Grow old with a purpose

Greetings:
Growing older has many frightening aspects - an aging body which is more susceptible to illness and injury; declining strength; feelings of uselessness; the loss of friends and loved ones through death; the reality of one’s own death drawing nearer; and loneliness.
Psalm 71 is the psalm of an old man. There are many lessons to be learned from this particular psalm. Read it and realize we are never too old not to serve God.
A psalmist is an old man with many trials and problem. He is obviously a joyful man who is able to put his focus on The Lord in the midst of these trials. The psalm shows us that God’s way to grow old is to develop a walk with him now.
The reason that the psalmist could handle his problems so well as an old man was that he had developed a walk and laid a foundation with God in the years leading up to this time.
He knew God had enabled him to be strong inside, even though his body was growing weaker and his enemies were powerful.
The psalm is filled with a deep personal understanding and practical knowledge of God.
The psalmist had been taught of God from his youth. The man knew God as his refuge. He calls God his rock of habitation, his rock, and fortress; his hope and confidence.
This man knew his God and it is obvious that he had known him for years and had proved God’s faithfulness in a number of previous difficult situations. So in this instance when he needs to trust in God, it is not a matter of him saying, “God, if you exist, whoever you are, if you’re out there I need your help!”
He didn’t need to take a blind leap of faith because he knew his God in a personal, practical, proven way.
Although the psalmist was old and could have just kicked back and rested. He did not.
Remember God’s way for us to grow old is for us to develop a walk with him now – a walk that involves a deep personal knowledge of God; a walk that includes the habits of trust, praise, and hope; and a walk that involves a lifestyle of ministry for God.
Be blessed.

Soak up some 'God faith'

Good morning:
Here's a passage of scripture that I read this morning that really made me think.  It comes from Hebrews 11:32-40 in the New Living Bible. Soak it up and let God speak to you.
It reads:
"How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith, these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us."
Now that is some powerful stuff. God has a plan for us that is larger, wider more spectacular than our minds can comprehend. Our job is to soak it up, then act on it.
Be blessed.

Believe it and speak it

Greetings
If we want something in this life, we have to speak it.
If we walk up to the counter at McDonald's and just stand there and say nothing, what is the chance you are going to get served a Big Mac?
If we go to the bank and just stand there and are silent, do you think the teller will know what to do for you?
Dealing with God, the spiritual realm and faith is much the same way.
We have to speak what we want.
We have to speak it with boldness, unwavering faith and expect it to happen.
Instead of asking in a bunch of long drawn out prayers, we need to know what Jesus already completed for us at Calvary.
Look at Mark 11:22. It reads, "'Have faith in God.' Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. "
Notice it says, "Have God's faith..." The Greek meaning here can be expressed, "have the God kind of faith," or "use God's kind of faith." Now, if Jesus is teaching us that we should actually use God's Faith... which makes no mistake, He is saying to do that... then, we should use God's faith in the same way that God uses it.... by speaking!
We must be willing to speak God's Word over the situation. He is not saying talk about the situation. He is saying talk about the situation or the thing that is standing in the way of God’s will.
We must be willing to "say to the mountain" if we want it to do. A lot of people are simply not willing to "say!" They won't speak their faith! Once you believe, you have to speak.
Be blessed.

Pause to honor our heroes and nation

Greetings:
Today, on this national holiday - Memorial Day - we pause and honor our military dead. We remember those brave heroes who gave their lives for this country so we might have and maintain the many freedoms and liberties we enjoy each day.
This is a solemn day of reflection and sincere thanksgiving for the ultimate price each paid so we can retain and enjoy the freedoms that the framers of our Constitution intended.
This is a day for us to pray for all of our military personnel - deceased, retired and active duty.
This is a day we pray for the families of those who died in military conflicts and wars while serving our nation.
This is a day to remember our own family members, who answered the call to duty and fought for the cause of freedom, justice and simply the right thing to do.
This is a day for us to unite and pray for our governmental leaders - especially for our president, who bears the weight of the nation every day in every decision that he makes. Regardless of our political party, we ought to pray for this nation to succeed, prosper and lead around with power and respect every day.
This is not the day for envy, hatred, strife, jealousy, dissensions, selfish ambitions directed in any way to our country's president, executive decision-makers lawmakers or anyone - friends or enemies. Instead, let us be a nation of believers that pray together to let the 'Fruits of the Spirit' - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - shine in our daily lives.
This is a day we remember the wars this nation has fought and pray that someday we can bask in freedom without having to fire a bullet, detonate a bomb or release a high-tech missile weapon on any foe or rival.
On this Memorial Day, we are reminded in scripture that “The memory of the righteous is blessed” (Proverbs 10:7) and “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).
Be blessed.

