Do you have to "give your name" when you call your spouse? When your children call do you have to ask them what their name is? If your best friend said something to you even if it was in a completely dark room, you would recognize their voice wouldn't you? Jesus said in John 10, My sheep know My voice. Many people struggle with the idea of hearing the voice of the Shepherd. I believe that the Lord is trying constantly to show us the way to walk. He is not hiding His plans from those whose heart is to do what He shows them to do. We begin hearing the voice of the Lord in the very first days of accepting Him as our Lord. We develop our confidence in hearing Him as we begin obeying the little things we think He is telling us to do. There are times we make mistakes but just like a child who falls down while learning to walk and whose parents keep coaxing it to get back up and try again, so the Lord is encouraging us to "try again" to hear and obey His voice. The longer we follow the Lord and the more we "listen" the more confidence we will have making decisions that please Him. You still may miss interpret His directions at times but take heart, as long as you have the desire to know and do His will, He is encouraging you to try again to hear Him!

Did you leave shore on a sunny, tranquil day only to find yourself in the middle of the "sea" in a storm that has you wondering if you will survive the wind, waves and rain. The fact is your circumstances may be getting worse and your doubts growing but I remind you (and myself) that in spite of our fears the Lord Jesus is not only on the boat with you, He is experiencing "complete peace"; so much that He was sound asleep in the back of the boat. His disciples came to Him and asked what He was going to do about the storm. They stood in front of Him soaking wet, scared to death and I think angry that He had not already taken care of the problem. If you find yourself in a storm that Jesus has not "calmed" I urge you to do what He did, speak to the storm. Tell the waves to stop, tell you rain to end, tell the waves to stop crashing against you, if they do not immediately stop; I say ask God for the "peace" in your heart until you "see the calm of the storm". One of the two things will happen because Isaiah 26:3 says "I will keep you in perfect peace if you will keep your mind on Me".!

What impact are you making around you? Who would notice if you stopped doing what you do for your family, your job, your church and your community? How much do people depend on your contribution of time, talent and money? These questions give a snapshot of your value. They do not give a complete picture of your worth but they offer an insight. For many people just working on a sprint everyday takes more time and energy than they can keep up with so we all resort to our coping mechanisms. These include, food, rest, exercise (or the lack of it) and habits that may be good or bad. The Bible says the steps of a good man are walked out in a detailed plan. Take a day or a week or an hour and ask the Lord if your schedule needs adjusting. See if He has a new thing to add to your list or something He wants to remove from your list. Be willing to adjust your schedule. Become flexible (this really is possible) but it often involves stretching that is not easy when you first begin doing it. God is in the process of renewing passion and vision in His people and He is bringing hope, life and peace to His body, don't miss out but don't forget to bring your flexible workout gear!

"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2) Do not trust your feelings to lead you in the ways of God, Our feelings are totally unreliable when it comes to "knowing God's will". The first thing we must do to determine God's will is, answer the question; is this biblical? Next we must see if the circumstances are right for this decision, timing, place and does it fit for now. Next check with your heart (feelings). Many times in spite of what may appear to be reality, we sense God telling us or leading us to do something that does not make sense BUT we know we are to do it.. Don't make decisions based on one of these three things being a "yes". In most cases don't decide to proceed if only two of these things are a "yes". Hurrying is almost always not God's will. If someone is pushing you for an immediate answer, the answer is no BUT NOT ALWAYS. Check these 3 indicators. If they line up and you believe God is telling you to move forward, pray, ask God to stop you if you are about to make a mistake and proceed. God does want to lead us in every situation, every time. Trust Him to speak to you and He will!

