Are you listening?

 Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,  “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”…..19 “For they have not listened to my words, “ declares the Lord, “words that I sent them again and again by my servants the prophets.  And you exiles have not listened either.” declares the Lord.”

God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, to hive us hope and a future.   Many times we don’t enter into His promise, because we don’t listen and because He loves us, He cannot reward disobedience.    Where and what is God telling you through reading His word?  Are you listening and obeying? Or do you think you have a better plan than God?

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!!

Refrain from anger, do not fret

 Psalm 37:8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret-it leads only to evil.”

Refrain from anger, turn from wrath it leads only to evil.  Do not fret.  Wow!  How profound! You don’t have to look far to see people getting passionately angry.   When I let myself get angry and upset my emotions are easily tipped to rage.  I used to live this way.  The roar inside of me would be so loud it consumed me.  I have found it is better to seek first to understand, love people where they are and not take offense in the first place.  When I let even a sliver of anger, fret, worry and wrath in my soul it destroys  my peace. Today if I’m tempted to be angry with someone or something, I’m going to stop. Try to see their point of view, pray then leave it in God‘s very capable hands.

Stand in awe of God

 Ecclesiastes 5:7 “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless.  Therefore stand in awe of God.”    Stand in awe of God!!!  

Many times I can go into daydreaming about what I want instead of standing in awe of God.  The secret of happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.   Learn to be content,  where you are,  right here right now!    Are you able to stand in awe of God today? Or is your mind racing with much dreaming and many words?  Be inspired to stand in awe of God!!   You’ll be amazed at how BIG He shows up and how small the dreams and words become.  😇🙏

God made the good times and the bad

 Ecclesiastes 7:14 “When times are good be happy; but when times are bad consider: God has made the one as well as the other.  Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.    ……21 Do not pay attention to to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you- for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.”

“When times are good be happy and when times are bad consider God has made the one as well as the other”, how profound!   Many times our bad times take us further in understanding and depth than our good times.  Sometimes, we allow ourselves to have bad times because of the words people say.  Take heart!   Words can come quickly and are often not a pure reflection of the heart, just a temporary frustration.  The word of God assures us, we  are enough through the powerful gift of Jesus.   Let His word strengthen you today whether in good times or bad.

Put on Faith be fit for anything!

 Hebrews 11:1”Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see…..6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him…….24 By faith Moses, when He had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 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.”

Hebrews 11 is the great faith chapter. Today, I am using it as a mirror, do I have great faith?   Many times God says, “No” or “Wait” to my prayers.   During these seasons I can “feel” a shrinking back of my faith.   How ridiculous!!! Great faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.   Great faith has us TRUST in the difficult even when we can’t possibly understand.   Today, will you leave the sins that are ensnaring you and walk boldly in the upward call of God?   May we each hold unswervingly to our faith today!!

Saved from the toilet

 Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shadow of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”….4 He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. …..9 If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge-10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For  He will command His angels concerning you to gaurd you in all your ways.”      He will gaurd you in all your ways!!! Today,  my phone almost went into the toilet.  Immediately, I said, “Thank you God,  for letting my phone not go in the toilet!”  The I realized there are many times that God has helped me not go in the toilet.   Many times we can’t see,  in the moment,  His divine protection.  He takes away something that we really wanted. We don’t get the promotion.  We don’t get the house or the spouse.    We get stuck in a traffic or a long line.  Sometimes His divine protection is a divine detour.  Today, rest in whatever your divine detour is.  Rest in the shelter of the Most High!!

Assurance of Faith

 Hebrews 10:22 “ let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

Today,  may you seek God with a pure heart and full assurance of faith.  Do not feel guilty and shameful, walk in the cleansing and renewal of Jesus Christ.   What  a beautiful gift this is, complete restoration, complete health. and  wellness it is  the “powerful gift of Jesus”!!!

Are yoj being disciplined?

 Proverbs 15:9 “The Lord detests the way of the wicked but He loves those who pursue righteousness. 10 Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die……31 He who listens to life giving rebuke will be home among the wise.”

I am going through a season of discipline.  God is calling me to be more careful with my thoughts and actions.   Worldly desires have started to take the place of Holy desires.   My pride has been telling God what I want instead of my humility telling me to want what God wants for me.    I am thankful for a recent rebuke of one of my most treasured friends.      When I was a child I recieved a lot of discipline from “the belt”.   So it’s hard for me to recognize discipline that is not a physical pain but a correction pain.    I am praising God today that He has gotten my attention!!! Now may I pursue His direction with the same intensity I have pursued my own way.🙏.   Are you suffering consequences?   Maybe God is trying to get your attention too.   What is He calling you to do?

If I perish, I perish

 Are you facing something tough? I’m sure Esther felt exactly that.  Her response was courageous.    She decided to pray and fast and asked others to do the same, after a time of prayer and fasting she planned to act!! And if she was to perish, she’d perish!!   Are you facing a giant in your own life maybe that giant is there pacifically for a reason so that you can grow and grow closer to God be bold and courageous!   Do what you know God is telling you to do!   Don’t look back 

Give your testimony?

