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What are you sacrificing?

Star Wars is a great example of the battle of good and evil we all face.

Selfish choices, even if they are for someone else, they change who we are for the worse. We devalue the person we are trying to protect because we compromise ourselves to do it. When we compromise for others we are no longer the person they cared for in the first place.

Anakin changed the selfless path he was on, to save Padmé but his decision to compromise actually ended up being what harmed her.

Even in what seems to be the worst circumstances. We need to trust God to lead us out of it.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. –Proverbs 3:5-6

God knows us and knows what is best for us. His plan is not to harm us but to give us a hope and a future.

I can’t even count the number of times God has brought me through fear or worry or circumstances I didn’t understand at the time.

Changing our allegiance to something else because we want the faster, quicker answer is not the answer. When the Israelites lost faith in God that’s when things took longer or didn’t go there way. But when they put their faith in God. He parted the read sea and made walls fall just from marching.

It’s not our circumstance or our current perspective that should dictate our faith in God. But his track record. How he has over and over again delivered his people from the impossible. So this May the fourth. But your faith in the God of the impossible and let him show you the force of his power and plan.

Faith In Th Unseen

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. —2 Corinthians 4:18

Faith can be hard for so many people. Because if they can’t see it right in front of them, its not there. But faith in Jesus isn’t ambivalent. It’s trust in who He is. Think of the person in this world that you trust the most. You know them and you trust them because you know who they are and that you can depend on them. You don’t have to see them do something to know they will.

It’s the same with Jesus. We have faith in Him to be there for us not only because of what He’s already done but because we know Him. We know his character and track record. We have faith in him because we trust Him to be who He has already shown us He is. Loving, sacrificial and forgiving.

Who are you?

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. –Colossians 3:5-11

Its easy to excuse away our behavior by saying ‘that’s just the way I am.’

But if we are are made new in Jesus, then we are not who we used to be. We are like him.

By saying ‘that’s just the way I am’ we are resurrecting our old self and saying that Jesus in us, is not enough to kill off our old selves.

Jesus makes us new when we invite him into our lives. He gives us new life a new identity.

When we die to self, we are spiritually no longer that person and are given new life in Jesus and that new life is for him to live through us.

So when we find our selves reverting back to our old ways and our old habits we don’t need to try to change, we need to realize that, that is not us anymore.

That’s why knowing Jesus is so important, because the more we know him the more we know our new selves, its how we find our identity in him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. –2 Corinthians 5:17

When you’re at your lowest

Even when we feel we at our worst, God is always all we need.

We tend to want the be alone when at our darkest moment. But that’s when He shines the most, in the darkest places. That’s when we need God the most and that’s when we should turn to Him.

Only He can truly deliver us from our worst moment because only He can make us new. We are a new creation in Christ. We just have to remember who he made us to be and stop dwelling on our old selves.

We are never beyond Jesus reach, if we let Him in.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Only Jesus

Jesus is my everything and it’s because of him that I write. He put the burden in my heart, he called me to it and encourages me in it. He is who I want to bring light to and draw our focus to.

I don’t write this devotional for myself, for my glory or to be heard by others. I write it to draw people closer to Jesus. To help them see that he loves them and that he wants to be with us all every moment of every day.

So if you get anything out of these devotionals. I hope that you see Jesus, grow closer to him and know him more each day.

What has Jesus placed in your heart? Who has he called you to reach? And how is he calling you to do it?

Love is meant to GROW

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight –Philippians 1:9

We should always be growing in our relationship with God and with others. It’s when we stop that we feel stuck or stagnant. We should fall head over heels in love more and more as time goes by.

Marriage is not the end. It’s the beginning of a beautiful journey of discovery together.

When we begin our relationship with God we don’t all the sudden know everything about him. We still have to build a relationship. And as we learn about him we grow to love him more.

It’s the same with our spouses. Yes, we got to know each other before we got married and that why we got married. But we have to continue that adventure of knowing each others.

Because love grows.

We should be overjoyed to learn new thing about God, because we love him. Just as we should in marriage. We should be learning more and more about each other and falling deeper in love with each other.

That’s why God uses marriage as an example of his relationship with us. Both relationships are supposed to be deep, intimate and always growing.

What is God teaching you?

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. –Colossians 4:7-9

Sharing what God is doing in our lives and others sharing what he is doing in their live is how we encourage and build each others up. We are the body of Christ and how can the body function if it doesn’t communicate with itself. When one part of the body suffers others parts of the body come to heal that part.

When we lived in Michigan we were part of a small group that had no curriculum, no required reading, no plan, except that each week when we gathered we asked each other one simple question.

‘What has God been teaching you this week?’

