I can do anything...

"For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need".
Philippians 4:13

This whole chapter in Philippians really hit home for me today. We studied this in our Sunday School class today. This has to be one of the most powerful chapters of the entire bible. So many simple points that clearly drive home the meaning of life.... JOY!!
Philippians Chapter 4 is Paul's thoughts regarding "Joy in giving". The entire book of Philippians is Paul writing to thank the Philippians for their gift to him and to share with them that true joy ONLY comes from Jesus. Each chapter goes through Joy in every aspect of life- suffering, serving, believing and giving.
The bible says that we can always have joy- even in hardships. Joy comes from inner strength, not from outer circumstances- we must rely on God to give us true joy.

Verses 6 & 7: "Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus"

This is so powerful... I can think of many things that are so important to me in my life that I have prayed so hard about. Not all of these things have come to fruition. It's is difficult to have peace about something you have been praying so hard about, yet God has not blessed you with this for a reason, maybe reasons we will never understand. But in hindsight, it is amazing to see how much God truly does bless our lives and he does give us peace when we truly need it. The saying is true that God will never lead you where he can not keep you.
The true secret to having joy in any circumstance whether good or bad is clearly stated in Phil 4:13, "I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength".

Prayer Requests:
1- Cory - almost done with school... less than one month. His certification exam is Friday, July 21st.
2- Tracy Fowler- a family friend, her mother (Cecile Fowler) who was only 57, died in her sleep. Please pray for Tracy and her family through this hard time.
3- Erin & Matt Greenlee- Erin (my dear friend) is 10 weeks pregnant, her and the sweet baby are doing great! Erin lost her first baby due to a tubal pregnancy in December. Pray for her and Matt to have peace throughout this pregnancy, and pray for the health of the baby.
4- Cory & I's marriage- our 2nd wedding anniversary is two weeks away!!
5- Unspoken daily struggles in all our lives