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“Designated Driver”

Designated Driver

When you hear this term your mind probably immediately goes to someone drinking or doing drugs and their mind does not think clearly or even fast enough to drive.  But in this blog, I am going to be talking about this term in a different way.

One thing that I struggle with personally is falling asleep while driving.  This is not a very good thing to have happen.  I have tried different things to help me but alas they don’t work, I only have one answer.  Yes, it is true that I could drink caffeine but the damage it does to my body is not worth it to me.  I had to find other answers.  There are many little tricks that I can do but the one that works the most is communication.

Communication

One of the things that have helped me when I am driving to stay awake is communication.  My mom will often come with me and we will communicate back and forth and it keeps me alert. Now it has to be a two-way conversation because if my mom were doing all the talking I would still have trouble staying awake.  There have been times in the past where I am having such difficulty that I will stop and let her take over the driving.  As I sit in the passenger’s seat I no longer feel the pressure to stay awake.  I can be in full conversation and even be talking myself and I fall asleep in mid-sentence.

Woke up by a semi

I have never had this happen but imagine yourself driving down the road having a struggle falling asleep at the wheel.  Your mind does not even think about the realization of your situation.  All you can think about is just relaxing and sleeping.  But suddenly you hear a horn blow and you look up and see a semi-truck coming at you.  You are no longer thinking of sleeping.  You are suddenly fully awake and swerve just in time to miss the semi-truck.  The adrenalin is running now and you are fully awake.  But as you drive on it start to not seem so worrisome to you anymore.  The drowsiness starts in again and you don’t feel the urgency to even worry about it.

You need a designated driver

It makes me think of the Christian road.  We “drive” along the road of life and things seem to get monotonous.  At that point, we start to get drowsy.  We keep on going along having conversations with God but tending to talk more than we listen.  As we keep talking the activeness of our minds become inebriated with ourselves.  And eventually, we start falling asleep to the reality around us.  All we care about is us.  We find ourselves drifting and a “semi-truck” is heading right for us and unless we veer back onto the right path we will be destroyed with selfishness.

The time has come, we need to “pullover” and allow the Lord be the “driver” in our lives.  We need to surrender all to Him.  He knows “road” very well, with all its potholes, curves, and supposed detours.  And as long as we allow Him to do the “driving”, He will navigate through all these things without a problem.

As He becomes our “designated” driver, He will change our lives so that we will no longer be inebriated with self.  But He does not force Himself in, we have to give Him the wheel.  And as soon as we don’t like the direction our lives are going and we grab that wheel back, He will give it to us.

Right decisions

There is a difference between my driving and allowing my mom to drive and Jesus being a spiritual driver.  He always needs to be in the driver’s seat and we better not relax and fall asleep.  We need to stay in active communication with Jesus and keep our minds active with making the right decisions.

If a “detour” comes up Jesus is not going to choose the right direction for us, we have to consent for Him to continue, “driving” or He will give us back the “wheel”.  We have to make the decision; He will not make it for us.  It is so easy to take the wheel of our lives back in any given situation.  “I want to get angry, He had no right to do that to me.”  I just took the wheel back.  Jesus will not force me to follow His ways.  But if I say, Lord, I am struggling with being angry I need you to continue, “driving” and I am going to choose to not be angry with Your power.”  He will give you the strength and He will stay in the driver’s seat.

“It’s too good to be true”

It sounds easy on paper but letting go of self and letting Jesus have full control is not easy.  This will take great effort.  We will have a battle with self.  It may take crying out to God on your knees, wrestling with self.  But the great news is, as long as we keep hanging on to Jesus, allowing Him full access to our lives, we can have the victory.  Hang on to the promises of God.

Hebrews 13:5,  “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:  for he hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’  So that we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

God says we don’t have to have fear because He will help us.

Dear Father,

I want You to be the “driver” of my life, through the indwelling of Your Spirit.  Thank You for Your love for me.  And even if I fail and take back the wheel, You are just a call away.  Thank You for Your willingness to forgive.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today and let Him be the “driver” in your life.