 Ephesians 2:4 “ But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.”  Yesterday,  I ran into a man at Walmart and somehow we ended up talking about Faith.  I told him,  how thankful I am for the forgiveness of my sins through the powerful gift of Jesus Christ.   He said, “I don’t know about the bad thing that you think you did in your past that you need forgiveness  for, but that should not condemn you.   I smiled and said “Sure, I have bad things in my past but right here right now I still struggle with sin. It’s the human condition. We all struggle with sin every day; the greed, the lust, the envy… It’s a human condition but through Jesus Christ, we keep laying it down and pressing forward to the high calling of God.  It is not by our acts we are saved.  It is by his single act of dying on the cross for us that we are saved, When we believe Jesus paid the penalty of all our sin on the cross rose again from the dead its the beginning of our true health and wellness.  My attempt at witnessing didn’t seem to produce much fruit. That’ll be up to the Holy Spirit.   I’m thankful  God gave me this random opportunity to give my testimony.

If you have a chance to share your testimony today, will you?

He is always watching over us

 Psalm 121:1 “ I lift my eyes up to the hills- where does my help come from?  2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.     3 He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber: 4 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ….7 The Lord will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life; 8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.”  

What a wonderful comfort to know God is watching over us.   Sometimes everything blows up.  We each have many cares in this world.  He has over come the world and He watches over us!!!     May you take great comfort today in knowing Our Lord is watching over you and the ones 

You love now and forever more!

Walk as Jesus walked

 1 John 2:6 “Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did.”

How did Jesus walk?    He followed God.  He did the will of God, even to death.   There was no malice in His heart.   He had a clear mind.  His focus was embracing the Love of God and Love of man.   The love He embraced for man was pure,  never lustful never self seeking; a love based in purity of heart.  He truly did everything  He could save His fellow man.   He shows this with His painful death and powerful resurrection.  He continues to lift each of us up moment by moment; out of our worry, shame, guilt  and propensity to sin, into His divine alliance.    Why do we reject this love and seek the cares of this world?   That is our sinful nature.   Today let’s keep turning from things that cause us worry and fear and be thankful for the many blessing we have in the powerful gift of Jesus.   Let’s do our best today to walk as Jesus walked,  remembering He is with us always, even to the end of the age.  Walk as Jesus walked today!!

Hate is blinding, choose to understand

 1John 2:9 “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.  10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.  11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”

Hate is such a strong word, I don’t even like to utter it.   This emotion ravishes the soul.  Our culture, seems to be promoting it.    Politically charged conflicts seem to promote hate over understanding.   Try to seek first to understand then to be understood.    If you can “feel” any consuming fire of hate, STOP!! If you have a friend that is consumed by it HELP.   Let’s encourage each other to first try to understand.    Many times we can’t.   During impasse, choose love.  Choose, “ I strongly disagree with that opinion, but they have their reasons.   I am going to focus on what I like about that person, or opinion; then forgive and forget about it.  Harboring resentment no matter how justified only blinds us to the beauty that surrounds us.  Sometimes  the person I am angriest at is myself.  This too is of no value.     Seek to understand, forgive and forget move forward in love without looking back.  You may be right, but if you are in hate you are wrong.  

Walk in His revelation!

 Galatians 1:11 “I want you to know brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it by any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” 

Paul received the gospel by revelation from Jesus Christ!   Does the word “revelation” resonate in your soul?   It does for me.   Yet, I can forget to walk in my revelation.    I can let myself be consumed with the cares of this world instead of basking in the glory of the “revelation” that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus.     Why do we go back to the sins that so easily ensnare us and forget the revelation we have received?  James 4:7-8 “ Resist the devil and he will flee from you draw near to God and God will draw near to you.”  You are just as valuable to God today as you were the moment you first believed!!! Put on the newness of your revelation!!  Shake off temptation that is anything less.    Walk in who you are in Jesus Christ, redeemed, made new!!

Humble like a child

 Matthew 18:2 " He called a little child and had him stand among them.  3 And He said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven."

True humility is accepting the things you cannot change.  Trusting it is God's will.  We pray for the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.  Peace comes with the humility of a child.  TRUST God today with a child like faith.    Stop trying to reason everything out, or manipulate one more time.   Put all your thoughts in Trusting God.   Align your desires with His will walk in true humility.   Dear God, please help us want what you want for each of us.    In Jesus Holy name, Amen

Trust Him in All upur ways and lean not on upur own understanding

 Proverbs 3:5 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not  on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.”   God has a reason for  this season!!    TRUST HIM!!   Trusting God in all things, with all our hearts, not because we can understand WHY but because we know WHO is in charge!   His ways are greater than ours.    He has ordained every day of our lives before one came to be.  He knows!!!  He cares!! He can be TRUSTED!!!  

Seek his word and wisdom like silver, or a hidden treasure

 Proverbs 2:4 “and if you look for it as for silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5 

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.”   Seek God and His ways,  like you are seeking silver or a hidden treasure. 

When you read the Bible are you treating its knowledge as precious as Silver or a hidden treasure?   Or do you go through the motions and quickly forget what you learned, going back to seeking the world and its wisdom?   This year where will you silver and hidden treasure be?

Leave the old pursue the new

 1 Timothy 4:8 “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”….6:11”But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”   When we want to start fresh we have to concentrate on what we want to do now, not on what we want to stop doing.    What we think about grows.  If this New Year you want to eat less processed foods concentrate on eating high quality natural foods.   

If you want to leave old thought patterns that are keeping you stuck intentionally chose new thoughts.  If we think, “ today what ever I do, Im not going to….. then we will be thinking of what we don’t want to do all day and eventually give in.  If we pursue, being filled with the Holy Spirit, trusting Jesus in all things  and godliness with our whole hearts the draw of we want will grow and what we don’t  want will fade away.     James 4:7& 8 “ Resist  the devil and he will flee from you, draw near to God and God will draw near to you. “.  Happy New Year!