Category: Faith

Help in trouble

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

No matter what I always know that I can count on God. I know I can always run to him when I feel weak and exhausted, stressed or worried or in over my head, and he will be there to help as long as I seek him.

How do I know this? Because he has been there for me time and time again. On the days that I stressed and overwhelmed he gives me peace, calm and perspective. When I feel weak he is my strength.

He is always there for me even when I think I don’t need him he’s there.

Jesus gave his life to have a deep intimate relationship with us, so that he could be our everything. So he could lift us up when we feel burdened and give us relief from our troubles.


Photo by youssef naddam on Unsplash

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:30

Eagles sore above the storm literally, they fly above the clouds, lifting up above the storms, to clear skies.

God does the same for us, he lifts us up above the storms of life when we depend on him.

Believe in him and find rest

Even on our worst days. When we feel like nothing, doing nothing, being nothing, talking to no one. We can depend on one thing.

Jesus loves us anyway.

He is always there for us. Always loves us. Always loves for us to spend the day curled up with Him, letting His love give us rest.

So no matter how bad your day is or how much it hurts. We can always find comfort in Jesus.

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

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ABBA Father

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16

The intimacy of calling God “Father” is the privilege we get when we come into the family of God.

Unfortunately sometimes people see God as this big dictator in the sky ready to strike us down when we do something wrong.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

We are invited in and adopted into God’s family.  He is seeks a deep intimate relationship with each of us to the point of calling him Daddy!

The God I know is loving and kind, sweet and generous.

He doesn’t look down at us like slaves to be bossed around, living in fear of our master. But as his beautiful children.

He is our Abba, Daddy and he wants to nurture and help us grow in a safe loving environment, just as any father does.

We get to call him Daddy, so seek him out as a child and look for that loving embrace of our heavenly Father.

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

Where’s your focus?

Seeing God in the happy times is easy, but when we feel like we’re in the midst of a storm it’s hard to focus on what’s really important.

JESUS!

When we fix our eyes on Jesus he lifts us up.

Like Peter walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33. Peter walked on water but as soon as he took his focus off of Jesus and onto the storm around him he began to sink. It wasn’t until he cried out to Jesus, that he was lifted back up.

God gives us choices and He’s always there to help us, but we have to ask. We have to let Him in and trust His solution.

Sometimes it’s a simple answer and sometimes it’s going to take some faith. Trust that Jesus will provide even when we don’t see the immediate result.

IF you look for Him in everything in your life He will shine thru.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (ESV)

The legacy we leave behind

When my grandma went to heaven to be with Jesus. I shed tears for how much I miss her. But I found comfort in knowing that she is at peace and pain free in heaven. She’s having the best time of her life spending every moment with Jesus. 

But I would be remiss if I didn’t do what she taught me to do.

Love people and show them Jesus.

She always had a smile on her face and she always knew how to make the mundane joyful. She taught me how to welcome everyone into my home as if they were family, how to be creative and how to put windshield wipers on, amongst other things.

There was always enough space for everyone in her home and at her table no matter who or how many showed up. 

She taught me generosity and kindness in her heart and her actions. She always shined Jesus and I always want to do the same 

She did what we are supposed to do. She welcomed everyone and shined Jesus to all. She had six daughters, three step children, nine grandchildren, six great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren and she always had room for more. She always treated everyone like family and had so many more adopted in Christ-children.

Just as she did we should too, teach our children, our grandchildren and all around us about who Jesus is and what He has done for us and how that makes us all family.

It’s so much more then words, it’s our actions, our demeaner, our attitude. Jesus should be reflected in every aspect of our lives. So even if we don’t say a word He still shines through.

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

As we continues to face new challenges and new opportunities arise. Whatever comes your way good or bad. We can trust God. We can look for 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 and 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.

It’s the same with God. He can see the bigger picture, the effect of the cause and the cause of the effect.

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.


Photo by Derek Thomson on Unsplash

Expressing Jesus (part 2)

Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body.  And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell?  God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be.  If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body?  As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.

 The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without.  The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care.  The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any.  In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy.

