Keep kicking the doors

Greetings:
We read about open doors in Isaiah 54:1-2 where it is written:  “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. "
Isn't it encouraging that God goes before us to level those mountains we face and breaks down those gates and doors and strongholds that can block our paths?
Remember the Lord opened the Red Sea to make His people pass through it. But He closed it when the Egyptians tried to use the same way He had opened for His people.
Many times we live in fear even after the Lord has opened a door for us. We live in constant apprehension and worry about whether the door will be closed again by anyone and we begin to suspect everyone that they might do something harmful to us. When that happens, we become immobilized, and we just sit there
On the other hand when the Lord opens a way for us, we should not try ourselves to close it. Sometimes the Lord may lead us in a difficult path. At such times we should not try to escape from it. When Jesus faced the cross, did he did not run away from it?
When we’re obedient and diligent to obey what God is telling us, He will open up doors of opportunity that we never saw coming.
I am also reminded this morning that every opportunity is not from God. Some come to distract and to make us frustrated. Yet others close without much notice, and the closed doors are for a purpose as well.
Jesus said in Revelation 3:7, “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.”
How many of you know there is no use in trying to pry or force a door open? We should focus on the open ones.
We should focus on what is open, pray about it, then act.
Be blessed.

On earth as it is in heaven

Greetings:
Many people wonder how they should pray.
To learn this, I looked at a Bible passage that I am very familiar with. It is where Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, and in that prayer Jesus says in Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV), “This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, you will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
What does that mean when it says...” on earth as it is in heaven”?
We can get a glimpse of God's will for humanity here on earth today by looking at what Jesus went about doing during his earthly ministry.
What did Jesus go about doing in His earthly ministry?
The Bible tells us that Jesus went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.
Now Jesus could have just come down and died for our sins and taught us nothing else. He also came to demonstrate what he really wanted to happen here on earth by healing, delivering, and carrying out the work of the kingdom. It is the will of God for the sick to be healed, the lame to walk, and the demons are cast out! Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and the fruit of Satan's labor ––  sickness, disease, bondage, and all oppression.
I recall the story of Job, and how the devil tore his life apart. Then God turned things around and blessed him with twice as many blessings.
Many of us hear of the kingdom of God, and the first thing we think of is this will be done with God in heaven.  Yes, that is the kingdom of God, but we must know that the kingdom of God can be entered into right here on earth. We have to know what the kingdom of God really is.
Luke 17:21 (NIV) says, “nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Does that mean we have to wait until we get to heaven to experience God's will for us?
I don't think so.
Be blessed.

Relief offered in world of stress

Greetings:
Sometimes this world we live in can become a haven for stress, if we allow it.
Psalm 131 offers relief.
The psalm is short and to the point, but it is worth reading and praying about.
In the New Living Bible the psalm reads, “Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord— now and always.”
Our stress levels escalate when we are asked to perform tasks that are far outside our comfort zone and when we’re expected to “be” someone we are not.
In Psalm 131, it is interesting to note that David’s confession of his inadequacies is prefaced by a declaration of humility.
Humility is one of those traits that if you think you have it, you probably don't.
Psalm 131 reminds us that we should not be pursuing 'great things', unless we turn and become like children. We are called to become like children like a weaned child, who has learned the secret of contentment in his mother's arms because the secret of contentment is humility.
We have nothing to prove to God. We can come with empty hands, because everything was provided for us at Calvary. When we see what Jesus accomplished in dying in our place, taking the judgment that belonged to us, we’ll be able to find our true rest in God.
Let us all put our hope in God and Godly things.
Let us focus on being content and to humble ourselves in service to God and to one another to find real peace and relief from the stress that is all around us.
Be blessed.

Sometime we just have to stand

Greetings:
There are times in our lives when we simply have to stand firm, not waver and believe.
Those are the days that it's difficult to understand God's plan.
Instead of standing and waiting for clear direction, we get anxious, our patience wears thin and we want to step out and do what we think God is telling us to do.
We proceed to do our own thing.
Believe me from experience doing our own thing in front of God's timing is not a good thing.
This usually leads to trouble, disappointment and unnecessary detours.
There is a solid Rock we can turn to when storm clouds fill our lives and it looks like everything is crashing down.
I know it sounds simplistic and hard to understand, but those are the days, weeks, months and sometimes years we just have to pray without ceasing.
If we listen, God will speak.
When he speaks there will be a peace that passes all human understanding. We will know that we know that we know.
There are days when we want to move forward, but we can not.
But know that you don't have to move backward either.
In Psalm 18:30, we are reminded, "God way is perfect. Alll of the Lord's promises prove true."
Many times in the Bible we read about people who were simply commanded to stand.
Christian teacher and author Joyce Meyer tells us to be on guard about 'passively yielding' to the enemy.
When that happens, she tells us to say, “This is the gro