Our facilitator/host always had something prepared but we rarely needed it. Some of the members would share, not always the same people even but somehow it always all connected. We would teach each other what God was teaching us and encourage each other to grow in our relationship with God. Sometimes when one or a few of us were struggling or hurting we did what the body does we would focus on that person and help them to heal. Even when we didn’t know what to do we followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and let God teach us all. But we made learning how to grow lose to God a shared experience.

Sharing with each others builds faith and trust. It shows that God is real and active in our lives everyday. That he does make a difference and he can do the same for everyone.

Share your life, share your stories of what God has done for you and seek to learn from others what God has done for them.

What love is this

I’ve never known a love as deep, as pure and unceasing as the love of God. No where else have I felt safer, more cared for and lacking nothing then in the presence of God. He brings joy and peace, a sense of calm that surpasses understanding. His love is where we don’t feel shame or worry only comfort.

It’s us that put up a barrier to keep him at arms length instead of embracing the freedom that his grace provides. But when we accept his forgiveness and surrender control, that’s when we can truly know him.

We are his and he gave everything for us, even his very life just to have a relationship with us. He died because we are valuable to him, we are priceless. And his love is more than enough for us. Accept his gift freely given and melt into the safety of his presence.

No one has greater love than this; to lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13

God’s got your back

With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

Psalm 18:29

God is who we draw our confidence and our feeling of invincibility from. When we know who we are. His kids. When we know who He has made us to be and what He’s called us to do. It gives us a firm foundation to stand on. To know that the creator of the universe has got our back.

Imagine if everywhere we went and everything we did, we had a fifty foot angel standing behind us backing us up. Giving us support and encouragement. That’s what it’s like when we trust God to lead us, but even better. Even a fifty foot angel fanes in comparison to God. And God is with us all the time.

We are never alone if we have Him by our side. If we look to Him for guidance. For the right words and for each step and each action each day. he will not fail us if we follow His lead. He created the universe. He can handle our daily schedule. And with Him, we can tackle what seems impossible, because nothing is impossible to him.

Freedom from Trying

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Colossians 2:20-23

When we die to our selfish nature it’s to stop trying to achieve salvation on our own. We humble ourselves by acknowledging that we cannot achieve it by our own self abasement. So why after receiving Jesus’s free gift of forgiveness would we one again try to earn it?

The choices we make to abstain from things in our lives are to help us develop a deeper relationship with Jesus; building more dependence on him and less on ourselves. Things like fasting are to show us that God can sustain us, not to show others how devout we can be.

Our choices to abstain from things are for our focus to be undivided. If we focus on trying to redeem our past. We will miss what God is doing in our lives now. If we look to darkness for light we are missing the point that he delivered us from darkness.

Stop trying to earn salvation and accept the free gift that it is and enjoy the freedom from darkness that Jesus salvation provided.

Praise HIM

The first exegetical sermon (which simple means using the whole text and in context) I ever preached was on Psalm 150. The last of the Psalms. It cries out the heart of the book of psalms Praise HIM, no matter what, no matter how you feel, Praise HIM.

Praise HIM everywhere in every way, all the time. With singing, with instruments, with dancing, with focus and undivided attention.

Praising God isn’t about the perfect song or if the band is on key, or if you sit, stand, kneel, dance or jump about. It’s about your heart.

Worship is about God, not us.

Are your words and your actions reflecting God? Are you shining glory on him? Are you taking time to solely focus on God, thanking him, praising him and giving him the glory? That’s what he deserves.

How are you praising HIM?

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with timbrel and dancing,

praise him with the strings and pipe,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Prayer isn’t something to be scared of

Those moments when we’re lost, tired, confused and stressed. There is one thing we can always pray, Jesus.

In times of stress and worry we often neglect prayer because we think we need the right words or we don’ know what to say. But we don’t really have to say anything. We can simple call on Jesus and let him do the talking.

Prayer doesn’t have to be some eloquently written poem. Prayer is a conversion between you and God.

Don’t worry about what to say.

Be open, honest, raw and say anything, he can handle it. The most important thing is that we are opening the line of communication to him and that we are giving him a chance to talk to us. Just say Jesus and listen.

To Take or to Give

I had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Henry Convington and his wife Annette of I Am My Brothers Keeper in Detroit, Michigan years ago. So I was excited to learn more of their story when I saw the movie Have a Little Faith.

Pastor Covington’s life was a great example of the complete transformation that Jesus makes in our life. He was a drug dealer and addict until he hit his rock bottom and surrendered his life to Jesus.

Jesus is always there for us and he wants to take care of us. But we have a choice. We can choose to live however we want and ignore Jesus or we can choose to follow Jesus and trust him to take care of us.

Pastor Covington hustled for what he thought he wanted and it almost cost him his life. But when he turned his life to Jesus instead of taking from people, God gave him the opportunity to give to people..

