Take it head on! Don't Numb out

 Proverbs 23:29 "Who has woe?  Who has sorrows? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?  30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.  31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!  32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.   33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things."   What great reasons to stay away from alcohol!!!   It’s easy to want to “numb” ourselves from the pain in this world.  What I have found, is if I take the pain on in complete awareness and TRUST God in it all.  I have PEACE in pain, not just a temporary relief that leads to more pain.   I hope this helps you today.  You may not struggle with wine, but many of us “numb” ourselves with something.

Do you turn to God or something else in your trouble?

Let His peace and Joy rule your heart

 1Thessalonians 5:15 “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.  16 Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Be joyful

Always!!! Happiness is fleeting Joy is a way of life.   Joy is letting the peace of God rule your heart in all situations with all people!!  John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  Take His peace and joy with you today in all you think, say and do.   This would be putting on your faith!

Bind love and faithfulness

 Proverbs 3:3. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Let love and faithfulness, never leave you!!  Often we love people only when they love us back.  We love when others are good to us.  We are faithful to when we “feel” their love for us.  These verses makes me question my love for people.  Do I show conditional or pure love, to love others?  We are to love others as Jesus loves us.  That would be putting on love and faithfulness, no matter what our beloved actions and behaviors are.   Sometimes we have to love people from afar.   We can have purity of heart towards them even if we can no longer can tolerate them in our lives.   Love and faithfulness what a beautiful way to live.   

Conquer anxiety

 Proverbs 4:25 “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”   Fix your gaze directly before you!!!  Do the next right thing!!!    When we wallow in our past or do things we know we shouldn’t, anxiety grows.   We are all prone to; not do what we want to do and do the things we don’t want to do.   It’s our human condition.   Shake it off and try, try again.   Let your eyes look straight ahead and your gaze directly before you.   Conquer your anxiety by accepting the forgiveness Jesus died to give you and do the next right thing.   We cannot change what is done.  We cannot change even a moment ago.  We can shake it off and  keep trying!! 

Happy Groundhog Day

 Proverbs 2:1 “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as a hidden treasure 

, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  6 For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”    

Today is Groundhog Day. Will we have six more weeks of winter or will spring come early? Groundhog Day is also associated with repeating the same thing over and over, living the same day, over and over.  If we do not learn from our mistakes, we repeat them.  History repeats itself.  Let us  seek the knowledge of God, understanding and insight.  Let’s apply that to our lives, so we don’t get caught in the trap of repeating the same hurtful patterns over and over.  Happy Groundhog day!

What are you zealous about?

 Galatians 5:19 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious; sexually immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, fractions, 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23, gentleness, and self control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires .   25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Galatians 4:17 “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good.  What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.  18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good and to be so always and not just when I am with you.”   

What are you Zellous about today?  Are you being Zealous out of people pleasing or God pleasing?   Good thing to contemplate today.

Forward in Faith

 Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him…..15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them… 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin for a short time.”   FAITH, is putting our TRUST in God fully.  As I read these verses, I am reminded to simply BELIEVE He exists and He has prepared a city for me.   When I look longingly for the past I cannot embrace the future.  Many times the allure, of my sinful nature 

Entices me to go back to old familiar ways.  This is like a dog returning to its vomit.    Familiarity is comfortable even if it’s painful.  Today, let’s put on our FAITH and press forward to the city He has prepared for us!!