Love you all.

I would love to hear your thoughts.  Is there an area that you have struggled with?  How did God give you the victory?

 

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“Follow Me!”

We are followers

It seems in the world in which we live it is hard to know whom to follow.  Our natural tendency is to follow someone or at least try to mimic the life of someone we admire.  Many people look up to celebrities, whether they are actors, singers, pastors, elders, parents, etc.  Even when they fail in some way they will either defend them with all they have or they will get angry and discouraged that this person disappointed them.  The sad news is humans will always disappoint.  They will fail.  We fail at times too.

So whom should we follow?

I am coming from a Christian perspective so what comes to my mind is something Jesus said when He was on earth.

Matthew 4:19,  “And He said unto them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.’”

As a Christian, we should be following Jesus and as we follow Him, He will make us a witness for Him.  As I daily allow Christ to abide with me, He will give me the ability to attract others so that I can share the truth of God’s love.

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Have you ever known someone who is so obsessed with someone or something it seems that is all they ever talk about?  Or they may even do things just like the person as much as possible.  What would it be like if we would become more “obsessed” with Jesus more than the things of this world?

Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 16:24, “…If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

In following Jesus we need to pursue Him and give up the things of this world, the things that will distract us from following Him.

As Christians, we have been given a commission and unless we are following Christ we cannot fulfill the commission that He has given us.  We have been commissioned to bring others to the truth as it is in Jesus.  To share His love and what He has done for us.  Jesus wants to make us “fishers of men.”

So how does fishing have anything to do with winning souls to Christ?

I did a little research to see what methods were used in Bible times for fishing.  They would do their fishing mostly at night, so the question would be why at night.  They would throw out their nets and the light from their torches would attract the fish.

How do we apply this analogy to “fishing” for people?

I love the night analogy.  As we allow the “torch” of God’s love to shine through us we will attract more people to us and then we can share the truth as it is in Jesus.  If we are trying to attract with a “lure” and “hook” it will not be as effective.  If we are shining, people will be drawn to us. They will be asking us why we have so much peace through the turmoil and why we are calm during the storms of life.  Then we have the opportunity to point them to the One that we are able to trust through every situation.

Matthew 5:16,  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.”

What is our light?

Our light is the bright presence of Jesus in our lives.  It is not from us but from Him.  And we can only have this light as we allow Him full access to our lives so that He can live in us through the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:6, 7  “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Dear Father,

Thank You that it is all about You, not us.  Prompt our hearts, with every decision that we make, to do right.  I know that as we spend time with You, You will show us the path to life.  Thank You for Your love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Give all to Jesus today and let Him shine through you.

Love you all.

I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please share any thoughts below.

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“Pride or Humility?

Pride or humility

This is a question that we need to ask ourselves.  I have been giving pride and humility some thought lately and it is very eye-opening.  We hear these words passed around but what do they really mean.  So I decided to look them up in the dictionary as well as the Strong’s Concordance and do a little study.  What I found has given me much to think and pray about.

Pride

A high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in hearing, conduct, etc.”  In the Strong’s Concordance, it gave me a little more to think on.  “Haughtiness, arrogance.   The character of one whom, with a swollen estimate of his own powers or merits, looks down on others and even treats them with insolence and contempt.

Mark 7:20-23,  “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Proverbs 16:18,  “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride is having an inward thinking.  If we allow pride to rule our lives, every decision we make will be based on “what is in it for me”.

What “reward” do we get for pride?

Proverbs 29:23,  “A man’s pride shall bring him low:….”

Proverbs 16:18,  “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride will destroy a person’s life.  The true joy of life you cannot have when your heart is full of pride.  We cannot have meaningful relationships.  A true meaningful relationship is giving to others when there is nothing in it for us.  Pride brings misery and eventually destruction.

Humility

The meaning of humility, on the other hand, is the opposite of pride.  The dictionary meaning said, “The quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.”  In the Strong’s Concordance, it said, “1) having a humble opinion of one’s self.  2) A deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness.  3). Modesty, humility, lowliness of mind.”