und that I have gained and I am not giving it up to the devil. You are not driving me back into the hole God pulled me out of.”
Are we standing on the promises in the midst of our life storm or challenge?
Are we standing on the promises in the good days and the bad?
Good things will follow, if we just stand.
Be blessed.

This is a battle, not a recreational game

Greetings:
This is a message that should never get old.
As Christians, we are in a battle every day.
It's an intense and deceptive spiritual confrontation that is real.
Ephesians 6:12, says "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Who are those principalities, powers, rulers or darkness and such?
We are talking about evil demonic spirits that can and will attack each of us if we allow it.
In spiritual warfare, demonic spirits are launched as fiery darts or flaming arrows as Ephesians 6:16 tells us: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
These fiery darts come in one of three forms; temptations, deceptions, and accusations.
The devil tempted Eve in the garden. If Satan wants more legal grounds in our lives, we can expect some temptations to come our way. That's his way of getting us to fall and give him a place to operate.
Countless believers are living in defeat because they have been deceived.
The enemy has deceived them and caused them to believe and live a lie. If we allow deception to take hold, strongholds can then be formed in our minds.
Many Christians feel guilt-ridden and worthless because they don't see themselves they way they ought to because of deception.
Ephesians 6 speaks of the weapons that we are to use in spiritual warfare, and in verse 17 we are told to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
The devil tells us: "You're a failure! Look at your past!"
God's Word says: "What past? The blood of Jesus has washed it away!" We are clean and redeemed by the grace of God.
This warfare is not a recreational game. It's the real deal and a real challenge, if we are not prepared, studied up and prayed up. Remember, God, wins this battle.
Be blessed.

God is the master creator

Greetings:
Look around.
What do you see?
God's mighty hand has created a world of beauty that surpasses description in the finest poetry, creative writing,  music, art, photographs or by any creative genius.
God is the author of color, design, plan, order, craftsmanship, beauty, majesty and artistic skill found in the creation of the universe.
Nothing can compare to it or duplicate it.
What does it say in Psalm 19:1-4 about the beauty of God's creation?
It reads: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,  their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens, God has pitched a tent for the sun.”
Continue to look around and soak up God's majesty like water is soaked up by a sponge. Let all we do to be creative, be an expression to glorify God, our maker and creator.
Be blessed.

Without hope we have nothing

Greetings:
The world we live in is filled with troubled situations.
People are losing their jobs. Prices of essential items are going up while wages are not. An ever-present threat of war looms over us. Christians are being innocently persecuted and slain just for proclaiming their Christian faith.
There are natural catastrophes around the world. There is plenty of uncertainty in what the future holds for us each day, even here in southern Indiana.
We are not the only ones that have ever felt that there is no hope. 
Even Bible heroes, like David, Job, Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, and Elijah had their times when they wanted to give up.
Humans have definitions of hope that is far different from God’s definition.
The biblical definition of hope is not a 'hope-so', but a 'know-so'. Our hope in God is surer than the sun rising in the morning.
Where is hope found?  It is in the Bible - the Word of God.
Psalm 119:74 says, “I have put my hope in your word”.
Psalm 119:81 states, “… I have put my hope in your word”.
Psalm 130:5 we read, “… in his word (The Bible) I put my hope”.
Hope includes difficulty. Action naturally follows from hope. Hope is not a passive waiting for something to happen.
Do you have hope?
Do you really hope?
Do you hope in alll things?
Do you believe all things?
We desperately need to understand the power of Christian hope.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Hope reminds us that the Father who works with us in the field is the very same Father who plays with us at home. Hope gives us this pleasure. Hope gives us this rest. And hope gives us the courage we need to get up in the morning and head out to the fields again tomorrow.”
We must remember there is nothing on this earth more certain than hope in God.  He will never leave us nor will he ever forsake us.  He is our anchor in the present day storm and for any future storms, we might face.
Be blessed.

