God’s peace is not something you earn, but a gift he freely gives.
Jesus is always looking to bless us, to shower His love on us. We are the ones who hold Him back, by trying to keep control of our lives.
His blessings are peace of mind, peace in our heart and peace in our soul. By finding our confidence and identity in Him. He teaches us to be without fear or worry.
When you know who you are in Jesus, nothing can shake that and no one can take it.
I heard a Pastor say once “unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
When we hold on to unforgiveness it grows into bitterness and resentment. We think we are hurting the other person because they hurt us, but most of the time the other person doesn’t even know they hurt us.
By holding onto it we just hurt ourselves more.
But by choosing to forgive we extend the same gift God gave us to them. It’s His grace not our ours and who are we to withhold His grace from someone.
Forgiveness is freeing.
Remember how you felt when you accepted Gods forgiveness, it’s the same when we forgive others.
So why would you choose to hold yourself back from that freedom?
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Worship crosses all boundaries, language and cultural. We all have the capacity to worship God.
It doesn’t matter if we know the words to a song, if we like the style of the music, if we’re rich or poor, what we look like or where we grew up. We all can worship.
Worship is about putting God first in our hearts. It’s about surrendering to Him and giving Him the glory.
It doesn’t matter where we are or who we’re with we can worship God anywhere anytime, with anyone anywhere in the world. Because we are all His children and He loves each of us.
We worship Him because of His who He is, not what He’s done for us. Just as He loves us not for what we’ve done but who we are to Him. His beloved creation.
Rehearsing our mistakes over and over again in our head allows guilt and shame to have control over us. Even rehearsing the wrong doings of others against us gives them power over us. When we allow these things to dictate our decisions we give them control over us.
But when we surrender them over to Jesus and accept His forgiveness for us and for them, we find freedom.
When we die to ourselves and allow God to live through us. His love and his grave cover our mistakes so that we can be free of guilt and shame, because we are dead and the dead can’t be offended, guilty or ashamed.
Instead we can rejoice in the freedom, joy and peace of God’s grace.
Surrender over to God whatever is holding you back, whatever stops you from being who God made you to be.
Free and forgiven.
Warnings are there for a reason. They keep us away from danger and help us to go the right direction.
In ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ Aslan warns Mr. Tumnus that he is going the wrong direction by following the orders of The White Witch. Mr. Tumnus had never meet a human before and didn’t know what they were like or if they were safe. But he did know the source of the request to kidnap Lucy.
When we are completely unaware about something we need to look at the source for the answer.
Mr. Tumnus knew the witch was not good and he knew that Aslan was nothing but good, even though he had not meet him yet. Mr. Tumnus knew that Aslan was good.
When we are unsure of things in life, we must look to the source for guidance. The Holy Spirit is that for us. He knows what is good for us and what is not. He keeps us safe from harm and looks to do nothing other than bring us closer to God.
In this world where new things arise everyday. Trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance and he will lead you to the feet of Jesus.
When we have those moments that we don’t want to talk to God. Those are the moments we need him the most.
No matter what we are going though or what we’ve done. We can always surrender it over to God. When we put our trust in him. He will take care of it. We don’t even have to say anything. Just surrender whatever we are dealing with over to him. So we can be a crumbled mess on the floor. His presence is what we need most.
I’ve had those moments where I was such a mess that I couldn’t do anything but cry and I’ve been the crumpled mess on the floor feeling completely unworthy of God. But when I surrendered to him and gave him the mess. He surrounded me with his love and comfort. He will do the same for you.
Take a moment, listen to the song below, surrender whatever it is to Jesus and let him carry your worries away.
For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. –Colossians 3:25
Its easy to skip over verses like these, but its part of the bible and we can’t pick and choose, but we can read in context. The previous verses talk about servants submitting to masters; then it talks about consequences for actions which is all this verse is talking about, it’s a natural progression.
Many would wonder well what if my master/boss/parent is rude or mean or cruel. Most likely they are that way because someone was like that to them and being rude back only perpetuates the cycle. But when we submit to authority in our lives God bless us, regardless of whether that authority deserves it or not. Maybe that person has never experienced the love and grace of God. We can be that to them. By showing honor and respect.
None of us deserved God’s forgiveness, but he gives it freely. We can’t earn it. That’s why Jesus came to a be sacrifice in our place. Because as hard as we try we can’t earn our salvation. So if we are given a gift that we didn’t and can’t earn how can we hold back that gift from others.
We should not be afraid to share our faith in God, we should shout it from the rooftops. There is nothing wrong with it and we should not be afraid to share it. Our faith in Jesus changed our lives and we should share that.