Times and seasons are in God's hand. If this is not your season of growth and blessing, hold on to Him because as surely as the sun rises every morning your time will come. Trusting God in seasons of testing and pruning are the most difficult days we live. Watching other people in their season of blessing causes us to question God and ourselves about "what else can we do to get our season here faster". God is the master architect, if we ask Him to move us out of the proper season, we will not only prevent Him from accomplishing His will, it is probable that we bring a delay on when He intended to move us. The safest, smartest place we can ever live is in the middle of His will and in complete contentment that He is our biggest supporter. Apostle Paul said he buffeted his body daily so as not to allow it to rule him. in other words, Paul treated his body as his possession and did not allow it to possess him. Make your mind submit to God's word and promise that God does supply all of our needs everyday and wants the best for us at the right time. By trusting God's timing of when to bless and when to hold back, we make it possible for Him to do what's best, when it is best and not have to delay His best in order to teach us to wait on Him.

Every minute of everyday people face death, disappointment, loss and failure. In order to not lose hope we need someone who can understand what we are feeling and share the burden with us while we are walking through these storms. I only have one answer, Jesus Christ. Scores of people can tell you that all other attempts to "get help" fail. There are many things that people try to substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus. Treatment centers are full of broken people who cannot believe what they have allowed themselves to do in order to try and get help carrying their pain. We can know that what we are doing is not helping and still reject the only real answer to our dilemma. If you are hurting today, go to Jesus. This does not mean all your pain will instantly dissolve, it does mean He will stay with you until it does and if it still hurts you now, by faith remember He is still with you. God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts but His mercies and compassion do not fail, so do not leave His side!

Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways says the Lord ... so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." We need to remember this everyday of our lives. Our natural brain wants to know everything and our old nature likes to be in charge of everything but neither of these things will happen while we are on this earth. We need to have our thinking transformed by God's Word and learn to live His ways instead of our ways. This struggle can only be handled as we have our minds renewed by seeing what Jesus did and how He did it and know that He is still doing things that don't add up to us. We see through a glass darkly and not until we get to Heaven will everything make sense. The quicker we begin living with this mindset the easier life will become and the more joy we will experience. Get started now, the greatest adventures of your life are just ahead and many of them will not make sense on this side of Heaven!

I felt the need to remind you that our part in faith is “as long as your faith is as big as the smallest seed”, you can rest; IF your faith is IN JESUS CHRIST! Take comfort in that today. He is the Lord who accomplishes the task, we just trust Him until we see it. There is nothing in your life that He isn’t concerned about. If it is an issue to you it automatically becomes an issue for Him. So instead of worrying and fretting about “am I believing hard enough” or “is there anything else I need to be doing about this” simply allow Him to direct your path today. I promise you if there is something else you need to do He is well able to tell you. He has spoken in the wind, out of a cloud, writing on the wall, talking through a donkey, out of a burning bush and in a still small voice which is actually the way He speaks to me 99.9% of the time; in the gentle “knowing”. The safest place you will ever be is under His wings. Psalm 91:1-2 says “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust.”

Starting projects is usually exciting. Finishing them is not always as fun. Usually somewhere about half way through the effort "something else" begins to interest us. The original project has gotten kinda old and progress has not been made as fast as you had hoped. Problems and delays have taken their toll and the "inspiration" we began with has long since wained. Nehemiah was involved with a project just like this. God gave him a vision to rebuild the protective wall around Jerusalem, he got everyone involved, the project was moving along and then discouragement set in. Adversity picked up and folks began making excuses about why they could not finish the job. Nehemiah had to rally the troops, just like you may have to rally yourself or those around you. When you started this you made a commitment to stay at it until you finished (whatever it was) so take a minute to call on the Lord to renew your strength, then put your hand back on the plow and don't quit. You will be so glad you did not give up when the job is over. You will experience a grace from the Lord that you will miss if you quit and more than that you will honor the Lord by following through on what you felt Him leading you to do when you began. Get busy, you have a job to finish!

