Be careful with your inner circle

 Romans 1:12 “that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith…..,,,,,32 “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”   These two verses make me think of how important choosing friends can be.  I n AA we have a fellowship of people whom desire to quit drinking.   I need that fellowship for many reasons.  I also need the fellowship of my Christian friends. In kindergarten , my boys were taught how to pick friends; good friends are kind, generous, share, and have good citizenship… bad friends are selfish, mean, greedy, and dont share. (This is my memory from a list the kindergarten teacher handed out).  Today let’s realize how important the influence the people we hang out with are.   Many time we think we can change people by hanging with them.  Often it is the opposite.    Today, embrace the friens that are helping you go where you want to be.   Love everyone, but be careful with your inner circle.

With God all things are possible

 Mark 10:27 “Jesus looked at him and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God; all things are possible.” 

Are you facing something that seems impossible?  All things are possible with God.    I have a plaque on my wall, it states, “ Don’t tell God you have a big problem, tell your problem you  have a big God!  “.  Today, know God will work this out too.  He didnt bring you this far to drop you now.  TRUST Him in this,  He will get you through it!!

Live life to the full!!

 What a wonderful Birkie Weekend!!!  I cant believe the great conditions considering  what the Birkie team had to work with    They did an amazing  job with the snow!!!   I was able to have a fantastic ski with Tonto!! Tonto is 11.  He won the “ patriarch” award and he was only 40 seconds off first place.   If I was a better akiier he may have won.    But we togeter finished 5th over all and missed the ladies podium by 14 seconds.   Well done Tonto!!!!    I was able to Ambassador for all three days Skiing Korte at Open track, Korte Friday and full Birkie classic Saturday.  What an honor to be anle to be on the Ambassador team.  I was able to help people and cheer them all on especially as I sang  the “ Ants go marching one by one song up the hills”.  Great Birkie!!  Praise the Lord!!!   John 10:10. “ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”   Go live life to the full!!

Be ready, but victory rests in the Lord!

 Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”     We can prepare and we should, but our victory is through Him and Him alone!!  Go be victorious today through the powerful gift of Jesus!!

God’s got this

 Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Remember; No matter what direction life goes… “ God’s got this!!”

Let your inside match your outside

 Matthew 23:26” Blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and the outside will be clean. …..28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”   In the movie 28 days, Sandra Bulluck needed to get her “inside” to match her “outside” in order for the horse to respond  to her.    

We need purity of heart!!  When we seek God first (Matthew 6:33) with our full heart, we get purity of heart.   When I quit drinking, I needed to want sobriety not only to avoid consequences, but to truly embrace an alcohol free life style.   In order to do this God had to be my God not alcohol.     Over my life time, I have put many things in God’s place.   That is worshiping the created not the Creator.  Today, let’s ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, that we may truly want what He wants for us, firmly TRUSTING Jesus as Lord.   When Jesus is Lord, we can; accept the things we cannot change, change the things we can and have the wisdom to know the difference!   Be fit and be blessed today with purity of heart!!

A heart at peace gives life to the body

 Proverbs 14:30. “ A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”   What a great passage to describe walking in pure humility.    A heart at peace is a heart in complete TRUST that Jesus has us where He wants us even if it’s not what we had planned or had hoped for.   Envy is rooted in pride thinking we know more than God about what is best for us and our beloved.   Envy is not only wishing for what someone else has but wishing we had something different than what God has provided.    Today to be healthy and well.   Let’s enjoy what ever is and isn’t, knowing God’s plan is the perfect plan.

There is Poer in the name of the Lord

 Proverbs 18:10 “ The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”   There is power in the name of Jesus!!  Many times I simply call on His name, not a long prayer just a one word prayer, “Jesus”.      Sometimes at night when I cant sleep, I quiet my mind of everything aside from His name.  Soon I am calmed down and can rest.    “Those who call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. “.  Years ago, my uterus ruptured and as they were rushing me to the OR they called out, “Get the Clergy!”  I immediately called upon Jesus.   I said, “Jesus, I need your help!”   I was immediately surrounded by by a warm white light and a peace that surpassed all understanding.     I knew that I was on my way home to Heaven.   Then I heard a voice that said, “You cant go yet,…” I woke up in recovery room disappointed not to be in Heaven, but assured; because of Jesus, Heaven is my final destination.     Call upon the name of our Lord today no matter what trial you are facing.   The name of the Lord is a strong tower!!

Live loved this Valentines day

 John 3:16 “For God  so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Happy Valentine’s Day!!❤️.  We are each loved deeply by The Most High God!!   He knows each of us intimately and He promises He will never leave us nor forsake us.  He is with us always, even to the end of the age!!  Rest in His love today.   Sometimes, we can have unreasonable expectations on this Hallmark Holiday.  When we put our expectations on what the world tells us we should have, it can be disheartening.    When we look at what we do have in Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus,  we are full to overflowing.   Today be thankful in all things.   Embrace the never ending, always intimate love of God!   He is our best Valentine ever!!

We all become cold and miserable when we splash in the mud

 2 Corinthians 5:17 “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come!  19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation….21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

I didn’t have to reach my Grand-boys how to slash in the mud.  They just naturally found the puddles and jumped in them.   It was just “in them” to do it.   That is the way sin is.    The first time I saw my grandson splash in the mud puddles. I thought, “It’s fun to slash, let him splash as much as he wants. He has boots on.”  Then he got really dirty,  even inside those boots. We had to go home and change and not go to the park because he would’ve gotten too cold and miserable.   That’s also the way sin is.  we can splash around in it and it can be fun for a moment, but then it’s cold and miserable.  No matter how far we fall in our sin,  all sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ. He died once and for all of our sins.  Therefore if you’re caught up in sin today, returning to the same old patterns you thought  you had conquered.   Shake it off!!  Start over, accept the forgiveness. Jesus died to give you. Walk in the your new creation,  even if you just messed up again.   You are His “new creation even when your sin is fresh.   Repent, accept the forgiveness Jesus gives you,  be reconciled!!

Shake off the dust let your peace trturn to you

 Matthew 10:12 “As you enter a home give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust of your feet when you leave that home or town.”   Shake the dust off your feet and let your peace return to you!!   There are many times when we can’t help someone.   No one is beyond God’s help!! We can pray for people and TRUST God.   This is letting your peace return to you and shaking off the dust.   God has a bigger plan, than you can see.   He is God!!

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!