Our fear comes from worry or fear of acceptance, but we are sharing about our God who takes those away from us. He accepts us and that is what defines us and matters most. He came to give us peace, love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and joy. Our confidence comes from him and who he is in us and that’s what we should share.
God knows what were going through, he knows ever ache and pain, every anguish and he’s in it with us holding our hand, leading us, guiding us, holding us, because he always knows what we need, when we need it.
He’s with us when were having our worst day and our best day. He will comfort us when we need it and rejoice with us in our triumph’s. God does life with us. Because he is our life.
We pour out to others all day, at work, at home or when we’re out. But what are we poring out? We are meant to pour out Jesus. So when someone tests our patience, it’s his patience that shines though. His love, his mercy. But to pour him out we need to be full of him. And when we pour out. We need to refill. Even Jesus sought time to pray and seek the Father so he was ready to pour out to others. And when he had ministered to people he would go back to his Father for more.
Holy Spirit is our constant companion, our best friend and the one who loves us. We need only to focus our attention on him and let him flow through us.
In the Silver Chair from the Chronicles of Narnia series Prince Rillian in pursuit of trying to heal from the lose of his mother. Allows himself to be seduced by the queen of the underworld. He gets so caught up trying to escape his pain that he lets her twist his perspective on the world and feed him lies about who he is.
We can do the same in our lives, if we look for the quick easy fix to cover up, ignore, or push away our pain instead of dealing with it we can be so caught up in the lies of others or even the lies we tell ourselves. That we can allow our whole environment to change right around us, till we begin to believe the lies are the truth.
We as humans will do almost anything to escape pain. But no matter where we are or what we’ve allowed ourselves to get into. Jesus is always there. We can always call on his name and he will be there for us. He will send others to help guide us out of the darkness and into the light. If you feel like you’ve fallen into something and you don’t know how to get out. Seek God and he will reveal the truth to you and set you free.
Mornings can be hard waking up thinking about all you have to do that day. It makes a lot of us want to go back to bed. What if we let God lead?
What if we let him direct our steps? And give us the energy, stamina, desire and plan for the day. He never intended for us to do life without him. So why do we keep trying?
Ask God his plan for your day? He created the universe. He can plan your day. You may think he doesn’t care about the little things, like brushing my teeth, but I beg to differ. He made you, he made your teeth, he cares about the small stuff too.
So ask him what his plan for your steps are today and let him lead. I think you’ll be surprised at how much more peaceful and productive your day is when you let him lead your steps.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits[a] of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Everyone fills their heart and their head with something.
What we focus on in the morning will be with us all day and what we focus on at night will be with us in our dreams and may even wake us up. Starting our day with God sets the tone for the day. Putting him first gives us the energy, wisdom and stamina to not just get through the day but to thrive.
When we let God fill us up in the morning and ask him to direct our steps through the day, our days go smoother. We have more peace and calm. Because he gives us all we need. He helps us do what we need to better, more effectively and efficiently. And helps us to avoid the pitfalls that can drain us or steer us in the wrong direction.
Let God direct your steps and you’ll be surprised how amazing your day will go.
Unknown territory can be scary. When God asks us to venture where we’ve never been or do something new it can be intimidating.
That’s where faith comes in. When we know God, we know His character, we know who He is, we know that we can trust Him.
Jesus asked Peter to get out of the boat and to walk out on the water to Him. Something that we all would have a hard time doing. But he knew Jesus and he knew that if Jesus told him to take that step of faith that Jesus would provide all he needed to do what Jesus asked of him.
It was only when Peter changed his focus from Jesus to the storm around him that he began to sink. Fixing his eyes back on Jesus brought him back upon the water.
What has Jesus asked you to take a step of faith in? Have you taken it and lost your way. Fix your eyes back on Him, and trust that He will provide what you need to walk on the water with Him.
The love of God transform us. It gives us boldness, strength and confidence in the toughest moments. God’s love not only cancels fear, it removes it. God’s love is all encompassing.
It gave David the strength to face Goliath. Daniel the stamina to face the lion den. And Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego the confidence to face the fire.
God’s love gives us all we need to face or overcome the trials we face in life. He gives us peace in the storm. If we fix our eyes on Him. Like Peter walking on the water. When his gaze was fixed on Jesus he was able to do what defied logic and understanding. But when Peter took his gaze off of Jesus and focused on the storm around him (his circumstances) he began to sink.
So no matter what your surrounded by, fix your gaze on Jesus and He’ll teach you to walk on the water and find peace that surpasses understanding.