Time is now for personal revival

Greetings:
How many of us are sometimes disappointed with ourselves?
We have such high hopes and good intentions, but inevitably we find ourselves tired to a point of becoming weary, burned out with self defeat and the burdens of everyday life or the consequences of bad choices and decision, or our sinful actions.
You know the struggles in life can sometimes leave us feeling exhausted – physically, mentally and spiritually.
I've been there.
Don't you just wish you could start over, erase the past and begin anew?
Isn't that the place where renewal begins?
It's a place where God's grace, forgiveness and a loving hand touch our ready heart.
God's Word says we can make a new start, if we repent, pray and ask for God's kindness, mercy and grace to be showered on us.
It's a new start. It's the day of renewal.
Join me in asking God to help us all follow through with a desire to turn to him and turn away from all of the things that are bringing us down.
We ask for forgiveness of sin – the thing that poisons everything we do.
We thank the Lord that he is never beyond our reach of his loving arm of forgiveness as long as we truly desire it.
Psalm 51:10 is my prayer this morning: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
We praise you God for being the author and creator of true renewal that only God's Spirit is able to create in us.
Be blessed.

Our faith needs fed

Greeting
How many of us get tired from time to time?
Most of us are very busy, probably too busy in the eyes of the Lord. Nonetheless, we do exert a lot of energy, which drains our physical stamina, as well as our spiritual well-being.
You know when our body and souls get tired we are unproductive for the Lord. We need a time of rest and renewal when that happens.
Psalm 121:7-8 tells us, "The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
The Lord directed me to Nehemiah 8:10. It reads: “And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
What it says here is 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.
What do I hear God saying in all of this? God is urging us to listen to his teachers and preachers to let the Word of God get down in our hearts so we can understand it.
Don't forget the God we serve can part a sea, turn water into wine, lock lions jaws and protect three fellows to withstand “heavy heat". He can mend  family’s differences and heal our own bodies. Discontentment and misunderstanding can be turned into joy.
If we feed our faith a steady diet of doubts, we will starve to death spiritually. Help us, Lord, to read your Word faithfully, seek its meaning diligently, repent fully, and then share it. Let us follow a diet that builds us up.
Be blessed.

Don't be real knowkedge stupid

Greetings:
The Bible tells us that God’s people can perish for having a lack of knowledge. Not having the right kind of knowledge to fully understand why bad things happen to good people, especially to Christians.
This can also cause us to perish in our own personal relationship with the Lord, if we allow it.
What gets many Christians in trouble is not having a full understanding as to why these things have to happen to them in the first place.
Look what it says in James 1:2 (Amplified Bible):
“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.”
Being joyful in the midst of our trials is difficult to understand. It ranks up there with "in everything give thanks".
The apostle Paul is a perfect example of someone who persevered in a storm of trouble. He literally had to face a life of hell – and that was after he was saved and working full time for the Lord.
We must not have allow our problems and circumstances to steal our  joy. We simply have to develop the mindset that we will to learn how walk through the trials by wearing the whole armor of God, in the presence of God and with God's leading.
If we are willing to take the storm clouds head-on like David did with Goliath and like Paul did in prison, we have no idea how many other people we may be able to save, touch, heal, and deliver.
We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on God and keep on praying, no matter what happens.
Be blessed.
My new book "Faith Now" is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Your reviews will be very much appreciated. You can contact me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Messenger or email at schneider.nick@gmail.com.

Lay it down and don't pick it back up

Greeting:
Too many times we want to hang on to the 'me' in a situation and not let our trust rest with God.
We want to put God in control, but we won't leave it all at the altar.
We either won't put it all on the altar or we'll pick it up before God's moved.
I'll admit letting go for me is no easy task.
I like to be in control and I am learning to trust God for things that are beyond my control.
I am constantly reminded that I serve God best when I'm stepping aside in obedience and watching God work. It's then that I realize that God really is in control.
In Psalm 50:15 in the Amplified Bible it reads: “And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
This morning, I ask you to join me in asking God to help us to be able to get out of the way and let go and let God work in our lives.
Letting go is not giving up.
Giving up is quitting.
That's not what I'm talking about.
Letting go is allowing God to direct our paths and next move.
Letting go puts God in charge.
Letting go releases the power of God's Word to remedy the situation based on scripture.
It all comes down to is this: We need to let go of our own will. We must claim as our own the difficult prayer that Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.”
Be blessed.