Don’t be afraid to do what God has asked of you. Trust that he will you take care of you and will never fail. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Trust that his promises and provision don’t change. We just have to chose him instead of our fear, worry and anxiety. He will give us his peace, provision and love.

Who are you when you’re alone?

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.-Philippians 2:12-13

How do you act, speak, think when your alone? Is it the same way you are in public, at work, at church?

Would you be ashamed to share who you are at home or what you do? Does who you are change depending on where you are? Or who you’re around.

If we have Jesus living in us and we are living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We should be the same person whether we are alone or surround by thousands.

If you worship God at Church worship him at home. If you pray at church, pray at work, in the car, or while doing the dishes. The Holy Spirit lives in us no matter where we are or what we are doing. Where we are or what were doing does not change who God is. So why would it change who we are or what we do. No matter what you’re doing or where you are. Remember God is with you. He doesn’t change, he is the same. And we can depend on him for everything anywhere anytime.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. -Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Humbled Himself

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature  of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross! –Phil 2:6-8

Even Jesus didn’t consider himself equal with Father God when he came to earth. He could of been born to the highest king in all the world. He could of come as an adult.

But instead He choose to come as a baby, to a young girl and her fiance with no notoriety or status.

He choose to start with humble beginnings.

He never demanded to be worshipped, glorified, honored or respected.

He simple came to serve us in love. To do what we couldn’t, to live a sinless life and then die falsely accused the death of a murder.

All to give us the opportunity to have right relationship with Father God. To not have to earn anything, simple to let Him live through us. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus did the hard part.

We need to stop striving and trying to work for Him. Instead we need to start surrendering and let Him work through us!

The unknown doesn’t have to be scary

God fights for us even when we don’t see it. He works things out before we even know them and builds a path for us to walk that we cannot see. It can be scary to go where you haven’t been.

My husband and I have lived in several different states in our 10+ years of marriage. In each place, he put people in our lives for us to reach, love and encourage in their faith in God. And people have influenced us too. Because no matter how long or short we we were somewhere God had gone before us and prepared a place for us, he built connections for us and prepared our way, we were simply willing to go.

God may not be calling you to move across the country or to move around the world. He may only be asking you to walk across the street. But whatever he has called you to, he has prepared the path ahead for you. Are you willing to follow where He leads you?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight

Proverbs 3:5-6

How do you see yourself?

It’s easy to struggle with how God sees you when you get wrapped up in how others see you or how you see yourself. But how God sees us is what matters!

He is our creator and a creator always knows how something was meant to be used. It’s us or others that see ourselves not as we were intended to be.

God sees us all as his beautiful kids that he loves. We need to ask him to show us how he sees us each day. Then we can fulfill the purpose he intended for us when he made us.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. -Psalm 139:13

Second chances

As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

-John 8:3-11

We have all done something wrong in our lives. None of us is without blemish. None of us could cast the first stone at the other for their mistakes. Because none of us are without mistakes. That is the beauty of why Jesus came to redeem us. He came to do what we could not, to live a life without sin.

That’s why second chances and believing in others is so important. Because we all were given a second chance from God. How could we not do the same for others.

I watched a movie the other night about a basketball coach who saw potential in his players to not only do well as athletes but he saw beyond that. That they could exceed the expectations of others around them in their education too.

That’s how God is with us. He sees way more potential in us then we or others see in ourselves. That’s why he never gives up on us. He is always our biggest cheerleader. He knows we are capable of far greater then we can think or imagine. If we will just trust him to guide us to it.

Trust in all things

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. –Proverbs 3:5-6

Whatever comes our way good or bad. We can trust God. We can look to him in every situation and he will bring us joy and peace. We may not understand why or how. But putting our faith in God is not about understanding. It’s about trust.

When we are children our parents give us instruction to protect us and take care of us. We may not understand why but we trust our parents to take care of us. It’s the same with God. He may ask us to do something or not to do something for our benefit whether we understand it or not, we can trust Him. We can trust that he knows the outcome even if we can’t see it at the time.

How many times in your life have looked back and realized your parents, mentor, leader or boss were right about something you didn’t understand at the time. Did the parting of the red sea make sense, or the walls of Jericho walling down from marching and praising God. Or Jesus raising from the dead. Did any of these make sense at the time. Did Moses or Joshua or the disciples truly know and understand exactly what God was doing to do. Or did they trust God.

God can see the bigger picture. He knows what it takes to get us where we need to go and what may harm us in the long end. Trust God to lead you and know that His heart is for you.

Are you helping or hindering?

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree and to work in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, I ask you too, my true companion, to help these women [to keep on cooperating], for they have shared my struggle in the [cause of the] gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. ~Philippians 4:2-3

Why do we have disagreements within the church body? I’m not talking about the big theological debates. More about the simple things like how the Christmas decorations get set up.