The world is groaning, earthquakes, floods, famines, wars, rumors of wars, etc. None of this is a surprise to the Lord, in fact, He said this very thing would occur in Matthew 24. He also said "don't panic" this is only the beginning. He also said many will turn away from Him and the love of many will grow cold. These days are shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones, did you get that, even in these days God is watching out for His children. Prepare for difficult days by renewing your mind with His Word. Hide His promises in your heart and think on what He has done for you already. This world is not our permanent home but our tendency is to forget that and put our effort into making this life on earth the most important thing do. Solomon said we would never be satisfied with what we accumulate here on earth. As soon as we finish building one thing something else pops up we think we need. Keep your eyes looking for the return of Jesus Christ. It will come on an ordinary day when the world is focused on everything but Him. He is coming again, just make sure you are preparing for it!

How close is God to you right now? The correct answer to this question for the Christian is He lives inside of us. We don't have to look up to make contact with Him, we can breath and He hears, cares and answers our needs. He is touched with the feeling of our hurts, sicknesses and waits for us to reach out to Him for help and comfort. Draw near to the Lord and He will draw near to you is what James 4:8 says. Let's not miss an opportunity to call on Him and respond to His leading. Make sure you take your thoughts captive when they start to question God's love for you. Remind yourself what Christ has already done to make a relationship with you possible. Picture this, the only thing that can keep us from making a connection with the Lord at any moment is our own action or attitude. He says in His word that neither life nor death, angels nor principalities, things present nor things to come can separate us from His love. Believe Him, take advantage of the opportunity you have as His child and receive from Him today -- right now and never let your logic keep you from trusting in His love regardless of what your feelings tell you. Selah

A good foundation is necessary to hold up a building or a life. The purpose of a foundation is "spread out the load" over a large area, in other words, keep the stress or weight from concentrating in one area. For a Christian the foundation that supports us is Jesus Christ, the word of God who became flesh. We can see how to act and re-act to every situation we face by seeing what Jesus did and how He did it. Jesus was tempted in every way but never yielded to it. Jesus was falsely accused, cursed, beaten, spit on and crucified on a cross all without losing his temper or fighting back to defend Himself or His reputation. Our goal should be to walk in the same way by depending on the same Spirit that empowered Him to empower us. This can only happen by staying close to Him by reading and meditating on His word daily, even hourly. Make sure you are supported by the strong foundation that is the only one that weathers all storms, Jesus Christ. He is always the same, yesterday, today and forever!

God wants to rebuild the broken places in our lives. He has a plan and is willing to reveal it to us one day at a time. The key is to trust Him with the timing and method of the process. He will not do things we think they need to be done. He will lead us in what seems like detours, in reality they are excursions to handle things that we are not even aware need attention. Follow the instructions that you have at the moment. Learn to live in His peace by keeping your mind on Him not the outcome of the process you are living day to day. The most fulfilling place to be is doing what He wants you to do, at the time He wants you doing it. If we are willing to walk in His plan we will finally find the hope, faith and love that we have thought impossible to accomplish. Saddle up, give him the reins of your future. You are in for the time of your life!

I hope you are already thinking about church tomorrow (I am writing this on Saturday AM). The Body of Christ has become guilty of putting "attending church" on Sundays in the "optional" category. In other words, if nothing better or more appealing is on the calendar (and of coarse the weather is not too bad - if the weather is too good this also competes with the decision of "do we go to church or not"). Gathering together with your brothers and sisters in Christ is commanded in Hebrews 10:24-25 because church should not just be about "what we get out of it" but "what we put into it". Believers should prepare to attend church with at least as much devotion as they spend getting themselves dressed and made up. Please show your love for Jesus Christ by "keeping His commandments" (John 14:21) and being a servant to those around you. You cannot serve people you do not see. I understand you should be serving outside the church walls on a daily basis but you should also serve inside the walls as the body gathers together on a weekly basis. Pray about each service. Ask the Lord what you should be doing to make the services more uplifting, enlightening and doctrinally sound. This begins by us all being in the services!