In the movie I Can Only Imagine Bart Millard invites his dad to go to church with him and his dad replies that “he doesn’t belong in church.”
This broke my heart and began to make me think how often this is our reason for not inviting people to church or that we’ve given ourselves.
But this is a misconception. The church is not four walls or an organization. The people are the church. Jesus destroyed the temple and rebuilt it in us. We are the temple. Jesus is inside us.
Saying that we don’t belong in church is true. We don’t deserve to have Jesus live inside us, none of us do. But that is the beauty of his sacrifice we don’t deserve it but he gives us the free gift of having him live inside us. Not by earning it but by accepting nd believing in Jesus sacrifice for us he makes the way for us to be the church.
This means that when we encounter people we are bringing the church to them.
The next time you meet someone and think “I want to bring them to church.” Remember you already have. You’re right there in front of them (you are the church), tell them what Jesus has done for you and ask them if they would like Jesus to do the same for them.
Church is anywhere we are, we don’t have to wait for Sunday or the right service. Jesus is in us all day every day and he wants all his children to know him.
Once you have introduced them to Jesus, then invite them to the gathering of other Christians.
~May all your interactions with others reflect Jesus
When we feel inadequate or less than. We need more of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself said don’t do anything or go anywhere until you receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t do anything unless the Father did or said so through the Holy Spirit. So how can we expect do anything without the Holy Spirit either.
The Fruit of the Spirit IS…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Galatians 5)
That means that when we let the Holy Spirit fill us and work through us we have all of these characteristics. We don’t need more patience or more kindness. We need more Holy Spirit. All of the attributes of the Holy Spirit are exuded through him together.
When God asks us to do something he provides what we need. It’s not our works but his. His faith, His power, His love. He is what makes all the difference. We are just the willing vessel for him to work through.
So stop saying ‘I can’t do it,’ ‘I don’t know how,’ ‘I don’t want to.’ Because God will give you the will, the wisdom and the passion to do what he has called you to do. We must simple do one thing.
Seek Him. Spend time with Him, let Him fill us up. Let Him work in and thru us to accomplish what He has called us to.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. –Colossians 4:18
Paul was imprisoned for his faith in Jesus but that never stopped him from sharing his faith with people. He wrote letters to believers from prison, encouraging them to continue in their faith in God. He shared his faith with those he was imprisoned with. He never stopped or allowed his circumstances to change him, who he was or what God had called him to.
It’s easy to allow our circumstances to dictate our mood, our behavior and our decisions. But when we surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit, he can change our attitude, our perspective and lead us to make better decisions.
We can either choose to let life dictate to us or we can be the change that makes a difference.
No one will ever treasure you more then Jesus.
To know the character of God you need only look at the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Who wouldn’t want to be around someone that exudes all these all the time. God is personal and we get to have a deep intimate relationship with him. He is not far off and distant but close and intimate. My favorite moments with him are listening to songs like the one posted below and just letting his love surround me to feel that deep intimate closeness with him. Neither of us has to say anything its just being in his presence that is enough.
He’s sweet and kind, comforting and peaceful with bouts of joy. He’s everything we need if we just surrender ourselves to him. Many people like to have a prayer closet or close the door to the bedroom. But I love open spaces with him. A walk in the woods or at home I prefer to be in our living room. For me I think its mental I don’t like to limit God or put him in a box so I think the spaces I enjoy with him most don’t have those limits. You can encounter God and have a deep intimate moment with him anywhere (more open areas are just my preference.)
We each need this daily if possible. To have a moment in our day when we forget everything and just be in his presence. No reading requirement, no set time just a moment we steal away and make it all about being in his presence.
Take a moment, listen to the song in the video below and just let the words sink in and open your self up to feel God’s presence.
Why do we doubt God’s forgiveness? We say oh, he can’t forgive me, he can’t, you don’t know what I’ve done, I don’t belong.”
I used to think the same thing.
In my late teens till my early twenties I choose to walk away from God and pretty much did whatever I wanted. But when I finally decided to give my life back to God, I was terrified.
The first Sunday I was so scared that I clung to my best friends arm digging my fingernails into her arm as I walked back into the sanctuary of the church I had grown up in.
I truly believed everyone knew exactly what I had been doing during those years and I was convinced that everyone was going to turn, look at me and shoot fiery red darts out of their eyes.
But I was wrong. Everyone greeted me with smiles, hugs and open arms. No judgement, no questions, just people happy to see me.
That is how God sees us. When we choose to invite him into our lives, he greets us with open arms and a huge smile.
God loves us.
He is always ready and waiting to welcome us into his family.