Why do we let these things bother us? Was it really our decision in the first place or are we giving our opinion. If it is our opinion, is that what we should be focused on? Isn’t our role in the church to be the body of Christ, to help others, not hinder. Have we asked Jesus His opinion on the matter? Or are we just blazing forward without regard for God’s opinion.

You may think He doesn’t care about the little things. Or that your perfectly capable of making that decision without Him. But should we be doing things without Him? Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

Jesus can make the simplest thing simpler or the most boring thing enjoyable. Make every moment a moment to deepen your relationship with Him. If doing something simple and boring is more fun with a friend; and He is the funnest friend ever. Then shouldn’t we want to do everything with Him.

If your have a differing opinion then someone else in the body of Christ. Then you should both seek God and ask him how you can serve others. Changing our perspective from ourselves to others. Changes our hearts to the gospel. As Paul is speaking of in this verse. Jesus didn’t come to earth to make things about him. He came to connect us to Father God. He came to serve others not himself or his opinion but to do and say what his Heavenly Father said and did. If even Jesus didn’t consider his opinion to be above others how can we.

What fills you?

Soaking is a term in many Christian groups. That means to literally sit in God’s presence and soak it in. Marinade in his presence till your enveloped in it. You don’t have to pray or sing or do anything. Just sit and let everything go, all your worries, concerns, pain and frustration. Just let Jesus be enough for it all.

It’s a moment where you don’t have to do or be anything. Just surrendered to God and focused on him. It’s like what I describe in my ‘Jello Effect‘ devotional.

If you’ve never tried soaking in God’s presence. I want to encourage you to put on your favorite worship music and just let everything go. Let God fill you up with his peace, joy, love and presence. Let the words flow over you like a river and let God melt away your worries and concerns. Because he is more than enough!

God is Good

There are so many songs that talk about how good God is and each one resonates because he is good. King of my Heart by Bethel Music repeats how good he is to us in everything that we face. He is the anchor in the storm, his is fire in our souls and the mountain where we run.

We know that we can run to him no matter how we are feeling and he is there for us. He is there to comfort us when we are sad or shield us when we’re weak. He anchors us when we start to stray and he is who we run to and thank for his blessings beyond our beliefs.

God is good, because he has proven it to me more times then I can count. He blessed me with amazing friends that never gave up on me when I ran from God. He blessed me with an amazing husband who has strength and character that I didn’t know I wanted or needed. God is good.

He has been there for me in some the hardest moments of my life, and helped me find joy and peace when I saw none.

God is good. Ask him how he wants to show his goodness to you today!

We Have a Choice

“You can either run from your past or learn from it” Rafki The Lion King

One of the greatest gifts God gives us is choice. We have the choice to choose our actions and reactions. We can choose to let things in our past dictate how we act, speak and interact with others. Or we can make a conscious choice not to let our past determine our future.

The amazing thing abut Jesus sacrifice is that he gives us a choice. We can choose to continue to live our lives for ourselves. OR we can choose to believe in his sacrifice and accept the forgiveness he freely gives us. Because the choice to follow Jesus means our old self is dead. Now Jesus lives through us. We follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and put others before ourselves.

Every moment of everyday we can choose to follow the Holy Spirit or we can choose our own selfish desires. I’ve tried both and for me Jesus is always the better choice. What will you choose?

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

Find the Light

Light even in the darkest place will help you see, if you look for it.

Have you ever closed your eyes in a dark room and been able to see better when you opened them. If we stay in the dark, we will get used to it and think that this is how life is. But if we seek out the light and look for more, we will find the light and eventually leave the darkness behind.

God gave me a vision a long time ago of him walking in the woods at night with no path, but as he walked the footprints he left behind illuminated to guide me where he wanted me to follow.

We can find the light if we look for it. Jesus is always with us waiting to be our light; to guide us even in the darkest places.

Close your eyes and ask him to show you the light. To show you the steps he wants you to take.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12

Who God made you to be

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus. –Ephesians 1:1

God’s identity for each of us is so crucial to our relationship with Him. Who and what He has called us to is so much more then a career; it’s who we are.

For me, it’s writing, it’s who he made me to be and even though I don’t earn a dime from it currently, it’s still who I am. Writing uplifts me, it causes me to think about what He’s done, what He is doing and seek to know Him more. Writing about Him is how I understand Him and know His character.

In our American society we get so encapsulated that our job or career is our identity. But we are so much more the what we do for a living. Our identity can never be stripped away. We can lose everything and everyone and God will still be God and we will still be who He called us to be; His kids.

Paul knew that and that’s why he says by the will of God, because God completely changed who he was. God gave Paul a new identity, a new purpose and even a new name.

God does this with us too. When we seek God and ask Him who He made us to be. He reveals His identity for us, who He designed us to be. We become fulfilled by Him the more we walk in the identity He’s called us to.

Who has God made you to be?

