Good Morning Girls!  The spare tire on your borrowed car goes flat.  You have been trying to get pregnant for a year, and still nothing.  You have been tithing for months yet every week you struggle to put food on the table.  You pray for your husband daily, yet he still is wandering down a dangerous road.  Being in the midst of any of these, or many other situations is exhausting both physically and emotionally.  I said yesterday that I believe the Holy Spirit helps us remember that God is always  faithful to us.  He will always provide, he will always rescue, and he will always be there waiting for you with open arms when you need a place to rest.   The Holy Spirit will bring up past examples of God providing for you and meeting all of your needs.  He will help you recall scripture to stand on.  He will put you in the right place at the right time if you listen to the still small voice within you.  Knowing that God is always faithful to us is only part of the equation.  We have to remain faithful to Him as well.  When our faith is tested, especially over a long period of time, it is tempting to take matters into our own hands.  It is easy to lose heart, and ultimately lose faith.  It doesn't happen overnight.  Most people don't wake up one morning and say "that's it, I do not believe in God or His promises anymore.  I am going back to my old lifestyle".  No, it is a gradual and more dangerous process.  You start missing a church service here and there, and suddenly you quit going at all.  You do not return your friends phone calls.  You decide to "catch-up" with an old (unsaved) friend. You stop praying.  You stop reading the Word.  You return to your old lifestyle for a night just to "let loose" and forget about your problems.  It can happen in any order, and it can happen over a period of days or months.  I believe the Holy Spirit, especially praying in the Holy Spirit, helps us remain faithful to Him.  When we pray in the Spirit, we see glimpses of our future, and Gods plan for us and our family, and you can't help but get excited!  If you know what's waiting for you at the end, it is much easier to keep your eyes looking forward (or more importantly up), than to keep looking at the trouble surrounding you at the moment.  Let the Holy Spirit renew your faithfulness today so in the end you can say the words Paul said:

2 Timothy 4:7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful

Love you all-
Jen