1 Peter 5:5-9

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

The only way that we can have humility of heart is to allow the Lord access to our hearts so that He can come in and change us.  Humility is to have an outward mindset.  When we look at the life of Jesus we can see that His life was a life of thinking of others.

Philippians 2:3,  “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.”  This is what Jesus did and He is our example.

What is the reward for humility?

Proverbs 29:23,  “…. but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.”

Matthew 18:4,  “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

It is only as we come to God in humility, with a child-like faith and wanting to know truth can He teach us.  God wants to teach us His ways.  He wants us to spend time with Him and learn of Him.

John 4:24,  “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

I have wondered many times what this really means.  I am not theologian but I have studied this verse for myself.  And I am going to share what I believe it means. It has been such a blessing to me.

I started out by looking up the word spirit and truth in the Strong’s Concordance.  Spirit can refer to different things but for this study, I am only going to focus on a few.

spirit= seat of emotions, as seat or organ of mental acts (rarely of the will) as seat especially of moral character.

Psalms 143:4,  “Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”

Proverbs 15:13,  “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

Proverbs 16:19,  “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

There are so many verses I could use but these are the ones that I am using to show spirit as being emotions as well as character.  And our emotions have a real effect on our character but this is a subject for another time.

truth=of divine instruction

Proverbs 3:3,  “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:  bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.”

This verse is so amazing to me that I looked up some of the words in the Strong’s Concordance to discover the meanings.  Write = record, Table = tablet, heart = inner man, mind, will.  God wants to write truth upon the tablet of our heart and mind.  This is so exciting to me.

Hebrews 10:16,  “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.”

2 Corinthians 3:2,  “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

Did you know that our heart is our second mind and that our heart has a memory?  There are stories of people that have had heart transplants that have started having nightmares, memories of things they had never done in their lives, or cravings they had never had.   This is very enlightening to me.  As we meditate day and night upon God’s word (Psalms 1:2), we are creating pathways in our brains and our hearts.  God is writing truth upon our hearts and minds.

Dear Father,

Thank You that as we immerse ourselves in You, spending time with You, that You will write Your truth upon our hearts and minds.  Thank You for Your mercy and love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I want God’s truth to be so written in my heart and mind. So that my thoughts, emotions, and character change to fully reflect Him.  How about you?

Love you all.

I would love to hear from you.  What has God shown you and how is He leading in your life?

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“Repent??!!”

Repent

Repenting can be a very hard thing; I think we can all attest to that.  But why is it so hard?  I would suggest that it is because pride is in the way.  In order to repent, we have to humble ourselves.

Relief

I can attest to the fact that when a person finally humbles him or herself and repents it brings such a relief to the soul.  I remember as a young adult going against my parents.  They had said no and I ignored that no and did what I wanted anyway.  For years I always defended my position and felt my parents were wrong, even though the choices I made were making my life miserable.  I did not want to admit that my parents were right and I was wrong.  My parents never brought up the fact that I had gone against their wishes they just loved me and tried to help me in any way they could.

Years later

Several years went by.  I had gone to some workshop and what I heard really hit home.  The realization came to me that even though I could not change the choices I had made I could humble myself and repent.  I went to my parents and asked them to forgive me for my disobedience.  Of course, they forgave me, they already had.  It was me that had a wall between us that made me feel uncomfortable.  Even though my circumstances did not change there was a relief that came to my life.  Remember repenting is not for the other person it is for us.  When we hold something inside it does not affect the other person it only affects us.  I also made things right with God as well, what a blessing.

Our day begins in the evening

I believe that is why God made our day to start in the evening.  We always think of it as the end of the day but it is really the beginning.  If we do not make the right moves in the evening it affects our sleep and the next day.

Before going to sleep at night going through your day and evaluating how your day went, what you learned, maybe how you could have done things better and setting goals for the following day is a good thing to do.