1 Corinthians 12:15-26

(read part 1)

When you look at people, look at them through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to show you how He sees them.

Each one of us is a part of the body of Jesus, so we all matter. Every person on the planet is given the opportunity to be a part of the body of Jesus.

Therefore we all are important!

There is not a person on this planet that isn’t important to God.

So why do we treat each other with so much callus and disregard?

Everyone matter to Him, so they should matter to us.

That may sound overwhelming. But if you have the Holy spirit guiding you its not as daunting as it seems.

Kindness can go a long way. Like the small things, opening a door for someone, even something as simple as a smile (even when you think you’re having a bad day) can go a long way for the person you are kind to, you never know it could be the worse day of their life and you made it better just by being kind.

Trust the Hoy Spirit and let Him lead you to be a light to someone, you never know the difference you could make till you try.

Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

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.

Shine Bright

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 

—2 Corinthians 4:6

Have you ever noticed how lights seem brighter in the dark. Like Christmas lights they shine brighter and more beautiful in the dark. 

Gods light is like this, he shines in and through us as we grow in relationship with him and choose to let him shine instead of us. When we are in a dark situation he can be that light and shine for us and to others, showing them the way out of the darkness. 

So we should not fear the darkness, but look at it as an opportunity to shine Jesus brighter. 

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, you will find the light and eventually leave the darkness behind.

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

We can find the light if we look for it.

Jesus is always with us waiting to be the 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.

Trust the light of the world, Jesus.

Photo by Patrick Selin on Unsplash

Bearing through the storm

When trees are in the storm the branches bend and weather the storm if they are health they will come out safe and stronger. It’s when they are weak and malnourished that they break

We recently had a storm and I watched as all the branches of the trees around our home blow in the wind and it reminded me of how its there deep roots that help them weather the storm.

Its the same for us.

When our foundation is rooted, and nourished by Jesus we can endure storms in our lives. Its when we have shallow roots and are spiritually malnourished that we crack under the pressure of the storm.

What are your roots grounded in? What feeds your soul?

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. -Colossians 2:6-7

Joy, Hope & Peace

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

—Romans 15:13

Nowhere here does it say we have to manufacture our own joy, peace and hope. But that it does comes from trusting in God. I don’t put my hope in myself because I will fail myself. I don’t find my peace from within. I find peace and hope in God through the Holy Spirit. And God’s peace and hope gives me joy.

What a relief that is, we don’t have to find joy, hope or peace in ourselves but we can trust to find it in the one that is bigger then us, stronger, kinder, more generous and loves us beyond our understanding.

We can go to our daddy, our Abba, our Heavenly Father on our worst and our best day and he will still always welcome us with a huge hug and a smile and provide all we need.

Find rest

When you feel like your drowing in problems its easy to get wrapped up in them and think it will never end.

But the truth is there is always someone who has worse problems then you.

The best way to get over or through your problems is to give them over to God and try to help someone else.

When we trust him to provide it gives him permission to work in our lives. When we cling to our problems, we hold them back from him.

Releasing them shifts our focus to helping instead of hurting.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-29

Worshiping God with Everything

“The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.” – Billy Graham 

Worship is not limited to a song or a worship service. There are many forms of worship to engage, such as our service to others and our giving, but the list can certainly go on and on. One does not need to wait till 10 AM on Sunday morning to begin the worship experience. It begins before you arrive at church. Worship begins when you start your day simply by acknowledging the Father and His greatness. Worship cannot be measured or boxed in by opinions, styles, or preferences. It is your personal way of telling Jesus with everything within, how amazingly great He is and recognizing the never-end- ing dependency of His glory and His presence. 

Have you ever thought how fascinating it is that we’ve never received a bill for air, or for the usage of our brain activities, nor for the use of our limbs. These gifts have all been provided as tools. Tools for what you may ask. For God’s glory. God created you for a purpose. We should feel a sense of urgency to show forth His glory in every area of our life, to worship Him with every tool and resource He gave to us. 