So what is holding you back? Fear? Worry? Anxiety?
Well good new those thing are not of God so won’t find them in him.
God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful and he has self control.
So what about that scares you?
The song Clean by Natalie Grant reminds me of how God sees us.
God sees us restored and new in him.
He wants to bless us and bless others through us.
He’s not up there waiting to strike us down. He’s right next to us waiting patiently for us to allow him into our lives. He’s constantly there wanting to spend time with us, talk to us and show us who he made us to be.
Trust me, who he made you to be is beyond anything you could ever imagine. When I began writing I knew that it was what I was meant to be doing. God had been telling me for years but it wasn’t until I took the leap of faith to really pursue it that I felt like this is it. This is what I was meant to do.
Ask God who he’s made you to be and trust that he knows what suits you best, he made you.
I find so much inspiration through movies. Different scenes and certain lines remind me of what Jesus did for us.
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Eustace is transformed into a dragon because of his greed, but it leaves him in a precarious situation where he can’t interact with others like he used. In the end Eustace tries to remove the scales to return to being human, but he can’t do it on his own. He needs Aslan to do it for him. To shed his tough outer shell created by the decisions that transformed him in the first place.
We all do this in life. We seek to take care of ourselves and in the process build up an armor to protect us from others. But does it really help us or hinder us from having relationships with others.
We may be protected but we are alone.
Even a dragon with his thick armor can fall prey to attack, but when we allow others in, to help us and protect us we aren’t alone anymore. Having a support system is so much better then doing it all on your own.
Jesus like Aslan wants to protect us, but we first have to be willing to let him in. To let him help us shed our old habits that got us where we are in the first place.
Saul is a great example of this. He tried to achieve salvation through earning it. He followed ever rule but he was callus and hard, not allowing himself to see the truth of who Jesus was, the savior he had been waiting for his whole life. He was too wrapped up in trying to protect himself and others from who he thought was a false savior to see the truth. Until Jesus revealed himself to him. Paul was then humbled by his experience with Jesus as was Eustace, they both shed their old skin to find the truth in Jesus.
What façade have you put on to protect yourself? What has it cost you to keep your outer shell of protection? Are you willing to pay the cost or are you ready to let Jesus to pay the cost for you and be your protector? Are you ready to not be alone anymore?
Being a willing vessel is about God’s plan not ours, God’s power not ours, God’s words not ours.
So when he asks us to do something it’s his words, his plan and his power. So we don’t have to worry about our iniquities. Because it’s not about us it’s about him
Moses didn’t part the Red Sea with his own ability. Peter’s shadow didn’t heal people because of his ability. It was God’s work in and through them. That’s why he asks us to be a willing vessel, for him to work through us. Not for us to do the work on our own.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. -2 Corinthians 4:7
If your faith is dependent on your ability or lack of ability it’s not faith. Faith is in God and his ability not our ability.
What are Gods abilities:
He multiples food
He can part the Red Sea
He overflowed two boats with fish
He heals the sick
He raised the dead
What about his record makes you doubt his ability to work through you? Him working through us is about us surrendering and being a willing vessel. Spending time reading the Bible, worshiping God and praying is how we hear him. But we have to be surrendered. Willing to hear him and do as he says.
When I prepare to preach I ask God what scripture he wants me to share. Then I read it over and over for days asking him to reveal it to me. So his word and his message are ingrained in my heart. I pray asking him to speak his heart through me. And I worship surrendering my heart, mind, voice and body to him for him to speak through me.
It’s the same when God asks us to speak to someone in the grocery store or at work. But we often don’t have time to stop pray read and worship first. That’s why prayer, worship and reading the Bible should be part of our lives everyday. So we are prepared when he asks us to do something. Prepared to be a willing vessel.
There have been many times I didn’t feel like worshipping because I was worried about something or didn’t understand why. Because I was too much in my head and in my abilities. Not focused on God and his abilities.
When we choose to ignore our feeling, insecurities ad worries and still surrender to God in worship. He gives us peace that surpasses understanding and tells us not to worry because he will provide. So I worship him anyway because by the time I’m done he’s changed my perspective and I have his peace.
Surrendering all to Jesus is about laying down our plans and following his. God created everything. He perfectly placed earth in our solar system so that we would not be too hot or too cold. He designed the seasons to show us what death and resurrection look like. He shows us how seeds can be planted, grow and spread through creation. He provides for us in ways we take for granted every day. So why wouldn’t we trust him to plan our life. When he planned the universe.
It’s about God and his kingdom, not ours. That’s why we die to self. So that he can live through us.