The most important thing is to go to the Lord in prayer and repentance for anything that you have done during the day that has been displeasing to Him.  If you have a forgetful mind like I do I need a little help and God can help us remember.

Psalms 139: 23, 24

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

God knows everything about us.  Our “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

As your allowing God to search your heart He will show you those that you need to go to and ask forgiveness.  As far as possible it is good to do it before you go to bed, which if it is a family member you can.  But if it is someone not in your home you may need to wait until the next day but make sure to make things right as soon as possible.  It is so relieving in the evening to make things right as far as possible and it starts your day right at night.

What does true repentance look like

You can go through the motions of asking someone or God for forgiveness but how can you know if it is genuine or you are just going through the motions.  The motive is very important.  I know that the Lord can help you see your motive.  There are a couple of stories in the Bible that make me think about the difference.  One is the story of Esau and the other is David.

Esau

Esau came from the field after a big hunt and he was hungry.  He felt he could not make it home and live.  His brother was cooking some food and he begs him for some.  His brother wanted the birthright that Esau had as the first-born so he said, “sell me your birthright and I will give you some food”.  So Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of food.  Later Esau repented but for what reason.  Was it because he was really sorry he had sold the birthright or was it because he realized the consequences?  The latter was really the case for Esau.  He could care less that he disobeyed he was just sorry for the consequences.  Esau did not have true repentance.

Hebrews 12: 15-17

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for on morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was reject: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

True repentance means change, not just words.  Esau was not living the life that he was supposed to live in order to receive the birthright.  And when he realized that he was not getting it he “repented” but it was for the wrong reason and was not true repentance.  He wanted to blessing without having to do the responsibilities that went along with it.

David

David is the second one I want to look at.  When you read the story in 2 Samuel 11:1-27 it is mind-blowing.  Here he committed adultery with the wife of one of his soldiers and when he found out she was pregnant, he eventually put him on the front lines so he was killed.  So he committed both adultery and murder.  This seems way worse than selling your birthright.

God sees things way different what we do.  To God sin is a sin.  There is no category.  Sin separates us from Him no matter what the size.  Sin also separates us from others.  True repentance brings down the barriers and is so freeing.

David had true repentance but he still suffered some consequences.  True repentance does not always take away the result of our sin.  David’s true repentance is found in Psalms 51.  Read it and make it a part of your life.  The first verse really tells us what kind of God we serve.  “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”  God says in Acts 13:22, “….I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill My will.”  David wasn’t perfect but he was humbled when God showed him his error.  He was truly repentant and that is what makes the difference with God.

Dear Father,

I want to have a repentant heart.  I know that even repentance is a gift from You.  Convict my heart of sin and give me a repentant heart.  Thank You for Your forgiveness and love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember no matter how much wrong you have done God loves you and is just waiting for you to come to Him.  He is full of love and forgiveness.  Ask Him to forgive you and surrender your whole life to Him today.

Love you all.

Do you have a testimony of God’s forgiveness?  I would love to hear it.  Share below.

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“You Have Been Commissioned For Duty!!”

Commissioned

We all, at least if we are 18 or older, have received a commission of some sort.  Maybe you have been commissioned for jury duty.  You might have even been commissioned into the Military, drafted.  Even sometimes people are commissioned for a particular job at where they work.

We have all been commissioned

It made me think about that as Christians we are all commissioned for duty.  It may be different for each person, depending on age, time of life, position, personality, etc.  But we are all commissioned.

When I was driving to work one day recently the car in front of me started losing control due to slick roads.  I had to pull to the left of him into what could have been oncoming traffic in order to avoid crashing into him.  It was in town turning at a light so traffic was slow and there wasn’t any oncoming traffic and they could have avoided me because there were two lanes.  Right behind me was a one-trailer semi and this gave him a little room to adjust and not hit me.  I am thankful to the Lord that all turned out well.  When you are in a situation like that you don’t always think about what to do you just react to the situation.  Everyone would respond differently depending on his or her experience in driving.