Make some God-time in our busy schedules

Greetings:
One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3:5 (NIV), "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
Wow, don't you know that is much easier said than actually done. But God is showing more and more each day to truly trust him. I'm not totally there yet, because I find myself saying, "God, I trust you and know what your Word says, but you just don't understand and know my particular situation?"
We need to realize that we are made in God's image and possess the mind of Christ. Therefore, we need to speak with faith. What we think and then say is important in seeing our prayers answered.
When we come to Christ and accept him as our personal Savior, then the promises of God's Word are alive in each of us. We have the power and the ability to walk in victory as God views it. This is key to understanding how our Christian walk will pan out for each of us.
God loves us as his own son, Jesus Christ.
Let us learn God's Word and get it deeply rooted in our hearts.
Most importantly, we need to make time for God in our busy lives. Making time means to have a regular prayer time where we can communicate and commune in His presence. This is a time of study, reflection, praise, worship, thanksgiving, and listening. The listening part is so important.
Prayer time is not simply a time to request things from God. We need to have our heart and mind in tune with what God is telling us and showing us.
Summing it up, let me say we seem to find time for most other things in our hectic lives, please leave so some time for God.
Be blessed.

When we are weak, He is strong

Greetings:
One of the keys to experiencing liberating strength is the ability to admit we are weak and God is strong.
This can only happen when we become broken.
Understand that personal weakness does not mean weak character or faulty Biblical knowledge. On the contrary, God is looking for people who have come to the place where they have lost confidence in their own fleshly power to accomplish the work of The Spirit.
When we become broken that happens. God can then increase while we decrease.
It is this brokenness, we embrace the weakness of ourselves apart from Christ. Then we can become strong enough to accomplish things for the true advancing of God's glorious Kingdom.
We gain our strength from God and his promises.
Isaiah 30:15 says, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."
I am in awe that God would save and use someone like me and then help me to do may part to bring the gospel to the lost around the globe.
Saying 'thank you Lord' seems so short and shallow, but it's all I have to offer.  I am without words on this morning that can express the amount of gratitude that is in my heart.
We must all recognize His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness and His unending love for each of us.
Let us all better understand God's plan in our lives and be patient enough to see the plan as God sees it.
Be blessed.

Don't be a parked car waiting for God

Greetings:
Have you ever grown weary in prayer? You pray and pray and nothing changes, nothing happens.
Everything remains the same.
The days of discouragement, trouble, tears and real pain continue.
A couple years ago, I heard a teaching from Pastor Rick Warren, from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, on faih in which he said that God cannot steer a parked car. We need to move and do something.
If we are struggling, it's not God. He stressed that God is not in a hurry and we have to be able to differentiate between 'no' and 'not yet'. Waiting is always a test.
God's timing is always perfect. He is never early and never late. Instead of sitting and waiting for something to happen, we need to be out there in those dry times and pray, serve others, encourage others, sow seed in our churches and worthy ministries and continue to believe for an answer to our prayers.
We need to act like the prayer has been answered and thank God for his faithfulness in answering our prayers. If there is a mountain in front of us and we can not move it or climb over it alone, realize we are really not alone.
God is there always, even when we can't hear him, or feel his presence.
I take comfort in the words in James 1:2-4, which reads: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
We must never give up and never give in. There is no turning back. Spending time with God will keep you, calm, stable, steadfast and hopeful.
Let God be your anchor in that churning sea of circumstances.
Get the words of Deuteronomy 31:6 down in our hearts, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."
If you believe those words, then whatever wall we are facing won't seem so tall.
Be blessed.