Become a faith walker

Greetings:
We hear a lot of teaching in churches about having faith and growing our faith.
Do we know what it means to walk in faith?
What does the Bible say about faith?
Perhaps the best known definition is written in Hebrews 11:1.
It reads, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:3 reads: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
Read the entire 11th chapter of Hebrews to understand through history the kind of faith that God is talking about.
He is encouraging believers to move beyond the questions about the basics of faith and follow the example of many faithful men and women of the past who followed God in the midst of persecution and trouble.
We're talking about the people we read about in Hebrews 11:32-40 – like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Sampson, David and Samuel – folks who through their faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised to them, who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword. People whose weakness was turned into strength and who became powerful in battles against foreign armies. Some faced torture, jeers, flogging, being chained and put in prison. Some were stoned, sawed in two and put to death. They wondered about in deserts, mountains and caves.
Faith is putting our trust in God in everything and many times that is not easy.
Though we don't see faith, we can feel faith and understand faith by reading God's Word. We can learn about faith by recalling the walk of others who faced tall mountains, but turned to prayer and called on their faith to get them through their hopeless situations.
We are no different.
Faith is alive today if we just know where to put our trust.
Be blessed.

It is pretty simple, fear not

Greetings:
Whom should we fear?
Fear is the opposite of faith.
When we fear we doubt God's presence.
When we fear we doubt the protection offered by God's army of angels who are encamped around us.
We may not always see the angel armies, feel their presence, or protection, but they are near. They are there to help to us, guide us, and sometimes rescue us from our most challenging and difficult moment in life.
Our God is able. Our God is enough. Our God is awesome. Our God is all-powerful. Our God is all-knowing.
Let us hold on to Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) which reads: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Today, let us rest in the Lord and fear nothing.
Be blessed.

Thankful for the 'Fathers' in my life

Greetings:
Happy Father's Day to all of my fellow Dads.
Personally, one of the greatest joys in my life has been being a Father to two amazing and special daughters, Nicole Byrd and Stacey Brown. I love you both more than words can describe. You both are shining lights and inspiration in my life. I am so proud of you both.
To my wife, Sharon, thank you for giving me the pleasure and opportunity of becoming a Father not once, but twice. Thank you for being the strong beacon of hope and love that you are. Your love to me by your actions is humbling and I am gracious.
To my adopted Dad, Francis 'Bunker' Schneider, who is in heaven, thank you for loving me enough to adopt me into a wonderful family and give me a life that has been blessed in so many ways.
To my Father-in-law, Merle Harpenau, thank you for accepting me into your family and showing me kindness and love as a father that I never had. You are a special man who let's actions speak louder than your words.
To my son-in-laws, Jeremy Byrd and Troy Brown, Happy Father's Day and thank you for being wonderful, kind and loving fathers to my five grandchildren and special husbands to my two daughters. It's a pleasure to have you both a part of our family.
To God, I want to say thank you for being the ultimate Father. I thank you for your love, mercy, grace and guiding hand on my life and the lives of my family members. It's an honor to call you Father each and every day.
Finally, I wish a Happy Father's Day to my biological father, wherever you are. We have yet to meet and there is a good chance you have already passed on from this earthly journey, but my search for you continues. I am inching toward finding who you are. I am close to discovering the truth. Thank you for helping to give me life.
Be blessed.

The truth will soon be known

Greetings:
The wait is almost over. I and thousands of other Hoosier adult adoptees, born between the years 1941 through 1993, will soon learn an important fact about our lives.
Starting July 1, a piece of legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed into law by former Indiana Governor and current Vice President Mike Pence in 2016, becomes law.
In essence, what this law does is open previously court-sealed adoption records and original birth certificates, revealing the names of our biological mothers, and in most cases our biological fathers.
For adoptees, this is a huge deal and something that only came about after a nine-year legislative fight by members of the Indiana Adoption Network and Hoosiers for Equal Access to Records (HEAR).
Bloomington resident Pam Kroskie, who serves as president of both organizations, led the fight and lobbying battle.
The new law was authored by former Indiana State Senator Brett Steele, from Bedford, and signed into law in 2016 by former governor and current Vice President Mike Pence as SEA 91.
Fruit from that fight will finally come to adoptees, who have not been able to know who their biological parents were, and they've been denied valuable medical information that probably would have saved lives of some affected adoptees, who have already died.
For me personally, I have been engaged in search for my birth parents that first started in 1988. Opening of the records hopefully will confirm information about my biological family that I am trying to piece together. This takes nothing away from the agape, genuine love and care I received from my wonderful adoptive parents, who are now deceased.
I am reminded of a scripture, Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV), which reads, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."
Now we, who were adopted, will get the chance to know the identity of our birth parents. For me, that will come more than 65 years after I was born in April 1953 at St. Elizabeth's Home for Unwed Mothers in Indianapolis. I was adopted in July 1953 and was raised as an only child.The idea that I might actually have a parent or siblings alive is so overwhelming.
The time is way overdue for my records to be unsealed.
I am thankful for the work of those who never gave up and saw this change in the law evolve from a  dream to reality through hard work, perseverance and a lot of prayer.
On Friday, I was interviewed by an Indianapolis television reporter from WRTV-Channel 6 about my story.