It made me think

When I was thinking my almost accident it made me think about our commission as Christians.  We want to reach out to those that may know Jesus but are discouraged and we want to reach out to those that do not know the Lord.  But how do we safely go about doing this?  How do we avoid having an “accident” (shipwreck our Christian experience by following them)?  What can we do to help those that are slipping off the path without joining in their folly?  How do we come alongside them and reach them for the Lord without losing our own way?  These are questions we all have to ask ourselves.

Different commissions

This is why I believe that all of us have different commissions.  We may have a struggle in a certain area, which makes it a risk for us to reach out to certain individuals.  We may have small impressionable children and we may need to avoid certain things as well.  And the main thing is that we have to be prepared for whatever commission God calls us to.  We need to be equipped.  And maybe He will call us to a place we thought we would never choose to go.  As we equip ourselves God can use us in a broader way.  We cannot do the duty of our commission unless we are equipped.  So the work begins with us.  We cannot share what we do not have.

Jesus has already commissioned us

We have been commanded to make disciples of all nations.

Matthew 28:18-20

“Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto

Me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach (disciple)

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things

whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,

even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

God’s Commands are like beacons of light that will guide us throughout the course of our lives.  When we violate God’s commands it will bring conflict and unhappiness.

God has promised great rewards for those who keep His commandments before their eyes.  John 14:21,

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

(Hath)  to have, i.e. to hold, to hold fast.  When we hold fast to Christ commands Christ will manifest Himself to us.  That is an amazing thing.

There are rewards for holding fast to Christ commands

We have already learned that:

  • God will reveal Himself to us.

John 15:10

“If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept my Father’s Commandments, and abide in His love.”

John 14:21

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Reward

  • We will abide in God’s love

1John 3:22

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

Reward

  • Our prayers will be answered

1John 2:3

“And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.”

John 14:15

“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”

Reward

  • We have assurance of our love for God

1 John 5:2, 2

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His Commandments.”

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous”

Reward

  • Our love for the Body of Christ.

We may not think of all of these as rewards but they are.  They make life, a life of joy.

Navigators chart a course over the waters by observing.  The word that Jesus used when He said to “keep” the commandments has the same meaning “to observe or attend to.”  So just like a ship navigator gets his ability to navigate from the stars so we can get our ability to navigate life through studying and understanding Christ Commands.

How often should we be meditating on the Word?

Psalms 1:1,2

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

What might mediating day and night look like?

Pick a verse that you would like to start memorizing.  There may be something you’re struggling with, like anger, depression, unforgiveness, etc.  Pick a verse and go over it several times a day.  Make that the last thing you think about before you go to bed and the first thing you think about when you get up in the morning.  Even if you are up in the night think about the verse.  Keep it ever before you.  This is a habit that will have to be created in ourselves because most of us do not naturally have our minds going to scripture.

God created the day to start in the evening, why?

Genesis 1:5  “…And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

  • The evening is the most important part of our day because it affects the quality of our sleep and sets our mental attitude for the rest of the day.  So, in reality, we don’t “get up on the wrong side of the bed”; It is the attitude that we have when we go to bed the affects how we get up.
  • The evening is the best time to evaluate our day and to set new goals for the next day.  Making sure that everything is right between us and those around us as well as making things right with God by repenting.
  • As we go to sleep meditating on the Scripture and setting our goals before the Lord, it will make a difference in our lives.

Psalm 16:7

“I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.”

I looked up these words in the Strong concordance so I could understand a little more about this verse.

(Counsel means to advise, consult, give counsel, purpose, devise, plan) (Reins mean seat of emotions and affections)(Instruct means to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish)(Seasons means night as opposed to-day). To me, this means as we keep God’s Word (commands) before our eyes that God will give us insights from His Word and clear direction.  This will dramatically impact the success of our lives.

Dear Father,

I want to immerse myself in Your Word.  I want Your love to shine through me.  Prompt me each time my mind is idle to think upon Your Word.  I am nothing without You and I need You desperately.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I challenge you to keep the Word of God ever before you.

