****NOTE: In an effort to bring encouragement to others during these uncertain times I have recorded (albeit lamely!) some Scripture recitation. If you are interested in viewing these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram. I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-XqgNuB3GS/?igshid=pxubiwavl43w
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-QfYJih5b0/?igshid=186tplj1k8eai
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-QF88IBpSB/?igshid=1l6e5s3sxws0m
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QFbcaB0am/?igshid=t1hmr1d9hd3y
OUR REFUGE IN STORMS
BREAD
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Cor 1:8-11 (NIV)
19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:19-23 (NIV)
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 (NIV)
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling– even the LORD, who is my refuge– 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalms 91:1-16 (NIV)
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The need of every day, for every soul, whether diseases spread, or bombs threaten, or old age beckons, is to be ready always to die. We can pass from this world in countless ways — some slower, some faster; some more painfully, others less. Calamities and pandemics present us with the opportunity to consider our end before it comes, and to put our soul affairs in order. Three final realities approach: death, judgment, and eternity. Are you ready for them? To stay safe in light of these bids us to do more than to keep our hands clean, avoid touching our faces, distance ourselves from others, and stay at home unless necessary. To stay safe ten thousand years from now, when we will have stood before God and given an account for our lives, calls us to flee to Christ — and remain safe in Christ — from that something far more dangerous than a deadly virus and even death itself: sin. Hear Christianity’s scandalous claim for all who can bear it: Better coronavirus and death than unrepentant sin and life. Better to meet the virus and die trusting Christ than to be enslaved to lust, or greed, or any other sin, and live a few decades longer in unbelief. We shut ourselves off from the world, but our greatest problem is quarantined with us.” Greg Morse
“Earthly pleasures cannot free us from our cares and crosses. In Him alone can be found true rest and satisfaction. Let us cast our cares and burdens upon Him who has promised to sustain us.” Ezekiel Hopkins
“We live in the world of death and sorrow, we may therefore look for ills as well in the night watches as beneath the glare of the broiling sun. Nor should this alarm us, for whatever the terror is, the promise is that the believer shall not be afraid…It may be night in the soul, but there is no need to be terrified, for the God of love never changes. Children of light may walk in darkness, but they are not therefore cast away; no, they are enabled to prove their adoption by trusting in their heavenly Father as hypocrites cannot do.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“There is nothing that has happened that God cannot redeem.” Amy Seiffert
“If we still have breath, the offer of forgiveness for sin and escape from terrible perishing is still offered to us — if we would repent.” Jon Bloom
“Jesus is the Word made flesh and in Him is perfect peace – a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being. Therefore, as His followers we are to encourage one another, in the midst of life’s chaos and storms, with the living and powerful Word of God. As our Lord did, He spoke the Word and calmed the sea. Just as it was true then, it is still true today – His Word calms and He can speak it even through a donkey. His Word is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is able to divide soul and spirit, joint and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It is not to be merely idle words for us as Moses told the Israelites, it is to be our life. God’s Word is a balm for every needy soul – and truly, what soul isn’t needy?” BHY
“When you’re in Christ, it doesn’t matter what place you’re in. Christ is a table for your days and a home for your soul, He is open arms and open door for your weary ways and He is a roof for your hounding storms and when you don’t feel shielded in a cruel world, Christ is your every- place embrace and your always safe place.” Ann Voskamp
“Only the Word of God can sustain us under the pressures of life and protect us from the enemy. Only the Word Of God can give us hope, joy and victory for eternity. Are you looking for a refuge from the stresses and storms of life? Look to God’s Word and dwell on His faithfulness. Reflect on His character and run to the one who is your safe haven.” Michael Youssef
“And the one I want to leave you with is this: when your perceptions tell you something different than God’s promises, always, always, always trust God’s promises over your perceptions.” Jon Bloom
HEART SAVOR
• Storms are a given in this life yet in Jesus we can have peace through them – like a sleeping child in its mother’s arms, we can rest secure in Him.
• All storms have a purpose. God allows nothing randomly. He has a plan and He has purpose in that plan.
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your on understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Beth Yoe's Sharing Bread 