Click on the following link to learn more.
https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indianapolis/state-to-open-adoption-records-from-1941-through-1993-on-july-1

Be blessed.

Nothing is too hard for God

Greetings:
It's pretty easy to believe and have faith when all is going well in our lives.
But do we believe in the same awesome power of God when things are not going well?
How strong is our faith when we are ill, when the bills aren't paid, when we've been mistreated, when we are tired and worn out, when bad fortunate seems to follow us at every turn in our lives.?
Do we still have the same faith when we are in the heat of fire and being attacked from every side in a spiritual battle that we think we are much too weak to fight anymore?
In those situations, do we really believe, “There is nothing too hard for God.”?
In Jeremiah 32:17 we read: “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”
Who can match the awesome power of our God?
Our abilities, no matter how great and refined  they may be, simply don’t amount to even a small speck when compared to God's power and ability to change things.
Who are we to doubt that God can do what He says he can and will do?  God is not limited by our human frailties and shortcomings.
Again, I ask, 'Is anything too hard for God?'
We should never allow our own thinking to persuade us to think that just because we think that something is too hard for us to accomplish that it is also too hard for God. 
In Luke 18:27 Jesus tells His disciples, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Mark 10:27 is a parallel passage and it states, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
No matter what the situation, the problem, the mountain that needs climbed, the hurdle that needs leaped, the sickness that needs healed, the need that needs met – nothing is too hard for God.
Be blessed.

Standing firm is not always easy

Greetings:
Standing firm in the Lord is sometimes an uncomfortable place to be. But, if we are prepared and pumped up in our spirit we can march forth with confidence, like a well-prepared athlete who knows his or her ability because they have worked hard behind the scenes in preparation.
Have you checked your spiritual air pressure lately? Are you operating for the Lord at peak efficiency? Be warned: failing to perform daily spiritual maintenance can ultimately leave you stranded.
How can we have a “pumped-up” faith that will go the distance?
These answers are in 1 Thessalonians 3 where Paul states, “Afflictions are not accidents—they are appointments.”
1 Thessalonians 3:7-6 (Amplified Bible) says , “Brethren, for this reason, in [spite of all] our stress and crushing difficulties we have been filled with comfort and cheer about you [because of] your faith (the leaning of your whole personality on God in complete trust and confidence).
Because now we [really] live, if you stand [firm] in the Lord.”
If we want to build a rock-hard faith we will have to increase our intensity and prepare our faith.
Faith is like a muscle — we’ve got to use it or you’ll lose it.
Sometimes we've got to push ourself to the limit.
Prayer, worship, praise and service to others need not be a chore, but something we delight in.
God has a purpose in all of the afflictions we face and we must depend upon him to bring us through the fire. The fire is not so hot if we have prepared ourselves and built up our faith.
Be blessed.

Make the most of your opportunity

Greetings:
Is God glorified by what we have to say and do?
Being a Christian carries a high responsibility. We have to reflect Christ in our actions, words and deeds.
There is no place for just Sunday morning Christians. Going to church is admirable, but our true walk takes places seven days a week.
Let us step back today and probe our souls and make sure we really understand. This walk is not just for fun. It determines our eternity.
Let us not be content with just doing good. There is more.
If we are unsure what it takes to walk the Christian walk, grab a Bible and read the words of Jesus in the new testament. In some bibles these words are printed in "red" to get our attention better.
Work hard at what we love to do and try to overcome all obstacles we face. Let us laugh at our mistakes and learn from them.
Remember laughing and crying does make us feel better. Never forget life is better than it seems.
Let us be honest with ourselves and know that our journey on this earth is a short one in terms of eternity. Let us make the most of our time and effort to glorify God.
Be blessed.