God’s Love Endures

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. –Act 16:25

The love of God is so overwhelming that even in prison his disciples still worship. You have to wonder what is so great about God’ love. That people would be willing to be imprisoned for it and still praise him in that prison.

In the book Heavenly Man, the true life story of a leader of the underground church in China. He endured multiple imprisonments, beatings and mistreatment. Even through this he still shared God’s love with the very men that beat him. This made me wonder if I would be willing to endure the same for the gospel. But that’s God’s love, it endures everything and anything.

Jesus was falsely accused, beaten and died the death of a murderer for all for us, because he loves us.

That love is worth sacrifice.

God’s love endures.

It endure our constant rejections, abuse, neglect and straight opposition.

His love endures.

No matter what. His love for you never changes. No matter what you say or do he loves you and it is that love that holds us together.

His love endures all things

If his love can endure all. Isn’t it worth giving him the chance to love you?

Forever on Your Side

I’m not going to even begin to think that I have all the answers. But the one thing that I know for sure is that God is forever on our side. I know that his love for us never ends. That he is always there for us no matter what. We need only to look to him.

He was there when I made less then wise decisions. He was there when I choose to ignore him and he is there for me now. He is always there for all of us. All the time. We choose whether to let him in or not.

He’s been there for me in some of the hardest moments of my life. And he’s been there for the good times too.

When I was young I was really shy and I had very low confidence in myself. But as I’ve grown to know God deeper and more intimately. I have grown in confidence and assurance of who I am. Because I know who he made me to be. That he gives me everything I need to achieve the goals he’s laid on my heart. And he’s there for me when I fail too.

God’s love is not dependent on our behavior its always there. But we have to allow him in. We have to allow him to show us who he made us to be. When we find our identity in Jesus. It opens new doors and opportunities that we never knew existed and he gives us the confidence to succeed.

Give God the chance to show you that he’s forever on your side.

Is it really worth it

Lord of the Rings exemplifies how we all struggle with choosing good or evil and the temptation for shortcuts to what we want in life. The ring represents those shortcuts that we are so often are tempted to take in life. Those shortcuts causes us to compromise who we are to achieve what we’ve been working toward in an instant. But the problem is we will no longer be who we are if we choose to compromise to get the power or control or upper hand that we so desperately think we need.

Gandalf, Galadriel and Aragorn all knew this and refused to compromise who they are in exchange. There may be options or opportunities that we are presented with in life that could skyrocket us to what we want out of life. But at what cost? Is it really worth throwing away the journey you’ve taken so far, be it a day, an hour, a week, or years for that moment of instant gratification that will sullen who you’ve worked to become.

If any of these characters had taken the shortcut to increase their power or position they would have ceased being who they were and become something they never wanted or intended.

We have to realize that the quick fix is never the answer.

God made each and everyone of us and he loves us all. He knows who he made us to be. The journey to become that person is how we become who he made us to be. It’s the journey that makes us who we are.

God knows you

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalm 139:1-6

We all search for and want someone who understands us, who gets us, and knows us to our very soul.

Jesus is that person. He knows us even better then we know ourselves. He knit us together in our mothers womb and He knows us to our very core.

We are the ones who put up the barriers and choose to separate ourselves from Him. We are the ones who surrender some of us, but still hang onto the most painful parts of our lives, to keep control.

I want to encourage you to surrender everything over to Him. Stop holding back and trust Him. I’ve never felt more myself then when I surrendered my life over to Jesus. I know it sounds strange, but He made us and He knows how to fulfill us.

We just have to trust Him.

Represent Jesus

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospelwithout being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. –Philippians 1:27-30

Would you act the way you act if Jesus were standing right next to you?

Regardless of the circumstance around us. We are to represent Jesus in our words, our actions and reactions.

No one said Christianity would be easy or popular. But it will change you for the better if you let it.

We may be surrounded by opposition but that does not mean it has to change us. One of the biggest ways to witness to others. Is to let them see that we are faithful to share God’s love. Even in the toughest circumstances.

No matter if people are screaming at us and telling us, we’re wrong. We know the truth. That God loves us and that He loves them too. That truth can move mountains.

When we don’t falter during the hard times. We show others what God has to offer. That they can have the same peace in the storm and confidence that they are loved, that we do.

Regardless of the circumstances around us or the lack of support or encouragement from others. When we know God and His character. He provides all that we need and more to represent Him to others.

He gives us peace in the storm and the confidence to love others. Because we are loved by Him. We share that love that changed us with others so it can change them too.

Abide in Jesus

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.-John 15:1-11

Abiding in the vine. Abiding in Jesus. Changes us. It changes our wants, our desires, and the way we think. If we abide in the vine, we abide in the love of God. Jesus’s desires become our desires. So that keeping his commandments is out of love, not status or achievement.