Have a heart attack for God

Greetings:
The Bible tells us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within us as believers. Let us act on the power that we already have and let God shine through each of us today in our thoughts, words and actions.
Let us be The  Church, not just talking about going to church every Sunday out of some kind of obligation. Let us go and worship God wherever we are at because we want to dwell in his presence and praise him.
We read in Jeremiah 29:13 (NLV), "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
That is the key.
Let's rise up and have a heart attack for God so we might live.
We must seek God with all of our hearts and stop playing church as a social gathering, as the thing to do to try and impress others. Let's stop debating doctrine among churches and cease snubbing someone because they are not reading out of the same version of the Bible that we do.
God knows the difference.
Please pray that God will raise up such a hunger in each of us that we will yearn to touch Him on a deeper spiritual level.
God truly desires good things for each of us.
Now is the time to reach out and gather in the blessings and touch someone in need with something as simple as a smile. Remember the God we serve is enough.
Be blessed.

Don't let darkness prevail

Greetings:
There are moments in our lives where darkness prevails, if we allow it.
This can be caused by great life tragedies such as the loss of a job, the loss worldly riches, attacks on our physical bodies or the death of loved ones.
Our darkness is made light when we feel the love of God. We know his grace and the assurance of His hope for better days. We must realize there is hope for all of us, no matter what.
There is light which has been provided by Jesus Christ, the son of God. He provides us hope and light on those dark days and those dark seasons that we sometimes have to walk through.
During the dark days, I am reminded of the words in Isaiah 50:10 (NIV), which reads: "Who among you fears The Lord and obeys the world of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of The Lord and rely on his God."
Ephesians 5:8-10 tells us, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in The Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find out what pleases The Lord."
I am encouraged by the words in Micah 7:8-9, which says, "Do not gloat over me my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, The Lord will be my light."
I look to the Psalms and find more hope and encouragement in Psalm 34:17-20, which says, "The righteous cry out, and The Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but The Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all of his bones, not one of them will be broken."
So the day is really not that dark. By faith, I see the sun rising on the horizon and brighter days are not far away.
Be blessed.

Speaking the truth

Greetings:
It's time this morning to speak the truth in a manner that offers no difficult interpretation.
I am speaking to myself as much as I am offering some advice to all Christian brothers and sisters.
There will be people that seem to rub us the wrong way no matter what. Some of these people even go to our churches.
There are some people that seem to bring out the worst in your feelings, thoughts and sometimes, even your actions.
Here's the truth my friends.
There is no perfect church.
There is no perfect pastor.
There is no perfect job.
There is no perfect family.
No one walking this earth is perfect.
There is only a perfect Savior of imperfect people - Jesus Christ. None of us are perfect and have it perfectly together all of the time.
We all make mistakes. We all say the wrong things at the wrong times. We all lack the perfection of God, His Son, , nd the Holy Spirit.
Let us learn to be more tolerant and focus on that which is good, rather than the imperfections in others.
Love is always the answer. Grace is always the answer. Truth is always the answer. Forgiveness is always the answer. Mercy is always the answer.
Learn to overlook those you perceive to have imperfections and shortcomings and love them anyway.
Is it easy? Nope, but nothing easy has been promised to us.
Here's another truth nugget, they are probably thinking the same things about you.
Be blessed.

Can we stay awake?

Greetings:
During these sometimes troubling days, it's hard sometimes to remember God's love for each of us.
But it is an undeniable truth that God loves each one of us no matter what.
Like a caring parent, he is many times disappointed in our actions, but he still forgives us, and above all loves us.
Are we willing to love God no matter what?
Will you follow and love God, no matter what?
When things are going well in your life and the bills are paid, when you are healthy, when you have a nice place to live,  when your children and grandchildren are doing well, it's easy to say “God I love you and know you love me”.
But, what do we voice when things aren't going so well in our lives?
What is your reply to God when the world around you seems to be falling apart and your sense of security, stability and your Christian walk are being tested?
You know sometimes the heat is fired up much hotter than you feel comfortable with, do we still love God just the same?
Will you do anything God asks you to do without conditions?
Will you give it all and love God no matter what?
God is impressing on me to listen closely to his written Word and to listen even closer to the instructions he gives through the Holy Spirit. That is why it's important to set aside time each day to pray and to be still and listen.
Do not be like the disciples that we read about in Matthew 26, who dozed off three different times while Jesus separated himself to pray.
Can we stay awake and hear the voice of God speaking to us?
Be blessed.