Love you all.

Some of you may have this habit already in your life.  What method have you used to help keep God’s Word ever before you?

 

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“Another New Year!”

Another year!

It is hard to believe that it is another New Year.  I don’t know about you but it just seems like yesterday that I started writing 2017 and now I have to start writing 2018.

There are questions that come each New Year.  What is this year going to bring?  Is it going to be a better year?  We can’t change what is going to happen in this coming year but we can decide whether it is going to be better or not.

You Decide

We know that there are going to be good and bad things that happen in the coming year, that is just life.  But what we do with them is what makes our lives either better or worse.  The decision is in our hands.

A lot of people start out their year with New Year’s resolutions.  They may make it through the first month but then it seems to go by the way and life goes back to “normal”.   The “normal” that we are used to, our comfort zone.  We need to get out of our comfort zone and do the right things and stick to them.

I have some suggestions

  1. Start out the year with setting 10 goals. You do not need to set 10 goals but don’t do any more than 10.  These goals can be in multiple areas of your life, spiritual, parental (if you’re a parent), intellectual, emotional, physical, marital (if you’re married), social, vocational, avocational, and financial.  These are just some ideas.
  2. Once you have set the goals, break them down in small steps.  Break your steps down into monthly steps and then into weekly steps.
  3. Make sure to reward yourself. When you accomplish the goal make sure to reward yourself.  You can even write down a reward you plan on when you have accomplished your goal.  Some goals may be habit goals and others may be achievement goals.  For example getting out of debt.  Once you are out of debt you might reward yourself by having a special meal (as long as it is in the budget).  I think you get the idea.
  4. At the end of each week, review. Make sure to review each week.  You can write down what you have accomplished, mistakes you might have made, and what you could have done differently.  And then start a new week of steps toward your goals.

You can make the difference

You can make the difference to how your year turns out.  I know that the best decision that I have ever made that makes my years better is trusting God.  It really doesn’t matter what is going on around me I can trust Him with my life and goals.

Dear Father,

Thank You that we can have a wonderful year with You.  Help us to trust You more through the trials and hard times.  Thank You for bringing us through another year closer to Your soon coming.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Give everything to God today and trust Him with the outcome of this coming year.

Love you all.

What goals have you set for this coming year?

 

 

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“Merry Christmas!”

Merry Christmas!

It is hard to believe another Christmas is actually here.  Time flies so fast that it seems it is on us before we know it and it is hard to actually be prepared.  I am not sure I am really ever as prepared as I want to be.

As you gather with friends and family this year don’t forget the reason for the season.  And although we know that Jesus was not born on December 25th it is the time we celebrate and remember Him coming to this earth as a babe.  He left the majesty of heaven to come down to a place like this to redeem us.

Gifts

Christmas is all about giving.  “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35.  I know I receive more joy out of giving than receiving.

The Greatest Gift ever given was Jesus.  He was given to us.  The question is have we received the Gift into our hearts.  Let’s not forget the Greatest Gift today as we celebrate with friends and family.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your most gracious Gift, Your Son Jesus.  I accept Your gift today into my heart.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Merry Christmas everyone and may the Lord bless you in a special way this Christmas season.

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“Creating a Silk Purse Out of a Sow’s Ear!”

Have you ever…

Have you ever felt like you were trying to “create a silk purse out of a sow’s purse”?  It could be in any area in your life personally or something materially that is connected with your life.

I feel like we have been trying to do that all our married life with our “60’s” mobile home.  I think the first time we ever really did something in it was back in December 1995, just 3 months before one of our babies was to be born.  We totally ripped out the mobile home kitchen and put in a new one.  We did all the work ourselves because my husband is a cabinetmaker.  I don’t know of anyone with such a nice kitchen in an old mobile home.  We have had to do wiring changes over time, replaced all the plumbing, and furred out walls in bedrooms to add more insulation.