Abiding in the vine. Is about literally growing as a branch to reach out and grow fruit. If we are each a branch. Then how many could we reach. How many could be grafted into the house of God so they can know his love and bear fruit themselves.

Seek to abide in God to soak up the nutrients needed to reach and bear fruit.

Abide in the vine that is Jesus. Abide in his love and you will bear his fruit.

You Are Not Alone

When you feel defeated, knocked down, like no one is in your corner. Jesus is always there for you. He always has your back. He will go to bat for you because He already did when lived a sinless life and died to pay for our mistakes.

He’s forever on our side.

Jesus is always there for us.

We can always talk to Him. He is always listening, because He loves us.

He loves us so much that He gave everything for us. He gave every second of everyday for us. He gave up His life for US!

He’s forever on our side.

Jesus Sacrifice Provides Freedom

In ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ movie. Aslan lays down his life in place of Edmond. No matter how many times I watch this movie. I can’t watch this part, it makes me cry. Because Aslan represents Jesus and Edmond represents humanity. Its symbolic of what Jesus did to give us relationship with Father God, himself and Holy Spirit.

Jesus laid down His life willingly for us. All of us and He knew it wouldn’t be easy or quick and that some would even rejoice in His unjust suffering. But he forgave them even as He was dying. He forgave all of us.

Jesus paid the price for everything we have even done wrong. So that He could have a relationship with us. So we could be forgiven and find freedom from guilt and shame.

Thank Jesus today for his sacrifice and find the freedom he paid for.

Trusting God, Isn’t Hard When You Know Him

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD,

I say, “You are my God.” – Ps 31:14

When you’re close with someone, you trust them. Because you know their character. So how can you trust God if you don’t know him?

Of course big leaps of faith sound crazy if your trying to trust a God you barely know. But that’s why it’s so crucial to have a daily relationship with him. When you spend everyday with someone you know them. You know their quirks and their preferences. How they would react in different situations.

That’s why I trust God with the big decisions in my life. Because I spend time with him. This blog is one of those ways. I ask him to show himself to me and he speaks to me through his word, songs, movies, nature and often just a conversation.

When we make God a daily part of our lives. Trusting him with the big and the little decisions doesn’t seem scary; it just feels right. Because we know he wants nothing but the best for us.

What do you draw out in others?

To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.–Colossians 1:2

Paul greets the people of Colossae and immediately reminds them of their identity in Jesus. That they are God’s people and that gives them God’s grace and because of his grace they have peace.

We should be the same when we see greet other brothers and sisters in the faith. We should see them as God sees them. Loved, forgiven and made new in Jesus. We should be encouraging each other to be who God created us to be. So that when we see others distressed. We can remind them that God’s grace gives them peace. By helping them to refocus there attention on who God made them to be instead of their problems. And that God is their provider.

When we spend our time with other believers, trying to point out their problems instead of the solution. It’s like poking a wound. Instead of trying to help. All we are doing is drawing attention to it and making it hurt worse.

But when we direct others to being made new in Jesus. It like applying ointment to the wound, promoting healing.

God KNOWS You

God’s presence is the place where we find ourselves. He sees the mess and gives us the grace to overcome it and get out of it. He doesn’t want us to shove it aside or stuff it deep inside or try to fix it on our own. He wants it to be resolved and no longer affect us. So we don’t have to be ruled by our past mistakes or even the mistakes of others.

We get to choose.

Choose to let God’s grace be enough for us and for others. When we forgive, we free ourselves from being slaves to bitterness, anger, resentment and rage. It can no longer have power over us; because we won’t let it.

Finding our identity in Jesus makes us more us than we were before. God uniquely designed each of us and He knows exactly what gifts and talents He gave us; to be and do what He designed us for.

When we choose to let Jesus sacrifice be enough we are free to be who He intended us to be. To be loved, strong and confident and not held down; but to soar above the storms.

We don’t have all the answers

It’s easy to say you ‘depend on God’, when everything is going good. But to say it even in the hard times too. That’s when our faith in Jesus shines through.

Because our faith in God should not change because our circumstances do. God doesn’t change. He is the same in the worst of moments of our lives and in the best. He always loves us, wants us and is there for us. We are the ones that lose faith, feel unworthy, or push him away.

But the question we have to ask God is not ‘Why?’ but ‘What now? God what do you want to be for me in this moment? What we’re going through may not be what he wanted for us. But he will be with us through it. He will use it to bring us closer to him. If we let him.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. –Isaiah 55:4-7

What influences YOU?

It’ amazing the difference of negative influences on our lives verse positive influences.

If we let people tell us lies and influence our every decision.

We can be old and almost dead if we let the wrong person speak into our lives. Like Grimmer Wormtongue with King Theoden in Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers.

I’m sure that King Theoden’s demise was slow and over time as he let Grimmer lie to him about his friends and family, slowly till the point where Grimmer was making all his decisions for him.