If our song will bring God glory then let’s sing our song of worship with everything. If helping those who are in need and desperately desire to feel God’s presence….then let us selflessly worship the Lord in giving of our time. If it is dedicating to Him a special time to lavish Him with our love, then we sit and adore and worship Him for even taking the time for to allow us to dwell in His presence. 

My greatest aspiration is that God will see that I have and do worship Him with everything that He has given me, in the good times and bad. That I worship Him when I’ve felt like it and when I didn’t. That I worshiped Him not for all that He could give but simply because of who He is. I want my worship to use every gift and talent and any of the tools He so freely gave with everything for his glory. Jesus is totally worthy of our adoration and our undivided attention. We will never be able to thank God enough for the sacrifice of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection to redeem us from the hand of the enemy. 

David is such a great example to every believer of Worshiping God with Everything. He had so much to offer God, including his music, work ethic, and as a skilled warrior. However he started in the fields caring for his father’s sheep, giving his all in all things to give glory to God. With every victory he acknowledged God. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 150 where David encourages us to employ whatever tool we have to give God glory. Whatever it is… Give it your all!! Worship God with every- thing!! Go ahead, it’s your turn. Think about it today… How can you, with everything, worship God with your life? You have breath… then you have everything you need to give Him glory!!

Guest blog~Written by Lisa Harrell author of TheLisaHarrell.com  

Lisa Harrell lights up any room she walks in with her smile and consistent pursuit of joy. Her heart for Jesus is expressed in her words and actions. I am proud to call her a friend and excited for her to share her wisdom and life perspective with you.

You can’t do it on your own

‘We can’t love God’s way without being filled with Him. If we try it on our own, we end up exhausted and burned out. I’ve done it; it doesn’t work. Only when we let His love pour into us and let it spill out from deep within us will His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’

Except from Reckless Devotion by Heidi Baker

It’s exhausting to try to live the way God calls us to live without him in it, that’s why we all fall short when we try.

Why would we try to do it all on our own when we don’t have to. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us, give us the words, the actions, the provisions, the energy and the wisdom and his love to do all that he calls us to.

His love is what needs to pour out of us when we talk to people, his love is what they need to see and hear in us. His love is what will change them, because its what changed us.

Photo by David Monje on Unsplash

Refresh

So many people fear being in the presence of God, some think it’s boring. But being in the presence of God has been the best times of my life. His presence is sweet and peaceful, and joyful and loving all at the same time. His presence is what ever we need at each moment. So why don’t we seek it more?

It’s so easy to be distracted by our responsibilities and obligations in life. We weren’t meant to live these jam packed lives that make us rush from activity to activity. What happened to the simple things in life. How often do we stop and enjoy the simple things?

When we rush around we miss the important things in life.

God wants to be with us in every moment of everyday. (Sounds overwhelming right?)

But his presence brings us what we need in each moment of each day. When were stressed he brings peace, when sad he brings comfort, when lonley, love.

Whatever is running through your head right now, give it to God, and let him be whatever you need.

https://youtu.be/FWXr4NuZOCM

You can choose

People choose how they react. They choose either to be ruled by emotions or choose to be in charge of their emotions.

We have the power to choose how we will react to others and whether we will allow their choice to affect us or not.

You may feel a certain way but that doesn’t mean it has to be how you make your decision. You can make your choice despite your feelings.

Emotions are not bad, but if we allow our lives to be ruled by our emotions we would never for give each other.

It hurt when someone wrongs us and you may never feel like you want to forgive them, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t forgive people.

We are all human and we all make mistakes.

Jesus forgives us for all the wrong we have done so in turn he asks that we forgive others.

Choosing to forgive does not make what the person did right, but it does build a bridge for restoration in the relationship.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing and to not forgive is to give your emotions the right to rule you, instead of you ruling your emotions.


And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Mark 11:25


Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash

There’s always HOPE

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
—Romans 12:12

Worrying about the future can cause so much unnecessary pain and frustration. But appreciating each moment for what it is can lead to a fuller life.

Enjoying the moment of hope and joy to the fullest instead of being distracted by what’s next makes the hard times in the future easier because you have those good moments to look back to and know that you can be patient in the hard times because you know they will pass and times of joy will return. If you live your life always looking for the worst to happen, it will happen and you will not find peace.