Our faith sets our course

Greetings:
It's by our faith in and knowledge of God's Word that will we will be sustained in the tough times.
It by our faith that when we are seemingly wandering lost in the desert searching for answers to our prayers that we will find peace.
It's by our faith that we are healed, even when the medical reports say otherwise.
It's by our faith that we walk with God and accept his forgiveness, his mercy and grace when we don't deserve it.
It's by our faith that we accept God's timing as our timing and learn to be patient.
Its by our faith that we can smile when the world tells us to frown.
It's by our faith that we can be assured that God is with us every step of the way, even when we are alone, discouraged, sick or hurting.
It's by our faith that in the days when it's more than difficult to shout 'Amen', 'Praise the Lord' or 'Alleluia', that we are able to keep on praying in confident assurance that God hears us.
Be blessed.

Faith beats stress

Greeting:
God is prompting me for the next couple of days to revisit a frequent subject of my writings - faith.
Stress makes us believe that everything has to happen right now. Faith reassures us that everything will happen in God's timing”.
Stress is a powerful force of evil that preys on our emotions, our weaknesses or truly vulnerable position. Stress activates our doubts and causes us to push the panic button, rather than approaching a situation in thoughtful prayer and faith.
How many of you know that when you are stressed out, that fear replaces faith?
Faith, according to my New Living Bible, is 'reliance, loyalty and complete trust in God'.
Hebrews11:1 tells us, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives the assurance about things we can not see.”
In simple terms, faith is trusting in God. Lack of faith is doubting God.
We need to walk in faith, even when it doesn't feel good, even when it hurts or even when we don't understand a situation were are placed in.
If we truly believe God's promises, we will still have faith 'to keep on keeping on' even when the flames and hills of life are all around us.
Be blessed.

Always trust the captain

Greetings:
Have you ever wished you had a stronger faith in God?
When the storms of life come, do they seem to wash you out to sea where you can't get your bearings or perspective?
As a Christian, our faith should make a difference. Faith is designed to be much more than just a belief system. There is much to learn about faith, but having a quiet, trusting heart is a good place to start.
In learning to keep a quiet heart, we must first begin by learning to trust God. He is always there. Our Father is with us. We will not go through any dark tunnels, any deep valleys, any hot fires, without the presence of God.
Look at  Mark 4 starting at the 35th verse. We have a perfect teaching from Jesus to his disciples about trusting and faith.
Jesus said, “Quiet down!” And the wind fell, and there was a great calm! And he asked them, “Why were you so fearful? Don’t you even yet have confidence in me?”And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, “Who is this man, that even the winds and seas obey him?”
I am reminded that that years ago I experienced a fierce storm that developed quickly while I and several others were in a small boat crossing the Ohio River.
The storm developed quickly. The fear was great, but the friend of mine, who was controlling our boat was experienced. He'd been in this kind of a storm before. He was calm and confident as he guided the small fishing boat to safety – even with waves rolling and lightning flashing all around us.
My friend is not God, but he exhibited the calmness of Jesus that afternoon.
So as we go about our lives, let's remember God is in our boat.
God is there in the pain, in the trial, in the disaster. God is not worried. God is not upset. God is not anxious. God is the steady captain of our ship of life, steering it with wisdom and confidence.
Be blessed.

Protect the seed that is sown

Greetings:
It's been a waiting game for southern Indiana farmers, much like others years when they've been patient and waited for the hand of nature to give them a few days of sunshine and wind to dry out the moist, muddy soil enough to allow for the planting process to begin.
Farming is a gamble in the eyes of some, and a testament of faith in the view of others.
Sometimes it's a waiting game that evolves with the seasons.
How many of you know that when God plants a new seed of salvation in you, it takes time to grow, sprout and become a vibrant new creation ready for service to the church and the community you live in?
It's a process that doesn't happen overnight.
Look at Galatians 6:7-10 and you'll learn about the spiritual harvest.
“Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
There is a time of learning and fertilization when we become watered with the Word of God.
There is a time of growth, when we are tested by the evil elements, much like a growing plant is tested and battered in order to gain the strength to survive the weather elements in reaching maturity.
Remember successful farmers always protect their seed. Christians, who plant for success and victory, ought to do the same thing.
Be blessed.