I am not sure what they were thinking way back but this mobile home really lacked in insulation.  We qualified one year for our electric company to come out and do some extra insulating.  They blew insulation into the belly of the mobile home and they also replaced all of our windows.  Wow! What a difference that made.

Recent changes

The most recent changes have been the living room floor.  We have changed the carpet probably twice since we have owned it but last week we did a drastic change.  I decided if I ever did flooring again it would not be carpet.  When you have those that will not take off their shoes and dogs that can’t take off their paws it becomes rather messy.

So last week we ripped up the carpet and put down laminate flooring.  We did almost the cheapest we could find so who knows how long it will hold up but for the time being, it sure looks nice.  And it will be easier to keep clean.  I have to say that it shows up things more but that is a good thing.  The carpet hid a lot of dirt.

It made me think

This project made me think of our spiritual lives.  It seems that for whatever reason we want to hang on to the old things in life.  And a lot of the old things are not things that are good.  They are destroying our lives spiritually.  We want to look good to other Christians so we try to dress up the outside and make ourselves look pretty good to those around us.  Here is a little secret though, our families know the real us.

We may do the “right things” as far as what people can see but inside we are full of sin.   Are we doing things for the right reasons?  We are trying to create a spiritual silk purse out of a sow’s ear.  And the reality is we are totally ugly.  We may even be doing a lot of external changes that look good but we are full of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc.

There is hope

I am so grateful that there is hope.  There is no hope in us but there is hope in Jesus.  Jesus can create something beautiful out of our lives if we surrender to Him.  He does the work and our job is to cooperate with Him.  He doesn’t just come in a pretty up the outside He changes things from the inside out.  If the inside is created new the outside will show it.  But if we are just trying to clean up the outside, it doesn’t clean up the inside.  What we need is a totally new heart.  If we allow Jesus to give us a new heart our desires will be different.

Good, I am glad Jesus does all the work

Wait!  We do have a part to play.  He does not force.  We have to make a choice and whatever choice we make He accepts.  If we make the choice to sin He steps back.  He does not go against our will.  In James 4:17 it reads, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doth if not, to him it is sin.”  If we know what God would have us to do and we do not do it then it is sin.  But if we step forward and make the choice He will give us the power.  I am grateful that God did not make robots out of us.  He gave us a free will to choose.

Dear Father,

“Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me; cast me not away from Thy Presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.”

 

In Jesus Name,

Amen

 

Surrender all to Him today and cooperate with His leading.

Love you all.

How has God helped you to grow in Him?

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“We Did Not Know That Today Was Our Last!!”

“A day that will live in infamy”

This last week we had a day, “A day that will live in infamy.”  This is the day that in 1941 a “surprise” attack was made on Pearl Harbor, or was it.  It was a surprise to a lot of people but not to all people.  There were many that did not know but there were those select few that knew exactly what was going to happen but they did not warn anyone, they had an agenda and that was all they wanted to accomplish but I am sure there were, even among those who knew, ones that never thought their decision was going to turn out the way that it did.  They weren’t truly prepared for the devastation of their decisions.

There is a day that is coming and I believe it is in the very near future, the coming of Jesus.  It will be a surprise to most people but not all.  There are some who will not be surprised at all when He comes, they are preparing and telling others so that they can prepare.  But there are those that know He is coming, they are preparing but they have just one thing in mind, their own Salvation only.  They just want to make sure they are ready and they are not warning anyone else.  The sad part is that when the time comes they will not be ready, even though they think they are.

What is the solution?

I believe the solution is to truly fall in love with Jesus.  If we are in love with Jesus we cannot help but share.  And you may not even share in words.  We share a lot just in our actions.  If our actions are revealing the love of Jesus it will draw people to us and then we can show them the One that is abiding in us.  The bottom line is that we cannot share in action or word without having a connection with Jesus.

But how do I find the people to share with?