I Thessalonians 5 says "do not grieve the Holy Spirit". Another way of saying this is "do not throw cold water on what the Holy Spirit is calling you to do". Following His guidance always requires faith and is seldom, if ever "what you feel like doing". We miss many of the "miracles" God wants us to be involved in because we are afraid to follow the little urges and ideas that come to our minds. Hebrews 5 says we learn to obey His voice by having our senses trained. In other words, we need to be willing to make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we can ask the Lord to forgive us and at times He can remove the effect of the mistakes. Other times, He allows the mistakes to teach us and others we will not "ruin everything" by making a mistake and lastly, others see we do make mistakes just like everyone else does. No one likes making mistakes but it can remove some pressure when we realize that God can make mistakes turn into ministry if we get our eyes off of our mistakes and on His mercy!

Philippians 1:6 says "being confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day you see Jesus face to face". It is God's job to change us. Too many of us are telling Him what to change and when to change it. He knows the motives of our heart; the fact that He works on parts of us that we don't think needs the work and that He doesn't work on what we do think needs attention shows how much in charge we want to be. He purchased us with His death on the cross and since we are "His property" we should allow Him to do with us what He wants, when He wants. The most comfortable place you can ever be is under His guidance and in His timing. It may not feel good to your flesh but your flesh should not have a part in your life. it has been crucified with Christ when you became a Christian. Jesus Christ is Lord of the Christian's life so He gets to decide when He wants to change parts of you. Let Him do His job changing you and you will find that He is a Master at His job!

Wait! Just hearing that word disturbs us. We do not like waiting for anything but the Word of God says waiting has positive benefits. One of these is we gain strength, spiritual ability to use in the issues we are dealing with on a daily basis. Waiting allows us to turn our hearts to the Lord for the direction He is giving us. Waiting can cause our flesh to submit to our spirit, if we use the time of waiting properly. Times and seasons are in the hands of the Lord. When we truly believe that and stop relying on our feelings to give us the directions we need we will live more fruitful and peaceful lives. Waiting may seem like punishment but like many of the lessons the Lord is teaching us, it can be just the opposite. Decide to wait on the Lord and allow His promise to you, to build your strength to work so when you get the "green light" to proceed you will have the courage and the wisdom needed to accomplish the task before you.

"A harsh word stirs up anger but a gentle answer turns away wrath". Proverbs 15:1 In Genesis 11 the people of the earth were building a tower and God said because the people are in "one accord" nothing will be impossible for them. He confused the languages and the people were scattered all over the region because there was no unity. In the books of Acts, the disciples were in "one accord" after Jesus went to heaven. Unity or "one accord" is a most amazing principle. Strive to maintain the unity of the faith, Paul says in Ephesians. Unity is an amazing power; the enemy is constantly throwing confusion and disharmony into our lives. Don't fall for the trap. Being right is not always worth the battle. If something is "not a big deal" let it slide. You cannot let everything go without correction and maybe even a serious conversation but everything does not have to be agreed on. Don't "have to be right" about everything. Allow others their opinions without a challenge. Different denominations and political perspectives can be a healthy thing. Proverbs says "iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another" which means there will be times when sparks fly but if you want people to enjoy being around you allow them to express their opinions freely without your criticisms. Strive to maintain unity even if it means keeping your opinions to yourself!

II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow concerning His promises, as some look at timing, but is extremely patient to us, not willing that any die without knowledge of Him, but that all will get saved." Never allow your natural mind to make a judgement about God's faithfulness or His timing about things you care about. We are extremely limited in understanding of the future and what effect our "wants" have on everyone else's life. If we will trust Him to make the right decision at the right time, praying that the enemy cannot interrupt God's plan, we will not only see God answer our prayers but why He answered them and when He answered them. Children always want to have their requests answered immediately but we all know many times what they are asking for is not good for them or not good for them "now". Grow up into Christ and allow Him to do His will without hearing complaints from you about His integrity or His timing!!