Angels watching over us

Greetings:
Believe it or not, angels are watching over us, all around us. They are protectors of physical and spiritual dangers. Angels are commanded to "encamp all around us”.
This is not fiction stuff, but the truth that is confirmed in the Word of God. Angels are powerful, spiritual agents under God's sovereign will.
God's holy angels are not passive, but active and powerful in nature.
Ask daily for God's angels to be dispatched around you and your family.
Our family regularly prays for angels to protect us.
On Tuesday, this hit home in a big way. There was a huge explosion in a medical building, located directly across the street from the pre-school that my soon to be four-year-old grandson attends in Aliso Veijo, CA. Everyone was safe at the pre-school, but one person was killed and three others injured from the blast in the medical building.
The children were all evacuated to a nearby Target store.
The source of the blast is under investigation and authorities think it may have been intentional.
I am so thankful that we have been praying for protection.
We may have even encountered and entertained angels without even knowing it or without being aware of it.
Protection is vital since that roaming lion hides and lies in wait for us and evil spirits that rule this world that seek to destroy His own. However, if God is for us, who can be against us?
We should take comfort that angels are there for us.
The New Testament in Luke 16:22  mentions that Lazarus was "carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom" after he had died so it may even be that even we may have more than one angel who is assigned to us.
Take comfort in the knowledge that we are secure in Christ's very own hands and in the hands of the Father and that he's dispensed angels for our physical protection and strengthening.
Let us remember Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Be blessed.

Lay it on the altar

Greetings:
When we hurt and our prayers seem to go unanswered like they have fallen on deaf ears, we want to know: Has God deserted us? Have we done something wrong? What do we need to do to receive God's help?
If we pay attention to the words of David in Psalm 34, we will get some answers to these questions.
In verse 4 we read, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all of my fears."
There are no problems that can't overcome when we stop trying to do it ourselves.
There is much comfort in verses 7-8, which reads: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
What does fearing the Lord mean?
To me, it means respecting and obeying his commandments and directives in His Word.
When we give it to God we are in a position to receive the help God sends.
Giving it to God means giving or laying on the alter all of our troubles, shortcomings, fears, sins, insecurities, condemnation, sicknesses, diseases, hurts, disappointments, failures and anything else that might behold us back in our walk with the Lord.
A key point is, once we put it on the altar and ask for forgiveness and are repentant, then we must be careful not to pick any of those things back up again.
Rest in God's faithfulness, his mercy, his grace and his love for each of us.
Be blessed

Faith over fear

Greetings:
Fear is something we all face. Fear is faith in reverse.
I once read that the phrase ''do not be afraid'' is written in the Bible 365 times. That is a daily reminder from God to live everyday fearless.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
There are a bunch of fears out there.
I “Googled” (did an Internet search) of the word phobia, which is an extreme fear and found countless fears, including the common ones like: fear of death, loneliness, people, authority, commitment, heights, germs, closed-in spaces, airplanes rides, snakes, failure, rejection, being laughed at.
The list goes on.
There is even something called phobaphobia, which is the fear of being afraid or the fear of fear.
Today, are we ready to face our fear head-on with the helping hand of God's faith, his promises, his power; or are we going to simply deny it, ignore, hope it will go away or run from it?
We have that choice.
Choose faith, not fear.
Be blessed.