Our secret place time with God can be anywhere, anytime but it must be personal, intimate and a conversation. Not just meeting a reading requirement or time obligation, but an intimate time with God where we are excited to spend time with him. Where we are asking him questions and actually listening to receive answers.
Think about the person you are closest to. Is spending time with them something on a checklist or a requirement. No you want to spend time with them. It’s a joy and something you look forward to.
God can become our favorite person, if we let him. He’s the creator of the universe, a loving father and he can do anything. How can that be boring. Make time with him daily and I guarantee your day will be better for it.
There is a story about a servant carrying two pots from the river each day to bring water to his master. One pot is broken and only brings half the water from the river that the other pot carries. But along the path the servant planted wildflowers for the broken pot to water as he carried it.
Jesus does the same in our lives he uses our brokenness to pour out his life giving water. He fills us up so that we can water the seeds in others that he has planted along our path.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places–Ephesians 1:3
Jesus sacrifice gives us the opportunity to come into right relationship with God. This relationship makes us heirs with him so we can experience his blessings.
But God’s blessings are not all tangible, like we so often look for. Most of them are spiritual. Peace that surpasses understanding, freedom from guilt and shame, being loved more than we can imagine. These things can’t be taken from us.
The next time your looking for God to provide. Seek his kingdom and know that he provides and blesses us with the things that really matter. Love, hope, joy and forgiveness.
No one is beyond redemption. No one is beyond forgiveness. No one is so lost that God doesn’t want them. None of us are beyond hope. God always want us. He loves us. He always seeks us.
He is constantly in pursuit of each and ever one of us. He pursues us on our best day and at our worst moment, seeking relationship with us in every moment.
God is always with us if we will just let Him in.
The Holy Spirit is an atmosphere changer.
When we yield ourselves to his leading things change. Our perspective, our attitude, our mood, all change to that of God.
Yielding to the Holy Spirit is a game changer!
That simple decision in each moment of each day. Can change our whole day if we stop for a second and listen. If we take that moment to make the Holy Spirit the most important thing in our lives. We can change how we speak and how we act towards our friends, our family, our co-workers and the world around us. Let the Holy Spirit be your game changer and see what he can do in and through you!
When you think your life is worth more then others, you do not know love. ~Tauriel, The Battle of Five Armies
Jesus expressed his love for us not only by sacrificing his life on the cross but by the sacrifice he showed everyday. He could of come down as a grown man, taken up an earthly governmental throne and demanded praise. But he didn’t. He came humbly, lived humbly and put others before himself. He modeled love by putting others before himself.
Jesus didn’t think his life was too valuable to sacrifice, so how can we?
Sharing God’s love with others is when we put others first, show them honor and respect. Show them they are valuable. Next time you encounter someone and you don’t know what to do. Ask ‘What does love look like?’ Loving people isn’t always about our words. Many times it’s in our actions. Love looks like caring groceries for someone, bringing them a meal, giving a shoulder to cry on. Love can be expressed in many ways but true love always puts others before ourselves.
That’s what Jesus did. He put our lives before his own, because we are valuable to Him.
How many times have you wished you could have a fresh start, a clean slate?
You can, when you accept Jesus sacrifice you get a clean slate. He wipes away all your past mistakes and starts you fresh and the best part is you an have a fresh start everyday.
From the moment you choose to follow Jesus, you can have a fresh start.
Jesus died so that we would not have to be bogged down by our past mistakes. So that we wouldn’t have to feel guilt, shame and condemnation.
He came to set us free.
Jesus makes us new in him. We die to our old ways, our old habits and our old mindset and take on his mind.
You don’t have to be what you used to be you don’t have to be restrained to your past you can be set free.
If you choose him!
You may have heard some preachers or myself say to die to self. But what does that mean.
Dying to self, is just that dying to self. It’s putting to death your selfish desires, wants and even needs and putting others before yourself.
Sound crazy right, but that is what Jesus did in his life and death. He came to serve not be severed. He paid the price of his own life so that we could have his life in exchange for ours.
When we surrender our lives to Jesus and let him live through us. He provides for all our needs and fulfills many of our desires beyond our wildest dreams.
You may think, I still need to live, to eat, to breathe, to sleep. So don’t I have to be selfish at someone point. No, because when we following the leading of the Holy Spirit he takes care of those needs. I have never regretted putting someone before myself, but I have regretted not putting someone else first.
Marriage is a example of how our relationship with Jesus is supposed to be. We are supposed to put our spouses needs before ourselves. They are supposed to do the same, which brings balance. I can’t tell you how many times I have been doing something for my husband and he surprises me by taking care of the other things I needed to do after I took care of him.