The people are everywhere.  We tend to limit ourselves as to where we can share.  I learned a long time ago that I don’t even have to worry about who I am going to share with.  Remember we have the most powerful Person we can turn to.  He knows who we need to come in contact with and He can lead us.  He will give us divine appointments if we ask Him.  And that divine appointment may be just living out a truly Christ-like life in our homes and workplaces.  Talk is cheap.  We can share the love of God through words but how we live speaks louder.

Spend time to get to know Jesus and allow Him to live through you.  As you reflect His love in your life with full surrender and obedience to Him, He will direct your path.  He will bring people across your path for you to minister to.  He will lead you to those that need to see and hear about His love.  So stay connected with Him.

Dear Father,

As we draw closer to You, surrendering our lives in obedience to You, shine through us to others.  As You direct us with Your Spirit help us in the sharing process, leading us to those that we can minister to.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

As we are preparing for that Great Day let’s surrender all to Jesus so He can shine through us to others.  And as He gives us opportunity let’s not keep it to ourselves.

Love you all.

What divine appointment has God-given you?  I would love to hear your story and it would be an encouragement to others to hear it as well.  Share in the comments below.

 

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“He Was Healed?!!”

How often have you seen a miracle?

Sometimes I think there are many miracles that happen around us but we don’t seem to pay attention.  It needs to be something big to draw our attention away from the things that we think is “important”.  When a big miracle happens we forget the blessings of the Lord.  It is like it is just expected that He should do it.

I remember when my son was in India.  He had gotten very sick.  The people that were with him felt he may die.  My son was even ready to give up the fight.  But then a local pastor came by and he was asked to have an anointing of healing as state in James 5:14 & 15.  Many prayed that night and there was a miraculous healing.  The tenancy is to forget these things.  Yes, we know that it happened but as time passes we forget.

The Bible

I have been reading through the Bible and it amazes me what miracles God did for different people and how easily they forgot.  There are a two that stand out to me.  One was the Children of Israel.  The Lord did mighty miracles for them and they were happy when the miracles came but they quickly forgot them.  Secondly, I have been reading about the life of Christ.  Jesus had crowds that followed Him.  When He performed a miracle the people were so amazed.  It is like they were so amazed every time as if He had not already performed a miracle before.

What about us?

It makes me think of myself.  How do I do at remembering the miracles that God has done for me?  He does little miracles for me every day but I tend to shrug it off as if that is just the normal expected thing.  I mean it is His job right?  And then when there is a big one, like my son being healed, it amazes me and I tend to share it more often.  But there again as time passes I forget.  And then when things seem to be going wrong I get into a frenzy forgetting what God is capable of if I just allow Him and trust His ways. And I tend to share the big miracles but don’t consider the little ones worth sharing. But the reality is they are all a blessing.

How much faith do I need?

Matthew 17:20 says, “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  Wow, I don’t have much faith.  It doesn’t take much faith to accomplish mighty things.

We are told, “But without faith, it is impossible to please God…”Hebrews 11:6. So I can’t even please God unless I have faith?  I think there are two aspects to think about.  One is unless our obedience to God is due to our faith in Him, trusting that He knows what is best for us, we can’t really please God with our obedience.  Secondly, as we are living in obedience to God through faith diligently seeking Him, His power will be made manifest through us.  We will have a testimony to share of how God has been faithful.  And not only that He has been faithful but that He has been faithful in the little things in life as well as the big things.

How can I strengthen my faith?

I believe a key way to strengthen our faith is to pay close attention to how God is working in our lives and be willing to acknowledge it no matter how small.  As we see the Lord working each day in our lives and we take it to heart our faith will grow by leaps and bounds.  And journaling how God has been faithful can help us during those times of forgetfulness.  The more we seek God and allow Him to work within our lives we will grow in faith.

Dear Father,

Increase our faith.  We can all struggle with not having the faith and trust in You that we should have.  Continue to draw our hearts to Your love and strength.  Help us all to move forward in faith without fear.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

In faith, take God at His Word.  He is more powerful to save than any other, so trust Him today.

Love you all.

What has happened in your life that has helped your faith to grow?