Trials are faith-builders

Greetings:
Facing trials and tribulations makes our faith stronger.
This kind of testing reveals to us where we are in terms of our faith as God already knows whether or not we will pass a given test. It is as if we go through the fire of testing and trial that we can be strengthened, sanctified, and purified.
James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Let us discern between testing through various trials and the tempting of the devil.
Scripture denounces tempting in James 1:13 which says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."
God does allow Satan to tempt us, but we can take hope that we will not be tempted beyond what we can handle and escape from by faith as it says 1 Corinthians 10:13.
We need not fear the tests that God brings to us. Rather, we need only to trust Him to bring us through them. God is always good, faithful, and true. It is a faith-builder to know that we will end up better than we were before.
Let us stand strong in our faith.
Be blessed.

Things change, flow with it

Greetings:
How many of you have changed your mind about something?
Have you ever got all dressed in the morning – feeling you've put on the perfect choice for the day – and before you left the house, you decided to change into something different?
How about you husbands and wives, have you changed your minds about something?
If you watch sports, particularly football, we know game officials do change their minds about a particular ruling on the field, many times with the assistance of the beloved 'video replay'.
Have you ever walked up to the counter in a fast food restaurant, placed your order, then stepped back and thought for a moment, then stepped back up and changed your order?
Our lawmakers change their minds about laws and draft new ones.
We all are in a constant state of change in our jobs and homes.
Change happens all around us.
Day changes to night.
The seasons change.
The circumstances of our lives change. One day we may be up and the next day, down.
How many of you know that God and His Word doesn't change?
He’s one person we can always count on, that will never let us down. We can trust in Him, no matter what else happens.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:8 that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Life is like being in a boat, with constant movement caused by the waves. But the Word of God is like stepping off onto solid ground, a firm foundation that doesn’t change with time or circumstances.
Be blessed.

Be encouraged, even on the tough days

Greetings:
One of the things many of us struggle with in our walk is being consistently encouraged and upbeat every day.
That remains the goal, but there are times when negative thoughts and doubt creeps into our minds.
When my bones ache, when I'm tired, when my billfold gets thin and the demands are thick, when I'm overwhelmed with too many tasks on my 'to-do list', those are the days when it's difficult to put on a smile.
Those are the days when it's tough be see the sunshine because in real life it's raining – maybe even storming.
Like many others, I sometimes see the glass half-empty, rather than half-full.
Because of my news reporting background, I might have a touch of cynicism in the way I look at things that happen around me. I'm skeptical by nature. I'm analytical. I like to have an agenda, know the details and 'I want to know the 'game plan'.
But that is where knowing the Word of God and being prayed up is important.
Those people who have made God the center point of their lives do have victory and eternal salvation. We have victory, regardless of what the earth says to us, shows to us or does to us.
This is not accomplished by anything we have done, deserved or earned. It was done by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.
This makes us heirs to the inheritance and forgiven though God's mercy, grace and his unending agape love for each and every individual.
That's pretty simple logic.
That is God's game plan.
Be encouraged and not discouraged and always remember there is hope if you have the faith to believe it.
Be blessed.

Prayer provides the right channel to communicate

Greetings:
I want to share some continued thoughts from yesterday's post about prayer.
Prayer is the watch word, the breath, the strength, the promise and the assurance we each have as Christians.
We don't have to worry if the prayer line is busy or if we have enough signal to make a clear connection. God is there if we are there.
Prayer is a place we can pour our heart out to a listening friend. Prayer is a place where we can cry, scream, laugh or shout.
In prayer, we don't have to worry about our demeanor when we start. We generally feel better when we end.
Prayer is not just a one-way conversation where we talk, appeal and beg for help. Prayer is a welcome place where we can humbly listen to the comforting, wise voice of God.
Prayer is a place where we can simply be still and know we are in the presence of God.
Be blessed.

Prayer is a powerful weapon

Greetings:
Prayer is powerful. Prayer is effective. Prayer pleases God.
Prayer is where we receive direction and guidance from God.
Call the things you learn during your prayer time your 'walking orders', your 'game plan',  your 'instruction manual', your 'road map'.
Prayer is a way to get pumped up and encouraged.
Prayer is a comfort when you are down or disappointed.
Prayer gives your strength when your body and spirit are weak.
Prayer can change things that look impossible to our eyes.
God does speak to us through prayer, the reading of His Word, and also through other people.
I know that God still speaks through that still, small voice – the Holy Spirit.
Take time to listen, it's there if you will hear.
Look heed to the advice given by the Apostle Paul who said in Philippians 4:6-7 (New Living Translation) “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Let that verse sink down in your heart.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we get the message even more precisely – “Pray without ceasing.”
Remember, don't be bashful about getting prayed up. When your “God hole' feels empty, fill it up with prayer.
Be blessed.