We can become like this too, if we allow the wrong influences to be the predominate voice in or lives.

But that doesn’t have to be true of us.

We can choose who we allow to have influence over us. We have a choice of who we listen too, what we watch and how we let those things affect us.

If we let the Holy Spirit be the predominate influence in our lives. He is always with us and always has something encouraging and uplifting to say. Even moments when he correct us can be encouraging.

A few years ago when my now husband and I were first dating. I was in a book store and the Holy Spirit corrected me in how I was acting towards my him.

That moment was one of the most loving and intimate moments I have ever had with God. Even His correction is loving.

Trust God.

Listen to the Holy Spirit about the influences in your life and trust that if He asks you to give something up that He has something even better to replace it.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash

What would you sacrifice for the Gospel?

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.-Phillippians 1:18-21

The apostle Paul is in prison as he writes these words. What a bold prayer. He could of prayed for protection, but instead he prays that he will boldly continue to preach the gospel. The very thing that put him in prison. He offers up his life so that it may be used for God’s glory whether that be his life or death.

Where does this boldness come from?

He not only hands over his life, but he is rejoicing in his imprisonment.

How do you get to that point in your relationship with Jesus, where you are willing to sacrifice everything for him to be glorified?

It’s by knowing the character of God. When you know his character. You know you can depend on him because of who he is. God is always in our corner backing us up. Who would want to go against the God of the universe.

Some may say that was in the bible, try doing it now.

But there are people living this way now. A present day example of this is in the book Heavenly Man by Paul Hattaway. Heavenly Man is about Brother Yun, the Pastor of an underground church in China. This book will stretch and strengthen your faith more then you can believe. Brother Yun sacrifices everything to witness to those around him. He’s beaten, abused and imprisoned for preaching the gospel, but he rejoices in his suffering and preaches even to the guards and inmates that attack him.

What lengths are you willing to go to for sharing the gospel with others?

What God’s Presence Provides

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. –Psalm 23

Read this again. But see yourself as a sheep and Jesus as your shepherd.

Jesus provides water and food. He leads us on the safest path. Even when we can’t see, we know that he will guide and protect us with his staff as he leads us. Even in the presence of a predator he provides abundance and peace. All of this love, peace, provision and protection comes from Jesus. But only when we follow and trust him. Only when we depend on him to do what he’s promised.

We can’t be wondering sheep, doing whatever we want and expect our shepherd to provide if we don’t put our trust in him. Yes he will seek us out and bring us back to the flock. But it’s there in his presence where he provides all that we need and more.

God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9

Trusting God’s way can seem scary. But he has never failed me.

He always wants what’s best for us and that’s him. His plans for us may not be what we think they should be. But they are what is best for us.

I ‘ve tried many times to serve my own goals and even when I’m accomplished some of them. They have never compared to follow his plan. I’ve tried to accomplish for God what I though he wanted. But being the hard worker that I was raised to be. I have pushed forward to quickly and tried to do ministry on my own knowledge and experience. Rather than following God’s lead for every word and every step.

His ways are not our ways. We need to seek him for his way and his word to accomplish what he has called us to.

God Given Dreams

God given dreams are not ours to fulfill they are God’s. We are called to surrender and trust his timing. Look at Joseph or David it took decades for the dreams God gave them to be fulfilled. But they we fulfilled by God. Not by them. David had multiple opportunities to take the thrown from Saul but he knew he had to honor the authority God had given Saul. David choose to honor God instead of himself.

This world is full of people trying to achieve their dreams and goals. Striving and sacrificing morals, ethics and anything that stands in their way. But we as God’s children are called to a different sacrifice. We are to lay down our lives for God as he did for us. To let him live through us and let him fulfills the dreams he has placed on our hearts. The only thing we need to do is stay focused on Jesus. Seek his face and follow his direction. Trust him to provide and make the way for what he’s called us to.

What are your dreams? Have you given them to God to fulfill or are you still trying to achieve them on your own.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. – 1 John 3:16

Jesus Sacrifice Provides for More Than Salvation

What sacrifices are you willing to make for the gospel? Are you willing to sell all that you own and move half way around the world to share the good news. Thousands of missionaries have done just that. They have uprooted there families and moved across the planet to reach people groups that God has laid on their hearts.

Why are so many willing to make this kind of sacrifice. Because the good news changes us. It gives us a second chance and a third and a fourth. The good news is that Jesus came to sacrifice his life for us. So that everyone in all of humanity could be forgiven. We sacrifice because he sacrificed. The gift he gives is unmatched.

His forgiveness gives us the opportunity to have relationship with Father God every moment of every day. A line of He Lives by Nicole C. Mullen says “I talked with him this morning” because she did, because I did. Having a relationship with Jesus is more than accepting his sacrifice and forgiveness. It’s the opportunity to talk with God every moment of everyday. We just have to listen.