It is all pretty simple

Greetings:
There is nothing real complicated about this Christian walk.
God has shown me that we need to be very basic and direct in what we believe. We should stick to His Word as our guiding light.
We should not add anything to it or take anything away. We should not modify or create our own view of what scripture says.
We must believe that all scripture is God-inspired as the Bible states in 2 Timothy 3:16. The passage reads, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right."
What better life instruction book do we need?
Most people are bothered by those passages in the Bible which they cannot understand. The scriptures that should trouble each of us the most are the scriptures that we do understand.
Be blessed.

Don't sit back and age

Greetings:
This morning I am drawn to Psalm 71.
Psalm 71 is the psalm of an old man. There are many lessons to be learned from this psalm. In particular, it says to me that we are never too old not to serve God.
The psalmist is an old man with many trials and problems, but 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.
He talks of God’s mighty deeds, God's strength and power, and the great things he has done. He realized that it was God who brought him into trouble and God who delivered and restored him. God was his source of comfort in this trial. God had redeemed his soul. As he exclaims in Verse 19, “O God, who is like You?”
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. We read that he still had a concern for ministry, for testifying about the power and faithfulness of God.
We need to follow his lead and do our part to spread the Good News.
Be blessed.

Keep on track with a 'Word' diet

Greetings:
I am continually in awe at the simplicity of God’s Word and the direct instructions he shares with us. Studying the Bible is our own personal journey.
Some like to take short trips through its pages. Others decide to engage in a long excursion going carefully from chapter to chapter to more fully understand the words and promises on which we base our Christian faith.
If we don't learn what's in the book, how can we walk the walk?
We are not going to learn it all over night. It takes time – a long time to grasp it, understand it and for us to be able to walk it.
The steps God lays out for us are simple, though not necessarily easy.
God’s whisper in our Spirit will never be in conflict with what He directs in His Word.
Ephesians 6:18 (The Amplified Bible) says, “Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).”
When prayer is no longer the oxygen and life blood of our spiritual soul or the heartbeat of our church, our defense is down. That is when we get sidetracked, detoured and re-routed in our walk. That is when we mess up and let sin and evil creep in.
We cannot let that happen.
Be blessed.

God's majesty is beyond words

Greetings:
On this day let us be reminded of God's greatness, majesty and power. God loves each one of us in ways we will never understand. We must remember that prayer isn't just for the spirit. It can heal your body and mind, too.
Be thankful of God's mercy and grace. He remains with us through the good times and those that are not so good.
When we stumble or life throws us disappointment and hurts, let us remain strong and faith because God is there with us, loving us, holding up our spirit when we are weak. He's our anchor to steady the stormy seas or calm the turbulent skies. God remains our hope, no matter what we see, feel, or think.
Our God is more than enough.
Let us rest in him, trusting that he is bigger than anything this world throws at us. We know our God is the rock and foundation for us to keep walking toward better days. We love you God.
Be blessed.

Build a firm foundation

Greetings:
Where is our foundation and on what is it built?
During my trips to the west coast, I have marveled to myself about all of those lavish multi-million dollar houses that were constructed on the edges of what we here in Indiana would call cliffs.
There were home after home perched on mountaintops with front yards overhanging into God's thin air.
I wondered why would anyone – even if you had the money – build a house situated in such a precarious position.
The slightest seismic shift, rumble or roar beneath the ground could surely send these huge, costly residences toppling to the ground below or into the ocean.
I guess it's all about foundation.
God warns us to build our lives on solid ground.  He also gives us many pieces of wisdom of how to build on solid ground in His Word.
Look at Luke 6:47, It reads: “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when the flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it has been well built”.
But later in Luke 6:48-49 we are warned that there is a downside to seeing, reading and learning God's word and not acting on that knowledge
Luke writes: “The one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against  it and immediately it collapses, and the ruin of that house was great”.
So we are presented with our plan for this day and every day. We will make choices - some good and some not so good. 
Some of our choices will add mortar and strength to our foundation .
While other choices that are not so good will be as the rains that destroy the foundation, turning the soil to sand.
The question is, will we pick a path of thin foundation that can't stand firm in the time of trouble when the winds howl and the fire burns? Or, do we rely on God's Word to pave a firm path with a good foundation of truth and faith?
We have that choice.
Be blessed.