Seek peace

Greetings:
Most of us are familiar with the Old Testament word for “peace.”
It is 'shalom'.
We sometimes limit the idea of peace to the absence of conflict, shalom includes far more. It comprises notions of wholeness, completeness, soundness, and prosperity.
In Psalm 85:10, the psalmist looks forward to a time with God’s salvation is present in the nation. In that day one will proclaim, “Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!”
In the biblical perspective, the absence of conflict is only the beginning of peace.
True peace includes personal wholeness, righteousness, political justice, and prosperity for all creation.
That’s exactly the way God intended things to be when he created his garden, his paradise.
The creation accounts in Genesis reveal the peaceful dimensions of God’s masterpiece.
We find no evidence of conflict in the first chapter of Genesis. When the fall occurred in paradise, true peace and the ability to attain it were lost until Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
Peace comes from the hand of God. If we are lacking peace, we must turn our heart to the Lord. Cry out to his help and spend time with him on a regular basis.
The more we focus our mind on God and the things of God, the more we will dwell in His peace. Isaiah says to the Lord in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Prayer becomes the principle way in which this work of “mind-setting” occurs. In prayer, we meditate upon God’s mercy and love. In prayer, we lay our worries at God’s feet.
We read in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t 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 wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
If you want to know God’s peace each day, make sure you don’t seek it alone. Without God, there is no peace.
Be blessed and shalom.

Let joy lift you up

Greetings:
Have you ever felt God speaking to you so strongly that all you could do was listen?
The Lord keeps impressing on me to let his joy be our strength when we are tired, drained and needing more than another cup of coffee or a big hit from a 'Five Hour Energy' container.
Let the joy of the Lord lift us up and guide us on those long days and short sleepless night.
Let the joy of the Lord pick us up and direct our paths when we are lost and searching aimlessly for direction in our lives, our careers, our future.
Nehemiah 8:10 says, “This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Read Nehemiah 8:1-12 and you will get a better feel for what is happening, and why the joy of the Lord is our strength, and what brings about real joy for us.
In the passage, the people of Israel are encouraged to eat, drink and be joyful after they have heard the law of the Lord. It has been thoroughly explained by their teachers/preachers, and they have wept in repentance.
This joy is something that is constant, no matter what we are facing. It is from within us because He lives within us as believers. One can have the same joy in terrible circumstance that we would have when all is going well. It is the same attitude of being on the mountaintop than when we are in the valley.
My prayer this morning is Romans 15:13 (NLT), which reads: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Be blessed.

He is strong when we are weak

Greetings:
In Psalm 29 we read a powerful message about the glory and strength of God.
David mentions 'the voice of the Lord' to hammer home the theme of this Psalm multiple times. This psalm shows us that the same God, who has power over all things, is the same God who takes care of his people – you and me.
Psalm 29:11 (The Amplified Bible) reads: "The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.
The Lord can give us unmatched strength when we need it, when we are weak and when we are overwhelmed. The Lord can help us through any and every circumstance.
This same God who has power over the chaotic waters is the one who can give us peace in this chaotic world that we live in. We can have wholeness, settled calm and experience in life.
The late Rev. Billy Graham once wrote, “How do we find peace with God? We must stop fighting! We must surrender! We must serve! Of course, these steps will be motivated by faith and mingled with love. Having found peace with God, next we experience the peace of God. This peace of God is not a mere abstraction advocated by preachers and theologians. Thousands of people can witness that they have actually experienced the peace of God and have found it wonderfully adequate for this present day. For He is our peace.”
Almost the entire psalm is talking about how God is powerful over all the earth. He conquers the trees and the mountains and the desserts and the weather. Specifically, these are the things that we cannot conquer and that, typically, are intimidating and threatening to us as humans. We see God crushing all these things that can crush us. But then, at the very end, we see this powerful force being turned and dealt with us with such kindness, imparting his own strength and peace to us.
Be blessed.