Being faithful in prayer is simply a reminder to stay in communication with God. Prayer is a two way conversation. By staying in communication with God all the time, he can change your perspective of your circumstances to see the hard times in a new light and to enjoy the times of hope even more.

No matter your current circumstances ask God to show it to you from his perspective.



Photo by Ron Smith on Unsplash

Help to grow your faith

I like books that stretch my faith and help deepen my relationship with Jesus. This Friday I would like to encourage in your faith by recommending a few books that have done just that for me.

As I said in my post Rejoice in others, Value the One it is good to rejoice in the success of others and to uplift our brothers and sisters in the faith.

Children and the Supernatural by Jennifer Toldeo is about real life accounts for healing, visions and miracles. I read this book as a devotional and it greatly encouraged and stretched my faith.

Heavenly Man is a account of the life and testimony of Brother Yun a leader of the Chinese underground church. His story really made me think about what I would be willing to go through for the gospel. It bolstered my faith and deepened my conviction.

Reckless Devotion by Roland and Heidi Baker is a great devotion that bolsters and expands your love for God. The stories of how God has provided for the Bakers and their ministry over and over again will make you laugh, cry and fall deeper in love with Jesus.

I hope you find these books encouraging in deepening your relationship with Jesus.

Rejoice in Others, Value the One

Yesterday I talked about Serving without Complaining in
Philippians 2:14-18. This passage also mentions rejoicing for others.

It’s easy to get distracted by others minisry. To say my ministry isn’t as big as their’s or I wish I could do that. But you don’t know where they started.

Every ministry starts small. No one immediately has a mega church or crusades to millions, no they started out small. Even Jesus started out small. He saw each person as valuable and stopped crowds, just to focus on one person. Like Zacchaeus, or the cripple lowered though the roof or the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus focus was always on the individual.

Ministry is about reaching people. So whether it be big or small if you have reached a person you have ministered.

So rejoice for others in their blessing to reach the multitude and know that they started just like you, by reaching one person at a time.

woman in white shirt raising her right hand

Photo by Harishan Kobalasingam on Unsplash

drive by blessings

On my drive to work I see lots of people walking on the side of the street to go to the bus stop or kids going to school. I get cut off by people and stuck behind buses. I could and have let this is get to me and frustrate me.

Until I started doing drive by blessings. Every time when I see a pedestrian instead of being upset that I have to stop for them to use the cross walk. I pray for them.

And when I get cut off or have to stop because the person in front of me is turning into one of the many business driveways that I pass. I pray for them.

When I get stuck behind the bus, I pray for the passengers getting on or off.

It’s not about being holier then thou. It’s about a perspective change.

Instead of seeing people as an annoyance I see them as God sees them. As his kids. He loves each and every person on the planet, so I should too. 

A new way of gift giving

 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Mark 8:36-37

 

In this season of gift giving I want to encourage your to try a new kind of gift giving. The gift of a word from God for your friends and family.

This may sound scary or intimidating but it isn’t as scary as you may think.

God speaks to us in many different ways and one of those ways is through the prophetic. Giving a word for someone is simple. Spend some time in prayer and ask God to tell you a word, message or show you a picture or vision. Then write or draw what God tells you. If you are new to this I would suggest just asking for one word per person or an image.

Remember this is from God and should be free of your opinion or bias. To avoid writing a word that is your thoughts for this person I would suggest some randomization. I’ve done this many times in groups and as gifts to others. I find it’s best to ask God to give you the word without someone specific in mind. Try writing the words on unmarked cards then place them in sealed envelopes and label the envelopes with names later.

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

Others ideas for prophetic gift giving:

  • Have your kids pray and ask God to give them a picture to draw and include it with your prophetic word
  • Buy journals or notebooks and write prophetic words on the first page and randomly place them in stockings
  • If your hosting a small group or gathering of believers, a prophetic white elephant gift exchange is fun (ask everyone to bring a gift and ask them to write a prophetic word to go with their gift) then play the white elephant gift exchange as usual, with the exception of not opening gifts til the swapping is over.