Sometimes he’ll just remind you of the little things in life like to stop and smell the roses. Sometimes the big things like asking you to move half way around the world. Whether it’s big or its small you have to talk to him to know. You can’t build a relationship without conversation. The faith to do the big things comes from the days of talking about the little things.

Start the conversation, read your bible and ask him to explain a verse you don’t understand. Watch a Christian movie (try “End of the Spear“) and ask him to teach you something through it. Take a walk and asks him about his creation. Watch your kids play and ask him to teach you something about them.

Talk to God you never know what he might say.

You Are Wanted

Adoption is a powerful way to impact the life of another. My husband is adopted and we plan to pass that blessing on by adopting in the future. We know that the child we adopt may have been through something traumatic or have been unwanted. And we also know we cannot be their whole solution to healing. We can love them as best we can. But only Jesus can repair the damage. He is the only one that truly fulfills us. He is the only one that can completely heal and fulfil them.

We all have damage in some way and have all felt unwanted at some point in our lives. But Jesus wants us. He loves us and wants us to be whole, healed and completed by him.

He adopted us all into his family when he choose to give up his life for us. He made a way for us to be a part of his family and there is always enough room for everyone in the family of God.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. – 1 John 3:16

Photo by Sebastián León Prado on Unsplash

When We’re Shattered

God puts us back together at our most shattered moments. The moments when we are broken. When we are nothing a ball of tears, frustrated and have given up. That’s when he can do his greatest work.

In 2008 that was me, nothing but a broken ball of tears. I felt worthless and completely unworthy to be in God’s presence. But God welcomed me with open arms. When I was at my worst he was at his best. I didn’t have to do anything but surrender and let him in.

He lifted me up and enveloped me in his love and forgiveness. I let go of all the hurt and pain. In return he gave me new life, new meaning and new joy.

We don’t need to clean ourselves up. Just surrender. We need to stop striving and let him do the work. Surrender to his love and grace and let him be our strength, endurance, our everything.

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.

To brighten your day!!!

Some days we get news that saddens us. We don’t always get the answer we are looking for in the time we expect. But that does not mean that God is not good. He is and he knows the best timing for his blessings.

Hannah prayed fervently for a child and God blessed her with one. But it was his timing that mattered. Hannah had Samuel. Samuel was a great prophet but his birth needed to coincide with Saul and David. So he could anoint them both king and be the voice of God to them both. Delayed answers can make us sad. But if we keep looking to King Jesus he will bring us joy in the morning. So no matter what your facing. Know that if you put your trust in God he will provide the desires he has placed in your heart, but in his timing.

The song in the video will bring some sunshine to your day. God loves to bring joy and laughter into our lives. Especially when we don’t feel it. This song always brings a smile to my heart. Enjoy and laugh with Jesus!

We’re Never Truly Lost

“Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean their lost forever” (Professor X, X-Men: Days of Future Past)

While cooking lunch I heard this quote from the movie my husband was watching. Reminding me that God never sees us as permanently lost.

We have all stumbled in our lives or we wouldn’t need God’s forgiveness. But we must remember that when we look at others they may be stumbling and lost now. But they don’t have to stay that way. We shouldn’t give up on each other. We all have friends or family that we ache for them to find freedom in Jesus.

Having been that person for several years I know both sides of it. What helped me the most was not people pointing out what I was doing wrong (I knew it was wrong, I didn’t care.) What helped was the people that were there for me when I was ready to make a change. It was that support system that helped me to stay committed to the changes I had chosen to make. When I was ready to give my life back to God.

We must remember. We can’t force anyone to change. But we can encourage and uplift them in their decisions to change.

What Defines You?

We are bombarded everyday, all day, from every direction. By things that try to tell us who we are. What we should do. Or who we should be.

But our identity should be in Jesus. When we give our lives to him. We die to our old selves. We die to our selfish ways and we let Jesus live through us. He is the one who defines us and fulfills us. He knit us together in our mother’s womb.

This video is one of the most healing videos I have ever watched. It is filled with scripture of how God sees us. Listen to it and let God tell you who he made you to be. I hope it brings you as much hope and comfort as it has me.

Jesus was not a back up plan

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

Jesus was not a back up plan. He is God. He is creation. He is the very word that created us.

He loves us and in loving us gave us choice. It would not be love if we were forced. God is gentle and he will never force us into anything we do not choose. We make choices in life that either brings us closer to him or further away from him.

He knew we would make mistakes and he planned from the very beginning to sacrifice himself for us. To make a way for us to come back into right relationship with him.

Jesus choose us because he loves us. We either choose to accept his sacrifice or we don’t. But in choosing we also choose to let him love and forgive us or we choose not to.

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Psalm 150

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