Prayer unlocks the promises and truth

Greetings:
God loves us more than we can possibly comprehend.
To understand this true agape love we have to slow down, quiet down and get down with our prayer routine. A few prayers in crisis time might produce some answers, but to develop a true prayer relationship we have to spend some time in it. That means we have to set aside some time in our busy schedules to pray.
Prayer is much more than presenting our petitions. It also involves being quiet so we can listen.
God and His Word are filled with so many promises, truths, pieces of advice, wise advice and faith nuggets that many people simply fail to unlock. Prayer and listening to God will provide that key.
Please work to find the right time for you to spend in serious prayer with God. His Word will come alive and a true relationship with God will develop outside the walls of our church.
Then, we can truly shout loudly, He's Alive!
Be blessed.

Works won't get you in

Greetings:
We don’t need to do good things in order to earn eternal life with God.  We don’t need to perform certain rituals or keep certain laws in order to get into heaven. 
Jesus already did that for us with his perfect life and his atoning sacrifice for our sins.
God has been pouring out his grace upon us since the very beginning of time.
God was caring for us even before he created Adam and Eve. 
In Genesis 1:26 we read that the entire world was created for the good of mankind, the crown of his creation.
After Adam and Eve sinned against God, he didn’t get rid of the world and start over again saying he must have messed up. No, he promised to send us a Savior to fix everything.
It's a fact that God cares for each and every one of us even before we came into the world.
King David proclaimed to God in Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT): “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
A person doesn’t get to heaven by doing good things or being viewed by the world as a "good person.
God looks at our record and sees no crimes, no sin because Jesus put all of that on his record.  Because of Jesus’ atonement, God looks at us and sees what Jesus did, not what we did.
God has declared us innocent and forgiven because of our personal relationship with him when we accepted our salvation.
Continue to do the good works for which we have all be called in our personal ministry to do, but know they are not what will get us to heaven.
Be blessed.

Put your trust in God

Greetings.
Trust.
What does it mean to trust?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, trust is defined as “The assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.”
Some other words or synonyms for trust are confidence, credence and faith.
Our relationship with God is one of trust.
Sometimes we have to hit bottom, become alone, scared and wail for help before we allow ourselves to be picked up by God. Once in his arms, we are calm, confident and trusting.
How many of you know that God is able to comfort us in our time of being alone, in trouble, full of anxiety and despair?
It's all about trust.
In our Christian walk, there are times when things are difficult to understand God's purpose for us – especially when things go wrong. When troubles come to our vision for the future sometimes grows dim and our faith wavers.
Look at Daniel 12:8, which reads, “I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be?'”
When we don't understand, that's the time when we need God and we need to draw on our faith and trust in him.
A real test of our faith comes when things or people turn against us, then we have to trust God.
When the seas of comfort turn against us, then we have to trust God.
When we are alone, and hurting, then we have to trust God. When we are tempted to question God in our lives, that's when we have to trust God.
Trust is earned and God has earned our trust.
What does it say on our money currency? It says, "In God We Trust." Do we really do that in our daily lives?
Be blessed.

God's ways are higher

Greetings:
The mysteries of the way God works are just that. They are a mystery to us, but a mystery worth looking into or investigating through studying his Holy Word.
I wish I could understand why one person suffers and the next one doesn't.
I wish I could understand why some people never seem to get sick and others are sick all the time.
I wish I could understand why one person prays and is healed on the spot and the next one prays and gets sicker and even dies.
For whatever his reasons, God has chosen to keep many things a mystery to us.
I guess some things of God are simply on a 'need to know' basis.
In Proverbs 3:5 (NIV), it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
I like the words of Proverbs 3:4-5 in the Living Bible, which reads: “If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.”
Until we know the answers, we need to keep looking, praying and asking for God's wisdom and discernment.
We have to believe beyond our ability to understand how our problems can be solved.
There is nothing about us that is a mystery to God.
The mystery comes in us understanding what and how God thinks about us and our situations.
I take comfort in the words of Psalm 37:4-7 (NIV), which says, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,  your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”
Be blessed.