Giving the gift of a prophetic work last for eternity, it will never be thrown away, sold or returned. God’s word makes an impact on people, whether they receive it at that time or not.

Bless your family and friends this Christmas with a word from God.

the restoration of God

This months guest post is from a friend who is is very open, raw and honest in his walk with God. ~Rebecca Darga

crumbled. defeated. weathered. hopeless. shattered.

none of these conditions are bigger than the power of God’s Restoration.

no matter how bleak or impossible it might seem, He can rebuild it.


it will not look the same as before. it will cost you more than you expect. but when you give up the fight for something to BE the way YOU want it to be, and let God RESTORE it to the way HE wants it to be, there is always hope, beauty, life, and when finished – an amazing story to be told.


we must continually remind ourselves that:


He is the author, and we are His pen.
He is the painter, and we are His canvas.
He is the architect, and we are His tools.

Geoff Rimshas is the author of The Recovering Hypocrite

“I considers myself first and foremost a sinner saved by Grace, and I write to share my walk of tension between the Hope of Jesus and the shame of past mistakes.

I am desperate to know Jesus more in both the exciting and mundane details of the incredible life He has given me. I am thankful for my beautiful wife, Sara, our two amazing daughters, and our safe haven of a home in Livonia, Michigan.”

Love is Contagious

This months guest post is from a friend whom I greatly respect . He has a unique and deep intimate view of God and expresses that in his life daily. ~Rebecca Darga

I recently attended a wedding of a close family friend. The whole day went without a hitch- beautiful music, a great sermon, beautiful decorations and great food- but there was one thing that stood out to me more than all of this. This new bride and groom were head over heals in love. They have no experience whatsoever when it comes to being married, yet they’ve chosen each other for a lifetime. I found myself reminiscing about my wedding and glancing over at my wife with pure joy and thankfulness to the Lord. Witnessing people in love is contagious.

Our spiritual life is not so different.

When someone is in love with God, you can see it; the joy is written all over their face.

Over the years if we’re not careful, it can feel that our walk with the Lord becomes stagnant. Prayer becomes pointless. Reading the Bible is a chore. Going to church becomes the place to see friends and to hear a helpful sermon. “Isn’t there more than this? Where is the excitement and passion I once had?” you might ask yourself. The good news is you’re not alone, and there is a solution.

In Revelation, Jesus has some instruction to one of the churches: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.

I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Revelation 2:2-5  

Let us take this passage as a warning and take heed from these sobering words:

It’s not enough to do good and work hard.

It’s not enough to have sound doctrine. It’s not enough to persevere and endure hardships.

It’s not enough to hate wickedness.

It’s not enough to know truth.

We must come back to our first love: Jesus.

How do we do that? People say, “love is the matter of the heart.” Ironically Jesus is just as much, if not more, than concerned about our heart’s condition:

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23  

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Luke 6:45

So, how is your heart doing today? How has your heart been doing recently?

Do you feel like life has become stagnant, pointless, or a list of performing chores for God? Could it be that your heart has become exhausted, bitter, distracted, or infatuated with a temporary world instead of God’s purposes? Can you still remember the hope, love, and joy He once brought into to your life? Can you still see Him that way today?

Maybe you’re doing it right! That’s great! Keep your mind sober and your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Maybe you’re feeling far off from the Lord. Give Him your heart: the good, the bad, and the ugly. He loves you and is eagerly waiting for you. Today, there is an opportunity to repent and come back to Jesus, whatever the case may be. And know that when He comes, it changes everything. In a moment, He can provide all that you could ever need or hope for.

This is between you and the Holy Spirit. What is He speaking to you today? What is He telling you to do? How does He want you to respond? If you’re not sure, think back to the first time you had an encounter with the love of God. What were you thinking? What were you feeling? How did you respond in that moment? We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Our love should be an overflow of God’s love for us. There is no need to strive in His presence. Let everything you do be a response to God’s love, not a way in which to receive His love and salvation.

Fight for His presence. Forsake everything else at the cost of knowing Him. Don’t get tired and don’t give up. We must determine in our hearts and with our actions that God is the one who matters most.