We are all different and that is okay

Greetings:
Look around where you work, in the town or neighborhood where you live, among your relatives, and in the church you attend.
What do you see?
You see a lot of individuals who are different and unique. This didn't happen just by accident.
God created us with our own unique physical traits, personalities, character, temperaments, talents and abilities.
Even in what we call identical twins, there are differences.
We each have our own unique identifying feature that's called a fingerprint. There are no two of them the same.
God created us different for a reason to fill a need in his overall plan.
Look to the skies on the next clear day and night.
You see a sun, a moon and many different stars.
None of the stars are the same.
In 1 Corinthians 15:41 in the Amplified Bible we read, “The sun is glorious in one way, the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own [distinctive] way; for one star differs from and surpasses another in its beauty and brilliance.”
As Christians, let it be each of our goals to find our individual role and place in God's plan. When we struggle to be like others, we lose our identity, our uniqueness our individuality that our Creator intended for each of us.
Look at a tree. It has many branches. Each branch is different and unique in size and structure but are attached to a central trunk that bears nourishment  from the roots and promotes grow in each of those branches.
Let God be our tree trunk, providing us with spiritual food to promote our spiritual growth and maturity.
Let us be satisfied that we are different.
But in our state of being unique individuals, we can learn our role, our purpose, our ministry in service to God as one body.
Be blessed.

Find your quiet place

Greetings:
Spending quiet time in the Lord's presence is necessary to promote personal spiritual growth. It is as we wait upon God that we receive a renewed power, faith and strength.
Psalm 46:10 affirms the need to find our own quiet place. The scripture, one of my favorites , reads in the Amplified Bible: "Be still and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!"
In my own personal interpretation, this psalm means, "Stop, shut up and listen what God has to say to you."
We might spend a few minutes in prayer telling God what we want or what we want him to do for us. But prayer involves our taking the time to listen what God has to say to us.
Psalm 46:10 provides the scriptural basis for our prayer time in our own personal 'war room'.
Each of us must find a special quiet place where we can shut out the cares of this world and get alone with God. Each day, we need to come to our "set apart place" to worship, acknowledge His goodness and grace concerning us, thank the Lord for His guidance and blessing upon our lives just listen. From personal experience, I can say this helps.
Be blessed.
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Do we trust God in the tough times?

Greetings:
When God tells us or directs us to do something, do we do it willfully or do we try to reason it all out?
Many of us are always trying to analyze things in our own mind rather than just taking a step of faith and believing. It is hard to take direction from God on some days and with some things without our own human conditions attached to it
Sometimes our lack of faith turns into doubt and robs us of a real blessing.
In Philippines 7:14 there is some very specific instruction about questioning and doubt that essentially says, “Don't do it.”
The passage reads in the Amplified version: “Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining (against God) and questioning and doubting (amongst yourselves).”
We are talking about first knowing God's voice and knowing when he speaks to us in a gentle small voice or through his Word or through other people.
That's not an easy task, but hearing God's Word comes through personal prayer, knowing what God says in The Bible and plenty of patience.
We have to really watch when our feelings get off track to keep them from controling and running our life. I have done that and I can tell you it does not work.
In other words, when God speaks to us, we need step back and put what we feel away, put what we think away and put the 'whys' away and do it.
The key is hearing and knowing it's God's direction that we are listening too and putting our own human nature aside. Just let God direct our steps.
You know it's God direction if you have peace in your heart, even when your carnal mind might be telling you something different. It's all about trust in God.
Be blessed.