It’s the same with Jesus. When he asks us to do something for someone else he already has something in the works to take care of us.
So dying to self is simple putting God first and trusting him to take care of all that he has promised us.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Years ago I made a choice to drastically change my life and gave my life back to Jesus. The one thing that has been consistent since is my heart cry to God “Thy Will be Done.”
I tried life without God and I screwed it up royally.
But when I made the choice to follow Jesus and made Him Lord of my life. I now ask Him what he wants, instead of what I want.
Every time I choose to trust God and follow His lead. He provides abundantly more than I could of imagined. The path to get there can sometimes feel uncertain, strange or even impossible, but God always provides.
Many times in the past years His way has proved better then what I would’ve chosen.
He has moved my husband and I all over the country, to multiple jobs, unemployment and through some rough financial patches. One constant reminder that God’s will is the better choice is my husband!
That’s right, I let God choose my husband!
My track record with picking boyfriends for myself was terrible, just ask my friends.
But when I choose to let God take the lead, I stopped dating and waited for God to bring me ‘the One’
I know it sounds crazy, but it worked.
My husband is the perfect partner for me and God has truly blessed me with little surprises in him that I didn’t even know I wanted or needed in a spouse.
It’ all because I said to God “Thy Will be done”
What has God been asking you to take a step of faith in?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Psalms 3:5
There’s no magic formula to prayer. Its just a conversation between you and God. Meaning you talk and he talks back. When we talk to God we should expect an answer. We are not just throwing our prayers into the air and saying well if he wants to he’ll do something. He wants to be with us, share with us and show us who he is and what he has planned for us. He wants our openness, our vulnerability, our mess, our fears and our worries. He wants to talk to us and let us know that he is all we need.
Why do we feel we have to fix ourselves or have just the right words to talk to him? He loves us and he wants to talk to us.
If we have to be all cleaned up just to talk to him. Then why did Jesus sacrifice himself? If we could achieve perfection, then Jesus sacrifice was in vain. So why do we keep thinking we have to achieve it before we can talk to him.
God is our Heavenly Father and like any good father, he wants to be there for us even when we are at our worst, in fact especially then. That’s when we should depend on him the most, when we are at our worst. Because he is the one that can make it better, he can heal the hurts and the pain, and he has already forgiven us.
We need to stop trying to be perfect first and let him perfect us instead. Next time your at your worst or you don’t know what to do. Talk to God about it and listen for the answer.
In the movie Prince Caspian, while Peter, Lucy, Edmond and Susan are making their way through the much changed land of Narnia they become lost. They tried to rely on what they knew, instead of calling on Aslan to help even to the point of ignoring Lucy when she sees him.
We can become like this too. When we’ve done something for a long time or feel we know what we are doing we forget about Jesus. We forget to ask His guidance, help or even just his companionship. But in taking him for granted we can veer off the path he intended us to take.
If we have faith like Lucy and look for his guidance he will show us new things and new ways to accomplish what we are doing even if we have done it time and time again. His guidance should always be where we look first. He may only have the smallest change but it could make the biggest difference. He designed us for dependence on him. Trust his guidance.
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. –Colossians 1:12-14
I thank God for what he has done in my life. His sacrifice gave me the opportunity to start over, to build a new life, free from shame and guilt. Free from my past mistakes.
That’s what Jesus did when he came to earth. He lived life as a servant and sacrificed his life for us. He never gave in to temptation but gave his life over willingly to take our place. We are that valuable to him that he gave everything for us, every moment of everyday of his life, even unto a death he didn’t deserve so that he could deliver us from darkness.
See it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, because Jesus forgives you. Don’t worry about thinking you have to clean up your act or change before you come to God. You come to him just as you are so that his sacrifice and his forgiveness can free you from guilt and shame and give you new life.
“There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no Rock like our God.
Worship is about our hearts, our minds and our focus. Worship is so much more then singing songs. Worship is constant. It’s a choice in every moment to choose to glorify God in our words, our actions and in the attitudes of our hearts.
When you worship through song don’t just repeat the words, read them, mean them, sing them out as a benediction and put your all in it.
When I was in Uganda worship was hard at first, because it was in Swahili or Llungahndan which I don’t speak and they danced (controversial, I know) but they taught me about worship.
We worshiped for hours and I didn’t understand the words and I didn’t know the dances. But that didn’t matter.
Worship is about your heart. So I sang, I sang in English if I recognized the tune of the song or I sang in tongues and I danced, I didn’t know the steps or the movements but I danced. I worshiped with all that was in me. I worshiped with my mouth, with my body and with my heart.
