moments of needless suffering...for where we once had placed our needs into the hands of a powerful God; has now become a time, when those needs are even more vulnerable to the ways of evil...for where they were once secure...they have now become a decoy, for evil to prey on.
What actually does cause us to remove our needs, from the hands of this powerful God? When worry and doubt become our closest companions, their enticing words have a way of convincing us that we must always have control and be in touch with every symptom of the problem; so instead of leaving our needs with God, it's as if we go to Him and borrow them for a while, until we once more feel secure enough to give them back to Him. The only bad thing about that; is that we don't have the remedy for these needs; so instead, we sit up all night...or fret all day, as a means of keeping them company. Little do we realize that while we are keeping them company...they are keeping us in bondage with them. Until we can truly trust God enough to leave our needs with Him; then we will continue to suffer needlessly with the problem.
You say...how can I trust God to do right with every need I give to Him, when I struggle to trust others? How can we not trust the One who once gave up His only Son for us all? In other words...why do we find it so difficult to give Him the needs for which His Son, Jesus Christ died for? When we can truly see God to be someone like no other...someone who stands out in ways like no other...and someone whose love never fails us...as others do; then these thoughts alone will help us to see that God is truly a God, who can be trusted like no other...Amen!!
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How many times have we tried to convince ourselves that we aren't making it, when we really are? We sit and take in the depth of each problem, until they have convinced us that we have already been defeated, when we aren't. You see...there may be a pit of destruction below us but there is a powerful God standing above us...holding tightly to us, while suspending us above moments that could otherwise spell out defeat.
The problems we're facing may be distracting our minds and hearts from true reality, through evils deceptive thoughts; but when we take hold of the truth that we are walking...talking...and functioning; that is when the deceptive lies are brought down and the truth prevails, as we begin to see that we are making it. 
Just because the symptoms of our problems are very much alive within us, until a time is reached for God to relieve us of these afflictions; doesn't mean that they have the power to destroy us...for the One who allows these moments, also has control over these moments...and just as God allowed Satan to afflict Job, while controlling and using every moment, to bring about something better; He to will do the same for us...for what Satan sees as an opportunity to destroy; God sees these times as an opportunity to rebuild.
We are being given two paths to walk down, during the difficult times of life...the path of deception that only leads us away from true reality and what God is up to...and another path, which allows us to follow God through a heart of trust, while living and learning along the way. 
When we can find the strength to walk away from the path of deception; then the path of truth will lead us to what God had planned for our lives all along.

How do we become so caught up in fear? Is it because we have chosen to follow every aspect of the problem, while choosing to also take an extra step ahead of the problem...to predict what could arise from what is already standing before us? If so; then we have chosen a path that will keep thoughts of fear instilled deep within us.
The thought of fearing bad news and the dread of what may happen can be easily remedied, when we can truly live with a settled feeling that God will always be there, to help and care for every need of the heart. Knowing that someone greater than the problem is there...to walk us through these difficult times of life, allows fear to remain distant from us, while helping us to calmly face our foes. 
Can we say that we have confidence in God and in what He says He can do for us...or do we choose to believe in what the problem is conveying to us? In other words...have we chosen to make a weak circumstance more powerful than God? Fear only comes alive within us, when we choose to let go of God's hand, while allowing a problem to take hold of us and have control. When we can truly see God, as a big God...One who can strengthen and help us, during the difficult times; then these problems we face will no longer appear as mountains standing before us, while a perfect peace begins to replace the unsettled moments of fear...Amen!!