An honest look at prayer

Greetings:
Prayer is simply conversation with God in praise, worship and thanksgiving.
Sounds pretty easy to understand, doesn't it?
But I imagine prayer to many of us is simply putting our petitions, needs, wants, desires , and all of our 'need this and need thats' before God.
We pray when oor family members or friends are in a panic, sick or needing something.
We pray when times are bad.
We pray when we are in trouble, scared, sick, confused, perplexed and backed into the corner with no where else to turn.
We pray when we hit bottom and there nowhere to go, but up.
But do we pray, I mean really pray, when we appear to be blessed, content and things are going well?
It's a question of what value do we place in prayer.
Look at Colossian 4:2, it reads, “Devout yourself to prayer being watchful and thankful”.
I guess it's a matter if we regard prayer as a gift of grace or an unbearable burden.
Prayer is a privilege that takes discipline and practice. Prayer is a personal invitation from God to enter into his holy sanctuary to talk with him and listen to him.
Prayer is also a time to get still and quiet before God offering praise and worship in a manner in which you feel comfortable and speak sincere words of thanksgiving.
Prayer will prepare us for the unknowns, the disappointments, the challenges, the troubles.
Prayer provides us with strength in moments of weakness and is a caring arm wrapped around us in times of sorrow.
Prayer is not done only when we feel like it or when we feel worthy.
If we are making excuses for not praying, we should be honest with ourselves and ask why.
Throughout the Bible we read of God's mercy and grace that reaches out to all people – the good and the bad, the worthy and the unworthy.
Let's all follow the simple advice in 1Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
Be blessed.

Feed your faith

Greetings
It's another beautiful day in the Lord and I wish you blessings, sunshine and happiness today.
How many of us get tired from time to time?
Most of us are very busy, probably too busy in the eyes of the Lord, nonetheless, we do exert a lot of energy, which drains our physical stamina as well as our spiritual well-being.
I was praying this morning and the Lord directed me to Nehemiah 8:10 so I read it.
The King James Version reads: “Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
What is says here, if you read the entire context, is 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.
What do I hear God saying in all of this? Read the Bible, seek its meaning, repent, and then go and share over food and drink to receive real joy.
This, I believe, is the principle behind all of these yummy church dinners that we all love to devour.
God is urging us to listen to his teachers and preachers to let the Word of God get down in our hearts so we can understand it. The next step is taking action.
It’s difficult watching some folks attempting to create their own joy. Trying everything except what it tells us in Proverbs 3:5  “Trusting in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your understanding."
Remember, if we feed our faith, all doubts will starve.
Be blessed.

Compassion should fuel our prayers

Greetings:
Compassion is more than telling someone, “I will pray for you.”
In order to know true compassion, we need to turn to the source of it, the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ. We need to cry out and say,"Lord, teach us compassion."
The Lord taught compassion as He lived among men by His touch, by His willingness to touch others, his ability to reach out and help those in need – providing them with food, clothing and prayer.
That should be the commission of all of our churches – large and small.
The message is clear — Jesus was willing to touch the lives of all men and woman, regardless of race, regardless of social or economic standing. Jesus Christ had time for others. He had time to touch the children who were brought to Him. He had time to pray for them.
In Matthew 19:13-15 NLT we read these words: “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.”
Compassionate care for people is part of the broader duty of keeping God's commandments. God's people are to love their neighbors. We can minister better to our neighbors if they are fed and clothed.
The Church and its people need to be the vessel through which people experience the steadfast love and compassion of God. It is the responsibility of the Church and its people to minister to those in need, to bring the healing and comforting touch of Christ without partiality.
God's overall view of caring with compassion for those who are suffering can be summed up in Galatians 6:10, "Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
Be blessed.

Trust God on the bright and dim days

Greetings:
If we trust God when the sky looks bright and when it's dim with the rain, then we can easily see that good things do happen to those who wait and diligently seek God.
It's the waiting and diligence that gets most of us in trouble.
We come from a 'hurry-up-give-it-to-me-now' society and waiting is difficult, uncomfortable, scary and full of anxiety. But God tells us many times in The Bible to simply trust him.
How many of you know that trusting God many times involves waiting, praying and diligently seeking his will?
How many times have you been tested and challenged only to realize that God is still in control –– regardless of how you feel, how you think or what you say?
As Christians we maintain a unique discipleship that is based on faith that finds expression in deed, not feelings.
In 1 Corinthians 2:5 we read: “So that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”
In man's eyes and man's limited wisdom something we seek or want might seem logical so we pray for it. But in God's eyes the time might not be right, the object of our prayers might not be in God's will or we me might have just missed it.
In Romans 12:12 we read, “Be joyful in hope; patient in affliction.”
That is where a diligent practice of prayer comes into play. Remember practice makes perfect. Our practice always starts with prayer and ends with prayer.
Pray that God opens the eyes of your heart to see him, hear him, seek him and feel his presence.
It's not always easy to praise God when the dark clouds are looming overhead. But know for sure that God does answer the prayers of those who diligently seek Him.
Be blessed.