Worship is about appreciation. When you worship God remember it’s about him not you. So if God has done anything for you then jump, dance and shout from the rooftops .
God’s forgiveness makes us feel fresh and new and clean. It’s a new start, a new beginning, no need to dwell on the past, we just focus on who God made us to be.
When God paid for our mistakes he gave us the chance to be born again spiritual, to be made new and clean, to start fresh.
So why do we dell on our past mistakes? All it does is brings us down. Trust me I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life. But dwelling on them does nothing except distract me from what God is doing in me now.
His forgiveness lifts our burdens, guilt and shame. He never meant for us to walk around like that, but to walk free in his presence.
Don’t dwell on who you were even a moment ago. Instead focus on who God made you to be and walk in his freeing forgiveness.
Trusting God when you can’t see the end can be scary. But when you trust His leading you never know what you can accomplish.
In the movie Facing the Giants, the coach challenges a player to do a death crawl to the fifty yard line blindfolded. The player couldn’t see where he was but he trusted his coach’s direction and as he made his way across the field as his coach encouraged him to keep going even though he was tired and couldn’t see and wanted to quit. In the end he ended up going double the distance he was supposed to and ended up in the end zone.
When we trust God even though we may not understand. We can do more than we ever thought we could on on our own and can end up further then we ever thought we could go.
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
There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.
Something a friend of mine taught me is that we are all different parts of the body of Jesus.
You may have heard this many times.
But he explained it that since we are all different parts, different aspects of God expressed though all of us. God is so vast that it takes all of humanity to express Him. We each reveal Him in different ways.
Some show God’s relentless love and compassion for humanity. Some show His willingness to stop everything, to show love to the poorest soul on the planet, and some show unrelenting faith by forgiving endlessly.
All you need to do is look at the many varieties of flowers or trees to see just a small glimpse of how complex God is.
All of creation cries out to glorify God and we are part of that creation meant to express Him.
We as Christians are all the body of Jesus and we have all of Him but some characteristics of Him are stronger in you then they are in me. That’s why we need each other. To be the hands and feet of Jesus together!
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. –Colossians 3:15
Peace in our hearts is something we all desire. But how do you get it, when there is always something, to worry about.
Simple. God’s peace surpasses our worldly concerns. It may sound crazy, but he created us and he created this world, so his peace can supersede our worries and concerns.
So how do we get his peace?
We trust him and give our worries and concerns over to him by asking him for his perspective or solution. When we look to him for the answer that’s when he can give us his peace.
His peace, is like shifting the responsibility over to him. You know that feeling when you feel overwhelmed with a task, like it will never end and you have no idea how to accomplish it. Then your boss comes to you and says you were never meant to worry or deal with that task in the first place.
That’s how God’s peace feels, that immediate relief, that lift of tension and stress.
God never meant for us to bear our own burdens, he came so that he could relieve that stress and give us his peace.
Stop living as if you have to do it all on your own, because you were never meant to, we are meant to life live in peace, because we are meant to live life with Jesus 24/7.
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Worship is a choice, to choose to focus our attention on the Holy Spirit and let him spill out from us or to ignore him and let our own thoughts and desires lead us.
It’s letting Him live through us each and every day, all day. It’s choosing to sacrifice our selfish desires the same way Jesus did when he lived on earth and let the Holy Spirit work through him.
We can easily get wrapped up in who we were before Jesus and let that dictate how we act, think and speak. But that’s not who we are anymore. Jesus makes us new and gives us a new life and that is how we worship. By foregoing our own selfishness and letting him spill out through us.
Jesus Freak by DC Talk was one of my favorite songs when I was in junior high, when I started to make my faith my own.
I was proud then and I’m proud now to be a “Jesus Freak.” Because that means that others see him in me and through me.
We are supposed to be different, we are supposed to stand out for Jesus. People are supposed to see us differently and it’s supposed to be desirable.
That doesn’t mean that we wash down the gospel so that it’s palatable to people in there current point of view, it means that we show them that they can have peace and joy and hope and love through having their own relationship with Jesus.
Being a Jesus Freak should be something we are proud of, not something we are ashamed of.
One single moment can pull us from the depths of despair.
I love Anne of Green Gables. One of the expressions Anne uses often is that she’s “in the depths of despair.”
I have to be honest, I’ve always thought she was being over dramatic, until one summer when I struggled with depression. I’m generally an optimistic, joyful, happy person, but I could not shake this funk. I tried talking to God but to be honest I was kind of mad at Him. Until one day when when I choose to forgive Him.
Yes forgive God.