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ (Colossians 2:2)

For the One who is worthy,

James Loruss  

James Loruss is an author, filmmaker and composer at Supernatural Truth Productions. Together with his wife, Connie, James ministers globally and locally to train believers, raise up leaders, and reach the lost with the Gospel. James serves as the Worship Pastor at Northville Christian Assembly of God in Northville, Michigan. He and Connie live in Novi, Michigan.

Locked in a cupboard

What do we keep locked away in a cupboard? What is the one thing that we are holding back from God? Saying you can have everything, but this. This hurt or this pain I’m keeping it because it hurts too much to give it to you.

Because we are afraid of where it came from, why its there or what we’ll have to do to let it go.

Pain can control us if we let it.

But some pain is good, if we control it. Working out can be painful but it helps build muscle and burn fat. It makes us healthier and removes toxins from our bodies through sweat.

Photo by Wolfgang Rottmann on Unsplash

But if we say it hurts too much then we allow those same toxins in our bodies to sit and stay and pollute our bodies.

When we let old hurts and pains stay locked away we allow them to have control. But when we surrender them over to God and say we don’t want to live with that pain anymore we find freedom.

Isn’t freedom from pain better then keeping it locked inside us.

The pain of letting go is worth it if we truly want to be free.

Tears are healing

When it rains the clouds come in and the sky turns grey. The plants are shaded from the sun while they get much needed nourishment. The grey clouds stay even after it rains to shield the plants from being burned by the sun while the water is still on their leaves.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Tears are like this for us they come during the dark gloomy times but they give us a much needed release of emotion all the emotions that are pent up inside us flows out and can bring some much needed healing.

I always tell people tears are healing.

Tears help us to acknowledge the hurt and/or pain we’ve gone through, they cleanse us and wash away what we’ve held inside. They are a release of emotions fear, sadness, anger, worry, frustration that if kept bottled up could turn into paranoya, anxiety, depression, rage and bitterness. Even Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, even though he knew he would raise him back to life he still felt the loss. It’s the same with us when we lose someone it’s good to cry, to mourn their lose in this world but we must remember that we will see them in heaven. Or if we won’t we mourn that loss and let it be motivation to bring everyone else with us to heaven

So cry, let it all out but remember to not let it overcome you. The sun will come out and there are still people to reach.

Worry no more

“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[e?

“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.

Matthew 6:25-34

Who adds a day to their life by worrying.

Worry accomplishes nothing but wasting time, aging you and ruining your day. When has worry ever stopped a crisis or improved your perspective?

If God can cloth and feed and take care of his creation then, why do you think he wont take care of you? He created you didn’t he, so aren’t you his creation too?

I have never regretted trusting God, but I have regretted worrying about something. It never solves anything and makes me edgy and irritable to others. So why worry.

Gives you concerns over to God and let him take care of them.


Photo by Andrea Reiman on Unsplash

Unexpected blessings

Just because God doesn’t do what you when you and how you want does not mean he is not there for you.

God timing is better then ours.

If my husband and I had met sooner, before we learned how to be in a relationship, how to love and that God is the one who fulfills; us not the other person. We would have caused each other so much pain.

In the same respect as much as have wanted kids over the past four years and have not been blessed with them yet. We know that having kids with all of our moving around the country would have been hard on them.

God’s timing is perfect.

He knows what we need, when we need it and when what we want, would hurt us more then hep us.

I asked God for a husband for seven years, but I wasn’t ready. My heart may have longed for the relationship of marriage, but it was for selfish reasons. And selfishness is never good for marriage.

It wasn’t until I surrendered my desire for spouse to God and asked him to pick my husband, that my husband came into my life. I never would of picked him on my own, but God knew what I needed and I couldn’t have asked for a better husband.

Trust God in his timing and ask him what wants for you right now, instead of what you want.

I bet you’ll be surprised at his answer.


Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

What would you sacrifice?

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

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash

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, by knowing who he is and who he’s made you to be, by knowing his love for you and through you. His love, his sacrifice builds confidence.

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 he’s 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? Would you sacrifice your life?