It was not that God had done anything wrong, it was that I didn’t like the answer He had given regarding something I was asking for.
That single act pulled me from my depression, when I choose to let go of my expectations and trust God’s timing.
For many people, myself included. We can be angry or dis-enthralled with God because He doesn’t give us what we want, in the timing we expect it to happen. We do this more than I think any of us would like to admit. But the key to freedom is to let go of the things He asks us to let go of. It doesn’t mean He doesn’t want to bless us with the desires He’s placed in our heart. It means He has something better or maybe we aren’t ready for what that blessing entails.
Not giving our dreams over to Jesus is like staying in an old dilapidated house beyond repair because it has memories and nostalgia. When God is saying I have this perfect house over here, and we can build better, happier memories.
That’s the power of forgiveness, it can pull us from the depths of despair in one moment.
What are you holding on to that’s keeping you in the depths of despair?
Trust that God has something better for you, and let go.
In order to reach the mountain tops in life we need to be equipped to handle them. Experienced mountain climbers train for month to reach the peak of mountain tops and some make sacrifices to achieve their goals.
God is the same with us. He will led us up the mountain, but he must equip us to handle the conditions at the top first.
Ask him each day what he wants to teach you? And know that even if you don’t always understand it, trust that he’s preparing you for your next mountain top moment.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ~Philippians 4:10-13
To know how to be content in any and all circumstances is what Jesus gives us.
He gives us peace that surpasses understanding and joy that abound beyond reason. He gives us strength when we are weak.
He teaches us how to be who he made us to be no matter what.
So that our circumstances don’t change us, we change our circumstances.
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
I always know that I can take comfort in the arms of Father God.
That no matter where I am, whether I feel strong or weak that he is always there to protect, love and care for me. I never have to worry because I know that as long as I trust God and give everything over to to him that he will take care of it.
No matter what your facing today. Know that God is always there for you. Give him your worries, your concerns and your cares and let him bear your burdens.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Its easy to get wrapped up in ourselves, in our own world and to neglect or take for granted our relationship with God. We know He will always be there for us but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss us. With all the responsibilities of life its easy to push Him off till later to say, let me just take care of this first or do that and then I’ll spend time with God.
But its when we put God first that He helps us to accomplish all we have to do and somehow when we follow His plan there is always extra time left. When we follow His lead and His way He does things faster and better then we ever could have and shows us little surprises along the way.
God sees the big picture. He sees how everything works together and when we trust His leadership He guides us to bigger and grander things then we could of done if we’d done it on our own. When we are wrapped up in what is right in front of us, we miss what’s a few steps ahead.
My husband and I have moved a lot and in one of our searches for a rental home. All I could see was the things that I was looking for instead of what I was looking at. After viewing a few homes I picked one and my husband picked the other. When we returned to view his choice he showed me what I had missed. The beautiful woods that the house backed up to. He saw the big picture while I just focused on what I wasn’t seeing he saw what really mattered.
Trust Jesus leadership. He sees the big picture.
“Don’t you know me by now?” ~23 Blast
Sometimes God doesn’t answer our question because he already has, we just don’t realize it. Sometimes his answer is in what has done for us, more than in words. Knowing the character of God is crucial to our communication with him.
As I’ve mentioned before we have struggled in our finances before. But every time I bring it up to God he reminds me of his character. That he is our provider and that he doesn’t worry about it so why should we. Logically we should not have made it through those times. But God provided over and over again each month. I’m astonished at how he provides. But he does. Because that is who he is. He is all our providers and we have no reason to doubt him because he always provides when we put our trust in him.
What have you been asking God about? Ask him to show you if he’s already provided the answer in just being who he is.
If you’re not sure you know his character read Galatians 5:22-23 and look for his answer in his character.
One of the greatest life lessons I’ve learned was that I’m not above anything or anyone.
Years ago I worked at the church I grew up in, as an administrative assistant. The senior pastor helped me learn this lesson by the way he led.
He always said that he was not above anything, even down to picking up a gum wrapper off of the ground. Yes there were janitorial staff, but he was there so why wouldn’t he.
He modeled this everyday. He was always willing to stop whatever he was doing to help someone and he never shied away from helping set-up or tear down, he was always the last to leave and the last to eat.
I’ve applied this lesson everywhere in my life, by seeing myself as there to serve, in the workplace, in my home and in life. When I see an opportunity to help, I help. This has helped me to not become bitter or resentful more times then I can count.
Jesus considered himself a servant. So how can we consider ourselves above Jesus.
When you see opportunities to serve or help, look at them as opportunities to shine Jesus.
